Sony HDTVs To Come With Google TV Interface 124
adeelarshad82 writes "Even though Google recently announced its own Google TV, seems like their partnership with Sony is going to make it obsolete. Google has partnered up with Sony to launch four HDTVs loaded with the Google TV interface, as well as a Google TV Blu-ray player. The company's Google TV products will be called Sony Internet TV. With the Google TV, Sony aims to provide a clean and easy way to browse the Web, watch TV, and run applications all on your HDTV. Google TV uses the true Chrome Web browser with Flash 10.1. Unfortunately though, at the moment it only has a handful of apps available but Sony said the OS will be updated in early 2011 to include the Android Market app with more options."
Reasons this Will Fail: (Score:1, Insightful)
No one cares about the current and planned IPTV offerings.
Cable/satellite companies will never let them mature into anything worthwhile.
Sony.
Reasons Slashdot will shit on this:
Flash.
Re:Reasons this Will Fail: (Score:4, Insightful)
No one cares about the current and planned IPTV offerings.
Cable/satellite companies will never let them mature into anything worthwhile.
Sony.
Reasons Slashdot will shit on this:
Flash.
Its not so much IPTV like AT&T U-Verse, that requires everyone to agree on how it works, its just web TV, like Hulu. I already use Hulu as my main source of TV, and don't have cable, just internet, with a media center hooked up to the TV.
Plenty of people would do that too if it were built into to their TV already.
Reasons parent comment fails (Score:4, Informative)
This isn't an IPTV offering. Its simply a Web + TV offering. It does incorporate access to existing Web video sources, but primarily the TV (content) part comes from whatever normal TV signal source you have.
Which is probably why GoogleTV is designed primarily (for now) to bring existing Web content to your TV screen and enhance rather than replace traditional cable/satellite (or, AFAIK, broadcast) TV.
Sony hasn't really been all that bad at selling TVs and other media products, so as much as some people may be upset about some things Sony has done in the past, I don't think that's a reason that the product will fail.
Re:Reasons parent comment fails (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, nothing that has ever been, in generally similar terms, tried once and failed has ever been commercialized successfully later after technology has advanced and details of the approach were changed.
For instance, Apple isn't currently doing a brisk business in selling tablet computers despite the weak success of previous attempts of other companies to do that.
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Previous attempts?
Don't be ridiculous! Apple invented the tablet! And the touchscreen! There can be no others!
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It IS sony, so we can expect firmware updates which remove features rather than add them.
take that steve jobs (Score:3, Funny)
i predict google TV will be integrated into most TV's in the next 3-5 years which means every TV will soon ship with Flash
no need to fire up the computer for the porn tube sites
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i predict google TV will be integrated into most TV's in the next 3-5 years which means every TV will soon ship with Flash
no need to fire up the computer for the porn tube sites
No worries. Jobs will follow with his release of iGoogleTV (err... ooops... I mean, iTV), without flash and with tight control over access to porn. By that time, the fanboys/girls will already have children of their own, be interested in protecting them (from exposure to Flash) and still look kool when having guests.
Streaming HTML5 <video> (Score:2)
Jobs will follow with his release of iGoogleTV (err... ooops... I mean, iTV), without flash
"Without Flash" has been used as a code word for "with technologies under the HTML5 banner", including the <video> element.
and with tight control over access to porn.
If iOS for Apple TV gets an update to add a Safari browser comparable to the one on iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad, and this Safari has H.264 streaming <video>, how do you expect Mr. Jobs to control what <video> users watch?
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No worries. Jobs will follow with his release of iGoogleTV (err... ooops... I mean, iTV), without flash and with tight control over access to porn. By that time, the fanboys/girls will already have children of their own, be interested in protecting them (from exposure to Flash) and still look kool when having guests.
So, you support children being exposed to flashers? Pervert.
