At the time of this writing, the latest version of Google TV available commercially is v1.3, released in March 2011 and essentially three key elements of the platform: the operating system Android, Google Chrome and Flash.
Android
Android is a powerful and versatile, and Google TV platform, has been adapted for use to maximize the TV form factor and the different types of content often on TV. In the adaptation of Android for Google TV, certain features are not as relevant to the TV are not exposed, including:
- Touch screen
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- Bluetooth
- GPS
Google TV will continue to evolve and it is expected that later versions of the platform will be integrated features and functionality that will be available in future versions of the Android. You can learn more about Android in
http://developer.Android.com.
Google Chrome 5.0
The Google TV browser is simply the version Google Chrome Linux. While user interface is slightly changed by the TV form factor, the greater part of the representation and capabilities of the web platform is compatible with the desktop versions of Google Chrome, and users automatically receive the latest updates.
Flash 10.1 Beta
A beta version of Flash Player 10.1 for Google TV is integrated directly in the Google Chrome browser. To ensure that users always have the latest version of Flash Player running on their domestic devices, Flash Player will be updated by Google by air as launched new versions of the Google TV platform.
You can read more details about the capabilities of Flash 10.1 on Adobe Web site:
http://goo.GL/YWm1z
User interface
Please note that the Google TV user interface consists of two main components, each offering access to the content. Quick Search (QSB) bar is universally accessible anywhere and is integrated with content from TV, allowing users to easily find content (and apps) while watching TV (Figure 1). The home (Figure 2) panel offers users access to a variety of content, including media Syndication (such as podcasts and videos), bookmarks and apps (e.g., Google Chrome).
Source
http://answers.oreilly.com/topic/2767-what-powers-the-google-tv-platform/