Update (Nov 20,2010):

I now own a Boxee box.  Some of my thoughts are here.  I like it.  The price of the Logitech revue was the key to choosing the Boxee box.  I dislike what they have done to the GUI with the Boxee box (from the beta versions), but it plays most content near perfect.

Update (Oct 7, 2010):

After the logitech revue was announced at $300, I am convinced that Boxee box is the way to go.  A more elaborate comparison of Boxee box and AppleTV can be found here.  I am personally waiting for boxee box.

I got beat up by many that this is very anti-apple.  You should read “What kind of a HTPC user are you?” for background of why I feel this way.

Unless you live in a cave, you would know that the GoogleTV was announced today.

As someone who bought the AppleTV on the first week of its arrival and uses it quite regularly, I am happy that finally there is a competitor who will kick Cupertino to move AppleTV out of its hobby status.  After 3+ years, I am tired to own a product which the creating company still calls a hobby.  Here is what I think about where GoogleTV stacks up against its competition.

GoogleTV vs AppleTV

The AppleTV should have been what GoogleTV is.  GoogleTV cleans up the AppleTV as it stands today.

  • In its integrated form with the Sony TV and Dish Network box, you don’t need another device.  Big win for Google already.   This, I think will be enough to push people to go towards GoogleTV.  The partnership with Best Buy will help immensely with educating the users as well.
  • A full browser that plays flash – should we say anything more?  There is nothing more frustrating that you can’t stream the IPL finals from YouTube through your AppleTV.  Would it have killed Apple to include a full browser with flash support?
  • Availability of Android apps on GoogleTV.  Imagine the possibilities of having iPhone OS Apps on AppleTV.  Didn’t happen in the past 3 years.
  • It is unclear to me how local content in my home network will get played through GoogleTV, but I can’t imagine creating an android app to do it.  Even with the Logitech set-top box, I expect this to be handled by Logitech, as far I see it, it is feature 101 to include that feature.
  • Open sourced platform and open SDK.  The closed captioning translation android app demoed today is just an example of extending your traditional TV functionality using Android in an elegant manner.  It will be fun to see what developers can unleash with an open SDK.
  • Future controllers (like Wiimotes) that enable us to play existing flash games on the TV.  I can imagine people playing Farmville on their big screen with a Wiimote kind of device.  Logitech knows how to build these things, an accessory to their set-top box that we can use to play flash games on TV – Zynga and playdom on your big screen?  Big win.
  • Great integration with traditional TV.  Web search and browsing without leaving TV programs?  Win.  PIP to watch TV alongside web content?  Win.  I am not sure how Logitech box can do this.  I can see how Dish Network and Sony integration can easily do this.

As it stands, unless AppleTV gets an open API, allows iPhone OS apps to run on the AppleTV and gives me full browser capability with flash, I don’t see how AppleTV is going to stand a chance.

GoogleTV vs Boxee

I am a fan of Boxee.  I even installed Boxee on my AppleTV only to realize it doesn’t play Netflix and it crashes AppleTV a lot before reverting.

I have also been patiently waiting for their boxee box to ship to replace my AppleTV.  It hasn’t happened.  I think Boxee has lost its opportunity.

  • Integrated web and tv experience.  With Boxee, you are either in your boxee app (computer) or you are watching TV.  There is no mix and match of what GoogleTV offers.  No in-line searching, no picture in picture integration.  If you want to use your TV with internet enabled device, GoogleTV offers better experience.
  • GoogleTV wins on Android apps being able to run on your TV.
  • GoogleTV has the backing of Sony, Logitech and Dish Network.  In the Sony and Dish mode, there is no another device.  Big Win.  I wish D-Link had shipped the boxee box.
  • Bigger developer base for Android as compared to Boxee.

I like Boxee.  I wanted a boxee box to replace my AppleTV.  I am going to wait for the Logitech box for GoogleTV now.

GoogleTV vs Mac Mini / Acer Aspire Revo

Of course you can always put a full computer next to your TV, so what happens here?

  • $600 vs integrated device or far cheaper set-top box.  GoogleTV wins on price.
  • GoogleTV wins on integration with your TV / Cable as above.
  • All said and done, you have to fight to get your Mini / Acer to work reliably and still would be crippled with limitations.  No true 1080p or no true 5.1 / 7.1 surround sound.  (Yeah, I know it is a Toslink limitation), but the fact is those computers were not designed ground up to be media center devices.
  • The one place where a Mac Mini or Acer Aspire Revo or another Media Center PC will win is DVR integration.  You can use your computer as your DVR / PVR device.  If that is your primary requirement, look no further.

Google TV vs Others

Yes, the Popcorn Hour, Western Digital Media Center, Windows Media extender, Roku etc.  Thanks for playing along.  You were all better than Apple Tv in some form or the other, but the world just changed.  You will do very well in playing content from the local network and SOME content from the internet, but Google Tv is going to trounce you when it comes to the internet.  Good luck with that.  And I bet a lot of these players (at least the non Windows ones) will be re-released to run GoogleTV on them, at which point, it doesn’t matter.

In face, for a lot of these devices, it is a big win as well.  They now get a great OS and extensible apps and developers to code against them.

Thinking about it, if it happens, it is a big win for consumers.  Now you get devices ranging from $100 all the way that can do GoogleTV.

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