Remember Google TV? You know, Google's weird, cumbersome foray into the world of set top boxes? When it was released it seemed like a convoluted mess, but it's actually evolved into a pretty awesome platform. Here's why you should care and how you can get the most out of it.


What You Can Do with Google TV and Why It's Great

Here's the important thing to understand about Google TV: it's like having Android in your television. It's like that because that's pretty much exactly what it is. This comes with all the pros and cons of Android, but there's one upside that makes the platform particularly awesome: a surprisingly good selection of apps. While Google TV isn't the only platform that allows you to download apps, it has—in my opinion—the best choices. It provides you with the ability to install media center software, a podcatcher, RSS feed readers, and a whole lot more. You also get a pretty decent version of Google Chrome on your television. While not the first place I'd want to browse the web, it works surprisingly well for what it is. Just like your Android phone, Google TV will let you install apps through your computer and will sync information from your Google account to the set top box (or the television itself, if you want to go for the integrated option). While some of the apps feel like they were meant more for a tablet than a television, they're still very usable. It's actually a great platform you've probably discounted because Google focused on the wrong things in their advertising. It's pretty awesome and worth a second look. It already is what everyone wants the Apple TV to be: a set top box with a great app store.


Your Google TV Options

Much like Android phones, Google TV is a platform licensed to third-parties and you have quite a few manufacturers that make the boxes. When I decided to give the platform a try, I bought a discontinued Google TV-integrated set by Sony. A year ago you could find several options like this, but these days there are really only two main set top boxes to choose from: the Sony NSZ-GT1 and the Logitech Revue. The main difference is that the Logitech box comes with a full-size keyboard and trackpad (made for right-handed people), and the Sony costs twice as much but includes an integrated Blu-ray player. In terms of the actually user interface they're very similar, so choosing which one you want to buy is pretty simple.


How to Get the Most Out of Google TV


Getting the best experience out of Google TV involves setting up a couple of apps that make it the great option that it is. Of the many apps you can install, Plex is really the only one you need. Plex makes it possible to stream your entire media collection to your television set with barely any configuration at all. While it isn't as robust as the desktop version of Plex, recent updates have made it pretty close. Even if you don't run Plex on your primary media center, you can just download a copy of the Plex server software to feed media to your Google TV set top box. It's very convenient, and it can even access remote Plex servers (in the event you wanted to access your friend's content, or something like that). Everything Plex can do is really enough to justify Google TV, as far as I'm concerned.

If you're not into Plex, commenter DrHotmann suggests checking out GTVBox. I haven't used it before but it looks like a very nice alternative.


Come on, no mention of GTVBox? I find it better (faster, less buggy, simpler UI, better streaming… Read more


Netflix (and other video streaming apps like Crunchyroll and TWiT) are an obvious choice if you're a member of the service. While there are a lot of apps for various video content, what's really nice is that if there's no app available for a given site you can just open Chrome and watch it on the web. Google TV is like a hybrid between your phone and your computer, so you can often rely on browsing the web to fill any gaps when an app isn't available.


DoggCatcher is our favorite podcast manager for Android and it's also available for Google TV. If you like listening to, or watching, podcasts (like ours), you can get all that content easily onto your television with this one app. It'll keep everything updated automatically, so anything that's available through a podcast feed can be TV content.

The Best Podcast Manager for Android There’s no shortage of podcast managers for Android, and a lot of them are really good. We have a… Read more


Google Music is a free service that lets you upload your music to the web and stream it from virtually anywhere with an internet connection. Unsurprisingly, Google has an app that brings this service to your television. This means easy access to pretty much anything you want to listen to with just a few clicks, and it's already wired into your home theater setup. The big visual interface makes it easy to browse your collection and a dedicated search button on your remote makes it simple to find something specific. It's also great for parties, as your friends can find the music they're looking for. And if the music you and your friends own isn't enough, there's always Pandora, too.


Airtight brings Apple's AirPlay to your Google TV. If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad—or one of your friends does—this means you can stream anything from those devices directly to your Google TV. It runs quietly in the background, broadcasting itself as an AirPlay source so it's ready when you are. While it might not be something you'll use everyday, it's a very useful addition to your setup if you have any iDevices lurking around.


Although Google TV is great for media, it can do other things as well. It's very much like a computer-smartphone hybrid, so you'll find plenty of apps like IM+—a great instant messaging app—that'll provide you with other features. Twitter is another example. For the most part, if there's an app your use on your smartphone or desktop there's usually a similar option for Google TV as well.


There's one other thing that makes Google TV great that shouldn't be overlooked: USB ports. Although the platform is great for using apps to stream media, you can download apps to play local media as well. In fact, there are some built in already. If you have a friend come to your home, they can bring a USB drive filled with music or videos and you can just plug it in to the set top box to instantly gain access.

This is just a short overview of some of the neat stuff Google TV can do. It was a set top box I didn't like when I first used it, but it has grown into something worthwhile. If you've found any great things Google TV can do that aren't mentioned here, be sure to share 'em in the comments.