Google looks to upstage Apple with new Google TV content teasers - Page 2

Is the server-side software for streaming to Google TV actually there and ready? Is it robust? Or is it all just potential until the coding is done and tested?

Thompson

I read a while back on gruber's daringfireball.net something to the effect that if something is free, you are not the customer... You are more likely to be the product.

Google's business is information that it can sell to companies. Google tv along with search, google mail, and Android are products which collect information about you. It is likely that the more you use Google the bigger profile it has on you.

If you buy into google tv make sure you realize a lot of information is collected on you. In my opinion google is Big Brother in disguise. I use search, but that is it.

The big problem I see with awarding Google tv better right now is all we have seen is software specs. We will have to wait to see what hardware Logitech and Sony have in store for us. Most likely Logitech's will be cheaply made and limited hardware wise. Sony will probably come out with good specs but put a heavy price tag on it. Either way the hardware will get splintered just like what's happened to android phones, and they will end up competing with each other.

Until I see software and hardware working nicely together I will reserve my judgement.

But does it stream YOUR movies. Note the emphasis.

I have 350+ digitized movies in my library, complete with poster art. I never have to futz with DVDs. AppleTV serves these up nicely. Another poster here says that GoogleTV has its own version of AirPlay, but I'm wondering whether it really has it yet, or whether it's all just potential.

Thompson

Your movies

As in the movies you already own in itunes or wherever

Edit: you beat me too it.

Also, the nba thing is just a score checker not live games from what I can see. Any smartphone or laptop can handle that one.

He doesn't get it. Apparently future tech announcements (and we all know how solid and glitch free they are, and that they are never vapourware). should be judged on the same basis as currently functioning devices and software...

Like I said, this has been the typical way anyone purports superiority over apple for a very long time, it's the "yeah but ms will have" (fill in, courrier, winfs, windows 7 mobile...) "in X time and look at all the great feature it will have", but instead of ms it's google who've taken ms's modus operandi. Announce as much as you can and make mock ups out of anything you dream, and who cares if you ultimately ship a shit product, or nothing at all for that matter.

haters gonna hate.

looks awesome!

Here's something even more scary-- also through Gruber (emphasis, mine):


http://www.theatlantic.com/technolog...bbyists/63908/


This almost sounds like cyber-stalking!

I use search engines, web applications other than Google wherever I can!

.

This forum has a much higher average intelligence and lower troll tolerance than other apple sites such as the garbage that passes off as discussion at the lamentable macrumors forums. So I will stoop one last time to answer this, and let's end it here, and you can say anything you want about google tv then: Services and products are judged not based on specs or how they run in a demo but in actual usage. I feel silly even having to point this out. The greatest demo on the globe, the one that will run and answer the god, universe, and afterlife questions can't be compared with even a fart app simply by virtue of it not being available to use. It can be exciting -and you sound as excited for gtv as you would for the aforementioned demo- to know of such a forthcoming product to some, it can be uninteresting to others how are more aware of the difference between demo and actual product, but open to comparison to an existing product and service it's not. As soon as it ships and people use we will be able to compare.

There will be no way Apple will be able to compete with Google with all the Content. Most of the Networks will literally bend over backwards to help Google in this regards.
Won't really matter because Apple will make more money of their $99.00 box than Google will (if they make any at all).

As far as the Content. No one really trusts Apple. They are so afraid that they will do to T.V. con-
tent the same as they did for Music,(or better yet what they think Apple did. They seem to forget that Apple was selling music for them).

Jobs probably realized it when even Disney was hesitant in providing current stuff that all of us really want from these Boxes.
It would have been a great success even if all the 4 Networks would have provided next day shows
along with the advertisements.

But because nobody wanted to go this route with the Big Bad Apple, we have now what appears to be a very crippled AppleTV. But think about it. Who would be playing who if the following happens.

Everyone seems to have noticed how easy it seems to be to JailBreak the ATV. I believe that it was made like that on purpose.
Once this starts to happen, and all the JailBreaks lets loose of Medusa's Box and all the Content
starts flowing out for free. The Networks will start lining up outside Apple's door. "Steve. You have to figure out a way to put some DRM or something to help us out with this. You know very well that we were gonna let you have everything Google is getting."

Then Apple will release some kind of control box that will let us have all the Apps on our TV.
We will be able to play any of the games with the controls they will put on it too.

