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Topic: Google

LG launching HDTV sets equipped with Google TV on May 21

Summary: After unsuccessful first-generation products from Logitech and Sony, LG will be releasing sets based on the second-generation Google TV platform starting in two weeks.

Sean Portnoy

By for Home Theater |

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" could be the motto for Google TV, the search giant's snake-bitten attempt to enter your living room. The latest foray, after unsuccessful first-generation products from Logitech and Sony, comes courtesy of LG, which announced that it will be releasing sets based on the second-generation Google TV platform starting in two weeks.

While Reuters reports that "LG gave no shipment target or details of prices or screen sizes," there are two LG sets with Google TV currently listed on Amazon -- the 47-inch 47G2 for $1,599 and the 55-inch 55G2 for $2,099.99, both 3D models that come with six pairs of 3D glasses and will ship in "2 to 4 weeks". Our sister site CNET recently reviewed the 47G2, and found it to be "a disappointing attempt at Google TV" with "a frustrating user experience."

And therein lies the crux of the problem with Google TV, which has been plagued with interface woes since its debut. The second iteration did address those problems, but it still remains to be seen if that was sufficient enough to win over consumers. Despite already having its own "smart TV" platform, LG is clearly hoping the Google TV technology will be a way to stand out from its peers.

Would you be interested in purchasing an HDTV equipped with Google TV? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Topics: Google, Hardware, Mobility

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8 comments
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  • Wow. Two failures instead of one.

    who would have guesssed?
    William Farrel
    Reply Vote

  • Wow, can hardly wait.

    You know this ideal of incorporating Google TV or any other service into a TV is dumb. People who don't care to have that service is basically not going to buy the TV because they don't want to pay for something they won't use. If TV makers want to do something make their TV's web compliant with a browser and let people join whatever service they want to.
    jscott418-22447200638980614791982928182376
    Reply Vote

  • My sympathies ...

    ... to the people who have already missed 18 months of the new era of television.

    I have GTV and Roku and Hopper. GTV does things which none of the others can do. I use it on a daily basis. Probably 5 times a week I do things with it which I couldn't do with other services and another 5 times I do things which it does better than other services (I am not including products which require tech expertise - like Win ME - in the "other services" since I want a consumer experience when I sit down to watch TV).

    GTV is pretty bad - if you want to find ways to throw rocks at it. But the proof of the pudding is my enjoying over 18 months around 100 unique and 100 superior experiences which the rock throwers have lost and can never get back.

    Being an early adopter isn't all sweetness and light. But if you pick the right technologies to adopt early, you enjoy much more of the pleasure technology can bring. GTV is one of those technologies - too bad if you missed it.

    However, about the LG TVs. Building a fast moving technology into a more expensive product is a mistake. Like building an entertainment system into a car which you are going to keep for 3 or more years. There have been three generations of Roku since I first bought it. Why build it into a TV and limit the flexibility of upgrade when it works perfectly well as an independent box which can be upgraded on its own schedule. So, I won't be buying LGs TVs. I will be buying the same LCD panels with no add on features and using separate boxes for tuning TV sources, streaming, recording, searching, browsing and apps. The next generation of standalone GTV boxes should do all but one of this list (and I am hoping that might be from MotoGoog).

    Thanks Google and Logitech for access to the satisfying GTV experiences over the last 18 months.
    keith.manning@...
    Reply Vote

  • Content and Price

    It's about content and price. I can get much of what I want with Amazon Instant Video. I can get most of the rest with Netflix. And then there is AppleTV, now in 1080P. But still, I can't quite get everything... no over-the-Internet 3D except for Vudu, and even Hulu Plus can't deliver all of the local channels I can get with an over-the-air antenna. What if Google TV offered a TiVo-like or Windows Media Center-like interface with all the major network network programs in advertisement-supported and premium (ad-free) flavors, and the ability to buy episodes, seasons and movies, all stored in the cloud for access anywhere and on any device (IOS included). How great would that be?! And if the ad-supported version was cheap as free and the premium version competitive with the likes of Amazon Prime and Netflix streaming... well you'd have a winner, wouldn't you? It's nice to dream.
    JoeFoerster
    Reply Vote

  • Smart TV platform

    What are the benefits of having second-generation Google TV platform in LG's smart tv ? I hope we will be able to access much more contents online.
    dave_br
    Reply Vote

  • LG+Google Smart TV

    I would love to own one as I am a big fan of Android OS and LG Google TV means I will have an access to endless smart applications in a giant display screen. Though, few months back we have purchased LM7600 and its 3d & smart features are mind blowing. It seems like Samsung is going to win the smart phones market by competing Apple and LG will win the smart TV market by competing Samsung. Great job by these monsters!
    John_Ed
    Reply Vote

  • Good Job

    I believe LG made a smart move of hooking up with Google TV, because soon or later some other brand would be hooking up with Google TV. I am also a user of Google TV technology, and I am a satisfied customer of it.
    billwillclark
    Reply Vote

  • Great Link UP

    This is a very good link up between two dominating companies. LG produces great Smart TVs and Google provides great programs. LG Smart TVs are very convenient to start off, but having this appliance attached with it will only help.
    schilltastic41
    Reply Vote
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