Google TV will include a podcast directory, giving users the ability to subscribe to shows and have future episodes show up in the same list as their DVR recordings. That’s one of the takeaways of an in-depth look at the Google TV interface, courtesy of the fine folks over at StuffWeLike.com (hat tip to Engadget).
StuffWeLike recorded a video of Google showing off its upcoming TV platform in concert with Dish at Comiccon, and the video features a detailed description of a number of features, including the previously demoed universal search capabilities, YouTube integration, a few early apps and a central element called Google Queue.
Check out the entire video embedded below, but here are some screen grabs of some of the highlights:
Universal Search across TV and video content, with the ability to extend the search to web pages as well.
Bookmarked websites.
YouTube integration. This doesn’t seem to be based on YouTube’s Leanback site yet, and the whole integration seemed a little half-baked. When selecting a YouTube video from search results, Google TV simply opened that video’s web page, and the person running the demo had to manually switch to a HD video resolution as well as full-screen mode.
Google Queue lists all the content available for playback, including podcasts and DVR recordings.
Users can manage their queue with content-based or date-based filters.
Part of queue is a podcast directory that offers access to audio and video podcasts from various genres.
This is the show page of the podcast directory, which offers direct access to the latest episode as well as options to browse previous episodes, or subscribe to the entire show, after which new episodes will show up in the queue automatically.
A few final thoughts: The focus on podcasts and other types of web content is definitely good news for web video makers, and it looks like Google TV could actually make watching these types as shows just as easy, if not easier, than regular TV. However, there seems to be a lack of apps, and one really has to wonder why YouTube isn’t better integrated.
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