Who's playing who? Apple will make their money either way.

ho hum <yawn> boring. I guess the days of google doing "original" work are over.

Whenever I hear Schmidt's conception of privacy and civil liberties, I am literally petrified. His opinions sounds like some evil offspring of the dark ages and some hellish futuristic dystopia. His apparent (at least to me) ignorance and idiocy become extremely alarming because of the sheer extent of power over the globe this guy exerts. It's no joke that never before has humanity "entrusted" so much of their private lives and knowledge to single all powerful entity such as google. The fact that this reversal in terms of years of progress and struggles for civil liberties is spearhead by a pretence of "do no evil" and "a free open source mobile os" and the legions who've swallowed this makes it all the more grotesquely ironic.

I feel it's safe to say at this moment that Orwell's big brother in 1984 has never before found a better real life counterpart than that of what google is, and particularly of what it can be. It's chilling to hear this Schmidt guy talk about privacy, "if you don't want people knowing about something, you shouldn't be doing it in the first place".

There will be no way Apple will be able to compete with Google with all the Content. Most of the Networks will literally bend over backwards to help Google in this regards.
Won't really matter because Apple will make more money of their $99.00 box than Google will (if they make any at all).

As far as the Content. No one really trusts Apple. They are so afraid that they will do to T.V. con-
tent the same as they did for Music,(or better yet what they think Apple did. They seem to forget that Apple was selling music for them).

Jobs probably realized it when even Disney was hesitant in providing current stuff that all of us really want from these Boxes.
It would have been a great success even if all the 4 Networks would have provided next day shows
along with the advertisements.

But because nobody wanted to go this route with the Big Bad Apple, we have now what appears to be a very crippled AppleTV. But think about it. Who would be playing who if the following happens.

Everyone seems to have noticed how easy it seems to be to JailBreak the ATV. I believe that it was made like that on purpose.
Once this starts to happen, and all the JailBreaks lets loose of Medusa's Box and all the Content
starts flowing out for free. The Networks will start lining up outside Apple's door. "Steve. You have to figure out a way to put some DRM or something to help us out with this. You know very well that we were gonna let you have everything Google is getting."

Then Apple will release some kind of control box that will let us have all the Apps on our TV.
We will be able to play any of the games with the controls they will put on it too.

Who's playing who? Apple will make their money either way.

What an excellent post.

Tons of paragraphs are flooding the web by "analysts" and tech pundits that are almost uniformly garbage, and then you get a forum post as insightful and with such foresight as this.

Kudos. I can't see how what you are predicting will not happen. I think you 've pinned down apple's strategy on this to the t.

Their motives in dealing with Google over Apple is that they'd get what they want. Namely advertising.

It sounds to me like the difference here is that Google is trying to take content that's already available on the internet and just get it on your TV is a quick 'n' dirty way. Here's what I mean...

I can watch new episodes of The Office here in Canada online at globaltv.com, however there are drawbacks: The quality sucks, there's advertising inserted (often the same annoying ad at every commercial break) and it's either stuck on my computer or I have to drag out the cables, plug in my laptop and set everything up if I want it on my TV.

Apple looks at this situation and goes: "That's not an ideal and elegant solution. If we can create an ideal and elegant solution, people will be willing to pay for it." They work at solving all of those drawbacks, and then tell the TV networks what they think people are willing to pay for it, but the networks don't agree, and don't want to give up ads, so they're at an impass.

Google looks at this situation and the only problem they see is that a lot of people either don't want the hassle of plugging in their computer, or don't know how and are too scared to learn. So they work at fixing that problem and don't care about the quality or the advertising. The networks would look at that and realize that they're not loosing anything, namely the ads, so they'd be willing to work with Google.

Anyways, that's the way I see it. I think the biggest factor in the equation is the advertising. Personally, I'd much rather have an ad-free, elegant solution than one that only solves a connection and setup issue. Google makes their money on advertising. Do you think they'd release an ad-free Google TV?

I built an HTPC a couple of years ago. And it's fantastic since I can install any software and codec I want. Shrink to different qualities. Keep all my media together. And for me, the best part is access to IMDB when I'm watching a movie. I see a familiar face in a movie, but I can't place it. I go to IMDB and look at the Filmography to see where I had seen the person before.

But I do agree that browsing on even a 46" LCD TV is still not that great. But things will improve as sites get optimized for TVs.

The difference is that the Google device is purpose-built to track all your viewing habits; for Google's future use or for sale to the highest bidder, or both.

