A number of big name television manufacturers, such as Toshiba, LG and Sharp, were expected to unveil internet-ready TV's at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place next month in Las Vegas. Google has however asked the manufacturers to delay their showings so that it could improve on its current software offering, which has been critised by reviewers and users alike.

 

As the company attempts to revise its software in the wake of complaints, it is becoming clear that even Google may have bitten off more than it can chew in taking on the immense challenge of bringing the web to TV's.

 

The company last week released an upgrade to its software aimed at making it generally more user-friendly while also improving Netflix integration. Some reviewers in the tech industry has described the service's previous Netflix offering as antiquated.

 

Google's ambitious web TV plans may be looking a bit unsteady at the moment, but this is still the biggest attempt in recent history to merge the two mediums. Sony and Logitech have both released devices running on the software and Samsung is also releasing two new internet-ready TV's.

 

The Google TV setup allows viewers to watch either traditional television broadcasts or enjoy a variety of shows streamed from the internet, access websites from their TV, and even run applications on it.

 

While the CES delays is undoubtedly not a good thing for the company, Google's main headache at the moment is getting major broadcasters to sing up to the service. So far, NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox (some of the largest US networks) have all blocked full episodes of their programmes from appearing on Google's service.