For 2011, the emphasis has shifted towards making the HDTV an integral part of a connected home entertainment setup, and Sony’s latest line-up fully reflects this.

Still, with no less than 27 different new models being announced, there’s bound to be something for everyone!

Sony’s new BRAVIA features at a glance

Sony has added 16 new 3D HDTVs and 22 new 2D models, with screen sizes ranging from 22″ to an unbelievable 65″. All except the lowest two ranges either come with Wi-Fi built-in or are Wi-Fi ready with the addition of an extra Wi-Fi dongle (sold by Sony and which plugs into the TV’s USB socket).

To make the most of the Internet connectivity, Sony has expanded on the Internet TV services it’s offered with some of its 2010 models, and now offers the following Web apps on its BRAVIA TVs:

• Sony’s Qriocity Music and Video on Demand services
• Amazon Video on Demand
• YouTube
• Slacker Interent Radio
• Netflix
• Pandora
• HuluPlus
• Crackle
• Blip.tv

Some of the higher-end models even have Skype built-in, which, with the addition of a camera and microphone (both sold separately, naturally!), means you can make Skype calls from your HDTV (yes, even the giant 65″ one!) to any other Skype client in the world.

That’s a pretty neat feature.

Other new features include a new Track ID feature powered by GraceNote, which lets you identify any music you hear while watching TV. A nifty feature this, and it’s only a matter of time before Sony link the discovered artist through to a store where tyou can instantly purchase it!

In a sign of the increasing pervasiveness of mobile phones, Sony has also announced a new series of iPhone and Android apps that will let you use your smartphone as a remote control (presuambly via DLNA). This will be a life-saver, as using YouTube on a Sony remote without a QWERTY keyboard is an exercise in futility!

The final feature on offer comes from the 3D models, which will be capable of displaying 3D images taken from Sony’s 3D CyberShot cameras.

New enhanced picture technology

Of course, a 2011 Sony TV has to look better than a 2010 model, and so its engineers have come up with a variety of new ways of making your humble TV picture look as perfect as possible.

To this end, the critically acclaimed BRAVIA processing engine, which already does an excellent job of upscaling standard def pictures, has now been enhanced and comes with the new X-Reality PRO and X-Reality Engine video processors. These use algorithms that take video processing to new levels, which helps to make the resultant image look almost as good as it does on BluRay.

There’s also the new Intelligent Peak ELD Backlight, which gives deeper blacks by using full local dimming and so increases picture contrast considerably, making pictures look incredibly detailed.

Finally, there’s Sony’s MotionFlow XR, which helps to reduce the motion blur that’s typically found in LCD and LED TVs.

Sony’s 2011 range of HDTVs

OK, with that out the way, here’s the full range of Sony’s new HDTVs for 2011.

BRAVIA XBR-HX929 Series 3D Capable HDTV
Available in April, Sony’s new 3D capable (with the addition of Sony active shutter glasses, sold separately), XBR-HX929 series features brilliant full HD (1080p) picture quality with Sony’s Intelligent Peak LED backlight for outstanding contrast.
The model also features Sony’s MotionFlow XR 960 featuring a precise backlight control that is synchronized with the liquid crystal movement from frame to frame creating clearer, sharper moving images.

The beautifully designed model features Sony’s improved Monolithic Design Concept that draws viewers into the picture when the TV is turned on, and blends into the room décor when turned off. The 2011 Monolithic Design BRAVIA models incorporate Corning®’s Gorilla® Glass allowing for thinner, lighter, and stronger screen material.
With integrated with Wi-Fi (802.11n), the XBR-HX929 models offer instant access to thousands of Internet movies, videos and music from BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity. Sony’s Media Remote app provides simple operation and search for internet content.

The XBR-HX929 models are also custom installation friendly with key features such as rear IR-input and a two-way RS232c connection for easier integration with third-party control systems.

Other XBR-HX929 Series features include:

• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with full-array local dimming LED backlight
• Sleek Monolithic Design with OptiContrast Panel Technology
• Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11n)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity
• X-Reality™ PRO Engine
• MotionFlow™ XR 960
• Rear two-way IR inputs and two-way RS232C control
• Screen sizes include 65-inch (XBR-65HX292, which is available in August 2011), 55-inch (XBR-55HX929), and 46-inch (XBR-46HX929)

BRAVIA® HX820-Series LED LCD 3D Capable HDTV

• Available in May
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with Dynamic Edge LED backlight
• Sleek Monolithic Design with OptiContrast Panel Technology
• Integrated Wi-Fi™ (802.11n)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• X-Reality™ PRO Engine
• MotionFlow™ XR 480
• Screen sizes include 55-inch (KDL-55HX820), and 46-inch (KDL-46HX820)