Terrible summary. (Score:5, Informative)
Paraphrasing since copy-paste isn't working (did slashdot do that on purpose or is my computer on crack?)
"Even though google annouced their own google tv... their partnership with sony will make it obsolete..."
Anyway.. whaaaa? Did the person writing this even read about Google TV? Google didn't announce a TV... the announced a software platform called Google TV, which sony is using. So the partnership isn't going to make it obsolete... it's USING Google TV!
Such a terrible summary its actually weird. Also, nice random semicolon.
-Taylor
Re:Terrible summary. (Score:5, Insightful)
Such a terrible summary its actually weird.
One word: sampenzus.
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Or you could just right click the selected text and hit "copy". It's really not that complicated.
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Or you could just right click the selected text and hit "copy". It's really not that complicated.
Thank you, mr computer guru, I never thought of that... Only, IT DOESN'T PASTE. Something won't let it. Using chrome.
but thanks for being a jackass.
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He wasn't being a jackass, he was being a moron.
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The bug is specific to Chrome. I thought it was specific to the OS X build. A simple workaround is to simply launch another browser to post with as the bug doesn't affect Firefox or Safari. I didn't stoop to trying IE though.
Still very irritating...
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It is, however, incredibly annoying.
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I find it difficult to believe it's intentional, as it makes it difficult to quote someone.
That would go hand in hand with the meta-moderation page ripping out both the quote and i tags, so when you quote someone, the quoted text appears that You are saying it, and thus you get modded whatever the parent post should be/is.
The plot thickens...
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I find it difficult to believe it's intentional, as it makes it difficult to quote someone.
That would go hand in hand with the meta-moderation page ripping out both the quote and i tags, so when you quote someone, the quoted text appears that You are saying it, and thus you get modded whatever the parent post should be/is.
The plot thickens...
Yeah. And the no paste thing only works in Chrome. Can someone check the page's source and see if there is something intentional in there blocking it?
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Copy and paste only seems to be broken once you start typing. If nothing is typed in the reply box, it works fine for me. For what it's worth, I'm using Chrome 6 on Linux.
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I can't paste into the text box on /. either. I am using chrome. Using IE it works fine.
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And a couple of days ago there was an article about how Apple had started allowing Bluetooth data communications. Not only was this totally wrong (nothing had changed) but anyone who knew anything about Bluetooth on phones or who researched the topic for 5 minutes would have known this.
I think summaries like these are (and should be) very embarrassing for slashdot.
Are the editors here paid or are they volunteer (I will cut them more slack if they are volunteers)?
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Also ...
no one currently owns a TV and no one else aside from sony makes them
No, Google did not announce it's own Google TV (Score:5, Informative)
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True
In case of Android they needed something to push the fairly young platform and explore some possibilities. Therefore they contracted out the production of their own featured handset.
But with their TV platform there's already the precedence of Android's market penetration and Google's video acquisitions. This made it easier to find strategic partners for the new product.
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http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue
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This isn't limited to Sony. Virtually all Blu-ray/TV manufacturers artificially limit updates and open access to their devices. In fact, Sony is one of the better ones in this area (for their higher-end products). If you purchased a Netflix/YouTube/Pandora/Hulu-capable Blu-ray player 5 months ago, it probably hasn't received substantial updates since, with the newer software features only appearing in later product versions... even though earlier versions have the same hardware.
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This isn't limited to Sony.
Pushing firmware updates that remove an advertised feature is a common practice then?
I'd rather be kept in the dark with newer updates, then being forced to update the firmware in a manner that cripples the device.
Screw you Sony.
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Did you even have Linux on your PS3? If even 1/10th of the people who complain about SCEfoo removing Linux support had actually used it, the YDL forums would have been far far more busy.
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Good idea (Score:3, Interesting)
I think if all TVs had this it would be great. Built in surfing capabilities with WiFi? Who wouldn't want that, and what reason could you argue not to have it?
