Revue Pros and Cons...

[TJH132]

I've been playing around with the Logitech Revue for the last forty-eight hours and have come up with some definite pros and cons. Perhaps you can list yours here, as well.

Pros:
1. Ease of use - the UI is simple to understand and very Android-like, only formatted for the big screen. Navigation is smooth with either the trackpad or directional keys. The keyboard is the perfect size for couch (or bedroom) surfing.

2. The provided apps - While slim to begin with, they do exactly what they're supposed to do and do it quickly and efficiently. OK, so the Netflix app could do more, but scolling through the instant queue is faster on the Revue than it is with our Sony Blu-Ray player Netflix interface. The music streaming from Pandora sounds very good from my speakers. The gallery is beautiful on the big screen! The potential is (obviously) endless once the market opens up!

3. Live TV - using the Revue to watch live TV is a pleasure because I CAN FINALLY DITCH THE TERRIBLE COMCAST REMOTE! Using the keyboard to pull up the guide, or even just to switch stations, is so much smoother. Logitech's universal remote prowess really shines here.

4. "Spotlight" - I overlooked this portion of GTV at first. A second look reveals that these content providers have partnered with Google to provide a nice interface to get to their videos. Check out CNET, easily the best of the bunch. Their video quality is stunning! TNT is pretty weak, only showing clips of shows. This is where ABC, NBC and CBS should be sharing their content (with commercials or whatever).

5. Google Queue - I would like a little Google Listen integration here, but oh well. I was able to pull up a few of my favorite podcasts and subscribe to some MSNBC shows (full episodes of Maddow and Olbermann are online). Is it me, or could I not get to the Android Central podcast from here?

Cons:
1. Framerate issue - Yes, it exists and you can definitely see it. This issue alone makes the Revue "not ready for primetime." And by "primetime" I mean my livingroom. Instead, I decided to hook it up in the bedroom with the lesser TV and get some kinks worked out first. I manually set the Revue to 720p, but can't find a similar setting in the cable box (DCX3200 from Comcast). All regular content looked absolutely normal, but sports do, indeed, exhibit some stangeness.

2. STB integration - while the setup was easy, better integration with Comcast/Motorola boxes would be appreciated. I have to use the documented optical sound re-route method to get things to work. This would be a deal-breaker if my amp didn't support it.

3. Harmony Remote App - It works exactly as it should for the four supported devices (Receiver, TV, cable box and Revue), but it doesn't (yet?) allow for integration with other devices (Blu-Ray, XBox, etc). The "Activities" based system from Logitech's own Harmony line of remotes is limited to "Watch Google TV." This limitation also keeps it out of the living room. The idea was to get rid of ALL remotes with the Revue. Hopefully this will be addressed soon, and for free, with an update to the Android app.

4. Freezes/Crashes - Yes, it's a little computer and I've crashed it a few times. I admit it, I'm good at crashing hardware. I took it down so badly that TWO reboots didn't fix the problem. I had to unplug it (the only way to power down?) for five minutes then try again.

5. USB devices - I understand DLNA is working well for most people. I don't have a server, so I was hoping my little Western Digital Passport harddrive would connect to the back and give me access to all my music (this is my backup). Unfortunately, it doesn't work. A smaller, 8gig thumb drive did work fine.

Anything I missed?

TJH

 

[TJH132]

Just a quick update: Those crashes I mentioned above? They became so frequent and severe this afternoon, I had to call Logitech for advice. The only thing they could say was "overheating." The Revue unit was on top of my dresser and away from other components, so I don't see how that could be it. I did a factory reset on while on the phone with them and it crashed repeatedly. Instead of fighting it, I'm sending this unit back to Amazon and buying another tonight from Best Buy.

TJH

 

[TJH132]

Another Update: I packed up the Revue to send back to Amazon. I bought another one at Best Buy tonight and, believe it or not, the exact same flakiness is happening all over again.

Through trial and error, it seems like it's crashing when dealing with the wi-fi. Coincidently, I bought a new wireless n router (Dlink) since hooking up GTV. I'm using a cable for set-up now, but that can't last forever.

Does anyone know of a wi-fi problem with the Revue?

TJH

 

[ircactus]

When I unpacked it for setup I wasn't able to get it working. Went with wired setup. It downloaded its update and viola. It worked first try after the initial setup.

 

[pegb856]

I have a revue and I don't have any issues with the wifi. Mine freezes and crashes when I am working the browser too hard, scrolling facebooks pics, etc. When I first setup the system last friday my first couple videos were horrible but things seemed to have worked themselves out nicely. Mid afternoon the net seems to bog down and I have had some buffering issues but they last only a couple seconds and the video recuperates quickly.

Cons:

1. I have Comcast and the Revue's remote keyboard fails with my cable menus, especially when in the On Demand section. If I start playing on demand content I am unable to back out of it, stop it or anything. Very frustrating.

2. I hate that the browser is watered down, no real browser bookmarks, can't change the text sizes, has the setting but it doesn't stick. No forward and back buttons. I browse with it but I certainly cannot do the things I do with my laptop browser, or phone browsers for that matter. Bookmarks are saved to the Home page which is fine for some things but when I browse xDa and set a bookmark, I don't want these bookmarks as a huge icon on the home screen. There should be an option to choose home screen or browser bookmarking but there are no internal browser bookmarks (fail).

3. Many websites we can access with our computers have been blocked for Google TV. We cannot even access the standard HULU web content. There is a popup notice that states that HULU plus will hopefully be available in the future.

4. There is a tap to enter function for the trackpad, however it is a temp function and has to be re-enabled frequently which is a major hassle. It seems to have a timeout period for the function which in my opinion is a bug.

5. Keyboard shortcuts seem to be quite limited.

6. Oh and I almost forgot, You cannot plug an antenna into this device directly, it only has HDMI inputs. This is a big deal to me since I had dreams of eventually dropping my cable TV and just keeping the internet. There are ways around it but they are a hassle and quite costly.

Let me clarify the antenna comment, the Google TV is made to integrate all your media together, you can still use the box and a standard antenna but the tv portion will not be intigrated into GTV since you will have to connect the antenna directly to the tv and bypass the box.


Pros:

1. On the plus side I have been able to access many of the (free) websites that the ROKU boxes have apps listed for and a majority of these are accesable via the browser. With that being said, it's certainly not as convenient as a dedicated app but it does work.

2. The keyboard integration works very well for most of the things implemented, it just needs more functions. My cable box integration is very buggy.

3. Web and TV are integrated beautifully with the search function.

Overall I have a major love/hate relationship with my new toy. It has incredible potential but at this stage of the game it seems like a "fail" in so many ways that I am really on the fence about whether I am keeping it or not.

 

[robber]

You usually can access the output settings on the Motorola/ Comcast boxes by pressing menu on the remote when the box is powered off.

 

[GMoney749]

No forward and back buttons.

I'm not sure if the Revue is different, but on the Sony if you hit the search button on the remote while in the browser it opens up a search/navigation bar that has forward/back buttons, a link to your tabs and also refresh.

 

[TJH132]

This is the same on the Revue. While using the browser, press the 'Search' key and an URL gadget appears with forward/back/refresh. Very handy.

Update to my Wi-Fi problems: It's been three days and I haven't experienced a crash since changing the settings on my router. I finally ended up selecting "Use only Wireless G" and it's playing nicely with the Revue. I would think this would defeat the purpose of having a wireless N router, but my other computers and DInc indicate wireless N speeds of about 11500 kilobits/sec.

TJH