So, after owning the Sony Google TV Blu Ray player since the day it hit the market and reading less-than-glowing reviews on the unit in various places on the web, I think I've finally figured out why I'm much more satisfied than the guys over at Engadget or BGR (as well as some folks here): they're total geeks and I'm not. Not total, anyway...
Who is Google TV's target audience? People who want to simplify their media cabinet and coffee table, and NOT people looking to ADD toys to their collection. Guys who are struggling to figure out how to fit it into their existing stuff, rather than realizing that it can actually replace a lot of it, are just going to be frustrated.
About 15 months ago I was introduced to Windows Media Center. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Spent $700 on a dedicated PC with BD drive and tv card, spent more money on the Windows 7 upgrade when that came out so I could get the latest version of WMC, extra money for a wireless keyboard and mouse, extra money for the IR remote sensor, and purchased software to rip all my DVDs to a 2TB external drive.
When it was done it was a pretty sweet set up. Except there was nothing to play Pandora, so I installed Boxee and had to exit to that whenever I wanted to listen to my stations. And i couldn't get any of my HD and paid cable content through WMC so I'd have to exit out to my cable box input to watch that. Had to leave MC for web surfing too, which also required that I go into the cabinet and pull out the keyboard and mouse. Plus, because it ran so warm, I had to keep it in the opposite side of our built-in media cabinet to keep it away from the cable box and amp. And so getting the IR remote to work meant pointing it back and forth to get a response in some circumstances. Oh, and then there's the putting the machine to sleep, waking from sleep and rebooting when something went flakey.
But Netflix was awesome, the movie gallery was awesome, same with the photo gallery and music player. Nice stuff.
Only problem was, I was the ONLY person in the house that ever used any of it. Every time I tried to show my wife (even with the nice Harmony remote) her eyes would glaze over. And leave the keyboard and mouse sitting on her coffee table all day? I don't think so. An HTPC is certainly powerful and flexible, but a full-blown OS (and the hardware required to run it) is just too much for a living room.
But I was still enjoying it until the day it broke. What broke I don't know, probably the PS, but it's dead. And since I was ready for a new TV anyway, and Sony was introducing models that would do Netflix and Pandora and had network/USB connections I thought maybe I should go a different route.
So I bought a 60-inch Sony (non-Google) TV several months ago. Beautiful picture, but the USB connection wouldn't recognize my 2TB USB drive, and in order to play my Netflix (or any other) DVDs I had to bring my old DVD (no Blu Ray) player out of retirement. Plus the Sony TV interface sucks and there's no browser. On top of that, I realized that I wasn't all that fond of the idea of having hardware and software tied to the display.
So along comes Sony's BD player with Google TV and suddenly my overburdened power strip has empty slots. The DVD player goes back into retirement, along with the Harmony remote, and now with only three components and ONE remote control I can do EVERYTHING without even sitting up on the couch. Or even pointing the remote in a particular direction. Netflix, Pandora, Amazon VOD, Blu Ray, DVD's, CD's, all of my cable content including control of my DVR, all of my local media and surfing the ENTIRE web. Not to mention the awesome search functions, all of the apps under the GTV Spotlight that I'm just starting to explore, or the future potential once there's market access. And all WHILE I'm watching TV.
When I want to surf the web, I don't have to go upstairs and retrieve the netbook I use at bedside (and take it back upstairs later) or find my EVO wherever I've left it in the house.
And I'm only using one of the seven inputs to my TV and two of the multitude of inputs on the back of my Yamaha amp. And the freaky maze of wires and cable splitters and power cords out back has been reduced to four power cables, two HDMI cables, two optical audio cables, a network cable and a coax for the cable box.
Each day when I get home from work, I find that my sons have been using it (and the remote that everyone says is too complicated that I never even showed them how to use) to surf the web. And my wife doesn't complain when I leave said remote on the coffee table.
Is the system perfect? No it's not. The fact that I can't move the PIP window is a PITA. Ditto the fact that I can't turn the channel while it's in PIP mode. The HDMI stereo audio issue is problematic, but only for stuff coming from the cable box (Blu Ray and anything from Netflix or the web play surround just fine) and I'm hoping a fix is on the way. In the meantime, if I am watching HBO I simply switch the input on my amp to the optical audio coming from the cable box and all is well.
The remote itself is easy to use and quickly becomes second nature. You only really use the buttons in the dark area up top on a regular basis, the rest is keyboard. And if you actually watch the tutorial that comes up when you first use the system you'll find it does a few more things than you think. But I do wish it was backlit and that there were at least a few programmable keys. The optical finger sensor can be flakey on occasion (seems to happen if it gets shielded from the unit) and the fact that there's no provision for turning off the cable box is stupid.
