google tv

Hulu doesn't work on Google TV, even with 'hack'

After reports earlier this week that Google TV users could access Hulu with a simple hack--despite Hulu's attempts to block Google TV--it appears that Hulu has blocked even the workaround method. We fired up our Logitech Revue today, opened Chrome, changed our user agent to "Generic" and although we didn't receive the splash warning on Hulu's home page as usual, we still were blocked when we tried to play back actual content.

Hulu's move to block Google TV users makes sense when you consider the company has blocked other set-top boxes, like Boxee, in … Read more

Logitech Revue (Google TV): Photos and initial hands-on with the hardware

The Logitech Revue with Google TV showed up at our office today and we've had enough hands-on time with the hardware to give our first impressions.

The Revue set-top box doesn't approach the impossibly small standards of the Apple TV, but it's still a good deal smaller than, say, a cable DVR or Blu-ray player. The box feels very light, weighing only 1.32 pounds. The finish is all matte black, with just a few glossy flourishes, mostly around the IR emitter built into the unit. Like many modern set-top boxes, the Logitech Revue doesn't have any buttons on the front, with only a simple power button hidden away on the back. While the box itself is relatively slim, it does require a power brick, which is a little over half the size of a standard laptop AC adapter.

The back panel also houses the rest of the connectivity options and there are no surprises from what was announced at Logitech's press conference. The HDMI input is for connecting a cable/satellite box, while the HDMI output will connect directly to your HDTV or AV receiver.

There are two USB ports--for connecting a Webcam or USB drive--plus an Ethernet port if you prefer a wired connection over the built-in 802.11 Wi-Fi. There's also a digital audio output, which is useful if you have an older, non-HDMI AV receiver. Finally, there are two ports for connecting a separate, physical IR blaster, although we've had no problems using the built-in IR emitters so far.… Read more

Boxee Box squaring off next month

The Boxee Box's launch finally has a date.

Those who preorder the set-top box from Amazon.com or Best Buy will be get their hands on it November 10. Those who plan to wait will find the Boxee Box on store shelves a week later.

The Boxee Box, built by D-Link, is a media player that allows 1080p HD videos to be streamed to a TV from the Web or a local network. It can also run a browser on the TV, including Flash content.

The standalone device will offer "nearly 40,000 TV episodes" and a &… Read more

YouTube Leanback launches on Google TV

YouTube's made-for-television viewing experience has fittingly found its way to Google TV.

YouTube Leanback, which was announced over the summer, will be available on all Google TV products starting this week. The launch of Leanback, which automatically plays YouTube videos in full screen at the highest available quality, coincides with the imminent release of the Logitech Revue set-top box, one of the first products that integrates Google TV.

When a Google TV viewer clicks on the YouTube icon, a video that is similar to clips in the person's YouTube viewing history will start playing immediately in full screen … Read more

Google TV: What you need to know (FAQ)

Google TV has been all over the news recently, because of recent press events by Logitech and Sony, with the search engine giant making its big play for the living room space. Even with all the hubbub, Google's new home entertainment platform can be tough to understand, so we've rounded up some of the basic questions you might have about Google TV.

What is Google TV? The basic pitch for Google TV is the capability to search all of your TV content through a search bar similar to Google.com's, which displays on your TV. The search bar overlays whatever screen you're on and combs through online video sources as well as live TV from your cable/satellite box to find content. (Currently, Google TV searches only DVR programs for Dish DVRs, although we've been told that support for other DVRs will roll out over time.) The idea is that you don't need to know whether the video originates from Netflix, your cable box, YouTube, or a random Web site--Google just finds it.

That's the main gist of what Google TV does, but what makes it hard to understand is that a Google TV-equipped device needs to do a lot to make that functionality seamless. It has standalone apps like Netflix and Pandora; a built-in Chrome browser capable of displaying (almost) any video you can watch on the Internet; the ability to control other devices like a Harmony universal remote; and support for the Android Marketplace coming in 2011. There's just a lot going on in any Google TV product.

Why do I want Google TV? If you find yourself watching content across several different platforms (Netflix, Amazon VOD, regular cable, ComedyCentral.com, etc.), Google TV should take away a lot of the hassle over finding exactly what you want to watch. If you want to watch a recent episode of "30 Rock," you can just search for "30 Rock" and Google TV will show you results in all the available services. Google TV leans strongly toward a "search" model of TV watching, rather than "browse." If you generally browse a program guide or flip channels looking for a show, however, you might not get as much use out of it. Similarly, if everything you want to watch is already available via your cable subscription, you probably won't benefit much from a Google TV product.… Read more

NBC Universal ends ad deal with Google

NBC Universal has ended a two-year-old arrangement with Google that allowed the Internet giant to sell ad space on several NBC cable channels, according to a report.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the network has called off the deal, whereby Google sold ad space on NBC's Syfy, Oxygen, MSNBC, Sleuth, and Chiller channels by way of its Google TV Ads online marketplace. The marketplace lets companies get help in creating commercials; choose networks, programs, and time slots for showing them; and monitor--through data recorded by set-top boxes--how many household TVs are tuned to a commercial when it … Read more

Sony unveils Google TV sets

  Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded: Sony unveils Google TV products Macs get Windows Phone 7 sync School district pays up for webcams Digg gets bury button back

Sony LCDs build in Google TV, cost $599 and up

Today Sony announced full details on its NSX-GT1 line of LCD TVs and its NSZ-GT1 Blu-ray player, the first products of their kind equipped with the Google TV service.

The TVs range in size from 24-46 inches, in estimated selling price from $599 to $1,399, and will ship starting October 16 (preorders available now at Sonystyle.com and Best Buy.com). The Blu-ray player is available at the same time for $399.

The promise of Google TVs is to integrate all available video content--regardless of whether it comes from cable, satellite, antenna, or the Internet (like Netflix or YouTube)--onto one screen that you can search as easily as Google.com searches the Web. The Sony TVs and Blu-ray player come with a special remote control with a keyboard, can control other devices in your AV system, and even enable you to surf the entire Web with a built-in Chrome browser. Aside from actually hooking a PC to your TV, it's the closest you likely come to converging the two devices.

Google TV's software offering was first introduced on the $300 Logitech Revue set-top box, which still provides the least expensive way to add the service to an existing system. Sony integrates Google's service into the LCD TVs, so no additional box is required--although most people will hook the Sony devices to a cable or satellite box at least. One major difference between Sony and Logitech, however, is that Sony's TVs and Blu-ray player will not allow streaming of music or video files from in-home PCs or other networked devices at launch, although Sony says this feature is in the works.… Read more

Join us live for Sony's Internet TV launch: Today, 2:30 p.m. PDT

Logitech was first across the Google TV finish line with its big Revue unveiling, but now it's Sony's turn.

The Japanese electronics giant will be pulling back the curtain on the Sony Internet TV. Unlike the Logitech add-on box, Sony's unit includes built-in Google TV functionality. The product was first announced at the Google I/O conference in May, and subsequently demoed at the IFA show in Germany earlier this month (see photos below).

The press conference will be in New York City at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. PDT). CNET will be … Read more