Preface
This book provides an in-depth look at how to build web-based applications (web apps) for Google TV, a new platform that integrates the open web with traditional TV. This powerful and versatile new platform includes Google Chrome, a modern web browser that enables developers to deliver rich and sophisticated web apps to Google TV users.
This book has three primary goals. First, this book aims to familiarize web developers with the Google TV platform. Second, this book aims to share knowledge about the various ways in which developers can create web apps for Google TV. Lastly, this book aims to inform web developers about tools and techniques that are useful for the implementation of web apps geared for the Google TV platform.
Once you read this book, you’ll understand the Google TV platform and you’ll have the knowledge and skills needed to build web apps for Google TV.
About This Book
This book is a resource for web developers. The book presents an early look at a new platform that aims to provide users with a new and exciting way to access the web from their living rooms. As the Google TV platform evolves, the technical knowledge you’ll gain from this book will allow you to offer a variety of user experiences on applications that are delivered through the Google TV version of the Google Chrome browser.
This Book’s Target Audience
This book primarily is aimed at a technical audience, especially web developers who have previous experience working with web apps that utilize Ajax, HTML5, and/or Adobe Flash. Although previous experience developing web apps is valuable, it is not necessary, and we’ve included pointers throughout to book to resources that will get you up to speed quickly.
This Book’s Scope
We’ve divided this book into three sections. Chapters 1 and 2 cover the conceptual knowledge you need to understand the Google TV platform and the basics of web development for the platform. Chapters , 4, and 5 dive into technical discussion about design, development, and implementaion of web apps. Chapters 6 and 7 cover relevant information about how to tune and distribute your content, as well as how to make it discoverable.
Google TV presents a new opportunity for web developers to work on an emerging corner of the open web: the TV web. Google TV is one of the first technologies to bring a full web browser to TV, allowing for some really great user experiences. However, as developers have discovered with the mobile web, there are nuances to making the web accessible on devices other than desktop and laptop computers. In similar fashion, there are nuances for building web apps for the TV web.
User experiences that you have come to assume for other devices do not necessarily translate to the TV web and likewise the TV web also encompasses user experiences that are not associated with mobile or desktop web apps. As you familiarize yourself with Google TV and the context in which users access web apps, you’ll begin to realize that content and features need to be catered to what many folks refer to as the 10-foot experience.
Prerequisites
General familiarity with web development is valuable, although not absolutely necessary. If you have worked with HTML and Javascript, Flash, and Google Chrome, you’ll find the knowledge and information in this book easier to understand and assimilate.
Conventions Used in This Book
The following typographical conventions are used in this book:
- Italic
Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions.
Constant widthUsed for program listings, as well as within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords.
Constant width boldShows commands or other text that should be typed literally by the user.
Constant width italicShows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values or by values determined by context.
Tip
This icon signifies a tip, suggestion, or general note.
Caution
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Using Code Examples
This book is here to help you get your job done. In general, you may use the code in this book in your programs and documentation. You do not need to contact us for permission unless you’re reproducing a significant portion of the code. For example, writing a program that uses several chunks of code from this book does not require permission. Selling or distributing a CD-ROM of examples from O’Reilly books does require permission. Answering a question by citing this book and quoting example code does not require permission. Incorporating a significant amount of example code from this book into your product’s documentation does require permission.
We appreciate, but do not require, attribution. An attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and ISBN. For example: “Building Web Apps for Google TV by Andrés Ferraté, Amanda Surya, Daniels Lee, Maile Ohye, Paul Carff, Shawn Shen, and Steven Hines. Copyright 2011 Andrés Ferraté, Amanda Surya, Daniels Lee, Maile Ohye, Paul Carff, Shawn Shen, and Steven Hines, 978-1-449-30457-7.”
If you feel your use of code examples falls outside fair use or the permission given above, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
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Acknowledgments
We would like to sincerely thank the entire Google TV team for its hard and tireless work on the creation of a new platform that already has yielded a new wave of apps geared for the 10-foot experience. We’d also like to thank the entire O’Reilly Media team for their collaboration and assistance with the production of this book. Lastly, we’d like to thank the countless developers out there that continue to innovate, produce, and deliver solutions that make the open web valuable and meaningful.