Rovi Says Its TotalGuide Will Be Customized For Google TV

Rovi’s TotalGuide will be at the heart of Android-based Google TV, but CE manufacturers implementing it will likely use customized versions, said Corey Ferengul, Rovi executive vice president of product management and marketing.

Rovi signed an agreement with Google in May, but is awaiting delivery of the Google TV application programming interface (API) that’s needed to develop for the platform, Ferengul told us. It will take about 90 days to port TotalGuide to Google TV, he said. Rovi has been working with the existing Android tool kit, but it lacks the API host needed to control a TV, he said. It isn’t clear yet when Rovi will get the Google TV API, Ferengul said. Rovi is still finalizing licensing terms with Google, he said.

Perhaps chastened by their earlier experience with TiVo, where all branded DVRs were essentially the same, CE manufacturers will try to differentiate themselves within the Google TV platform, Ferengul said. To do that, manufacturers will likely use all or parts of the TotalGuide interactive program guide, which includes access to data services All Media Guide and Muze, Ferengul said. Sony and Logitech are the first companies expected to introduce Google TV-based products this fall. There will be “many different device forms” for Google TV Ferengul said. Among CE suppliers, it’s “pretty varied as to what they want to implement with Google TV,” he said. “The question is do they want to be the Google TV implementer or do they want to differentiate their brand behind Google TV?"

While it has ruled the PC market, Google is having to adjust its strategy with CE, Ferengul said. Seeking to distinguish themselves, CE manufacturers are bucking at being dictated to regarding all the software that will run their Google TV products, he said. Google officials weren’t available for comment.

"Google is having to change their approach more than they would have initially anticipated and Google is doing less software than they expected they were going to,” Ferengul said. “They are still doing the operating system, browser and are looking into doing gmail, YouTube and all those very important apps to Google’s strategy. But I don’t believe you are going to see Google be the primary application supplier on the platform.” Instead, Google will enable the applications for Google TV and focus driving users to Internet sites featuring Google advertising, Ferengul said.

While CE manufacturers are receptive to Google TV, getting cable operators on board will be a tougher task, Ferengul said. Cable operators fear losing control of the set-top box in a Google TV implementation, he said. “Our conversions with cable operators regarding Google TV has been ‘yeah, that’s a nice idea,’ but go somewhere else,” Ferengul said.

As it readies Google TV development, Rovi is seeing a slight slowing of manufacturers implementing TotalGuide in CE products, Ferengul said. While the first TotalGuide-based products were expected to arrive Q1 2011, that could slip to mid-2011, Ferengul said. “Those manufacturers are trying to make decisions based on the competitive landscape including what software and services they need to include,” he said. “A lot of them are very nervous about the support model when you have very significant software elements.”