The original AppleTV was easily Jailbroken. Erica Sadun wrote a video player app that I modified to play (stream) old movies from the web -- there are thousands of free movies on the web.

There was a lot of interest in Jailbroken ATV... Until the iPhone was announced. That sucked the air out of the room.

The big difference this time is that we have a proven iOS SDK and boatload of talented, trained developers.

The new ATV is a blank sheet of paper for Apple and/or Jailbreakers.

.

I welcome Google's entry into the family room TV space. With its first peer competitor I see nothing but improvement in AppleTV.

On the commercial front, I was amused that Google has learned the music lesson from Apple: nice simple upbeat/rom tune with images edited to the beat. On the down side, the carpet didn't match the drapes, so to speak. The images were too "techy" and complicated for the simplicity of the music. Plus, they threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Edit, please. Apple has always known that less is more. Google is still learning.

we're not there yet...but anyone who thinks the 60" HDTV Flat screen in the living room, will NOT be the center of all things digital in the household in the very near future is sorely mistaken.

Music, photos, games, video, YouTube, FaceBook, Movies, TV, Sports, video phone calls, Apps (travel, finance, etc., etc.,) and yes the "InterTubes" (Internet) all operated from one 7" iPad like remote on a 60"+ screen optimized for websites (or vice-versa).

If it's from MS you will use a stylus (Uggh and it won't work!)...if it's from Apple you will use your finger! And it will be very pretty and elegant!

I already am using my desktop less and less. I'm viewing my den, that is wonderfully wireless and no cables, like a cubicle where I used to "work!" Uggh!

I don't want to peruse possible vacations or new cars or restaurants or movies from my "cubicle!" I want to do it from my living room, in front of my fireplace...in fact, I don't even want a den anymore...let my accountant not only produce and submit my tax returns, let him "store" them, too! And my bank can "store" my statements, etc., etc. I don't want to be bothered. I don't even want regular mail/catalogs/newspapers/magazines! Most of it is JUNK anyway....Keep it all in the "cloud!" I will look at it once a month or once a year on my iPad or better yet, NEVER!

I'll wake up in the morning and view my news, emails, etc., on my iPad while drinking a cup of coffee and updating my "To Do" list! That's how I want to start the day....


Best

PS. Very soon, I can see having only one 50" screen as described above, an iPad and an iPhone 4 and the "Cloud"....don't even want a laptop or a desktop anymore or a desk for that matter or even a mail box! Certainly don't want an ext. HD with all the cable clutter! Uggh! Barely want a clunky, creaky plasticky printer!

. . . it's interesting that Google is "upstaging" Apple when Apple isn't onstage. Have you seen any AppleTV ads? I haven't. Makes you think this is a backhanded compliment--that Steve's hobby is actually some kind of threat.

LOL! Fat chance. Google is the kind of company that hires someone to navigate the morass of negotiating across a dozen teams which one of forty-three shades of blue to use, but then they give the job to an engineer or project manager who doesn't have a artistic bone in their body.

Edit: To be fair, that's a lot to ask of people who can't cook their own meals or do their own laundry.

when your competitor ships such a limited, waste of space*, product - there is no rush


* at least Ars spent half their review commenting on it being 300% smaller ...

please read the post i was responding to.

I think we have been hacked by an alien life form trying to appear human.

I am very confused as well.

thats so funny it hurts, please tell me you're serious

I am sure that all the stuff from Apple can and will continue to be JailBroken. But I think Apple has finally realized that there is some benefit in letting loose of this crowd.

I believe that with the AppleTV, Apple will let anything go as far as this is concerned. They will no longer be governed by anyone such as the Cell Carriers.

I even believe that Apple will give up on some of the consideration that they have had in protecting
all the content and even phone providers. Now with all the contenders in this new TV content,
Apple understands that in the end everyone will be offered all the same content from everybody.
It might take a different type of Content Provider to loosen up to start showing some 'cojones'. I
think it might even take a Woman to show all the 'old farts' how to do it right. Come on Oprah, open up your new Network to Apple. Let them put their new iAd ads to do the advertising on your shows. Remember a % of the people just see the Super Bowl for the halftime commercials. I can assure you that these Apple commercials that they are taking so long to produce will be the new way of attracting an interested crowd.
Let the Google's, Roku's and the rest keep trying to do things the old way.

