Clicker, the Web service that aims to be the TV Guide for Internet television, just launched Clicker.tv at Google I/O. Clicker.tv is a new HTML5-based interface for Clicker’s programming guide that is optimized for the “10-foot viewing experience” on a big screen in the living room. Google chose to highlight Clicker during today’s I/O keynote because of its innovative use of HTML5 to create an easy-to-use interface that gives its users access to a large catalog of online video.
We got a chance to try Clicker.tv earlier this week and it is definitely a great example for what developers can achieve with HTML5. The new interface is meant to give users who hook up their computers to a big-screen TV a browser-based alternative to applications like Boxee. Clicker.tv currently works best on Google Chrome – though it is also accessible in recent versions of Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.
The service gives users access to Clicker’s database of over 650,000 complete episodes from over 10,000 different shows (paid and free). To use the service, users use the arrow keys on their keyboards or a pre-configured remote control. A full keyboard is helpful when you try to access Clicker.tv’s search features, but you can also use the arrow keys to enter your search queries. The service offers auto-complete suggestions to make these searches easier.
The Future of Online TV is on the Open Web
Overall, Clicker.tv is a good example of the kind of interface that developers can develop on top of HTML5. As Clicker’s CEO Jim Lanzone told us yesterday, it also shows that the future of online TV is on the open Web. Thanks to the advent of modern browsers, developers can now create native, app-like experiences that leverage the open Web without having to cater to specific hardware developers.
Google’s Efforts to Get in the Living Room
Google will probably announce its own efforts to bring Android to set-top boxes at Google I/O as well. It will be interesting to compare Google’s interface (which will likely run on Intel-based Sony hardware) to Clicker’s latest efforts.
