Google introduces Android-powered Apple TV competitor - Page 3

Oh god I hope so.

Maury

I have an AppleTV and have bought movies and TV shows from the iTunes store. However, with the multiple hardware partners I can see GoogleTV becoming the market leader. I am therefore starting to worry about content I have bought as it uses DRM and therefore cannot be played on a non-Apple device.

Except it's not great, because the iPhone and iPod touch are way too expensive. A touch alone costs more than an Apple TV.

Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.

If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.

This will not happen. Buying Sony or making TVs.

Jup youre right about that. This concept is much better.

If Chrome OS is just a browser then so is WebOS and neither one would have a Linux kernel, be bootable or be classified as an OS. Using WebKit as the GUI is quite clever, IMO.

Uh, it is true. Why don't you read what I said again. JPEG2000 has been a standard since, well, the year 2000.

I think this sounds exciting!!! But the above quote is only true for techy geeks (like me)...my mom is definitely not hitting the web to look for tv shows My mom does, however, use a DVR. It's really gotta be stupid simple at the end of the day.

Well considering the Apple TV actually exists, and the Google TV does not, I think Apple has an enormous lead.

That said, I think you hit on the key issues though. ATV needs a browser (and keyboard support of some sort to go with it), and an app store. These really do seem like complete no-brainers.

I would also like to see several hardware options, including a DVD and tuner. I imagine something along the lines of the system having stub launchers for "DVD" and "Live TV" that are normally greyed out, but when you plug in a device it notices it, lights up the option, and offers to load the actual program from the app store. For instance, the Live TV system would notice you plugging in an Elgato box, and offer to download the full version of EyeTV.

I considered hacking my ATV to support my USB stick, but it really seems like so much trouble. If the menus really worked (no "quitting" and other nastyness that it has now) I would have done so and trashed my cable box.

Maury

My 9 year old daughter uses youtube for _everything_. She rarely watches "actual tv". I think she would be offended to learn she's being "techy".

I think all us mid-lifers have to realize that we're way behind the curve on this. If you multiply the age of the viewer by the number of hours, that factor is skewing way into the white-hairs now. When they die, broadcast-model TV dies with them.

Maury

It's more than a browser: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS

1) Netflix's "mail the CD" model is nearing end-of-life and they are looking to partner with anyone and everyone for their streaming service. They will almost certainly be on AppleTV soon, but they sure aren't worth buying as they have no distinct IP.

2) Apple TV was only a "hobby" because they were waiting to see which way the market was going to go. Now that it's obvious that Google is preparing an all out assault on all Apple products, you will see them respond rather vigorously.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV had new hardware and was using the iPhone OS very soon. It might even be announced when they announce the next iPhone in a couple of weeks.

Pfttt. There are a few tens of millions of ATV owners, vs. something like 100 million iPhone/iTouch owners. Disproof by example.

Maury

I was probably just being sarcastic.

I guess you could say it's a browser with hardware drivers?

My point was mostly that it has no UI other than what you've already seen in the browser and that it acts, walks, talks, etc. ... like a browser.

If it has some sort of DVR capability, I'm in. Otherwise, I don't need any more web browsers in my life.

It could be pretty cool based on using the iPhone remote app with my appletv. It let's you use a remote without looking at the remote, which i think is awesome.

I think you are absolutely right. Google TV will be light years ahead of the current Apple TV. There is currently no product on the market that does all of what they showed in the keynote in such a seamlessly integrated way.

Google TV is integrating the full internet (websites, web apps, feeds, movies, videos, audio) and apps (android marketplace) with your TV and they make it easy to find using Google search through manual input (typing) or using your voice.

I think they are only tolerating flash for now and view it as a bridge technology until HTML5 fully comes to maturity.

Google TV looks very promising and looks like it will be very successful.

I think though, that from all the companies out there, Apple is uniquely positioned to challenge them in this space. However, like you said, the only way they can will be to open up Apple TV to users outside of the iTunes ecosystem. Instead, integration with the iTunes ecosystem can be a plus and a point of differentiation.

Apple has all the pieces they need such as the iPhone OS, a sweet custom processor, the App Store, iTunes and Webkit. Their purchase of Siri can also come into play here.

It's going to be interesting to see how this all shapes out over the next year.

I was probably being too mean, but I disagree with this comparison.

WebOS has a distinct, well-thought out UI in my opinion. Chrome OS might be more than a browser, but it has no UI distinct from a browser. It acts, looks, and works like a browser, whereas WebOS doesn't work or look anything like a web browser.

