GOOGLE TAKES WRAPS OFF GOOGLE-TV

In a new attempt to achieve video convergence, Google on Thursday unveiled what it calls “Google TV,” an effort to bring content from broadcast, cable, and Internet together on the TV set via a simple search box. Using a remote that includes a built-in keyboard, a user could search for a particular TV show and get results ranging from free broadcast and cable sites to various video-on-demand sites (for a fee). Several analysts expressed skepticism that Google TV will find wide acceptance. The Los Angeles Times quoted Colin Dixon, a senior partner for researcher the Diffusion Group, as predicting that Google will have a difficult time persuading many TV manufacturers to build the search function into their TV sets. So far, only Sony has agreed to do so, via its Bravia line.