BRAVIA® NX720-Series LED LCD 3D Capable HDTV

• Available in May
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with Dynamic Edge LED backlight
• Sleek Monolithic Design with OptiContrast Panel Technology
• Integrated Wi-Fi™ (802.11n)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• MotionFlow™ XR 240
• X-Reality™ Engine
• Screen sizes include 60-inch (KDL-60NX720), 55-inch (KDL-55NX720), and 46-inch (KDL-46NX720)

BRAVIA® HX729-Series LED LCD 3D Capable HDTV

• Available in May
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with Dynamic Edge LED backlight
• X-Reality™ PRO Engine
• MotionFlow™ XR 480
• Integrated Wi-Fi™ (802.11n)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• Rear two-way IR inputs and two-way RS232C control
• Screen sizes include 65-inch (KDL-65HX729), 55-inch (KDL-55HX729), and 46-inch (KDL-46HX729)

BRAVIA® EX720-Series LED LCD 3D Capable HDTV

• Available in February
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with Edge LED backlight
• X-Reality™ Engine
• MotionFlow™ XR 240
• Wi-Fi™ ready (USB wireless LAN adapter sold separately)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• Screen sizes include 60-inch (KDL-60EX720, which is available in April), 55-inch (KDL-55EX720), 46-inch (KDL-46EX720), 40-Inch (KDL-40EX720), and 32-inch (KDL-32EX720)

BRAVIA® EX620-Series LED LCD HDTV

• Available in February
• Brilliant Full High Definition (1080p) picture quality with Edge LED backlight
• X-Reality™ Engine
• MotionFlow™ 120
• Wi-Fi™ ready (USB wireless LAN adapter sold separately)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• Screen sizes include 55-inch (KDL-55EX620), 46-inch (KDL-46EX620), and 40-Inch (KDL-40EX620)

BRAVIA® EX520-Series LED LCD HDTV

• Available in February
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with Edge LED backlight
• X-Reality™ Engine
• Wi-Fi™ ready (USB wireless LAN adapter sold separately)
• Skype™ ready in 720p high definition
• BRAVIA Internet Video and Qriocity™
• Energy saving Presence Sensor minimize power consumption
• Screen sizes include 46-inch (KDL-46EX520), 40-inch (KDL-40EX520), 32-inch (KDL-32EX520)

BRAVIA® BX420-Series HDTV

• Available in February
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality with CCFL backlight
• Five HD Inputs to connect multiple HD devices
• USB input for photo, music and video playback
• Scene select customized picture and sound settings
• Ambient Light Sensor
• Screen sizes include 46-inch (KDL-46BX420), 40-inch (KDL-40BX420), and 32-inch (KDL-32BX420)

BRAVIA® BX320-Series HDTV

• Available in February
• Amazing High Definition (720p) picture quality with CCFL backlight
• Five HD Inputs to connect multiple HD devices
• USB input for photo, music and video playback
• Scene select customized picture and sound settings
• Ambient Light Sensor
• Screen sizes include 32-inch (KDL-32BX320), and 22-inch (KDL-22BX320)

Better still, it won’t have the political hurdles that are currently stalling Google TV’s growth, and all the apps are available now.

Google TV’s problems

Google TV is having problems at the moment because the major networks in the US are refusing to allow their channels to be shown on Google TV. This leaves the Google TV service as a browser and YouTube player for your TV – which is still fine in my books! – but annoyingly prevents the platform from offrering the unified Web AND TV service we were all hoping for.

Inevitably this will all be ironed out in due course. In the meantime, limited app-ready TV services such as LG’s, which don’t offer you the whole Web, but still offer you just enough to actually be useful, have a t least a foot in the door until Google TV or equivalents are finall yable to persuade the major TV companies that their content is safe.

[Source: Pocket Lint]

It achieves this by using an autostereoscopic display, which is similar to the Nintendo 3DS’s display. If you want to watch the 3D video you just captured on something larger than its 2.4″ screen, you can plug it straight into your 3DTV via the built-in HDMI connector.

Sharing 3D video

It gets even better, though. As well as shooting 3D video, you can share it as well, as YouTube now has a 3D video channel, which you can upload your 3DV5′s content to. You’ll need to use glasses to see the resultant 3D if you’re watching via YouTube, though, as your home monitor isn’t autostereoscopic.

