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LG Third Generation Google TV Hands On At CES 2013 (video)
If you are interested in the new third generation of LG TVs equipped with Google TV such as the new LG Google TV GA7900, you might be interested in a new three minute hands on video that was created at CES 2013.
The new GA6400 and GA7900 series LG Google TVs unveiled in CES last week are expected to start shipping in the first quarter of this year, and include a newly designed user interface and premium applications, and offers superb connectivity options for Android smartphones and tablets that can be automatically paired with Google TV.
The new LG Google SmartTVs are also equipped with an upgraded dual core processor, and the supplied LG Google TV’s Magic Remote features a keyboard and a clicker that makes the menus on the TV even easier to navigate, and have been tweaked to enhance the effectiveness of Voice Search and the PrimeTime quick guide.
“LG is committed to providing diverse home entertainment options that offer the most satisfying user experience and the latest LG Smart TVs with Google TV do just that,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of the LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “They deliver a stellar user experience by merging the latest Google TV platform with LG’s proven Smart TV technology. The result is a comprehensive system that is groundbreaking in its simplicity.”
Source: Android Authority
Korean IPTV service LG Uplus launches a Google TV-powered set-top box
While we’ve seen the Google TV platform spread to additional manufacturers and some new lower-priced form factors, LG Uplus (not the same as LG Electronics) is the first we’ve seen offering a set-top box for its IPTV service based on it. new and existing customers alike can opt for the U+TV G, which will blend live TV streams, video on-demand and Google TV apps. Rapper Psy will be playing a large part in a national campaign to promote the offering, and after making Korea the tenth country Google TV is available in, Google says it will continue to work with providers around the world. Jumping inside the cable box is a notable move for the project, however at home hasn’t significantly improved integration beyond that originally offered by Dish Network, and it’s not even built into the Google Fiber set-top box.
Google TV Now Includes Google Play Movies, Music And TV Shows
As from this week Google will now be providing more of its Google Play experience via its Google TV service, allowing users to enjoy Google Play Movies, TV Shows and Music.
The new additions to the Google Play TV service will start rolling out over the coming weeks, enabling you to purchase or rent content directly through your Google TV.
As well as being able to purchase new content nay previous movies, music or TV shows you have purchased on other devices will also be available to browse and play on your Google TV system, and vice versa. Google explained in their press release today:
“Google Play gives you one place to find, enjoy and share your favorite entertainment with millions of songs and thousands of movies and TV shows for sale, and adds to the millions of entertainment options available for you on Google TV through YouTube, TV & Movies, Search and the full web through Chrome.”
Google TV also provides recommendations for movies, TV shows and music from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and now Google Play. For more information jump over to the Google TV blog post.
Source: Google
Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again and that’s exactly what Google has done with Google TV. With the second generation of Google’s software hitting older hardware and some TVs, it only makes sense that Sony would revise its hardware and fill the void left when Logitech decided to leave the party. The $199 NSZ-GS7 from Sony might be the perfect little box for those hoping to internet-enable their TV without actually replacing the TV itself. How well it does at that is exactly what you’ll find if you click through.
Less Than One Million Google TV Devices Sold?
Google TV hasn’t exactly been as popular as Google had hoped, and now we finally get some information about how many Google TV devices have actually been sold.
According to a recent report by GigaOM, there are less than one million Google TV devices out there, the information was discovered in Google’s own data in the Android Market, and more than 50 percent of these are Logitech Revue boxes, which Logitech no longer sells.
If you compare this to Apple, who describe their Apple TV as a hobby, Apple recently announced that they sold 1.4 million Apple TV devices in the last quarter of 2012, and have sold a total of 4.2 million to date.
Roku another company who sells connected set top boxes recently announced that they had sold a total of 2.5 million Roku boxes by the end of 2011.
Google obviously has some serious work to do if they want their Google TV platform to become popular, whether it will or not remains to be seen.
