Google TV - It runs Android...Are you interested???

Nearly everyone likes to watch TV.  Some more than others.  But, watching TV isn't always just sitting back in the easy chair with the "clicker" and flipping through 6 channels anymore.  With the advent of digital compression technologies cable and satellite providers have the ability to send hundreds of channels your way!  And, now you have your choice of watching programming in standard definition (SD), High definition (HD), or even in 3D!  With all of these changes you are still basically sitting on the couch and flipping channels.  Now finding the show that you want to watch almost requires you to use some sort of on-screen guide provided to you through a set top box (STB) to sort through all of the content that is being provided to you.  All of this outlines some basic changes in just TV.

Now some questions for you...

Do you have a computer and a high speed internet connection?
Do you have photos on your computer that you would like to show people when they come over?
Do you watch You Tube videos?
Do you have home movies or music on your computer?

Looking through that list of questions...It sure looks like a lot of stuff could be sitting on your computer just waiting to hit the big screen!  Enter Google TV.  This is a STB that is supposed to interact with basically all of your media in your home and centralize it on your TV.  So, how is that supposed to work you may ask?  Once you hook up your Google TV unit to your TV, internet connection and your home network you can start accessing content through an on-screen menu system.  And, staying true to Google's roots, you can type in searches for content.  This will bring up results from potentially numerous places from inside your home or on the web!  For example, if you type in a search for "The Office" you may see results come up from live TV from your cable operator, possibly episodes that you have recorded on your DVR (Digital Video Recorder), or even episodes that are on the web.  Then you can just click on the choice that you want and start watching!
 

Building on that you also have access to web content.  This includes watching You Tube on your TV.  There are also web channels to watch for example TWiT (This Week in Tech), Pandora, and others.  There is a built in Chrome web browser so that you can surf and search the web.  You can use Twitter while watching TV on the same screen if you want.

Bring your content to the big screen as well.  There is a built in photo gallery to display all of your photos from your computer onto your TV.  Any movies that you have stored on your computer can be searched through and streamed to your TV as well.

There are tons and tons of features on a Google TV that can make your enjoyment of all of the content out there fun!  And, now this powerful device is selling for just $99 after a recent price drop.  And with the coming of the Android market at some point soon...This may be a neat toy to own!

Now the downside.  First of all there are a ton of things that you can do with a Google TV.  Which may be a little overwhelming for some people.  The on-screen interface is decent but can be a little confusing to people that aren't into a lot of gadgets or computers.  Second of all, and this is probably the biggest negative, many programmers have blocked access to their content through Google TV.  What that means for the end user is that you may be able to go to CBS.com and watch your favorite shows on your computer.  But, if you use a Google TV unit (which is just accessing the website the same as your computer) you may find those shows blocked.  I don't really understand why these broadcast corporations want to block people from seeing their content because you will see the ads on the Google TV the same as if you are in front of your computer.  But, that is their decision and Google hasn't worked out any deals with those broadcasters yet.  This is your warning though...Don't buy a Google TV and expect to watch network TV programming from the web on your TV.

I think that the Google TV unit installed in a home that has content scattered around everywhere would be a big benefit.  Especially since the Google TV Logitech Revue unit is priced so nicely at $99.

I would like to hear from anyone that might have Google TV installed in their home and let me know what you think of it.

Have fun and command your TV!
Brian