Google Release Media server software can connect PC to TV

June 30 News, Google released an application that allows Windows PCs to display video and photos and play music on a digital TV.

Google Media servers can connect PCs to any device that supports Universal Plug and Play technology. The technology is a computer network protocol that allows devices to share data on a home network.

Google media servers can only run on Windows computers, requiring users to install Google Desktop apps on their PCs. This server software uses management tools and desktop search techniques to find media files on PCs and on the web, including the most popular video sites of Google's YouTube.

Google's media server is a Windows application designed to bridge the relationship between Google and the TV, Google said in a company blog. Examples of Plug and Play devices that can communicate with Google software include Sony's PS game consoles, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console and HP MediaSmart high-definition TV.

By publishing the software, Google is closer to the home entertainment market where Microsoft and Apple are trying to wrest control. Both Microsoft and Apple have software that connects Windows Vista PCs and Mac computers to televisions in their respective operating systems.

Microsoft has been providing Windows software for a long time to turn a PC into a set-top box that provides cable TV programs and records video. Apple is connecting a Mac or PC to a home TV set through its Apple TV hardware device. Analysts predict that a home network that allows multiple devices in the home to share content is a lucrative market for the future.