Google TV mimics Android's closed openness With Google TV, Eric Schmidt and company hope to give web television the Android treatment. In other words, they plan on expanding their online ad empire by offering hardware manufacturers a free software platform that's kinda open source. Logitech unveiled the first Google TV settop – the Logitech Revue – this afternoon at a …
$300 for a web browser on your telly? No thanks. I'm also struggling to see what this does apart from stick a Google layer between you and stuff your TV already has available. If there was a unique content play in here it would start to make sense, although even then devices like Boxee or a games console offer a lot more value. Not feeling the love right now.
That would have been a "tough sell" even if there were no cheap-as-chips Apple product already out there.
As there is, I reckon "tough" doesn't cut it and "impossible" might be a better term. Particularly as the Apple product will be more likely to play nice with yer average punter's iPod, iPhone, iPad, iUnderpants, iWhatever.
I suspect that this ship's sailed and no amount of swimming like a bastard by Google is going to get 'em on board.
TV is mired with proprietary nonsense that interferes with everyone including Apple. Apple gear is cheap but it is also limited. Google is also similarly limited for the same reasons. The gatekeepers of TV content don't want to play nice. This makes integration harder so Apple doesn't even try. Apple marginalizes itself with this. Google at least tries.
Ultimately the only thing you can really do is to avoid these companies entirely so you can have the freedom to create a solution that won't be at the mercy of media moguls.
The fact that my iThing can talk to my AirVideo server is much more relevant than whether or not it can talk to an AppleTV. It's routing around Big Content DRM nonsense that ultimately provides the most value.
I'd like to be able do one search that shows results from shows I've recorded, upcoming shows, stuff on my media server, iPlayer/4OD, and carrier-specific stuff like Virgin's On Demand or Sky's Anytime. And integrate info from IMDB or TV.com.
And hey maybe some bloopers from Youtube if I'm drunk.
But that'll never happen, because Sky and Virgin are not going to hand over control of their boxes, no matter how rubbish/restricted their own interfaces are.
The TV channels won't like it either because then there might be accurate stats on viewing figures...
It would make a good Freeview PVR, but that's no good when you still have to switch to a different interface for some channels.
I care not about banner ads... they're invisible to any seasoned web user anyway.
And hey this opens up the possibility of paying to NOT see ads at some point in the future, just like you might get a free mobile app with ads or pay a couple of quid not to.
Never likely to see that on e.g. Sky's technology.
For those who are unhappy about more ads... I would expect the other providers are aware of such revenue streams and busily working on options to get it to eyeballs. Their next-gen tech will not ignore it.
They work slower than Google though.
.. will I allow a Google controlled device anywhere inside my house.
I changed my searching from Google to DuckDuckGo.com as a result of the ever increasing crap and monitoring they ladle on my searching. There is a degree you have to accept if you want to use any IT, but my question is why?
So logitech will start selling in 2-3 weeks a device running mostly on GPL code, but the source code will be made available in summer 2011.
Looks like a GPL violation to me.
They have to offer the source code of all GPL based code they are using as soon as they start selling the device.
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