UK Launch for Google TV Confirmed by Eric Schmidt

Late on Friday, rumours did the rounds that Google was gearing up to announce a UK launch for its Google TV project, and, as luck would have it, those rumors were true. Speaking at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Google bigwig Eric Schmidt confirmed the search giant's plans to launch Google TV in the United Kingdom in the coming months.

It's been well over a year since Google announced Google TV. Revealed at Google I/O in May of 2010, Google TV is an attempt to bring the Internet to our living rooms in a way we haven't seen before. Using either a dedicated Google TV or settop box with Chrome built in, users are able to switch from TV or Web and back again really easily. There's also the ability to search for your favourite TV shows and see results from your cable provider, across the web and your DVR all in one place. You can then plan out where and when you want to watch your programs without worrying that you'll only be able to catch that one showing. Wouldn't it be nice to take in your favourite programs via catch up services (such as 4oD or iPlayer) on your flatscreen TV as opposed to your computer?

With the one-year anniversary of the U.S. launch fast approaching, Schmidt Friday confirmed that the platform would arrive in Europe early next year and stated that the UK launch was considered a priority for Google. Schmidt also addressed concerns that Google TV was an attempt to muscle in on cable companies' territory.

"Some in the US feared we aimed to compete with broadcasters or content creators. Actually our intent is the opposite," Reuters quotes him as saying. "We seek to support the content industry by providing an open platform for the next generation of TV to evolve, the same way Android is an open platform for the next generation of mobile."

Will you be picking up a Google TV settop box in 2012 or are you happy to find your entertainment your own way? Let us know in the comments below!