No, use a separate box that plugs into the ATV for this. You definitely don't want to load it's processor and HD with encoding, there's not enough power to do this AND use it for watching a program. You're going to need another box for this anyway, the tuner, so package all of this into that box and then sync the completed recording if and when the ATV is not busy.


Again, this is MUCH better handled by an external box. Just repackage the drive for the MBAir and there you go. Better yet, support AirDisk and then you can just pop the disk into your local Mac and stream it.

Yes, BD support would be great, but it's pretty clear they're not going to support BD.

Maury

I hope this happens but i doubt it. Not a good idea to mislead your share holders by calling apple tv a hobby and then surprising everyone by releasing an apple tv device with iphoneOS.

However to support your point, Apple TV runs on Tiger (10.4 ish). It's a bit old and due for an upgrade or an extermination (a la newton).

Google Video failed too. I liked it for uploads but they shut it down in favor of YouTube. As a place to buy video it was ugly.

In short, I can be flooded with advertisements from Google or from my cable provider.

Wow!

For all of you who think Google TV competes with ATV, here's a couple things to consider.

• ATV streams music, video and puchased items directly to your TV from you computer, It's not a stand alone system, just an accessory. It has Itunes Store built in and that's about it. It has no interface with your TV programming.
• GTV is basically the Android Phone OS scaled to a TV, with a UI Twist + a dash of traditional TV interface as well. It has the capability of integrating your existing TV programming to enhance your living room entertainment.

When you look at what each actually does, you'll see how different these two ideas are. So can we all take a break from the name calling and accusations of stealing ideas please?


now for my other thoughts...

Google TV
I think what Google has come up with is very interesting. We've already seen what Android has done for the Phone industry, which is practically save the smartphone business from being totally monopolized by Apple. This is not a critique but an observation. I'm an iPhone User and loving it BTW...
Anyway, i think GTV will be very successful if they start opening it up to more manufacturers and hold to the standards they propose to the OS. My only fear is that it will be dominated by Crap Apps and will make the end user suffer by Google's "open-ness". There is something to be appreciated with Apple's closed system for apps.
Many bloggers here are right by saying it should go further and become a DVR/Cable box replacement rather than an accessory integraged OS.

Apple TV
As stated above, i don't think this compares at all (in strategy) with GTV. ATV is about 50% of what it should be (buy most people's ideas). If they just took the iPad OS (which it basically the iPhone/Touch OS) and combined that with the current ATV OS, you'd really have a product that is so compelling that it would explode the Market (which is basically dominated by Cable/SATV companies and TiVo). That (IMO) would put the ATV at about 90% there.
I think the major problem Apple has by doing this, is the fact that putting a web browser in the ATV would essential negate the necessity of the iTunes Store completely. Why purchase content on iTunes when you have a web browser that can go to ABC.com and watch LOST free Streaming?
So, in a way if Apple did this they would be shooting themselves in the foot. Therefore, What Google is doing now is what Apple (IMO) cannot do now, which is open the Apple TV to the web, because they would be taking money out of thier own pockets. But now, with GTV coming out, they almost are forced to do this to keep the ATV as a viable alternate accessory device for Living Room entertainment.

Now, with the advent of the iPad, this may open the door to updates for ATV. Apple seems to take it's time developing products. And when they release them, there is a huge compelling reason for consumers to purchase one. As a side note, i think the iPad might have come too soon, because it's not quite what it should be (IMO). Even though sales are going well, people will realized that they are not quite as conviented as an alternative to the netbook as everyone states. They work very well as an alternative to the Nook or Kindle, but the average Kindle/Nook User still prefurs the light weight, long battery and most importantly the eInk Screen of those devices. But that's a different blog. Back to the topic, if you look at the history of the mobile OS Apple has produced over the years, you'll see that it grew quite gradually. And i think the ATV will be then next big thing, but not for a couple more years. I think SJ's swansong before final retirement will the Apple TV in a phoenix-like resurection the next time you see it on the main page of the Apple Store website.

Thoughts?

A nice thought, but I doubt the overlap or convenience would be high enough. Apple will need an Android controller app, as well, to reach as broad a market this way.

Is this how Apple sells it? "Oh, and by the way, the web browser in our ATV actually becomes useful--better than the GTV!--if you already own an iPhone/touch or double the price to get one." "When you're on a phone call and want to change channels, just put the caller on hold, open the ATV app and search for your content; then go back to your call. It's that simple!"