The one downside to the 3DV5 – and it’s an issue that although easily solvable, is frankly ridiculous when you first see it – is the onboard storage. The 3DV5 comes with 10MB of onboard RAM. Yes, that’s MB, as in Megabytes, or about half a second of 720p 3D video!! You’ll clearly need to buy an SD card to do anything with the 3DV5, which, given their price these days, is like selling a portable gadget without batteries: very tight!

That aside, though, the 3DV5 looks like an interesting alternative to the Flip Mino and the other pocket camcorders out there. I’m not convinced that 3D’s ready for anyone other than the early adopters at the moment, at least in terms of the super-expensive 3D TVs, but at least with the 3DV5 and YouTube, you have an easy and inexpensive way of dipping your toe into the technology and seeing if it’s for you.

And with 3D video requiring a whole new different way of working to capture the best videos, if you’re a budding film maker, it’s a great way to start experimenting with different creative techniques, as it’s clearly the way all video content is going.

[Source: Engadget]

In an effort to be more Web-focused, the Live Hub also offers some Web-based widgets, including ones for Flickr, Facebook and CNN. Compared to Google TV’s complete embracing of the Web, though, WD’s effort seems a little weak.

Are Media Streamers numbered?

Media streamers like the Live Hub fill an odd space in the home entertainment market, and personally I think their days are numbered. The point of a media streamer is to play your content (videos, tunes and photos) from your PC onto the devices that are capable of playing it back much more impressively (your HDTV or Hi-Fi).

Technically, most of them do this very well, streaming content in many different formats, and connecting to many different devices. The problem has always been the user interface.

The Media Streamer’s Achilles Heel

The user interface is the part of the media streamer that you use – it’s the screen on the telly and the remote control you use to access your media and to play it. Unfortunately, this has always been crudely implemented, with the result being that media streamers have only ever been niche devices, loved by geeks, but not the mainstream.

Now with the likes of Google TV and Apple TV, there are new shiny interfaces onto all your media from two companies who really know what they’re doing with software. Both Google TV and Apple TV offer fantastic interfaces, with Google TV in particular offering a seamless Web and TV interface that makes browsing your media a snip no matter where it’s stored.

So the WD TV Live Hub really has its work cut out if it’s going to compete with Google TV and Apple TV. At $199.99, it’s $100 cheaper than Google TV, but $100 more than Apple TV. Personally, I think it’s a good device, but it’s much too little, and it’s already overshadowed by its bigger rivals.

If a company wants to make a successful media streamer now, they’d better make sure its interface is at least as good as Apple and Google’s offerings. Currently, only Boxee seems to be doing that, but the other manufacturers need to step up if they want to stay in the game.

[Source: Pocket-Lint]

Actually, I keep on calling it the Sony Google TV, but its official title is the Sony Internet TV with Google, but that’s as awkward as the new TV’s controller!

Anyway, the Sony Google TV is a brand new Sony HDTV that features the new Android-based Google TV built in to the unit itself. This has the advantage of negating the need for yet another set top box, and keeps things lovely and tidy within the Sony TV’s super-sexy proportions. Unfortunately, it also has the disadvantage of forcing you to use Sony’s own remote control.

So what did I make of Sony’s take on Google TV?

Google TV: First impressions

My first impressions of Google TV are extremely positive. It really does everything it promises, and it’s super-slick as well. You can call up TV, Web sites, YouTube videos or apps with the deft flick of a button, and the picture changes instantly. Google’s omnipresent search bar is just a click away, and lets you search through TV channels, YouTube videos and the Web seamlessly.

More impressive still was the fact that the user experience was so natural, as it’s basically just Google Chrome on your TV. Web sites, Web apps like Twitter and Facebook, even Flash games, all run as smoothly on the TV as they do on your PC. Google really have brought the Web to the TV and made the whole process so seamless, it’s hard to believe it’s never been done like this before.

Smart TVs

One of the advantages of putting Android on your TV is that it turns into a smart TV, and so its functionality and features will actually grow over time. Already, web apps like Picasa add a new dimension to the TV. You can view any pics you’ve uploaded onto Picasa directly on the TV, and even share them from your telly via Twitter, just with a simple point and click of the remote.

It’s this interaction between apps, all based around the media you consume and share that makes Google TV add genuine value to your humble TV set.

And with Android underneath and a whole new Google TV app store about to launch, your smart TV will expand in ways we never thought possible.

Sony’s Google TV

So what of Sony’s implementation of Google TV? Well, the good news is the TV itself is impressive both as a TV, with superb picture quality (as you’d expect from Sony), and as a Google TV device. Google TV itself runs flawlessly, and it’s nice and responsive so there are no issues regarding using it day to day.

