Sony debuted a line of television sets on Oct. 12 featuring "Google TV," which merges online content with traditional television programming.
The Internet-enabled high-definition LCD TV sets, which will go on sale on October 16, range in price from $600 for a 24-inch model to $1,400 for the 46-inch version.
Sony is also offering a 32-inch set for $800 and a 40-inch model for $1,000. A Blu-ray disc player with Google TV built-in retails for $400.
"Finally, you can seamlessly search your favorite TV programs and websites on the same screen, at the same time," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of Sony's Home Division.
Developed in partnership with Sony, Logitech and Intel, Google TV allows users to mesh television viewing with surfing the Web. Google TV, which is powered by Google's Android software and Chrome Web browser, can be accessed using the Sony TVs or set-top boxes from Logitech that route Web content to existing TV sets.
Amazon, the NBA, Netflix, The New York Times, NBC Universal, Time Warner, USA Today and others will provide content and applications for Google TV.
Google is not the first technology company to attempt to marry the TV set and the Internet. A number of electronics manufacturers already offer Web-enabled televisions or digital set-top boxes.
Yahoo! jumped into the Internet television arena more than 18 months ago and Apple recently upgraded its offering, Apple TV. A second-generation Apple TV device priced at $99 was introduced in September.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
