Google to launch new combined internet and TV service

Google and Sony are set to launch a new “smart TV” service in bid to allow viewers to search the internet while watching TV programmes.

Sony is currently developing new television sets that incorporate the search capability for the US market, which are likely to launch in the autumn.

However, theoretically the service, which has been named Google TV, could work with any television set, according to reports.

The Google TV-enabled sets, which are expected to feature a similar design and format to the company’s web offering, will allow people to search for online content and download applications as well as programming from the internet.

Google said: “Google TV expands video choice from the hundreds of channels available today through a pay TV provider to the vast storehouse of video content available through the web and streaming videos.

“Over the past decade, the internet has created unprecedented opportunity for innovation and development across the world, but so far the web has largely been absent from living rooms.  The long-term goal is to collaborate with the entire developer community to help drive entertainment in the living room forward and to introduce the next generation of TV-watching experience.”

Google said it plans to open source the Google TV platform to “help spur innovation in the industry”.

The search engine has signed up partners including Intel, Logitech and Adobe to support the launch.