The TV is distinct from other models in that it’s white in colour, but other than that it looks like any other state of the art HDTV.

It’s got four USB ports on the side, into which you can plug a USB stick or MP3 player for viewing photos, videos or listening to music.

And this, I’m afraid, is the Sony TV’s achilles heel. With all the media we have on our PCs, the fact that you can’t wirelessly stream your content onto the TV is a missed opportunity. If you have thousands of pics buried on your PC’s hard drive, the only way you can view them on your shiny new Sony Google TV is to upload them all to Picasa (there’s a Flickr app as well, if that’s your chosen Web photo sharing app), or copy them to a USB stick and plug that into your TV.

Of course, you could purchase a Network Attached Storage device with a USB connector and plug that into the TV, but this rather defeats the point of having an Internet TV – certainly one with built-in wireless!

Sony’s Google TV vs Logitech Revue

In contrast, the Logitech Revue Set Top Box, which is currently the only other way of getting Google TV onto your TV, will let you wirelessly stream all of your content onto from your PC, and so in that respect, is a much better option.

Its keyboard is better, too. OK, not necessarily the giant keyboard that comes with the Revue, but the separate Mini keyboard you can buy is much more elegant thant Sony’s, which seems to pack in more buttons than Jenson’s family tree!

The Sony Controller works OK. It’s got a QWERTY keyboard and two controller pads (one a mousepad, the other a four-button d-pad), plus a variety of other buttons for one-click access to regularly-used features such as search. But it looks cumbersome and is bound to put some people off. Its very definitnely a controller for geeks, which is not the image Sony needs to be conveying if it wants mainstream adoption of Google TV.

Video Preview of the Sony Google TV

OK, enough waffling, here’s the video of the Sony Google TV in action, as ably demonstrated by Dinesh:

Conclusion

Overall, despite its nerdy looks (or maybe because of them), I love the Sony Google TV. True, if faced with the choice, I’d go for the Logitech Revue, as its supoprts wireless streaming from your PC and I prefer its keyboard. But having the latest Sony HDTV with Google TV built-in certainly has its own cachet, and with Sony pushing this hard, it’s very difficult not to be tempted by uit.

If you’re looking for a Google TV experience without an extra Set Top Box, you currently have no choice other than going for Sony’s Google TV, but you certainly won’t be buying a pup. It’s well executed, looks gorgeous (if you don’t look at the remote!), and Google TV is all you ever wanted it to be.

If you’re looking for the best overall Google TV experience, though, I’d go for the Logitech Revue. It’s more flexible, as it’ll plug into any TV, and with its media streaming support, it’s just a better option than the Sony.

But whichever you choose, I genuinely think you won’t regret it. The whole Web on your TV opens up whole new worlds of entertainment.

If you’ve bought a Sony Google TV, or a Logitech Revue, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

The South Korean electronics giant is working on bringing its developing a single software platform for both its smart TVs and mobile phones, thereby seamlessly merging its powerful smartphones, tablets and TVs into one Samsung-powered eco-system.

Samsung’s strategy

Both Google and Apple have already doen this to a degree. Google has just released Google TV through its partners Logitech and Sony, which puts Android on the telly, and lets you control your Google TV with your Google smartphone (or your iPhone for that matter – Google’s very open about these things!)

Apple, too, has Apple TV, which you can also control via your iPhone.

Now Samsung have joined the frey, although it’s nto clear whether their new platform will be their own Bada or Google’s Android.

“What’s Bada?”, I hear you cry…!

Samsung’s Bada

Bada is Samsung’s own mobile OS, developed specifically by the company to give it maximum control over its phones after it decided to drop Nokia’s Symbian. First released on the Samsung Wave phone back in June 2010, Bada hit a huge roadblock in the shape of the massively successful Samsung Galaxy S – another Samsung phone that’s much better than the Wave, but which runs on Google’s Android.

Embarassingly for Samsung, they built an Android-powered phone that’s much better than their own phone running on their own OS! Thuis doesn’t augur well for a Bada-powered TV!

However, the company is undeterred.

“We have a plan to have a single platform for Samsung TV and phones,” Kyungsik Kevin Lee, vice president at Samsung’s Visual Display Division, told Reuters in an interview. They have the power to do it, as well, as they, LG and Sony are the only companies that are big players in the TV and mobile market.

I doubt if it can succeed, though. Although I don’t doubt that the TVs will sell, a Bada-powered TV platform will never be able to establish itself as the dominant platform, as Bada will never be able to compete with Android or Apple.

