[LAU] Fwd: seen at google/io --> let the open/closed media format wars begin!

[Niels Mayer]

[[resending as "plain text" in gmail to see if that prevents it from
bouncing with >30kb message caused by duplicate html attachment(?)]]

to	linux-audio-user <linux-audio-user at lists.linuxaudio.org>
date	Thu, May 20, 2010 at 11:55 AM
A quick skim of today's Google I/O Day 2:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20005447-265.html?tag=mncol;posts

(1)  Android Release:
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/05/android-22-and-developers-goodies.html
(2) Android Music Distribution:
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> What's next for the Market? MUSIC. Android devices can now purchase and download music from the Android Market, over the air.
>
> 9:09
>
> Josh Lowensohn:
>
> And the upcoming version of Android Marketplace on the Web will finally get a search box!
>
> 9:09
>
> Stephen Shankland:
>
> Basically, Google is working to reproduce iTunes abilities with just a browser, no iTunes.
>
> 9:10
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> What about people who already built iTunes libraries? Google is planning to let users run software on their home systems to let non-DRM music run on Android devices. They're demoing an iTunes library, but first they have to hang up the demo call that really called the restaurant. "Magically" all your music is available to your device but with a catch: as a stream.

(3) Google TV:
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> Google's strategy is to make TV and the Web better, and the plan is Google TV. The tagline: Where TV meets Web, and Web meets TV.
>
> 9:27
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> Google's pitch is to improve findability, give more control over what you watch, make existing content more interesting, and make your TV more than a TV. Demo time.
>
> 9:28
>
> [Comment From Sridhar]
>
> http://www.google.com/tv/
>
> 9:29
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> Vincent Dureau, technical director for the project, is going to lead the demo. They flip on NBC Bay Area, flipping through a bunch of channels. So far, nothing big, but Googlers are using a special remote control: you'll need a special remote to use this, adding to your living room collection of 26 remotes.
>
> 9:31
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> TV Guide is the tried and true program-discovery method, but Google wanted to make the process more like the Web. They're adding a search box to Google TV, bringing good old Google search to television. ...  Finally, it comes up. A search bar drops down from the top of the screen, resembling the Android search bar. It can search both television and the Web, Chandra says, trying a test query for MSNBC. That brings up television listings for MSNBC as well as Web searches generated by that term. ... Finally, the search box comes back up on the screen, as an embarrassed Chandra resumes the demo. The search box pulls up content from both the TV and the Web, showing that episodes of House are available on Fox, USA, and Hulu.
>
> 9:47
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> "I just created my own episode of Sesame Street," he says. Upon switching back to TV, ironic Today Show clips continue to play, highlighting Pakistan's decision to block Google's budding rival, Facebook. The search box can also find archived clips, such as "2010 State of the Union." Within the search box, you can get video results, text results, and find the video directly from Whitehouse.gov. "I can access the content I want to whenever I want," says Chandra, who must not like watching sports live on television ...
>
> The search box provides a way to link the big-screen TV with the reams of Web content: "a million channels." Chandra says he's actually a sports nut, meaning he's maybe about to address the licensing issues inherent in sports television consumption.
>
> 9:50
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> He simulates the Suns-Lakers game from last night and shows how you can do a picture-in-picture view that layers Web content such as box scores or fantasy sports data on the same screen. "This has totally transformed how I watch sports," Chandra says. Other companies have tried to offer these kinds of sports-related widgets on the past on televisions, namely Intel and Microsoft's ill-fated Viiv and Windows Media Center projects.
>
> 9:51
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> It's more than just video: the TV would also be good for music, games, and social-networking sites. Chandra goes back to the Google TV Home screen and brings up bookmarks, which can be used to bookmark channels or Web sites, side by side. He heads over to Flickr.
>
> 9:52
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> The best photo viewer in your house is your big screen TV, he says. That's only possible now, however, since you can access any Web site from your TV with Google TV. You can get Facebook games, too, or Pandora. Or shopping sites. Or.......
>
> 9:53
>
> Stephen Shankland:
>
> Logitech's statement on Google TV partnership:http://www.logitech.com/google/GoogleTV "We’ll be providing the full product details for our Google TV companion box later this fall....We’re creating a system that includes a companion box – an external device that connects to your TV through an HDMI port – and an intuitive controller that’s been designed to take full advantage of everything the Google TV platform offers."
>
> ...
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> Vincent gets into the hardware: there are going to be TV sets, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes. They will work with existing cable and satellite boxes, he says. There are four specs: Wi-Fi and Ethernet, HDMI connectors, an I/R sensor, and a "strong processor." There will also be a GPU, but no specifics yet.
>
> 9:56
>
> Stephen Shankland:
>
> This sounds like pretty high-end hardware to me. In other words, not cheap.
>
> 9:56
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> Google TV input devices will be required: a keyboard and a pointing device. However, you'll also be able to use your Android phone as a remote control. You can connect over Wi-Fi, and you can use voice search to search your television.
>
> 9:57
>
> Josh Lowensohn:
>
> The voice search feature will be nice for people who don't want to have a keyboard sitting around in their living room. Not so useful for channel surfing though.
>
> ...
>
> 10:02
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> By using Android, that means you'll be able to run Android apps on your television. The search box can also find applications through the Android Market, putting the mobile version on the Google TV screen. You can then search within the Android market and open applications like Pandora, running the mobile app on the TV. One interesting note: the application does not expand to fill the screen, meaning that Google has just introduced another possible fragmentation screen for Android apps.
>
> 10:02
>
> 10:03
>
> Stephen Shankland:
>
> Official blog post about Google TV:
>
> http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-google-tv-tv-meets-web-web.html


(4) Listen and Watch and auto-caption:
>
> Brittany is back to show off how Google Listen will work on the Google TV devices, although, because of the wireless issues, it's not working. It finally arrives: it's a podcast RSS reader that will now have videos in it as well, and has therefore been renamed "Google Listen and Watch."
>
> 10:16
>
> Tom Krazit:
>
> "Live HD video podcast right on your television." This lets you sync subscriptions across devices, and you can search within the Listen app from the search bar for specific podcasts. Another application was developed by an engineer who moved to Google recently but who's wife doesn't speak English, so she doesn't understand American television. So he created a Google Translate application for Google TV, sort of a combination of the Google Translate service and the auto-captions recently introduced in YouTube.

Niels
http://nielsmayer.com

On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Niels Mayer <nielsmayer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20005328-265.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1