14 DAY TRIAL // Google may be looking to take another shot at conquering the TV, after its previous attempts have proven less than successful, with a new TV programming search feature embedded in set-top boxes from Dish Network, the satellite TV company with which Google already has a partnership. According to the Wall Street Journal, the search giant is currently running a very limited trial (subscription requited) of the technology, which allows users to search through the programming of its satellite channels, but also for videos online from sites like YouTube.
According to the people close to the matter, cited by the report, the program is in testing with a few company employees and may be scrapped at any point. The customized set-top boxes enable users to search for content, employing a QWERY remote control, but also to create a 'playlist' of sorts. The center of the experience is the search, something Google knows a thing or two about, and the goal seems to be to expand its Google TV advertising venture by stitching some web and interactive elements to TV viewing, possibly creating a new avenue for advertising to be served.
Also interesting is the fact that the set-top boxes are running "elements" of Android, which likely means a stripped-down version customized for CE devices. There have been talks of Google moving into the CE space with Android and hints coming from the company itself, but, so far, nothing has materialized.
Google has been trying to make headway into TV advertising for a while now, however without too much success so far. The three-year-old Google TV has been seeing some growth, but the pace is slow. It serves customized ads during TV programming based on the user's location and other factors, however the 'Google way' of advertising, pioneered with AdSense, isn't a perfect fit for TV. Google signed a limited deal with TiVo last year, but analysts believe that 2010 will be the year in which Google TV has to prove itself.