Google reportedly demoed prototype Android set top box in January

Google has been working hard to get into the living room entertainment space as well, with a range of products designed to capture as much of that landscape as possible. The Wall Street Journal has now reported that Google showed off a prototype set top box at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January of this year. The company demonstrated the device privately, which is probably why we did not hear about it before.

The report indicates that the box works more like an Apple TV or a Roku unit, as opposed to functioning like a straight-laced Google TV device. The Google set top box will be powered by Android and come with a camera that will support Hangouts video conferencing. And if that wasn’t enough, it seems like the company has also thrown in a motion sensor as well. The box is apparently able to stream YouTube, Google Play and Netflix videos and is also compatible with Android games.

Google reportedly showed off a prototype set top box in January

While the demonstration took place in January, it is still unclear if Google is still working on the set top box project or not. The report indicated that the device should have been released at Google I/O which took place last month. While there has been no official statement from the company about this particular product, it is pretty obvious that Google is serious about merging traditional TV viewing with elements of the Internet.

After introducing Google TV in 2010, the company was next seen introducing the Nexus Q last year, which was a media-streaming device that Google has now put on hold. The lack of interest for these products has not stopped Google from introducing Chromecast a $35 (Rs 2,060 approx) HDMI dongle which basically turns any television set into an intelligent TV.

Added to the hardware efforts, Google has actively been trying to get a number of partnerships to get YouTube on set-top-boxes as well. While the efforts so far have not yielded much, the new Google set top box, if it is still around, could be something that will help the company to establish a presence in the traditional TV watching experience.