Logitech Revue is MSRP $299

sabregen

sabregen

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At that price, what do you guys think? I love the idea, but at that price, I'll likely use an HTPC until these devices come down a bit. Thoughts?
 
It does come with the neat $100 keyboard controller though.
 
I suppose you could look @ it that way. I'm not looking @ them as separate products with their own individual price tags, though, since they aren't individually sold. I get what you're saying though. My point is that for $300 you get a fully functional HTPC these days with even more capabilities. For $200, they'd get a lot of market share quickly, I think. $300 is likely going to prove a tough price point for them, though.
 
Just watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrpGxxcpvBM and was very impressed. This isn't just a set top box, it totally integrated your entire Home Theater. You DVR actually will pass through the Revue and not directly into your TV. This box is now on my short list even with its higher price tag.

I don't think the keyboard will make up for the extra 100 bucks but for what it does I think it will be an overall god deal.
 
it'd be better if it had more integration with other services. As it stands right now, the full experience can only really be enjoyed by those with dish network (according to reviews)
 
sabregen said:
Thoughts?
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Yea, check out some media streamer forums to check out some competing products, Dune + Boxee Box etc etc, research them, then pick the one that best suits your needs, when you're ready of course.

IMHO Google created this big hype machine and has yet to deliver. Personally i'll wait another few months before passing judgment on it, lets see what the first few firmware updates bring.
 
google is missing some serious things that makes me want to keep it.

I went to best buy and bought one than return it a day later because of this 2 major problems.


1. no dts audio support
2. no subtitles in mkv
 
hoping I don't have the early adopter blues...but here it is unboxed. They keyboard is pretty solid. I haven't had the opportunity to actually use it as it just was delivered today to my work. I was surprised it came with a hdmi cable.
Will see how it goes.
IMG_20101025_110109.jpg
 
The keyboard looks nice, since its basically a diNovo, which runs $100+

Unfortunately, I saw on engadget that iFixit's teardown shows that its just a 1.2ghz atom processor. That certainly doesn't bode too well for smooth high-bitrate playback and could be a blow to its utility as a media streamer, unless it has some kind of dedicated decoder built it
 
Activate: AMD said:
Unfortunately, I saw on engadget that iFixit's teardown shows that its just a 1.2ghz atom processor. That certainly doesn't bode too well for smooth high-bitrate playback and could be a blow to its utility as a media streamer, unless it has some kind of dedicated decoder built it
Click to expand...

i will let you know tonight! :D
 
so...being a "fool" and buying one of these. I thought I would give people my first impression and then you can decide from first hand knowledge.

The revue: nondescript, quiet, not a lot going on. Has slots for IR blasters (one included) hdmi in, hdmi out, optical out. ethernet. simple.

Keyboard: solid build, keys are a bit chicklet like but have a good feel. trackpad is responsive, but there is not tap to click, a function I had gotten used to having had it on my laptop. It is actually a very nice HTPC keyboard.

Setup was super easy, hdmi cable goes out to tv, power goes in. Turn on, you are greeted by the logitech revue log, then goolge tv, then the setup wizard. gmail login, wireless setup, down loads updates and installs them. took about 10 minutes. Reboots. Asks what tv you have, has a short list of common tvs, mine was not on it. You input make, then model much like you do when setting up a harmony remote. Worked fine. Did the same for my AV receiver which is an older model Technics. Worked with that as well. I didn't setup my cable box (STB) because I wanted to play with the online features first. I did set that up later and it was just as easy. It didn't auto detect the type of box, but I was able to input in the make and model and it controlled it just fine as well. At the end of setup it asked which device I wanted the volume control to work for, I said reciever, but really wanted the TV and I can't figure out how to change that. other than that setup was easy.

