Earlier today, at a crowded event in downtown San Francisco, Logitech officially unveiled and demonstrated the Revue, which is the world’s first Google TV device: the Revue. The device is a $299 set-top box that utilizes Google’s search and browser capabilities to integrate TV, DVR, media library, web content, and video chat in the living room.
The device itself is a black, mid-sized set-top box that connects to a cable/satellite box and TV via HDMI 1.3a with CEC, and connects to a home network via a wired or 802.11a/b/b/g wireless connection. Logitech will offer a number of ways to control the box, ranging from the Harmony line of remotes to two different form-factor keyboards to Android/Apple smartphones and tablets.
Maximum PC got some hands-on time with this new set-top box and we came away impressed. If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that we love the notion of PC functionality on a living room big-screen TV. The ramifications of pulling multiple forms of content and data into a single living-room device and then stacking apps on top of it are fairly significant. Is the Revue capable of delivering on this dream? Impressions, thoughts, and less-snarky-than-the-blogs analysis below.
As Logitech took us through the presentation of Revue, we found ourselves thinking more and more that this is essentially an SFF living room PC. The hardware platform is based around Intel’s 1.2 GHz Atom Z515processor and a Gigabyte motherboard. It has 4GB of Ram, two USB ports, and an optical output.
The Revue interface comes in a few different shapes and sizes, depending on the context. There’s an overlay mode that allowed us to browse the web, TV listings, and our media library in full screen mode, a la Windows Media Center. If you’re watching TV and want to browse the web, the OS switches to a picture-in-picture mode. A left-hand menu displays the key functions, which are:
• Bookmarks. You can bookmark web pages, applications, TV shows, videos, photographs, and pretty much everything else.
• Most Visited. This is a dynamic list of the most popular content you’ve viewed, played, or watched.
• Spotlight. Logitech was fairly tight-lipped on this menu item, but it feels like a promotional slot.
• What’s On. This is a fairly sophisticated TV guide directory. You can sort by channel or by content category.
• Queue. Displays the current list of TV shows and other media being played.
• Applications. This is where you can access extra functionality within the Google TV environment. We saw applications for some of the TV networks as well as apps for Pandora, image galleries, and more. Google will be launching the Google TV application marketplace in early January; at that point you’ll also be able to download and install other apps.
One of the things we love about Google TV is that it also integrates with your existing media library, via either USB-attached storage or your home network. Logitech says that the device is capable of streaming all non-DRM movies, photographs, music, and video via DLNA. Once we get a unit in-house we’ll be able to fully explore the Revue’s media-streaming capabilities.
This wouldn’t be a Google device without beefy search tech. Much like the Android OS, you can enter a search term and Google TV instantly displays results from your TV listings, photographs, videos, apps, and media library.
Remote Control via keyboard, remote…and smartphone
The means of controlling the Revue are varied and impressive in almost all regards. Two different add-on keyboards are available, both of which feature a touchpad mouse control, media controls, and the ability to control volume, power, and basic home theater functions. One of the remotes is essentially a full-sized keyboard; the other is shaped like a clamshell smartphone with chiclet-style keys. The bigger keyboard is $100, while the smaller mini-controller is $130.
Perhaps the most impressive remote control scheme is provided by downloadable apps for Android and iOS devices. In our demonstration, we were able to fully navigate Google TV’s interface using buttons and swipe gestures. Our demonstration revealed two surprising features. First, you can call up a YouTube video on your smartphone, and then “share” it with Google TV, which will then instantly run the video in full screen HD. Second, you can use voice to generate search results by talking into your smartphone.
You can also remote control Google TV using a Logitech Harmony remote. Smartphones and tablets will talk to the Revue set-top box via your home network; the remote control and keyboard will directly issue IR commands to the box. Revue communicates to cable/satellite boxes and other devices via IR blaster.
Hello, TV Cam
One more reason we’ve begun considering the Revue to be a living room PC is that it also allows for HD video cam support via Logitech’s proprietary TV Cam, which generates 720p video. Google TV integrates webcam functionality into the OS and permits live video chat as well as asynchronous video messaging. We have to say this—for video chat, Cisco’s Umi Telepresence’s 1080p bests 720p by a mile. However, given that Cisco has devoted an entire $600 set-top box to video chat, we think we’d probably be comfortable with 720p. Other ways that Logitech’s TV cam compares unfavorably with Umi are that the camera doesn’t tilt or pan, and it has greater latency. In shot, Logitech’s TV Cam felt like a typical webcam experience, while Umi felt far more realistic.
Two other interesting piece of functionality: Logitech’s Revue will also integrate Logitech’s Alert camera security system into Google TV. And, in a special arrangement with the Dish Network, Dish subscribers will see enhanced program guide information and built-in OS awareness around subscription channels, which will come in handy during search queries. It’s cool, but we’re bummed that Comcast and DirecTV subscribers won’t see any such functionality.
So, what’s missing?
For now, the only big hole we can see in the Google TV and the Logitech master plan is a distinct lack of support from the major networks. However, we can see this functionality being introduced via applications (which in our minds trump plug-ins) developed by the networks themselves.
More information to come as we see, feel, and hear it.