If it becomes a standard feature, then you could just buy a TV (with it) and not even use it if you don't want it. The only downside is devices like AppleTV will become obsolete. Well, "down side".
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I can come up easily with reasons not to have it.
Best one? Cost. TVs are already expensive, and to stick a wireless nic in there would tack another $50+ on the price easily, for something I neither want nor need due to my set up far surpassing the need to hook my TV up to my network.
How about stability? Make TVs more complicated, all of a sudden my TV might start crashing, and I won't be able to do anything about it, unless the manufacturer includes an update down the road.
How about signal interference? Mak
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TV's are cheap, considering what you are getting, and a wi-fi seutp up might be an additional 2 dollars... maybe.
Why a wi-fi set up would cause your tv to crash is beyond me, and I know how they design TVs.
A TV is full of features most people won't use. I don't use all my HDMI. but it would be stupid of me to bitch they are to many of them.
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PS, Sony's page I linked already features the GoogleTV, so I guess they are serious.
I can't speak for google TV, but playing from Netflix is great. It's very convenient, and the HD stream looks better than DVD. (I do still have a PVR connected as wel
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Fast forward a few years. Imagine that it's 2014, and someone has a similar complaint:
"I already bought a Sony TV with Wifi in 2010... It's only too bad Sony discontinued this line, it could have become really great... And yes, the built in PC with LAN and Wifi did run linux (but the default menu is pretty useless, and the software hasn't been updated since 2010 too)."
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Maybe...
I see it as just the same thing as built-in VCRs, and later DVD players, which were somewhat common especially toward the end of the CRT age. Neat, tidy, works (for various definitions of "works"), cannot be changed for something that works better, and is eventually broken or is deprecated for a new format. All it does is give the user a little temporary freedom from having an external player, usually at substantial cost.
And once it breaks/becomes deprecated, the extra componentry which was added
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My next 'T
Re:Good idea (Score:4, Interesting)
Good news!
Luckily enough, the announcement of Sony using Google TV in some of their newest HDTVs did not also include an announcement of the discontinuation of other models which do not include Google TV!
That's right: You'll still be able to buy a TV without all of this gee-wizardry, and it will cost less than than the newfangled kit described in TFA!
If you want to keep things this way, then just keep voting with your wallet and companies will keep making simple TVs that folks like you (and I) like. It's easy, it's fun, and it saves money!
(My own 52" Samsung LCD is nearly as brain-dead as can be. It simply displays video, and occasionally does a little bit of video switching. It doesn't handle audio, it doesn't view Netflix, it doesn't have a built-in Blu-Ray player, and it certainly doesn't fucking run Google TV. And nor will its replacement. It does, however, do a fine job of displaying video. I have other toys for those those other sorts of roles, and want as little co-dependence between them as possible. And I'll keep buying things in such a fashion as to support the ongoing manufacture of stuff that allows doing stuff in this way.)
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Didn't we say the same things about phones/consoles and the like?
Dunno if anyone said that or not, but it doesn't matter:
A few months ago, I got the boy a very non-fancy Nokia cell phone. Works fine, battery lasts a long time, and it's impossibly light.
The Wii still is very popular and available. It's a very basic game system.
Printers are another good example: There have been all-in-one printing machines for home use for at least a decade which can do all manner of redundant shit from front panel control
Re:Good idea (Score:4, Insightful)
Because the components will become outdated long before the TV portion does and the only way to update will be to replace the entire thing. Or do you actually think it will be based on an open architecture that will allow replacement of components and still remain in warranty? Sorry, not for me.
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I am using the same wi-fi device I was using 8 years ago.
Seriously, your argument is pretty thin.
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Your wifi device/router has horrifically slow data rates, is limited to 11-13 channels, operates in a frequency subject to massive interference, is borderline unusable in many populated areas, probably craps out while torrenting, doesn't support modern open firmware (small flash), and can only stream compressed video between ~15Mb-30Mb/s.