Source GigaOM
Google Working On Siri Like Interface For Google TV?
Apple’s new HDTV is rumored to come with some sort of Siri integration which will apparently allow you to control your TV with voice commands, and now it would appear that Google may have something similar planned for their Google TV platform.
The guys over at Patently Apple have discovered a patent relating to voice controls for Google TV using either an application or a voice enabled remote control.
Google TV YouTube App Gets Updated
Google has announced that they are releasing an update to your YouTube app for their Google TV, and according to Google the new app is designed to be faster and features a smoother navigation.
Google has also added in a new feature called Discover, which lets you browse YouTube channels by category and they have also added a new channel page.
In the next few days we’re releasing an update to your YouTube experience on Google TV making it faster and easier to find great content, adding YouTube channel pages, and giving you more control over your experience.
Google TV To Have Blu-Ray 3D Support, Chrome Improvements
If you have a Sony Internet TV or have one of those Sony Blu-ray players with Google TV functionality, you’ll be glad to know that Google has confirmed upcoming Chrome improvements and Blu-ray 3D support in its next update to Google TV.
No less than the search giant confirmed the update, which unfortunately, will not be applicable to the Logitech Revue. Google has been working on improving its Google TV venture, promising to bring useful apps and other popular features to living rooms. Google TV didn’t quite make it to mainstream consumers in 2011 but the company is hoping to change all that this year.
The update, which is expected to be rolled out this weak, includes performance enhancements that aims to improe the user experience on its TV-optimised Chrome.
Via: Slashgear
Google TV adds LG to the fold, will demo new hardware along with Sony, Vizio (update: video, pics!)
The second round of Google TV hardware will be in full swing at CES 2012, and the folks at Mountain View just officially announced LG is joining the list of hardware partners at the show. While we know Logitech was taking a pass on the latest hardware, previously announced partners Samsung, Sony and Vizio are still in and the latter two will have new hardware to show next week. While this morning’s announcement by Marvell revealed the platform’s switch to ARM processors from the Intel chips it launched on, the company mentioned MediaTek is also on board to build compatible chipsets, while the line of products from LG will run on the company’s own L9 setup. LG’s press release (included after the break) reveals the HDTVs it’s bringing out will feature its Cinema 3D FPR technology as well as support for a “Magic Remote QWERTY” that combines its gesture and voice control Magic Remote with, you guessed it, a QWERTY keyboard. It will have two lines of TVs based on the Android OS, while it continues to feature its own NetCast setup in other displays. While Samsung is mentioned as building new devices, it does not appear they’ll have any to show off just yet, which matches the rumors that had gone around earlier.
Myriad Alien Vue brings Google TV apps to existing HDTVs, set-top boxes (video)
Couch potatoes may soon be able to get a more complete Android app experience without leaving the living room, or picking up a tablet or smartphone. Myriad’s new Alien Vue is a customizable OEM platform that enables TV and set-top box manufacturers to bring Android to their existing products, adding support for apps designed for Google TV and HTML5. Myriad is the developer behind Alien Dalvik, which allows you to run Android apps on non-Android devices, including iOS and MeeGo. Alien Vue brings that concept to the living room, and includes a branded app store, web browser and portable device control, letting you control your TV and other home theater devices using a phone or tablet. But unlike Dalvik, it’ll be up to manufacturers to add support for Vue — you won’t be hacking your TV and installing the software yourself. We’ll be bringing you a full hands-on from CES, but jump past the break for a quick video demo.
Samsung To Launch Google TV Next Year
We heard recently that LG may be showing off a Google TV device in January at CES 2012, and now it would appear Samsung is also working on a Google TV device, which we will see some time next year.
According to a recent report bu Reuters, Samsung and Google are in talks about producing Samung TVs with Google TV built in, and the company has said that we will see the first device at an event next year.
It isn’t clear as yet on whether the event mentioned will be CES 2012 in January or whether the launch of the Samsung Google TV will be later in the year, as soon as we get some more information we will let you guys know.