Online content....there isn't a "lot" of presets. Youtube, netflix, amazon on demand, blip.tv, cnbc. a few others. Online content looked great and played just fine. The immediate search for porn worked just fine. All the usuals worked without a hitch. Oddly enough 320x280 highly compressed video looks really crappy at 1080p. Video trailers from amazon on demand looked really good. Netflix looked really good, I watched the pilot of Eureka, which looked great and playback was flawless. Youtube looked like youtube it worked. Web pages displayed a little bit slower then on my computer, but it was certainly more than acceptable. I had to log in to netflix to change my queue. Not a bug, but would be a nice feature is if I hit play in the browser if it would launch the netflix player...which it doesn't do. Hulu of course didn't work and I didn't really try to get any content of any of the big networks as they said they were blocking it anyway.

Network content....I didn't do much with this (even though its a big reason I got it). It didn't playback any of my ripped dvd's, which are in .vob format. This is rather annoying, but I am sure it will eventually. It played back a 480p mpg movie (back2the future) perfectly fine. There was no stuttering or streaming issues at all. I didn't get around to playing music or browsing photos. It did see my netgear readynas without any problems, logged in to the media without a hitch.

Cable TV content.....I read a lot on the logitech forums that people were having issues, so I hooked up my cable box. It worked just fine. I didn't notice any play through issues or quality degradation. HD channels looked the same on through the box as they looked without it. Picture in a picture was neat when playing back live tv while watching netflix. The only issue...sound for the PiP came through. My experience with PiP was that it always muted the sound in the pip...I didn't see a setting to change this. The keyboard worked to navigate the standard cablebox guide and as a remote for the tv and avr.

Google TV navigation....It was relatively straightforward. you had apps, favorites, recently viewed and a few other choices all in lists that when clicked on open others lists. Apps are where you can get to all the content directly, browser, netflix, video player (for attached or network media) setup ect. There is no market yet, but it should be coming along shortly. Navigation is easy using either the d-pad type navigation buttons or cursor via the trackpad. There is an app for my phone which also acts as a remote for all the devices and can replace the included keyboard.

Video playback from everything I tried was good...at least to my eyes from across my living room looking at my 47" lcd tv, the sound also was just fine....videophiles and audiophiles may disagree with me, but whatever....don't buy it. Does it do everything I want it to do...yes....and no, but mostly yes. It needs stumbleupon, it needs to not be blocked by the stupid networks and it needs to have more video formats supported, then it will be perfect...and I will likely cut the cord to the cable company.

So what do you get for $300?
I figure this thing is the equivalent of:
An entry level Harmony remote...$50
a Roku media box....$75
a network attached media streamer (albeit not a very good one at the moment)...$75?
a easy to use web navigation device (that plays flash) and that works on your TV....????
a nice wireless HTPC keyboard....$50

people scoffed at the $300 price tag, and yes there are issues, but I feel that I got my moneys worth. I am more than capable of building my own HTPC, but when it comes down to it, this was so much easier and while it isn't as good, it gets the job done. Mock the device or the fool who bought it, but I am a happy fool.
 
Doesn't a roku box do network streaming? if so then you're counting that $75 twice. Considering the hardware, you're probably looking at something like an old zotac atom barebones as the closest hardware equivalent, with an indeterminate price on the software. Including the IR blaster/keyboard, that leaves you about $200, maybe a little more for the box/software. that compares pretty well with a lot of the streaming devices out there, except for the fact that the old hardware will be a drag. Of course, being blocked by the networks is a huge black mark, which isn't really the device's fault. The networks are all money grubbing c***suckers (if you don't believe me then you haven't heard about how Fox is screwing over every sports fan in NY/NJ)

It'd be sweet if they could pull a rom off so you could get it to work with your own hardware, though I guess there'd probably be hardware limitations.
 
So if you can go HDMI in, and then it processes the signal, and has HDMI out...


Why the hell are we sitting around with craptastic component devices from happauge, and a general lack of tv tuner addons for media center?
 
Activate: AMD said:
Doesn't a roku box do network streaming? if so then you're counting that $75 twice.
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It will stream music via iTunes libraries but to the best of my knowledge it doesn't stream video or other from content from a NAS or media server. It will do the various online venues (netflix, amazonVoD, youtube, ect). So you would still need some sort of local media streaming device.

