• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 4, 2010

Moving one step closer to America's living room, Google on Monday debuted a microsite -- at Google.com/tv -- for its forthcoming TV service.

Google unveiled plans for GoogleTV in May, describing it as an on-screen search box that will allow viewers to look through live programs, DVR recordings and the Web. Partners range from Time Warner properties, including CNN, TBS, HBO, and Cartoon Network, to CNBC, The New York Times, and Vevo. Presently, the only options for getting Google TV include Sony Internet TV and the Logitech Revue box, but the search giant is busy at work on additional partnerships.

Thanks to its cultural prominence, some analysts believe that Google TV will redefine the consumer television experience in ways that Apple TV, Roku, Vudu, and Boxee have so far been unable to do. "I have been amazed at how little people understand what's really going on here," Forrester analyst James McQuivey said in a note this summer. "Google TV is a bigger deal than you think." McQuivey believes that TV matters "in a way that nothing else does," driving $70 billion a year in advertising and a comparable amount in cable and satellite TV fees, plus another $25 billion in consumer electronics sales.

Last year, consumers 15 and older watched an average of 2.8 hours of TV per day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Google's TV strategy could safely be described as methodical. This summer, YouTube debuted its Leanback service after months of testing. The service, which relies on the same keys as a TV remote control, was seen by many at the time as the likely foundation for Google TV. At launch, YouTube Leanback allowed members to sign in to run personalized video feeds played as full screen with all the controls powered by the arrows on a QWERTY computer keyboard without browsing or clicking.

In August, Google entered into an ad partnership with DirecTV, which will allow it to sell ads on some cable networks carried on the top satellite TV provider. Per the deal, Google should be able to sell ads -- including during prime time -- on channels including Fox Business, Bloomberg, Fuel and TV Guide.

Google calls its TV ad program "an online marketplace that makes it easy for anyone to buy and measure national cable television advertising." In a blog post, Mike Steib, Google's director of Emerging Platforms, said of the DirecTV deal -- along with its existing deal with rival satellite TV provider Dish Network -- "Google TV Ads will now be able to reach as many as 30 million households through their set-top boxes."