Google TV faces some hurdles

Jan 2, 2011, 3:06 GMT

New York - Google's foray into internet television is not going quite as planned.

Google plans to rework the software for Google TV before more manufacturers bring devices to market with that programming installed, reported US media recently. That's after critics savaged the first take of the system.

Google TV is designed to operate on special televisions or set-top boxes. Japanese company Sony and Swiss computer peripherals manufacturer Logitech are already using the technology.

The goal of Google TV is to meld television and the internet. Viewers would be able to access Google's Chrome browser directly from their television. Hundreds of TV channels would similarly be accessible and searchable on TVs and online.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, companies like Toshiba, LG and Sharp were prepared to present the first devices with the Google TV option. But Google has now asked them to hold off while it reworks the programme, reported the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

It's not the first setback for Google TV. Media companies have not been willing to allow their content to be used by the system, since they fear it could hurt standard, ad-based broadcasting, as has already been the case with online libraries like Netflix or Hulu, which offer both movies and television series.

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