14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest things about Google TV is the possibility to run apps on the platform. At launch, Google TV will come pre-installed with a number of apps from various web services, from Netflix to Twitter. And third-party developers will be able to build and offer their own early next year.
"[W]e’ve partnered with some of the leading premium content providers to bring thousands of movie and TV titles, on-demand, directly to your television," Google said in the official announcement.
"Amazon Video On Demand offers access to over 75,000 titles for rental or purchase, and Netflix will offer the ability to instantly watch unlimited movies and TV shows, anytime, streaming directly to the TV," Google added.
Video streaming
Video-on-demand over the web is a huge win for Google TV. While there are plenty of devices offering movie streaming and renting services, Google's platform benefits from a big backing from a number of companies.
Netflix and Amazon's Video On Demand are some of the biggest video streaming services out there and enable Google TV to compete with Apple TV, dedicated devices like Boxee and Roku, or multimedia-enabled game consoles like the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and even the Wii, all of which offer Netflix.
Web apps
"We have also been working with some leading technology and media companies to optimize their content for Google TV, including news sites like The New York Times and USA Today; music sites like VEVO, Pandora and Napster; information networks like Twitter; and online networks like blip.tv," the announcement continued.
The number web apps available for Google TV complete the offering. Twitter and a lot of other services have announced dedicated apps which will be bundled with the new product. YouTube Leanback will also be available, as expected.
Google TV covers all perspectives
Google TV really does bring TV and the web together. On the one hand, you have a TV centric experience, with the content available from media partners, and, well, all the TV content made easier to manage with features like search and the integrated DVR.
On the other hand, you get specialized apps of popular web services like Pandora, Twitter, and, of course, all of the web via the built-in Chrome browser.
And in between these, you get online video sites, like YouTube and Vevo, as well as streaming services, giving you on-demand access to TV content over the web.
It must be said that Google TV is not the first to offer some or even most of these features, but it's the first that covers all angles. It's all down to the execution now and whether consumers will warm up to the idea, but Google TV is probably the best bet to date on finally bringing the web to the TV.