Search and Social Media Weekly News (23rd May)
May 24, 2010 Author: Adam Lee
It seems barely seven days since I posted the last weeks news round-up and here we are again! The Social Media scene over the last seven days has been dominated by the unveiling of new services at the annual Google I/O conference. Arguably the most dramatic launch is that of Google TV. Read on…
Google TV gets a mixed reception
News of the forthcoming Google TV service has been greeted by a mixed reception. Does the idea of Google TV turn you on or off?
This autumn (or ‘fall’ as our friends over the pond call it) Sony will be bringing out Google TV-compatible TVs; smart sets which will allow you to watch all the normal channels and also give you access to the internet on a bigger screen than you’re used to.
There will also be Google TV boxes which will integrate your existing channels with the internet.
A two-minute YouTube video has been posted explaining in Sesame Street-style simple language why Google thinks that Google TV will enjoy great ratings.
Basically, the video narrator says, consumer behaviour studies suggest that many of us prefer watching video content on the internet only because it is easier to track down.
But think of a world where you can type in the name of the content you want to watch and then view this content on the biggest, brightest and best screen in your house – your television.
Google clearly has thought of this concept – hence Google TV; ‘an entertainment hub for your living room’.
It’s such a good idea that you’d have thought it would have been attempted before – and indeed it has, but never with the conviction that Google seems to possess.
There is already Apple TV – but the extra video content on these websites is limited to Apple-approved material such as pop videos relating to songs found in the Apple iTunes library.
BBC News highlighted the fact that the unveiling of Google TV at the San Francisco conference was plagued by technical gremlins. Google officials finally had to ask people in the 5,000-strong audience to disconnect their phones from the conference wireless network to liberate sufficient bandwidth to provide a demo of the service.
The Beeb’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, referred to Google as “a somewhat hazy plan to integrate television and the web”.
Google used clips from the television show House to illustrate the ‘channel’ – it’s the show where the goggle-eyed Hugh Laurie plays an eccentric US doctor.
And perhaps Google’s choice of House to showcase its wares is an omen. It took viewers a while to get used to Laurie’s new American accent before giving the show the thumbs-up and maybe the same could be true of Google TV; a service which could prolong the lives of those televisions that sit in the corners of our living rooms.
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