Here’s Google TV:
Looks good to me. Basically, to me, it looks like it tries to put your Internet video watching on your TV. There’s already software out there that does this (or at least something like this; I don’t know the extent of features GoogleTV is ultimately planning), but I don’t think it’s become widely used enough. And I can hook my laptop up to the HDTV whenever I want, but it’s not very practical. So if Google TV can give the nation a cheap and easy-to-use solution, as this looks like it could be, it could finally put the on-demandness of Internet video on your TV.
A few years ago I was arguing (well, more discussing) with someone at college about this stuff. His concern was bandwidth… he said that more on-demandish video isn’t here yet because it would cost too much bandwidth to be providing so many different TVs so much different content. My argument was that the technology was already here and it was all possible… but the cable and satellite companies and ISPs don’t have the supporting business models yet, so they’re still trying to figure out the business model side of it before changing things around for the consumers too abruptly.
So… if Google TV does become really popular (as I hope it does, because on-demand is better), it will be interesting to see how cable and satellite and ISP companies react. Will they want to create new restrictions? Will they charge more? Will they somehow seek to regain the content control they hold now?
Speaking of content, how will Google TV affect the content people watch? If you are able to load up a YouTube video as quick as you can turn the channel during a commercial, won’t that even up the playing field for content creators? Would that allow us creative dreamers to create our Internet TV channels and shows and have them actually compete with the big networks?
Guess we’ll find out … it will be interesting.
And here’s how to get GoogleTV now!
Anyway, got my eye exam tomorrow, woohoo!
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