Logitech unveils first Google TV box Logitech has unveiled its Google TV settop box, a device designed to meld the web with your television. Dubbed Logitech Revue, the device will sell for $299.99, including a wireless keyboard controller, and it will be available in US stores before the end of the month. You can pre-order the device at Amazon.com, Logitech.com, …
Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Network_Computer and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_computer.
I just don't see why consumers are going to spend this kind of money on a device to browse the Internet on their TV.
Games consoles all provide access to most streaming services. PCs and Laptops can be had for $299 or less and you can surf the web on those AND watch TV on your TV at the same time. Without the family seeing what you're looking at. And a large percentage of TVs being churned out now have some kind of network connectivity built in.
This seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Or an attempt to fill a gap in the market that is there for a reason.
Good luck with this one ...
...but like you say back then PC res was low so that would have made no difference. I just don't think people want to access the Internet through their TV. Just like people don't really want TV through their mobile, or music through their microwave (!)
That's an odd resolution!
Do you mean 1920x1080? (i.e. 1080p?).
My PS3 is plugged into the TV (granted a 32" LCD at 720p), I can connect a USB keyboard and mouse (if I could be bothered to spend the money, a bluetooth keyboard and mouse) and browse the Internet fine (well everything seems to work fine that I've tried apart from Facebook).
Probably a darn sight cheaper than one of these boxes and it plays Bluray movies too.
Mine's the one with the 3 metre USB extension cable in the pocket.
Rob
I take my massive tower downstairs to plug into my 50" HD tv in the living room to watch films / online videos. I don't have a games console or Virgin / Sky so my options are limited.
Wouldn't mind having something like this constantly plugged in, not that I'm going to buy one, I don't watch enough TV for it to be worth while.
Not Chrome OS? I thought Chrome was going to be for tablets and TV, but Android seems to be the one that's ready to ship. Has Chrome been kicked to the curb or are the early adopters in for a painful transition down the road?
Also, last I heard, 2.1 wasn't the latest version of Android...
... so clever, you'd think His Jobiness had thought of it!
Yep, right now, nobody can access the internet from their telly, it's been totally impossible until now!
And all this, for just ... $299.999999 ?
A *wireless* keyboard too? - OMG, what will they think of next?
Genius, brilliance, amazing.
Looks nice enough, but how much are they asking?
Aside from a bit of iPlayer and YouTube (the horror) what benefit is this going to get a UK user? I can control my PVR via the ever reliable magic of IR blasters? No thanks, I think I'll stick with my perfectly adequate Sky HD UI.
If this was $99/£79 a la Apple TV, I might give it a go. But at $299 they're having a laugh.
I was hoping it'd be much cheaper - $300 will mean about £300 when it's eventually released over here. As others have said, this just won't take off unless it's cheap as chips.
That said, there will no doubt be some Google TV boxes released by the Chinese and Koreans soon enough that might make it a bit more palatable - Logitech aren't exactly known for their reasonable prices.
Asus already have a range of media player STBs with networking capability. They're compatible with UPnP media servers like Tversity and have a range of (mostly rubbish) Internet capabilities, though the only thing they're really lacking is a browser. The GoogleTV platform would be a perfect partner by the sounds of it.
I've got a HDP-R1 myself, which now retails on Amazon for less than £70.
"Logitech offers a $149.99 video camera that mounts on top of your television and an accompanying application for making video calls."
HOW MUCH!?!?!?!?
Bloody hell, I'm sure they could have done a video camera cheaper than that.
I think I'll stick to using my Playstation Eye camera on the PC attached to the telly with Skype, worked fine when our family chatted to our relatives over Christmas (and the quality was reasonably good too!).
Rob
I have a WDTV-Live hooked up to my TV and it plays just about every format I could care bout. It does Netflix / YouTube / Apple Trailers / etc... as well, but since I don't have a high-bandwidth net setup, I don't use those (and, frankly, I don't miss them either). The ability to control the box via Android? The WDTV-Live (with custom software, admittedly) has a website with a representation of the remote control (and other goodies), so anything with a browser (phone, laptop, etc) can control the WDTV-Live. (I love that little box, can you tell?). It also has shoutcast, SMB, NFS, UPnP servers and a torrent client ready to be turned on should I ever feel the need.
If I want the Web, I have my laptop. And if I *really* need to hook my laptop to my TV, there's a hidden HDMI cable between my Amp and where the laptop normally sits.
So unless this "Google"(1) box has something decent that others don't have (maybe a decent subtitle engine?) I see no reason to buy this overpriced equipment.
(1) I use quotes because, one again, Google is merely rebranding someone else's product - HTC for the Nexus and Logitech for this box.
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