Google TV was a

smart TV A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV or, rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart T ...

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

from

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

co-developed by

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

and Logitech. It launched in October 2010 with official devices initially made by Sony and Logitech. Google TV integrated the Android 3.0/3.2 operating system and the

Google Chrome Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, an ...

web browser A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...

to create an

interactive television Interactive television is a form of Technological convergence#Media, media convergence, adding data services to traditional television technology. It has included on-demand delivery of content, online shopping, and viewer polls. Interactive TV i ...

overlay on top of existing online video sites to add a

10-foot user interface In computing, 10-foot user interface, 10-foot UI or 3-meter user interface is a graphical user interface designed for televisions. Compared to desktop computer and smartphone user interfaces, it uses text and other interface elements that are ...

, for a smart TV experience. Google TV's first generation devices were all based on

x86 architecture x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. T ...

processors and were created and commercialized by

and Logitech. The second generation of devices are all based on

ARM architecture ARM (stylised in lowercase as arm, formerly an acronym for Advanced RISC Machines and originally Acorn RISC Machine) is a family of reduced instruction set computer, RISC instruction set architectures (ISAs) for central processing unit, com ...

processors and with additional partners including LG,

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

, Vizio and

Hisense Hisense Group Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational major appliance and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong province. Television sets are its main product, and it has been the largest TV manufacturer in China by market ...

. In 2013, more second generation Google TV-supported devices were announced by new partners, including

Netgear Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service provide ...

TCL TCL or Tcl or TCLs may refer to: Business * TCL Technology, a Chinese consumer electronics and appliance company ** TCL Electronics, a subsidiary of TCL Technology * Texas Collegiate League, a collegiate baseball league * Trade Centre Limited ...

, and

Asus ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (, , , ; stylized as ASUSTeK or ASUS) is a Taiwanese Multinational corporation, multinational computer, phone hardware and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. Its products include deskto ...

, some of which include 3D video support. Google TV was succeeded in June 2014 by

Android TV Android TV is an operating system that runs on smart TVs and related entertainment devices including soundbars, set-top boxes, and digital media players. Developed by Google, it is a closed-source Android distribution. Android TV features a u ...

, a newer platform which shares closer ties with the Android platform and has a revamped user experience integrating with

Knowledge Graph In knowledge representation and reasoning, a knowledge graph is a knowledge base that uses a Graph (discrete mathematics), graph-structured data model or topology to represent and operate on data. Knowledge graphs are often used to store interl ...

, and providing

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or ...

support from mobile devices. As of June 2014, the Google TV SDK is no longer available, ending any future software development for existing devices and effectively deprecating the platform. The "Google TV" branding has since been used as a replacement for Google Play Movies & TV, and to refer to a

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...

used on newer Android TV devices (such as Chromecast with Google TV).

History

* 2010 March – Media outlets reported that the Google TV project was underway, although the partnering companies did not confirm their involvement in the venture until later. * 2010 May 20 – The Google TV project was officially announced at the 2010

Google I/O Google I/O, or simply I/O, is an annual developer conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. The name "I/O" is taken from the number googol, with the "I" representing the first digit "1" in a googol and the "O" representing the s ...

conference on May 20. Google stated that the new platform would be incorporated directly into new high-definition television sets and

Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...

players by

, although set-top boxes would also be developed by Logitech. The company indicated that the new systems developed by Sony and Logitech would be powered by

Intel Atom Intel Atom is a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Core series. Atom is m ...

based CE4100 consumer electronics

system-on-chip A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, and da ...

. It also stated that a "fully optimized" viewer experience would be available through the

Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...

, although the platform would operate through any provider. * 2010 May – Sony announced that it would be releasing its Google-enabled Sony Internet TV product lineup in the fall of 2010, including standalone TV models and set-top units with integrated Blu-ray Disc drives. * 2010 November 10 – Dish Network announced that its Google TV solution was available to customers. Dish Network's Google TV solution, which requires a DVR integration service, includes the Logitech Revue with Google TV, a small set-top box. * 2010 December 15 – Google announces the first Google TV update, with some bug fixes and four major improvements: namely

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

streaming catalog, Dual View, Remote Control App for Android Phones and Movies search results. * 2011 May 10 – At Google I/O it is announced that Google TV devices will be updated to Android 3.1 Honeycomb, will have access to the Android Market, and have some application updates. * 2011 June 18 – Google acquires SageTV, a home media software developer. * 2011 August 26 – Google has announced Google TV would be officially released in Europe in January 2012. * 2011 October 28 – Google TV starts the roll-out of Google TV 2.0, with the Android 3.1 operating system and access to the Market. * 2012 January 8 – It is announced that the new generation of Google TV devices will run on a variety of

ARM In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between ...

