LAS VEGAS--Google co-founder Larry Page unveiled a host of new initiatives, including a much-anticipated online video service, Friday during a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show here. The
so-called Google Video Store will sell both current TV shows such as CBS' "CSI," "Survivor," and "The Amazing Race," as well as older fare like "The Brady Bunch," "MacGyver," and "Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine."
Also included in Google Video Store's 5,000 titles are games from the National Basketball Association, and Charlie Rose interviews.
The CBS-owned programs will be presented
without ads. Google will use its own media player and digital rights management package.
The cost to consumers will be as much as $1.99 per download, but other economic details of the plan remain
unknown. Page ducked several questions about actors' rights, revenue splits, and international syndication during the post-presentation question-and-answer period.
In addition to the video
store, Page also announced the release of Google Pack beta, a bundle of otherwise available free and commercial software such as Firefox, various Google search programs, and some virus protection
features that Google would gang together for easy installation and maintenance.
Page also shocked the global positioning marketplace by demonstrating a version of Google Earth that brings
advanced navigation and route finding to available cell phones and other devices. The software packed big use in a small space. It highlighted new terrestrial maps and easy-to-use driving
instructions, all boiled into a relatively small computer program.