A major update turned onto Google TV Wednesday, one that makes it easier to use, even without the all-important remote control.
Voice search has been added, letting users vocalize their desired channels or shows. Google TV can pick out individual channels, so when users say "CNN" or "Comedy Central," as well as individual shows, the commands will bring up a search menu for both live and on demand episodes.
Users can also give more vague voice commands to find what they are looking for. According to Google, saying something like "show about fantasy football" will pull up "The League" and individual episodes for other shows that involve fantasy (American) football.
Voice search also works with YouTube videos, allowing for both specific and more vague searches, depending on the spoken command.
Ready for PrimeTime
Google also updated the TV & Movies app for Google TV, dubbing it PrimeTime.
PrimeTime lets users continue watching television while browsing on demand content, as the new PrimeTime menu only takes up a portion of the bottom half of the screen.
Users can also use PrimeTime to find what is currently playing on their favorite channels, as well as on demand episodes of those and similar shows.
The Google TV update comes along with an update to the YouTube app for Android, which lets an Android smartphone or tablet act as a remote for playing YouTube videos on the big screen.
The update is arriving first on LG Smart TVs over the next few weeks, with second-generation Google TV devices receiving it "in the coming months."
First-gen Google TV hardware will miss out on the voice search feature, but will see PrimeTime and compatibility with the YouTube Android app at that time.
