Digital Home Thoughts: Google TV Shaping Up to be the Real Deal?

"If it works as smooth as it looks in this preview video, Google TV could provide the kind of seamless web-on-TV experience many have been looking for. Dedicated apps, a Chrome browser, easy picture and music viewing, and more are shown off. Google TV was announced in May, but the only evidence of how it could work was provided in a simple stage demonstration, and a cartoon-styled video. It seemed like a really web-savvy DVR, perhaps, or maybe a set-top box that had a little more Google juice."

I admit I was more than a little sceptical about Google TV when it was first announced - after all, this is the same company that had Gmail in beta for five years - and working with TV manufacturers is no small mountain to climb. I remain a little dubious about whether or not Google can accomplish this task, but they have the money and resources to potentially make in-roads where the likes of Microsoft have failed. This demo looks pretty slick, but there's a rather large chasm between a pretty software demo and real, working software on a TV that you can purchase at Best Buy made by a big name-brand OEM. This site is also worth a look.