Apple and especially Steve Jobs is tired of waiting for everything to happen on someone else's timetable. I am sure after Jobs saw his life on the balance, he said to himself. "No more. We have to take the Tiger by the hand and lead. The Carriers, the Networks, the Internet as we know it will never get to where I want to see it before I leave this Place".

Don't you think ATT is not to worried about Apple will be available for anyone else? After all
Apple is gonna flood the Market with FREE VideoPhone coverage. Apple also did not want to make any waves concerning the White Spaces that the FCC freed up. Let everyone know that Google, Microsoft, and the others are interested in giving us this openness.
But Apple is probably way ahead of everybody else as far as what we will ACTUALLY be able to do with it.
ALL the other guys will be giving things away. Apple can discount all of their offerings and still become the biggest Market Cap company in the world. Everybody else seems to have forgotten
that making money has to be a part of the equation.

Please tell me you are trying to be ironic. Oh, yes macrumors forums are garbage, and this forum has infinitely more intelligent posting and infinitely less trolls.


your point being?

For sure Dick, by unifying the platform with the rest of ios (and I think part of the delay had been due to their waiting to adopt an adequate enough arm and gfx chip, and fine tuning them) this is opening up the gates for all sorts of things. And it had been mentioned here too, by yourself I think, by Danny certainly that there was no other logical step than ios on the atv. Of course there were differences in expectations (if I remember correctly Dan thought of it as some kind of touch enabled streaming remote).

I think it's the last time we've seen the atv presented as "another hobby". The only thing I am wondering about is how powerful these arm chips can be in terms of the supporting console type games on the atv as well as various legacy or older media formats (or new incompatible ones). I am sure they scale up well and they are being very rapidly developed but how well will the handle really demanding gfx for a tv game, or say an .mkv or .xvid file seeing as these won't get the h.264 hardware acceleration.

As a third-party set top box using a different input than your CATV and with no tuner, Google TV with its myriad choices, many "monetized," and methods of accessing content plus other bells and whistles is way too complicated for 90% of consumers. it is literally for "hobbyists" (who may love it). a lot of consumers already get confused by just having 300 CATV channels and those On Demand services (that few use except for movie rentals).

but ... built in to your TV as planned by some OEM's, and integrated somehow with your single CATV input (if CATV allows) or at least with your tuner, it has better possibilities. IF they can keep it simple somehow. and even more likely if the cable companies build Google TV into their STB's.

Google's style is to throw the kitchen sink at the wall and see what sticks (apology for mixed metaphoring). but i don't think that is going to work with TV for the large majority of households.

whereas Apple builds its product around the UI, and simplifies/dumbs it down to keep it "intuitive." Apple TV is a very good example of that.

it will be interesting to see which consumers prefer.

Good call. What about Amazon though?

Interesting except we have to share the HDTV with mum/ dad/ wife/ husband/ girlfriend/ boyfriend/ sibling.

But maybe I'm old school, I still think of the teevee being in the living room where the family gathers to watch all on one TV.

Changing though, dad has a 22" which he uses for watching downloads and I have a 21" to dock my Macbook Alu to.

I do take my iPad down to the living room to do stuff while watching live sports on the 46" HDTV.

(For the record I live on the second floor of the house not the basement )

I was hoping Google would come up with something better than the ATV, but apparently they don't seem to understand the concept of Internet TV.

With all its annoying shortcomings, ATV is still king.

This announced like 6 months ago...

Sorry Google and Apple TV, but you're NO Windows Media Center. Come back to me when you can replace my DVR.

Now that's funny...Made me laugh! Good points! And glad you're not relegated to the basement!

Man, TV in the USA is so complicated. GoogleTV will gain some traction but I don't know if it will dominate. AppleTV will gain some traction but again I don't know if it will dominate.

LOL I'm in Asia at the moment so I get away with being 30+ and living with my parents.

My neighbour has his nuclear family plus his dad, mother in law and sister in law in the same house. Our houses are not big, but I'm not talking the slums here. They like cramming families together in this part of the world...

Right. You have Cable companies which are comprised of regional operators...so no uniformity there.

then you have the "Networks" ABC. NBC and CBS which they sell their programming to "Affiliates"

The Networks are now parts of big media companies that own and create content such as movies.

No wonder Jobs finds dealing with all of them difficult! They all don't want to let go of what little control they think they have!


Mixed in with that you have the two Satellite TV companies which I'm not a big fan of.