Still, competition’s never a bad thing!

[Source: Reuters]

But does it work as well as the hype suggests it does? Can you really install Android apps from the Android marketplace on your TV, and can you control your TV with your Android phone?

More importantly, will Google TV transform TV as we know it, and is the Logitech Revue worth the $299 it’ll cost when launched?

We decided to find out!

What’s inside the box?

The Logitech Revue comes with a small Set Top Box and a giant controller!

The Revue controller

The controller has a fuill size QWERTY keyboard, trackpad in the top right corner and a plethora of buttons for one-touch access to Google TV’s main features (buttons such as Search, Home, Favourite, and a few navigation buttons as well!).

Because the controller controls all other STBs in your house (see below), there are also buttons to switch them and your TV on and off.

There are also buttons for switching instantly to TV, for calling up your Electronic Programme Guide with one touch, and for going directly to your DVR to see all the programmes you’ve recorded.

Naturally you can also control the usual TV features, such as volume, and also change channel up and down, which is perfect if you’re a channel surfer. There are even dedicated buttons to control your recorded programmes, including fast-forward, rewind, record and pause.

The Revue Set Top Box

The Set Top Box, meanwhile, looks like any other STB – it’s small, sleek and black with a minimal numbre of lights on the front. All the important action takes place round the back.

Here you’ll find the ports that connect the Revue to all of the important things in your home entertainment setup. The Revue comes with the following:

• HDMI in
• 2 USB ports for plugging in external devices, such as the Webcam
• Ethernet port
• HDMI out, for connecting to your TC
• SPDIF, for connecting the Revue to your HiFi’s amp or your AV Receiver

Note that the Revue also has built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi if you don’t want to use (wired) Ethernet.

How does the Logitech Revue fit into your existing home entertainment system?

The Logitech Revue is itself a Set Top Box. But obviously, it’s not the only STB you’ve got. If you’re like me, you’ll have a STB from your cable or satellite provider (Sky, in my case, with its Sky+ box), or at the very least a Freeview box. You might also have a DVD or BluRay player, and possibly even a home theatre system.

That’s a lot of boxes, each with its own remote control.

And now you want to add another STB?! Just where will it fit, and how will it integrate with all of these other boxes?

Fortunately, Logitech has already figured this out.

The Logitech Revue hooks up to all of your other STBs, BluRay players and Sky+ boxes. The Revue then connects to your HDTV via its HDMI cable. You control all of the STBs, BluRay players, etc. from the Revue’s controller.

All of this is achieved thanks to Logitech’s Harmony technology, which it already uses in its Harmony Universal Remote, and which is integrated into the Revue box. The Revue’s controller communicates witth the Revue box via wireless (so doesn’t need line of sight to work), and the revue box communicates with all of your other STBs and what-nots via infraRed blasters.

In other words, the Revue controller controls the Revue box, which in turn controls every other box in your system. The Revue’s controller, therefore, acts as one universal remote for your entire home entertainment system.

As far as the TV itself is concerned, what you see is a browser (Google’s Chrome, naturally), with the TV signal running through the browser.

This really is impressive stuff!

How the Revue works its magic

The TV signal is fed through the browser. What this means is that the browser is always there, even if you can’t see it. So when you watch TV, you’re effectively watching it through a browser – you just can’t see it. But when you want to watch a video through YouTube, you can instantly see YouTube on screen – there’s no delay, no separate application to launch – it’s as quick and seamless as browsing to a different Web page.

For example, suppose you want to search for Top Gear. Simply click the search button on the keyboard and type in Top Gear in the search box that pops up at the top of the screen. The beauty of Google TV is that it will do a search across all media for the keywords you enter.

So in this example, you get results for Top Gear the TV programme (i.e. when it’s next showing from your TV provider); Top Gear videos on YouTube; Top Gear web pages; Top Gear on the BBC iPlayer; Top Gear results from Wikipedia; and if you had any Top Gear videos stored on your PC, they’d show up too.

Better still is the speed and ease at which you can choose these results. Because everything’s delivered through the browser, if you click on the YouTube link, you’re taken to YouTube instantly. Come out of YouTube and switch back to the TV instantly.

And if you want the best of both worlds, there’s live picture in picture – the TV programme will shrink down to the bottom right corner while you view a Web page about that TV programme. Perfect for watching the Apprentice, or X Factor or any other programme where you shout at the TV screen, while reading Twitter at the same and on the same screen!

Can you install Android Apps on your TV?

If being able to view the entire Web isn’t enough for you – and by the entire Web, I even mean those that require Flash (and full Flash at that, not just Flash Lite) – then the Revue will also let you install and use apps.