Source Reuters
Turkish company builds 65-inch Android ‘tablet’ with Honeycomb, 1080p support (video)
Want Honeycomb on your TV? You can take your chances with a Google TV-enabled set from Sony, or you can get the full Android experience by adding a connected tablet to your HD mix — if Istanbul-based Ardic gets its solution out the door, at least. The Turkish company’s prototype uses a 10-inch Android Honeycomb-based tablet to power a 65-inch LCD with 1080p support for basic gestures, like pinch and zoom. The display currently has two touch sensors, but a version with four sensors is on the way, which will bring multi-touch support. The tablet is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC, and includes 1GB of RAM, 16GB of flash memory, dual cameras, HDMI, USB, microSD and 3G and WiFi connectivity. A dock enables instant connectivity with the OEM TV, including HDMI for video and audio, and USB for touch input (a wireless version is in the works as well).
The devs customized Android to support 1080p output, and it appears to work quite seamlessly, as you’ll see in the embedded video. And this isn’t simply another goofy demo or proof of concept — the Turkish company is in talks with education and enterprise customers and hopes to bring this setup to production as a more power- and cost-efficient smart board alternative. The company eventually hopes to offer displays in a variety of sizes, that will all be powered by a pocketable device, such as a smartphone, but watch in wonder as the 65-inch proto we have today struts its stuff in the video after the break.
LG To Debut Google TV At CES 2012?
The other day we heard that Logitech had decided to cancel their Google TV set top boxes, the Logitech Revue, but it would appear that other companies are still interested in developing devices with the Google TV platform.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, LG will be showing off their first Google TV enabled devices at CES 2012 in January, and they are expected to unveil a new TV set with Google TV built in.
It would appear that LG and other companies are now more interested in Google TV due to the recent release of the new Google TV software, which features a simpler and more user friendly interface.
Source Bloomberg
Plex hops on the Google TV train, finds it has plenty of room to stretch its legs
Well, the guys and gals over at Plex are on a roll right now. Less than a week ago they took the wraps off myPlex then, just a couple of days ago, new versions of the desktop and mobile clients hit the web alongside updated server software. Now the streaming media service is landing on the newly revamped Google TV. Even though this is the first release of the client for Mountain View’s living room platform, all the most essential features are in place, including myPlex support and some keyboard-friendly UI tweaks. It seems like the only major limitation, and we’re using that term loosely, is the limited support for HLS — an essential ingredient in Plex’s transcoding formula. Thankfully, bandwidth over your local network shouldn’t be a major concern and Google TV has pretty robust codec support, so you might not even notice it’s missing. You’ll find a few more detail at the source and you can install the app right now from the market.
Google TV, take two, arrives next week with Honeycomb, Android Market
It has been a long year for Google TV. The first (and only, so far) round of hardware started shipping in October 2010 and at the time, promised the Android Marketplace with its wealth of third party apps early in the next year. That clearly didn’t happen, and it quickly became most notable for what it was being blocked from doing, like streaming video from TV providers like Hulu and various network TV websites. After various false starts and delays, Sony Google TV and Logitech Revue hardware will finally receive updates to Android 3.1 Honeycomb (congratulations Google, now where’s Ice Cream Sandwich?) starting this weekend with Sony up first and Logitech “shortly thereafter.” The biggest additions are the aforementioned apps, a new interface, and a refocused system for content discovery that starts with the new TV & Movies app pictured above. Check out the gallery for more pictures of the new Google TV, while more details and videos follow after the break.
