Google TV update enables purchases through Google Play
The company updates its Google TV product to let users access content from its online store.
Google took another step to build out its media offerings today, connecting its Google Play store to Google TV to make its entertainment offerings available for the first time.
Over the next few weeks, purchases and rentals made in the Play store will be accessible inside Google TV. Users will also be able to buy and rent content directly through the Google Play Store on Google TV. And any purchases made on another device -- a Nexus 7 tablet, say, or an Android smartphone -- will automatically show up as purchases on Google TV.
"Google Play gives you one place to find, enjoy and share your favorite entertainment with millions of songs and thousands of movies and TV shows for sale, and adds to the millions of entertainment options available for you on Google TV," the company said in a blog post.
It's a logical evolution for the Google Play store, which was re-branded from Android Market earlier this year. My colleague Greg Sandoval broke the news that Play would sell movies in April.
These features have long been available on Apple TV. More recently, Amazon Instant Prime brought video purchases and rentals to the devices on which it is available.
Previously, Google Play on Google TV could be used only to purchase apps.
The Google Play update also offered some goodies to developers: subscription billing, apps that update themselves automatically, and so-called "smart" updates, which let users download only the parts of an app that have changed.