Out the box, the Revue comes with the following apps:

• Netflix (TV and movie streaming)
• Pandora (music streaming service)
• Logitech Vid HD (videocalling, when used with Logitech’s Webcam)
• Logitech Media Player (access all your photos, music and video directly from your PC and view/listen to them on your HDTV and home theatre.
• Napster
• Logitec Alert Camera Viewer
• CNBC app (real-time stock quotes, video and business news)
• Twitter

From early next year, apps from the Android market will also work on Google TV on the Revue as well.

Can you control your TV from your Android phone or iPhone?

This is one of the coolest features of the Revue. You can download a free Harmony app for Android or iPhone and control your TV from your phone! Using gestures with your finger on your smartphone’s touchscreen, you can navigate through the menus with a swipe of your finger.

If finger-control isn’t right for you, just talk into the phone, and use your voice to control the TV.

It gets better than that, though. Suppose you find a YouTube video on your phone, and you start watching it, but your phone’s screen is a bit too small. Simply select the video, long touch it, and up will pop a share menu. One of the options will be “Harmony” – click this, and the video you’ve just been trying to watch on your phone’s screen will magically appear on your HDTV!

Can you view content from your PC?

This is another super-cool feature of the Logitech Revue. It uses DLNA to connect to your PC, from where you can view all your media content – photos, videos, music, the works. Better still, because this is Google TV, you can search for the content on your PC using the same search box that you search for other content, and all from your HDTV.

So if you were looking for a smart media streamer or media hub, give the Logitech Revue a try – it does the exact same thing, but with the benefit of Google TV thrown in, which provides a unified search interface across all your media, whether it’s on your PC, the Web, YouTube or the TV.

Video reviews of the Logitech Revue

If you’re not excited by all this, then take a look at these early video reviews of the Revue

So is Google TV going to change the world of TV?

In a word, yes. Not immediately. It’s only the first version, and there are obviously a few kinks that will need to be worked out. The controller, for one. Personally, I love the keyboard idea, and the Mini Keyboard that Logitech also sell is much better for home use. But the controller for Sony’s forthcoming HDTV with Google TV built-in looks ridiculous!

Equally, the integration with TV companies’ programme guides will need to be much tighter to make the whole experience completely seamless.

But all this will come. Just as Android on the phone took a year before it became capable of challenging the iPhone, so Google TV wil lneed a bit of bedding down as well.

But the good news is, Google TV updates itself automatically. Just like Android on your phone, whenever Google releases a new version of it, you don’t need to buy a new STB – your existing one is automatically updated, giving you new features for free!

So within two years at most, I predict Google TV really will be the revolution in TV that Internet TV has promised for so long.

Finally, is the Logitech Revue worth $299?

Yes!

Of course, you’ll need to make this judgment yourself. It’ll obviously come down in price over time, and once other companies release their own versions of Google TV, we’ll get some interesting competition going on. Sony, for example, aren’t just releasing a TV with Google TV built-in, they’re alos releasing a BluRay player with Google TV.

But as the first Google TV STB, the Logitech STB is a fantastic effort. If you want the future of TV now, as well as the coolness of being able to fling videos, pictures and Web pages from your phone to your TV, then go and order the Logitech Revue now!

[Source: IntoMobile, Logitech, Google]

Next week will see Sony showing off the first ever HDTV with integrated Google TV, meaning the Web has finally come to the best screen in the house, and TV and web have finally become one.

Which all sounds very nice, but it does leave one important question: just what is Google TV anyway?!

Google TV – Internet TV the way it should be

Internet TV has been a technology waiting for prime-time adoption for years, now, but so far, no-one seems to have been able to implement it in a way that consumers actually want to use. Even Apple tried with Apple TV which achieved as much success as every other Internet TV manufacturer.

So what makes Google TV so different? let’s look look at the highlights.

The Search Bar

The Google TV search bar could well become one of this decade’s iconic images, sitting there like a gateway to a new way of watching TV.

It is what is says on the tin – a search bar – , but when used in the context of TV it becomes something much more interesting.

For example, let’s say you search for Formula 1 – it’ll bring up details of the next race in Japan, plus the details of it sshowing on BBC1, plus any other Formula 1 shows coming up or recorded, as well as We links galore. Plus it’ll bring up any apps you have relating to F1 and also link to video on YouTube.

Alternatively, if you look up a programme series, such as CSI, it’ll link to relevant sites like IMDB and TV.com, where you can find out more details about the programme and its actors.

