Google has announced a major update to the Google TV platform, introducing access to the Android Market, improved search, and a simpler user interface.
Matthew Moskovciak
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
ExpertiseTy has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast.Credentials
Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
From the released screenshots of the updated Google TV, the new interface certainly looks to be a big improvement on last year's Google TV experience. There's a new section called TV and Movies, which presents a browsing-friendly interface that combines content from your cable/satellite service, Netflix, Amazon.com, YouTube, and HBO Go.
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Filter content by what's currently playing
The new TV and Movies section also includes pricing information and lets you filter by content that's currently playing live.
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Android Market comes to Google TV
The addition of the Android Market could be the killer feature for Google TV, but it entirely depends on whether it attracts developers. The list of Google TV-optimized apps currently available on the Android Market Web site is underwhelming, especially without major services like Hulu Plus or Vudu.
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All-apps interface
Many of the redesigned Google TV interfaces look nice, but the main apps screen is stuck with small icons.
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Home screen icons
The left-hand navigation scheme of the initial Google TV appears to have been replaced by a row of icons along the bottom.
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Chrome browsing
Google TV will still have Chrome, but that aspect of Google TV seems to have been decidedly de-emphasized in the latest update.
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Search
Search is also said to be improved in the new Google TV and capable of searching through the same services available in the TV and Movies section. Google says search also does a better job of filtering out content providers that currently block Google TV from accessing their services, which was a major problem with the older software.
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Photos
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Music
Google TV can access your music collection on your local network. No word yet on whether it can access music stored in your Google Music account.
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YouTube redesign
The YouTube app has also been significantly reworked, allowing you to create channels based on the content you're interested in.
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YouTube browsing
The new YouTube app lets you search for other videos while a video is playing in the background.