The hardware powering this TV's browser/Google TV stack will probably appear ancient in 2-3 years.
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Who wouldn't want that, and what reason could you argue not to have it?
Because the components will become outdated long before the TV portion does and the only way to update will be to replace the entire thing. Or do you actually think it will be based on an open architecture that will allow replacement of components and still remain in warranty? Sorry, not for me.
I agree. I hate that it has become nearly impossible to find a TV that is just a TV. Hell, in most cases even a TV tuner is unnecessary. It would be nice if some manufacturer put out a line of large-size monitors that skip out on all this BS. Just give me a ~55" LCD w/ as many LED backlights as you can, a few HDMI inputs, a couple s-video, component, and composite inputs, maybe a DVI input, and that's it. No speakers, no network interface, definitely no integrated online "experience". Probably don't even ne
Summary is bizarrely wrong (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong.
What Google announced was the GoogleTV platform. In the Google announcement, they announced a series of hardware manufacturer partners that would be developing devices incorporating the platform on TVs, Blu-Ray players, and standalone settop boxes. Sony was one of those.
Now Sony has announced some of the specific initial products that it will be making that incorporate the GoogleTV platform.
Which is exactly what Google said when they announced GoogleTV.
Will it come pre-rooted? (Score:2, Funny)
All I want to know is if my new Sony TV will come with a free root kit pre-installed at the factory?
Wrong question. (Score:4, Insightful)
All I want to know is if my new Sony TV will come with a free root kit pre-installed at the factory?
TV, Sony or not, is already a rootkit to your mind.
In soviet russia... (Score:1)
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the TV Programs YOU !
Russian mindhacker Yakov Smirnoff injected this meme once using the rootkit. It is still endemic in certain segments of the population.
I wonder if.. (Score:1)
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I wonder if there'll be some lawsuit about unfairly bundling the service with the TV, which caused the cable/satellite TV industry to shrivel at long last?
You mean like Netflix has been bundled with virtually every piece of home theater hardware sold with an Ethernet connection?
4 USB ports? (Score:1)
...on a TV? Four?
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Fuck it, we're doing 5 ports.
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Mouse and/or keyboard for those things that just don't work so well with the fancy remote, external HDD to play back content from (instead of a media center thing that plays back over HDMI and needing an HDMI switch), camera/card reader (presuming it doesn't have a built-in card reader)... yeah, those 4 could end up being used simultaneously just fine.
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Mouse and/or keyboard for those things that just don't work so well with the fancy remote, external HDD to play back content from (instead of a media center thing that plays back over HDMI and needing an HDMI switch), camera/card reader (presuming it doesn't have a built-in card reader)... yeah, those 4 could end up being used simultaneously just fine.
What about a USB blender to mix me some hard drinks every time a Reality TV show comes on?
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Now I can use it as a docking station for my devices I set next to the TV. Nice. Plus if you are going to put one in, you might as well put four.. All the circuitry will be there.
Cool (Score:2)
Now even my TV can get infected with malware.
xmb (Score:2)
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I wonder how long until Sony will start to feel the cannibalistic effects (on PSP) of having Android able to support games...
I'm guessing an extremely long fucking time.
Sooo (Score:1)
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How long until Sony starts subtracting features? (Score:3, Insightful)
And how long will it be until Sony decides to start removing features from this TV, because of alleged concerns about piracy, hacking, moping with intent to creep, or whatever other excuse they come up with?
"Sorry, we have removed the web browser's ability to visit any site with a vowel in the URL, because some people were visiting sites about how to use their TV to view unapproved content."
Sorry Sony, you burned me on my PS3, you shall not do so again.
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The PS3? The last straw for me was in 2000 (2001?) when I bought a wildly overpriced network walkman NW-MS9 "MP3" player that wouldn't play MP3s - http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/sony-nw-ms9-network/1707-6490_7-6148779.html [cnet.com]
Awesome hardware completely crippled for the sake of ensuring no possible way to share a song with it.