Apps

It seems everything has apps nowadays – I’m expecting my cooker to grow them before long – but with Google TV’s Android heritage, TV apps take on a whole new dimension of excitement.

Apps will be available from Pandora (streaming radio), CNBC, Napster, Amazon, Netflix and Google themselves, and with thousands already developing for Android phones and tablets, the leap to the big screen may come sooner than we think. Games, web apps, weather apps and more, plus innovative apps that use the TV & web combination will soon become a reality.

All Android apps that currently work on your Android smartphone will also work on Google TV (although some, such as the jogging app, might nto work quite so well when not placed in your pocket!)

The Web

Not only is the Web the fuel that drives Google TV, it’s there for you to browse – with full Flash support. We’ve had browsing before on TVs, mainly with consoles from the Nintendo Wii (torturous) to the PS3 (not bad but no Flash), and it sort-of works.

But with the power of Google behind it, sites will begin to offer TV-friendly versions of their sites in much the same way they do with mobile versions.

These new TV Websites can help making sofa browsing a reality and even take the web in a totally different direction.

In addition, Google TV will also also offer the regular Web too, with all the browsing you can handle from the house’s comfiest chair, plus the usual Web fun with Twitter and Facebook – and all picture in picture with live action.

Video On Demand

In addition to videos from YouTube, you can also stream video on Google TV from the likes of Netflix and Amazon, enabling you to watch films with just a simple click of the mouse.

While these Video On Demand (VOD) services won’t be available to us in the UK just yet, we do have VOD services of our own from major TV companies such as Sky, BBC, ITV, C4 and Five that may well be adapted for Google TV, plus the forthcoming YouView – the merged service of BBC/C4/Five/ITV – may well find a welcome in the G box.

Plus there’s always Web video too from YouTube and Google Video, and let’s not forget the BBC’s iPlayer.

Your TV’s new Homepage

With Google TV, your telly gets a homepage, which you can customise to your heart’s content. Kind of like an iGoogle for your TV, you can place apps, internet bookmarks, Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), VOD queues – in fact anything you like.

This is very much in the Android mould of homescreen personalisation – let’s see if it’s per person, making the TV even more personal in a busy household.

Recording TV programmes with Google TV

Recording TV isn’t new, granted. But with Google TV you’re not restricted to recording TV from broadcast – put in what you want to watch and it’ll pull down other video sources too.

So say you want to record the very excellent Interpol playing their equally excellent music, Google TV will record shows tagged as Interpol, as well as placing links to online videos of Interpol – all in a smart queue, all without you having to trawl various channels and sites.

Smart, and something unique to Google TV.

Media Hub

Most media players can now hold their own as media hubs, showing films, photos and playing music from directly from your PC or a USB connection.

Google TV can also do all this, but because of its Web browser and Android app support, it also supports streaming music from major streaming radio services like Pandora and Napster. Plus if Android is anything to go by, it may only be a matter of time before Spotify makes an appearance on the platform (let’s face it, the app is already written), turning Google TV into an infinite jukebox.

The Coolest Remote

So surely a remote for this device is going to be huge – or frankly horrid to use if you don’t have a QWERTY keyboard?

Well, in addition to dedicated remotes from the likes of Logitech, your iPhone or Android phone can also be your full colour touchscreen remote control, fully customisable and never lost (unless you have a habit of losing your expensive phones). So it can be a simple or as full featured as you want, and you’ll already be used to inputting text into it.

Summary

There are even more features we haven’t covered, like watching video from your phone on the TV screen to setting up recording direct from the search bar – there’s just so much Google TV can do.

Sony will be debuting their Bravia GT1 HDTV next week, and Logitech have already announced their Revue set-top box, so more details like release dates and pricing will soon become clear.

Google TV is going to be something special and genuinely represents the next step that TV and the web have been waiting for.

One for the Christmas list Santa!

[Source: Google TV]

We know a fair bit about Google TV – enough to know that’s a seriously sexy bit of kit thaty genuinely could revolutionise TV (and how often have we heard that?!). But until now, we haven’t known that much about the TV itself.

This has been largely due to most of the attention bein gon Logitech’s Revue, which is Google TV in a Set Top Box, and thus able to bring Google TV to any telly.

Having Google TV built-in to the TV itself, though, offers both pros and cons – one of which could be the picture quality! Fortunately, it’s a Sony Bravia, so the picture shouldn’t be a problem.

And although we haven’t seen the picture quality first hand, now we know a little more about the GT1, we cna start to get a feel for what’ll be on offer when it’s announced officially on October 12th.

