Google is still trying to make its Google TV product. The software, which is attempting to merge Internet services inside a television or put inside a set top box launched a year ago here in the US but so far the reception has been tepid with low sales and poor reviews for the few Google TV products that have been released. Now, Reuters reports that Google is not yet done with Google TV. At a television festival in Edinburgh on Saturday, Google"s executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that Google TV will launch in Europe sometime in early 2012.
So far only two hardware partners have put in the Google TV software in its products. One is Sony which has released TVs with Google TV built in. The other is Logitech which has created a set-top box that can allow Google TV to be used on other televisions. Schmidt said on Saturday that he expects more hardware partners to offer Google TV based products but would not give names of specific companies. He added, "We"re absolutely committed to staying, to improving Google TV."
One of the problems with Google TV is that a number of TV networks here in the US have blocked access to watching their TV episodes online while using a Google TV device. Schmidt said that the company is in talks with UK TV networks to avoid those kinds of problems in that country. He said, "We certainly have talked to them about reversing their position and we certainly hope that won"t happen here."