It seems that Google is working on a beta of a TV service that will be completely integrated with its other services like Youtube (okay, not properly a Google service!), CheckOut and Google Video. But the content seems even richer than this since some TV companies appears in the menu (by the videos you can find on the net). This will allow you to watch TV movies (I read Heroes, Prison Break and others). Not bad!
The only problem is that you have to be in the beta to use GoogleTv. And more problematic is how you get into it: Mark Erickson’s video shows a weird procedure that woul allow you to use the fantastic service: after a random times of logins (after you emailed yourself a link), Google sends you the invitation. It seems that now you have to login\logout\login 1,500 times. Not so much…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9SK_M_nVWA&embed=1]
In my opinion this “could” be a hoax only because of the way is coming out. Why offering beta invitation in such a secret way? And where are all the beta tester, they haven’t written a line about this huge news? This is strange.
On the other side, I think that a GoogleTV is not so far because of the way Google is setting his core business (think about the purchase of YouTube). It is a leader in the online video services so it is quite natural that it will try to go in this direction.
I’d like to answer to a comment I’ve found to Erickson’s video on youtube:
” You bird brain, why would NBC, CBS and Fox use Google as the middle man? Cut the middle man out.
Rent a 100GB/S bandwidth, set up a site and you are ready to go.”
I totally disagree with this perspective since we know that it is not about bandwidth and websites. Other companies have already tried to do that but without success (Disney). Why a middle man? For the same reason many music producers are choosing iTunes. For the brand, for the visibility, for the trustful customers and because it works. GoogleVideo was the same as YouTube? Appareantly yes, but it didn’t have the same success. Why? The answer is not simple but I think that the interface, the easy sharing and the ductility of YouTube have played an important role.
Anyway, let me know how many tries have you done in so far!
UPDATE: for the ones who were trying to ping tv.google.com I want to suggest to “whois” these ones:
googletv.com, googletelevision.net, googlehd.net, googlehdtv.net, googlehidef.com and googlehighdefinition.com. Last but not least google.tv that redirects to google
(via http://www.tvblog.it/post/662/google-si-butta-sulla-tv)
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Related videos I’ve found:
Google TV not a Hoax Google TV is REAL!!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-eCO5L9wXQ]
Mark Erickson (take 2)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MulSMSJV-U&embed=1]
Another guy who got the beta
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77OQrYZP6CQ&embed=1]