Too expensive? I've seen Harmony remotes selling for $400. It does everything I needed from my HTPC for less than half the price (when you add in accessories) with less complexity, less heat, less cables and less drama. With an RF remote and a BD player included stock in the box.
Who is Google TV's target audience? People who want to simplify their media cabinet and coffee table, and NOT people looking to ADD toys to their collection. Guys who are struggling to figure out how to fit it into their existing stuff, rather than realizing that it can actually replace a lot of it, are just going to be frustrated.
About 15 months ago I was introduced to Windows Media Center. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Spent $700 on a dedicated PC with BD drive and tv card, spent more money on the Windows 7 upgrade when that came out so I could get the latest version of WMC, extra money for a wireless keyboard and mouse, extra money for the IR remote sensor, and purchased software to rip all my DVDs to a 2TB external drive.
When it was done it was a pretty sweet set up. Except there was nothing to play Pandora, so I installed Boxee and had to exit to that whenever I wanted to listen to my stations. And i couldn't get any of my HD and paid cable content through WMC so I'd have to exit out to my cable box input to watch that. Had to leave MC for web surfing too, which also required that I go into the cabinet and pull out the keyboard and mouse. Plus, because it ran so warm, I had to keep it in the opposite side of our built-in media cabinet to keep it away from the cable box and amp. And so getting the IR remote to work meant pointing it back and forth to get a response in some circumstances. Oh, and then there's the putting the machine to sleep, waking from sleep and rebooting when something went flakey.
But Netflix was awesome, the movie gallery was awesome, same with the photo gallery and music player. Nice stuff.
Only problem was, I was the ONLY person in the house that ever used any of it. Every time I tried to show my wife (even with the nice Harmony remote) her eyes would glaze over. And leave the keyboard and mouse sitting on her coffee table all day? I don't think so. An HTPC is certainly powerful and flexible, but a full-blown OS (and the hardware required to run it) is just too much for a living room.
But I was still enjoying it until the day it broke. What broke I don't know, probably the PS, but it's dead. And since I was ready for a new TV anyway, and Sony was introducing models that would do Netflix and Pandora and had network/USB connections I thought maybe I should go a different route.
So I bought a 60-inch Sony (non-Google) TV several months ago. Beautiful picture, but the USB connection wouldn't recognize my 2TB USB drive, and in order to play my Netflix (or any other) DVDs I had to bring my old DVD (no Blu Ray) player out of retirement. Plus the Sony TV interface sucks and there's no browser. On top of that, I realized that I wasn't all that fond of the idea of having hardware and software tied to the display.
So along comes Sony's BD player with Google TV and suddenly my overburdened power strip has empty slots. The DVD player goes back into retirement, along with the Harmony remote, and now with only three components and ONE remote control I can do EVERYTHING without even sitting up on the couch. Or even pointing the remote in a particular direction. Netflix, Pandora, Amazon VOD, Blu Ray, DVD's, CD's, all of my cable content including control of my DVR, all of my local media and surfing the ENTIRE web. Not to mention the awesome search functions, all of the apps under the GTV Spotlight that I'm just starting to explore, or the future potential once there's market access. And all WHILE I'm watching TV.
When I want to surf the web, I don't have to go upstairs and retrieve the netbook I use at bedside (and take it back upstairs later) or find my EVO wherever I've left it in the house.
And I'm only using one of the seven inputs to my TV and two of the multitude of inputs on the back of my Yamaha amp. And the freaky maze of wires and cable splitters and power cords out back has been reduced to four power cables, two HDMI cables, two optical audio cables, a network cable and a coax for the cable box.
Each day when I get home from work, I find that my sons have been using it (and the remote that everyone says is too complicated that I never even showed them how to use) to surf the web. And my wife doesn't complain when I leave said remote on the coffee table.
Is the system perfect? No it's not. The fact that I can't move the PIP window is a PITA. Ditto the fact that I can't turn the channel while it's in PIP mode. The HDMI stereo audio issue is problematic, but only for stuff coming from the cable box (Blu Ray and anything from Netflix or the web play surround just fine) and I'm hoping a fix is on the way. In the meantime, if I am watching HBO I simply switch the input on my amp to the optical audio coming from the cable box and all is well.
The remote itself is easy to use and quickly becomes second nature. You only really use the buttons in the dark area up top on a regular basis, the rest is keyboard. And if you actually watch the tutorial that comes up when you first use the system you'll find it does a few more things than you think. But I do wish it was backlit and that there were at least a few programmable keys. The optical finger sensor can be flakey on occasion (seems to happen if it gets shielded from the unit) and the fact that there's no provision for turning off the cable box is stupid.
Too expensive? I've seen Harmony remotes selling for $400. It does everything I needed from my HTPC for less than half the price (when you add in accessories) with less complexity, less heat, less cables and less drama. With an RF remote and a BD player included stock in the box.
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