There are better and cheaper solutions, but I don't think they were THAT much better or cheaper. If I got a newer barebone box...for $200 I could get one who's hardware is much better than what the revue offers. I still have to get the keyboard so lets say I spend $50 and get a decent one. So I saved $50. More if I skimp on the barebone and keyboard...I still have to throw on an OS and set it up. It doesn't work as a universal remote though...so its is slightly less convenient.
I am certainly capable of building a usable HTPC . But that is work...and in the end it would only save me $50 to $100. Sure it is for a device that is more versatile, but the revue does what I need it to do...and it was as easy as plugging in a lamp. I am not rich...but I am lazy so I am willing to spend a little more for no work.

I am not saying this is the be all end all of devices, and it is a bit over priced....but it works. The picture quality is good, the current services are adequate, and it is so simple to use and setup that seems like it will be nearly seamless for everyday use.
 
Verge said:
So if you can go HDMI in, and then it processes the signal, and has HDMI out
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It doesn't actually do anything with the signal other than overlay graphics. The most it does is do picture in a picture. It controls the cable box via an IR output. It is basically a pass through. In my opinion it does this so that you have a single device for cable tv and online content, you aren't switching back and forth.

It really feels like a device that is made for the technically challenged or the lazy (me!)
 
bearax said:
It will stream music via iTunes libraries but to the best of my knowledge it doesn't stream video or other from content from a NAS or media server. It will do the various online venues (netflix, amazonVoD, youtube, ect). So you would still need some sort of local media streaming device.

There are better and cheaper solutions, but I don't think they were THAT much better or cheaper. If I got a newer barebone box...for $200 I could get one who's hardware is much better than what the revue offers. I still have to get the keyboard so lets say I spend $50 and get a decent one. So I saved $50. More if I skimp on the barebone and keyboard...I still have to throw on an OS and set it up. It doesn't work as a universal remote though...so its is slightly less convenient.
I am certainly capable of building a usable HTPC . But that is work...and in the end it would only save me $50 to $100. Sure it is for a device that is more versatile, but the revue does what I need it to do...and it was as easy as plugging in a lamp. I am not rich...but I am lazy so I am willing to spend a little more for no work.

I am not saying this is the be all end all of devices, and it is a bit over priced....but it works. The picture quality is good, the current services are adequate, and it is so simple to use and setup that seems like it will be nearly seamless for everyday use.
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I wasn't trying to disagree with you, merely trying to point out how the hardware compares. It'd be pretty easy to match or exceed the hardware at a comparable price, but the "Convenience Factor" is hard to quantify. The fact that it has the overlay feature is really nifty, and would be really hard to duplicate. It definitely goes a big way into making the cross-over between internet and TV content very simple. That kind of integration is hard to do on an HTPC short of having a cablecard, which is a lot more pricey (though, from experience, worth it!) I agree that its probably worth it for a lot of people. I could see myself using something like this if I wasn't so awesome at technology ;)

As for the roku, perhaps a better comparison in some hardware terms would be the WDTV live, which will playback from local and networked sources in addition to those internet channels and only costs 100$ or less. You'd be getting the same functionality for 100$ as a 75$ roku and a 75$ network streamer. The closest real competitor will probably be the boxee box.
 
Activate: AMD said:
I wasn't trying to disagree with you, merely trying to point out how the hardware compares. It'd be pretty easy to match or exceed the hardware at a comparable price, but the "Convenience Factor" is hard to quantify.
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and I was just trying to explain that "Convenience Factor".....and justify my spending $300 on something I really don't need. :D
 
Many people seem to be commenting specifically on the hardware of the Google TV, that it's old and incapable. While it may be a choke point in the future, you have to see the real value add in the whole platform: the software. All the hardware included in it was previously avalaible, but there is no HTPC solution that tightly intergrates live TV, DVR recordings, internet search/function, and multiple online video sources (minus Hulu, sadly) into one unified box that also handles much of your universal/Harmony remote functions. No HTPC software solution tightly intergrates all this content all together. The major weakness software wise is the lack of network streaming, which should be coming soon.
One weakness I noted was no support for disc playback. Sony's Google TV device/TVs will have that, too. Almost all your media finally integrated.
Also, now that Google has established this common platform, apps will pour in. This is more than a multimedia integration box for your TV - it is TV-centric computing. This will do for the TV what smartphones did for mobile (cell phone) computing - and more. It allowed for more than just the basic functions of the cell phone, by opening up cell phone centric computing on a unified platform. Imagine Google voice on box, skype video chatting, and social gaming, along with all your media. It's a great idea, and its far more than just some modest hardware put together.

