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Is Google planning an open source platform for TV, just like the one it just launched for mobile?
TechCrunch says engineers deep in Mountain View are brewing something, and says that two industry sources have said the web giant is to launch an open set top box that will invite developers to build applications for it.
Erik Schonfield put the rumours straight to Vincent Dureau at Google, the head of its TV technology team, who would not confirm or deny any projects and said that the team is "totally focused on advertising".
"When pressed, he does allow that there is "a lot of potential" for turning the TV set-top box into a platform for applications, but insists, "I have no insights as to what form of applications will be deployed on those set-top boxes or not." Perhaps. Or perhaps he just doesn't have any insights he is willing to share with us."
Google's interest is in slapping advertising on whatever it can, and the set-top box is a relatively unexplored area in terms of a computing platform because it runs just a few simple programmes.
"An open-source operating system like Android for the set-top box could change that. If creating applications for set-top boxes was more like creating applications for the Web, we'd be able to do a lot more things with our TVs -especially if those set-top boxes were also connected to the Web. Want instant messaging and caller ID on your TV? No problem. Want customized information widgets for the TV that scroll breaking news, weather, sports scores or stock quotes from sources you choose in your own ticker at the bottom of the screen? No problem. Want to turn that annoying ticker off? No problem. Want to control the camera angles on that basketball game? No problem. Want to add the live video stream from your friend's cell phone who is at the game? No problem. Want to create your own video mashup of fight scenes from various movies that you can edit right on your TV and share with others on their TVs? No problem."
Along with all that functionality would be the ability to post any number of inventive new advertising formats - the trial is already underway. Suddenly Google isn't so shy anymore: "We are confident we are going to revive the television advertising industry," says Dureau, "by bringing new advertising to it."
TVs and PCs are already merging, and I can't see how we won't end up with just one central hub in our homes for all forms of media. Google, I don't doubt, will be in on every part of that at every stage.
Source: TechCrunch
Technorati Tags: Google