Sony: just say no.
ch
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The last straw for me was in 2000 (2001?) when I bought a wildly overpriced network walkman NW-MS9 "MP3" player that wouldn't play MP3s
Why would you do that? Everybody knew those things were shitty. The PS3, on the other hand, is a decent product. With your track record, you probably shouldn't be giving product advice, or even trusting your own instincts.
Sony makes some great products and some incredibly shitty ones. Making blanket judgements based on brand alone, rather than the merits of individual products, is pretty unintelligent.
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You know, if you had done any research on the thing before buying it, you would have discovered that it played MP3's by having SonicStage convert them to ATRAC.
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Wow, guess I struck a nerve with the Sony Fanboys. Sure, I could research and find out if a particular Sony product does something underhanded and unexpected, and should have researched the walkman, but I had been really happy with my previous sony products, and had no reason to suspect that if the box SAID it was an MP3 player that they'd be lying. After the ensuing years of proprietary hardware, root-kits, and support for the RIAA, I don't care if they DO happen to puke out a decent product, I know part o
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Did you even have Linux on your PS3? If even 1/10th of the people who complain about SCEfoo removing Linux support had actually used it, the YDL forums would have been far far more busy. Besides, if you want to keep Linux, you can, you're just shut out of PSN.
Re:How long until Sony starts subtracting features (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, yes, I did have Linux on my PS3. I had it to experiment with the CBE as a signal processing engine, since that's what I do for a living.
And not only am I shut out of PSN, I am shut out of any recent games, any new hardware such as Move, potentially out of new Blu-Ray disks, etc. - which I do because all work and no fun makes Wowbagger a dull boy.
So yes, I DID lose (sorry, loose - I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable) something when Sony took away a feature that they had advertised, that was a part of our sales contract, and that was a part of why I did business with them.
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Sounds interesting, I'm guessing the SPE's were pretty good at it.
I had Linux on mine as well, though I'm not a programmer. And yes, I miss having Linux on it, it added more functionality to what was already a device with a lot of functionality. And it let the household get away with only 1 "traditional" x86 PC, since I didn't need to use the PC to do things like read my e-mail or read Slashdot. I was an
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This will fail... (Score:1)
Did the post-er have any idea what Google TV is? (Score:2, Funny)
that being said, this is a horrid idea that has been tried time and time again. Nobody wants an expensive all-in-one device when individual components are typically less expensive and give better results over time. This Sony TV will be fine, until the first Google TV software update th
Zombie TVs (Score:1)
I don't know about this ... (Score:2, Insightful)
When will a TV just Come With a built-in PC? (Score:2, Funny)
I'm just waiting for a TV to come with a fully functional, unrestricted and networkable PC built in that uses standard parts and interfaces and is linked to one of the TV inputs.
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You want to replace your TV every 3 years?
At least this Google TV will use little enough power that you won't feel completely stupid for having it turned on in 3 years, and it doesn't cost double what a comparable TV without Android would cost. In fact, the additional cost seems to be very close to 0.
What you have proposed has been done several times, typically with Windows Media Center. They didn't sell, for obvious reasons.
Nothing to see here (Score:2, Interesting)
All of the apps on any TVs I have personally used have been sluggish and slow to respond. Hooking a computer/media center/game console up to the TV and using apps hosted on those devices has always resulted in a much more pleasant experience for me and my friends. I doubt the introduction to Google apps on TVs will make an impact on anything.
PS3? (Score:1)
Will they be releasing a version for the PS3? Anything would be an improvement over the PS3s craptacular browser.
app this. (Score:2)
apps for your phone...
apps for your mp3 player...
apps for your tablet...
apps for your ereader...
apps for your video game console...
now apps for your friggin' tv...
i'm sick of apps.
Integrated CE devices = bad idea (Score:2)