The Wall Street Journal reports that Google’s interactive TV software, which will be powered by a tailored version of its Android operating system, is expected to be officially announced at its “I/O” event on Thursday.
Sony will also be there, the Journal reports, to showcase TV hardware that can make use of Google’s software. And as had been rumored before, Logitech will be presenting peripherals like remote controls and miniature keyboards that can work with “Google TV.”
The question of whether Google will provide its software directly to TV manufacturers or through third-party set-top box providers is still unanswered, though things are tending to tilt toward the latter. That’s mainly because the TV makers themselves have already invested lots of time and money into developing their own proprietary firmware platforms.
At the back end, though, it appears as though Intel is very excited to be working with Google on the project. It has been clamoring to get its chipsets into living room electronics for a while, and helping to power Google TV devices would be a big boon for the semiconductor company.
We’ve all seen the flops like WebTV, and viewers still want TV to be a passive experience. But that paradigm is actually shifting now, with DVR and enhanced TV acceptance growing every day. Google may be at the sweet spot of the right place and the right time. More details are sure to emerge at Thursday’s event.
