I know :-) I work on developing new TV experiences for STBs for one of the two major STB manufacturers in the US. What I meant was: currently the Google TV box is just a means to get Internet content, called "over the top" in Cable TV parlance (because it's not controlled by the cable companies). If Google TV just does this, it'll be doomed like other systems because it will not be able to compete with cable STBs.
An interesting thing can happen if Google does partner with a cable provider to also add cable TV functionality to the box. I heard they've already partnered with Time-Warner for trials. That would be another TiVo-like system, but, of course, much more open. I see little chance of them persuading the cable guys to let their apps fiddle with the content, though. But who knows, it's Google.
Dish Network is listed as a partner and will be releasing a STB with this technology. If that goes well it won't take long for other providers to jump on board too.
There's almost no way this makes it into a terrestrial cable box outside of a few trial markets. Or with a few small cable providers. I say this as someone who spent 4 years working for a large cable co building software that runs on cable boxes.
There's a bunch of reasons but here's two.
1. The large cable co's aren't generally going to deploy software controlled by a 3rd party. Microsoft has spent years banging their head against the wall that is the large telco with little success.
2. Cable already has a mature cable box focused software stack standard called tru2way which is already getting more traction then Android likely ever will in cable STB space.
The cable space is not normal and they don't make what appear to be rational sw decisions to the internet crowd.
Dish is an outlier and doing everything they can to compete but I wounldn't even count on them going into wide deployment with this.
This will live on CE devices, not cable and satellite STBs.
An interesting thing can happen if Google does partner with a cable provider to also add cable TV functionality to the box. I heard they've already partnered with Time-Warner for trials. That would be another TiVo-like system, but, of course, much more open. I see little chance of them persuading the cable guys to let their apps fiddle with the content, though. But who knows, it's Google.