Sony Bravia NSX-46GT1 Google TV details

First up, it’s a 46″ LED TV that uses LED edge lighting. Black front, white back, chrome stand and rather sexy looking, as you’d expect from a Sony HDTV.

There’s a USB slot in the back, which the TV can use to pull pictures, videos and other content from a USB stick. There’s also an Ethernet connection, at least 2 HDMI ports, WiFi and a plethora of other ports.

You can use Google TV to search for programmes to watch, either via the usual cable or satellite, or from the Web, via YouTube, NetFlix or even videos stored on your PC.

You can control the GT1 either through Sony’s remote control, or through an Android or iPhone app, which has “seriously cool” written all over it (not literally, but let’s face it, it does!)

There’s also the Google Chrome browser built-in, so you can surf the Web and your TV at the same time.

Google TV release date – imminently!

But we know all this already! What we to see is the actual service and the actual TV, live and up and running!

Fortunately, we won’t have too long to wait. Logitech are expected to launch the Logitech Revue Google TV sTB tomorrow (6th october), with Sony following next week on the 12th October with the GT1. Then we’ll get a real feel for whether or not TV really is about ot be revolutionised.

And then we in the UK just have to hope that Google TV is launched in the UK before Christmas, because I really really want one!

[Source: HDGuru]

Luckily, QNAP has launched the new QNAP NMP-1000P Network Media Player, which can support pretty much every kind of video and audio format you’ll ever come across, and decode it using a super-quick 667MHz audio/video decoder from Sigma Solutions.

That’s not the half of it, though. in order to do such trickery, the NMP-1000P needs to get its media from somewhere, and thanks to the magic of Ethernet and Wi-Fi, it can suck it up either from your PC or the Internet.

So what does the QNAP NMP-1000P Network Media Player actually do?

In layman’s terms, this means the NMP-1000P will playback any video and any tune you can throw it, and either send it to your HDTV, your home theatre system, or your hi-fi (depending on whether it’s a video or audio file, obviously!)

Any of your videos or tunes can either be streamed through the NMP-1000P from your PC, or simply stored on its internal hard drive for later use, in which case you won’t need to switch your PC on to play the file.

But what if you don’t have much media on your PC? No problem, the NMP-1000P will also stream content directly from the following Web apps:

• Mediafly
• Apple Movie Trailers
• CNN
• SHOUTcast
• Internet radio service
• Flickr
• Picasa

It’s even got a built-in FTP client and BitTorrent client, so you can download media from other computers connected to the Internet, and all without turning your own PC on.

What can you connect it to?

Round the back, it’s like a swiss-cheese of connection sockets! The NMP-1000P comes with the following ports:

• USB
• eSATA (for external hard drives)
• HDMI v1.3a (for connecting to your HDTV and streaming 1080p movies)
• Audio out
• Component Video
• Composite Video
• Analog stereo out (for connecting to your hi-fi)
• SP/DIF (for digital connection to your hi-fi via optical cable)

Add to that the built-in Wi-Fi receiver, plus the Ethernet port, and you can see that the NMP-1000P really will connect to anything – and is just about the geekiest gadget you’re ever likely to buy for your home media setup.

It gets better, though. If you think that’s geeky, just wait until you see what video formats it supports!

What media types can it play?

Video files are complicated beasts, and if you have a video that’s encoded in a format that your hardware doesn’t support, you won’t be able to watch it. Worse, the video itself will be encoded using a certain format (such as MPEG), and will then be contained in a container (such as AVI), which contains other files such as titles, playlists, subtitles, and other meta-data. Again, if your media player doesn’t support the container, it won’t be able to play the video.

With the NMP-1000P, though, it’s not a problem. Here’s the list of video formats it supports:

• MPEG1
• MPEG2
• MPEG4
• XVID
• H.264
• H.263
• WMV9
• VC1

And here’s the list of containers:

• AVI
• MPEG/MPG
• VCD (ISO, MPG, NRG)
• DVD (VOB, IFO, ISO, NRG)
• WMV
• ASF
• TP
• TS
• TRP
• M1V
• M2V
• M4V
• M2P
• M2T
• M2TS
• BDMV/BD ISO
• MTS
• MOV
• MP4
• RMP4
• MKV
• MOD
• 3GP

Phew! That’s pretty much every video format and container you can think of! And that doesn’t even include the list of audio and picture formats supported!

Like I say, the QNAP NMP-1000P really is a geeky but of kit, but if you need a media player that will connect to anything, decode anything, and stream anything using wires or wireless, you really should give this little box serious consideration.

[Source: SlashGear]