LG will unveil new Google TV sets at CES

With television manufacturers Samsung and Vizio jumping on the Google TV bandwagon before CES officially kicks off, LG also has some Google TV panels headed to the popular trade show as well.

Mentioned in a Bloomberg report during November 2011, LG will be showing off a new line of televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show next week that incorporate the Google TV software as well as key functions of the LG Smart TV platform. While LG hasn’t released any information on the various screen sizes, the panels offer LG’s Cinema 3D that works with passive glasses and includes a 2D-to-3D conversion mode to fill the gap in programming while more 3D movies and television shows are produced. The television comes with LG’s Magic Motion QWERTY remote which includes a microphone and full keyboard on the back of the remote, specifically for typing in search terms within the Google TV interface. Using the “Magic Motion” technology, the remote acts in a similar fashion to a Nintendo Wii controller and allows the user to navigate the Smart TV interface by simply pointing the remote at the screen. 

The new LG models are likely to utilize the ARM-based processors recently announced as well as the more recent version of the Google TV operating system. According to the LG announcement, the processor will allow users to utilize multiple functions at one time including social networking, search and the TV menu.

From the supplied artwork from LG, the interface looks somewhat different than previous versions of the Google TV software and is likely an amalgamation of the LG Smart TV interface mixed with Google TV elements. While no price or release date has been announced in regards to the new flat panel, LG is expected to announce more details at the LG press conference on January 9 as well as display the new panel on the show floor at the main LG booth.

Google has definitely had a rough start with Google TV over the past 15 months, but the announcements of support from major manufacturers like LG, Samsung and Vizio is definitely a step in the right direction. Google is also continuing to foster the relationship with Sony according to a post on the official Google TV blog. Logitech has noticeably been left off the list, likely due to the poor sales of the Logitech Revue during mid-2011.