Nothing could be further from the truth - the Remote app is practically useless. All it does is start or stop media that you already have. You cannot, or I'm too stupid to figure it out, search in YouTube for instance. Of particular annoyance is the inability to find movies in the iTunes Store.

Maury

I use it to search for utube all the time. works great. comes with the iphone keyboard and you just type it right in. When you navigate to youtube click on the search field on top of the remote. It opens up the apple keyboard.

I also use the app to type in my password for itunes purchasing and finding apple movies. Give it another chance it's a good clean application.

Why would Hulu block it? The viewing experience is the same as in your web browser on your desktop or laptop. Google TV has Chrome seamlessly integrated, allowing you to access all the sites you would on your computer.

Roku and Boxee set top can compete with the Google TV. It's way ahead of them. Since Google is open-sourcing it, some of their partners at the Keynote already mentioned how they will be using it. They mentioned direct integration into some Sony tvs, some Blu-Ray players, and set-top manufacturers could build their own devices with it.

Apple has the pieces the make Apple TV a very strong competitor though.

That's by design. It was designed to work with traditional PCs and people as a whole don't understand computers, but they have a basic idea of what a web browser is and how to use it. The entire point of Chrome OS was to give people a simple OS that did exactly what they needed it to do.

It's potentially a great idea for the future of low cost computing that a standard Linux distro can't compete with. Google saying it's for netbooks is really the first step and red herring, IMO, for Google to capitalize on the emerging markets that Microsoft has dominated for decades. While MS might give away their OS to emerging markets there is a still a certain level of HW requirements that will be well above Windows.

Don't want it? Don't buy it. It's simple

The title should read "Google introduces online media TV product into completely vacant market where no other product has been introduced"

That my friends is an enormous typo

because studios and networks are making them

Google TV isn't vaporware. If you watched the keynote you would see them using it live on stage. They said it will be coming out this fall since they already have partners who are building it into their technologies. Specifically they mentioned Sony Bravia TVs, a Blu-Ray player and a set-top box.

I have an Apple TV, with the latest software and it is very good.
As well as buying/renting TV, Movies and Music from ITunes you can :-
- play music , see photos etc etc from your own network
- access any photo account at Flickr
- listen to many radio stations (but not BBC that needs a Real player)
- watch YouTube
all wirelessly on your HDMI TV with a simple and elegant remote.

It would be even better if it allowed competitive content like Hulu and other
internet sites but seems unlikely. Still a very solid product at a pretty good price. ($200)
If you want everything via your TV right now you could consider buying a MAC MIni.
its a real computer in a small box. Unfortunately its over twice the price.

Still having some competition from Google can only be a good thing over time.
My guess is Apple will be taking this market seriously very soon and produce a single unit
with a HD TV and an in-built Apple TV or Mac Mini. I want one when they do.

I want an APPLE SEARCH ENGINE!!!!

This seems more of a play like Boxee. It runs on PVRs and/or hardware devices. Boxee is trys to have streaming media as well have the ability to play your downloads. Boxee is also a platform that people create widgets/apps for.

Hulu will block it because that box directly competes with the networks own viewership ratings. This is why they blocked Boxee (because of the AppleTV).

Who cares if open-sourcing it? They are open sourcing a software that is viewing proprietary content. Viacom will do the same with their content. It is more important to these companies that their content is viewed on cable/OTA than it it is over the net.

Google is doing this for the ad revenues(100% btw) and those companies are doing the same. The only difference is the networks get paid more.

The only potential play here so far is iAds (not fanboy comment). Because they are charging so much for ads, it can potentially replace the network solution. Google is trying to do an end-around and bypass network ad revenue by using the web.

EDIT: The networks already knew what Google was attempting to do. They already blocked a more rewarding situation with Apple. There is no way in he'll that these networks will allow their content to be displayed over a TV screen without their approval.

I agree with this but apparently apple does not. It used to be upper right product photo on the apple store. Now it is a tiny text link for, of all things, buried under an iPod enhancement? Go check it out. Apple totally doesn't care about merchandising the current device. Sales must be crap.

AppleTV is a "hobby" because Apple chose to not integrate DVR functionality. End of story.

If AppleTV had a built in DVR, they would sell millions of them. Instead, you have to kludge it into your hometheater setup and juggle inputs between the TiVo and the AppleTV. It's just confusing to many TV watchers (not you or me or others on this forum, but it's difficult for your mother in law or grandmother).

It's not too late for Apple to add DVR. The extra hardware sales will offset the incremental loss in iTunes downloads for TV Shows.