SoC designs. One of the key suppliers is Marvell with their Armada 1500 platform. * 2012 January 10 – Sony Corporation plans to bring Google TV to Canada in Summer 2012. No exact released date has been announced. Sony marketing director, Stephane Labrousse has stated that Sony will start selling Google TV based products in Europe in September 2012. * 2012 April 19 – Google updates the TV and Movies app to include social features * 2012 June 25 – Sony plans to release Google TV in Europe in September 2012 with the network media player ''NSZ-GS7'' and the Google TV-integrated

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

player ''NSZ-GS9'' where it will first be released in the UK. * 2012 October 12 – Google video demo of Google TV version 3 is leaked. Version 3 features include an improved ''Primetime'' TV guide application, as well as a companion Android application. Voice based TV and web search for models that include a microphone. A Movies & TV Play Store application which will offer, for purchase, streaming video. * 2013 January – Google TV version 3 begins to be rolled out to most Google TV devices. * 2013 May 15 – Google announces that 2nd generation Google TV devices (using ARM CPUs) will be eligible to receive an update to Android 4.2.2 and the latest version of Android Chrome instead of Desktop Chrome. * 2013 October 10 – Report suggests Google will rebrand Google TV to Android TV and that approximately one million Google TV devices are in use. * 2013 October 11 – Google confirms Google TV version 4 will eventually receive native Chromecast like functionality. * 2013 October 24 – LG televisions with Google TV begin to receive the Android 4.2.2 update.

Features

Google TV leveraged many of Google's existing products. Google TV's operating system, a customized version of Android 3.0/3.2 designed for TV, provided the underlying foundation, allowing developers to create applications that extended the system's functionality. Google's Chrome browser provided a gateway to the Internet, allowing consumers to browse web sites and watch television in tandem. Consumers could access

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...

, and content from other providers through the Chrome browser. Android and

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

smartphones and tablet computers could be used as remote controls for Google TV. Google TV products shipped with wireless remote controls with a full

QWERTY QWERTY ( ) is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six Computer keyboard keys#Types, keys on the top letter row of the keyboard: . The QWERTY design is based on a layout included in the Sh ...

keypad. An update in November 2011 allowed access to

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

and enabled search to find content from live TV, Netflix, YouTube, HBO GO, Amazon, and more. Xyologic has compiled a list of the early Google TV apps with the largest number of installations. As of November 2012, the most installed apps were

Napster Napster was an American proprietary peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing application primarily associated with digital audio file distribution. Founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, the platform originally launched on June 1, 1999. Audio shared ...

Pandora Radio Pandora is a subscription-based music streaming service owned by the broadcasting corporation Sirius XM that is based in Oakland, California in the United States. The service carries a focus on recommendations based on the " Music Genome Proje ...

and

Partners

The Google TV platform was provided by Google to OEMs for incorporation into their consumer products. The first generation of consumer devices were produced by Logitech and

. The second generation of consumer devices were produced by Sony, LG (see LG L9 SoC), Vizio,

NetGear Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service provide ...

and

. The third generation of consumer devices was announced by LG at 2013

International CES CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event ...

, with the announcement of their TV models.

Devices

First generation

Second generation

Reviews

Competitors and controversies

Cable providers as well as content providers did not participate in the Google TV platform due to it allowing access through a web browser rather than authenticated apps which could enforce

geolocation Geopositioning is the process of determining or estimating the geographic position of an object or a person. Geopositioning yields a set of Geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinates (such as latitude and longitude) in a given map datum ...

and international copyright restrictions.

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, ABC,

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

, and Viacom blocked Google TV enabled devices from accessing their web content through the platform's entire life. Of the cable and satellite providers, only

had embraced Google TV and promoted it by offering customers a discount on the Logitech Revue. In contrast, the Android TV ecosystem has all the major American television networks and streaming providers' apps. In January 2014, Google filed a

UDRP The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a process established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the resolution of disputes regarding the registration of internet domain names. The UDRP curre ...

case against the owner of domain names androidtv.com and xbmcandroidtv.com. The domain names were owned by Exo Level, Inc. and were registered with

GoDaddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet Domain name registry, domain registry, Domain name registrar, domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. GoDaddy is the world's fif ...

in November 2006. In March 2014, Google's case was denied.“Claim Number: FA1402001542794.”
National Arbitration Forum decision via UDRP Search

Version history

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Google Tv TV Interactive television Products introduced in 2010 Products and services discontinued in 2014 Smart TV Television operating systems mt:Google TV