Web analytics, web metrics, and how to use them to track and improve conversions

According to TechCrunch in a post titled The Google Set-Top Box (Think Android For TV) Google is working on an open sourced operating system for TV...wha?

"...Deep in the Googleplex there is an engineering team thinking about how to extend Google’s reach into your TV. Its work goes way beyond the Google TV ads currently being tested by EchoStar (and targeted with help from Nielsen). It even goes way beyond the development of a Google set-top box, which has been hinted at in the past. In fact, Google may very well want to do to the set-top box what it is trying to do to the mobile phone with its Android operating system—create an open-source hardware platform and attract developers to build applications on top of it. At least that is the unconfirmed rumor I’ve heard from two knowledgeable industry sources. "

With an open OS for the "set-top box" (more what you have for Cable right now) you'd have a TV that could do a lot more like:

"..Want instant messaging and caller ID on your TV? No problem. Want customized information widgets for the TV that scroll breaking news, weather, sports scores or stock quotes from sources you choose in your own ticker at the bottom of the screen? No problem. Want to turn that annoying ticker off? No problem. Want to control the camera angles on that basketball game? No problem. Want to add the live video stream from your friend’s cell phone who is at the game? No problem. Want to create your own video mashup of fight scenes from various movies that you can edit right on your TV and share with others on their TVs? No problem. "

It's also interesting that EchoStar, a major partner of Google in all of this, might be up for sale:

"..Google already has a strong relationship with EchoStar, which I hear is for sale. My understanding is that Google is in the early stages of developing its Android set-top box strategy. It may end up deciding not to pursue it. But it is the type of thorny problem that Google engineers (and ad sales executives) thrive on. "

Personally, I'm open to Google writing something that improves what we end up with on Cable TV, or whatever it ends up being called when Google gets involved.

One thing - I hope they come up with good metrics - if your going to re-write an OS, that's perfect time to build metric collection as part of the OS - but that's just my opinion.