Adobe’s launching Flash Player 11, Air 3 bringing HD video and 3D gaming to all (Video)
While we’ve had access to Adobe’s Flash Player 11 in beta form for months, the company announced it will finally get official, along with Air 3, next month. Among the many new features included are support for accelerated 2D and 3D graphics with a claimed 1,000 times faster performance than Flash Player 10 and Air 2. That’s enough to enable “console-quality” gaming on both computers and connected TVs and on mobile devices (Android, iOS, Playbook) with a pre-release version of Flash 11 (a production release you can take on the go is expected in “the near future”). Other new options include allowing developers to package Air 3 along with their apps in a single install, HD video quality on multiple platforms including iOS, DRM for video rentals, 64-bit support and more. Check out Adobe’s pitch to developers with a press release and demo videos after the break, including a look at the hit iPad game Machinarium which was built with its tools.
Sony brings new media streaming box and updated Google TV hardware to CEDIA (Video)
Yesterday was the big day for Sony’s 4K projector (still no exact price, but reps mentioned it would be sub $25k — we know you can afford that) and the US debut of its funky 3D helmet, but now that the CEDIA show floor is open we stopped by its booth and got our hands on a couple of other treats. In one corner we’ve got its Google TV hardware, updated with a near-release upgrade to Honeycomb and showing off some highlighted apps picked by Google. Over in the other, we have its new SMP-N200 streamer. Check the gallery for a few snaps of us pawing the SMP-N200 (smaller than a bread box, way bigger than a Roku 2) and after the break, a live demonstration of Google TV running Honeycomb — it’s not much, but consider this a taste before Google delivers the Market and other goodies around the end of this month.
Google TV coming to the UK within six months
Hey! Britain! Guess what? You’re getting Google TV! Try to temper your excitement, we know this is a big day for you, but there’s still a bit of a wait ahead. According to the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Google is aiming to deliver its set-top software to the UK sometime in the next six months. Eric Schmidt is expected to announce the plans at the Edinburgh Television Festival (which starts today), likely including integration of BBC’s iPlayer and ITV’s Player. Sadly we don’t have any more details yet regarding a specific launch date or hardware, but we wouldn’t be shocked if it’s timed to coincide with the release of the Honeycomb versionof Google TV.
Logitech CEO steps down after money losing Q1, Revue price slashed to $99
This is becoming a trend. After a disappointing Q4 saw Logitech reduce the price of its Revue it revealed today that after a net loss of $29.6 million for the first quarter it is cutting the price of the Revue to $99, as well as saying goodbye to CEO Gerald P. Quindlen. Quindlen had been an outspoken supporter of the Google TV box (see the video after the break) but according to Logitech this price cut and corresponding $34 million hit to its finances are necessary to “remove price as a barrier to broad customer acceptance.” In the midst of these results — as well as lowered sales in several regions and key products like Harmony remotes — Chairman and former CEO Guerrino De Luca will assume the role of acting CEO while a long term replacement is sought. Until then, and before the Google TV Honeycomb update arrives, does anyone think the Revue will be more appealing for one Benjamin than it was for two, or three?
Vizio extends its LCD HDTV sales lead; new 3D, VIA Plus and ultrawidescreen TVs are on the way
We already took a fresh look at the Vizio Tablet due this summer, but the company’s main business is HDTVs and there it’s on top of US LCD sales again, with more than 20 percent of the market in Q1. Of the top five selling TVs in Q1, four are Vizios priced at $698 or less, while the other is a $1,699 MSRP Samsung LCD. Vizio launched its lower end E3D line earlier this year, the next series on the way are edge-lit M3D models due in August and September that up the refresh rate to 240Hz, come with four pairs of passive 3D glasses instead of two and have a Bluetooth remote. Up next, the 21:9 ultrawidescreen sets we saw at CES are real and will ship in October as the Cinemawide series in 2560×1080 58- and 50-inch models. Finally, the top of of the line XVT 6 series will feature the new VIA Plus Google TV platform and are going to be available in 47- and 55-inch sizes, but won’t ship until December There’s still no prices for any of these yet, but we’re going to guess they’ll go low as they usually do. Check the press release for all the details after the break including a glancing mention of the Vizio Phone.