-darkmatter08
 
darkmatter08 said:
Many people seem to be commenting specifically on the hardware of the Google TV, that it's old and incapable. While it may be a choke point in the future, you have to see the real value add in the whole platform: the software. All the hardware included in it was previously avalaible, but there is no HTPC solution that tightly intergrates live TV, DVR recordings, internet search/function, and multiple online video sources (minus Hulu, sadly) into one unified box that also handles much of your universal/Harmony remote functions. No HTPC software solution tightly intergrates all this content all together. The major weakness software wise is the lack of network streaming, which should be coming soon.
One weakness I noted was no support for disc playback. Sony's Google TV device/TVs will have that, too. Almost all your media finally integrated.
Also, now that Google has established this common platform, apps will pour in. This is more than a multimedia integration box for your TV - it is TV-centric computing. This will do for the TV what smartphones did for mobile (cell phone) computing - and more. It allowed for more than just the basic functions of the cell phone, by opening up cell phone centric computing on a unified platform. Imagine Google voice on box, skype video chatting, and social gaming, along with all your media. It's a great idea, and its far more than just some modest hardware put together.

-darkmatter08
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Well considering that the thread specifically asks about the value of the product, you have to take a look at the hardware to figure out how valuable the Revue is since the software isn't available separately.

As far as Google TV being "revolutionary" in that it combines all your content, its really just evolutionary. An HTPC can combine all your content within a pretty slick interface. So far I have cable TV, DVD, BD, rips and re-encodes, netflix, hulu, browsing, music etc all together within 7MC. The real gain isnt the integration, but the opening up of the ecosystem to allow for app creation, which is definitely a source of frustration on 7MC. It seems like every app on 7MC is fighting Microsoft, rather than having a clear way to operate.
 
darkmatter08 said:
Also, now that Google has established this common platform, apps will pour in. This is more than a multimedia integration box for your TV - it is TV-centric computing. This will do for the TV what smartphones did for mobile (cell phone) computing - and more. It allowed for more than just the basic functions of the cell phone, by opening up cell phone centric computing on a unified platform. Imagine Google voice on box, skype video chatting, and social gaming, along with all your media. It's a great idea, and its far more than just some modest hardware put together.

-darkmatter08
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Apps won't pour in unless a lot of consumers have purchased the device. Consumers won't be purchasing the device as it is a significant cost and doesn't add value. Most consumers already have a STB from their MSO and a DVD player. Why would they need this box to watch crappy Youtube vids? Their DVD/BD player or TV already has Netflix access. What else does this offer? A search box for my TV?
 
danman said:
Apps won't pour in unless a lot of consumers have purchased the device. Consumers won't be purchasing the device as it is a significant cost and doesn't add value. Most consumers already have a STB from their MSO and a DVD player. Why would they need this box to watch crappy Youtube vids? Their DVD/BD player or TV already has Netflix access. What else does this offer? A search box for my TV?
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A good point. On top of that, I kind of fail to see the real appeal of having youtube on my TV. I mean, youtube is great for being a host to embedded videos and stuff, but as far as living room entertainment? Why would I want to just browse youtube and watch videos of 17 year old guys singing is baby voices like they got dropped on their heads as children when I could be watching a professionally produced and edited show right there instead? As much as people would love to cut the cable cord and save all that money, 99% of consumers aren't willing to get rid of cable and use all the other (mostly inferior) services instead, theres just too much that can't be adequately replaced. Global search is kind of interesting, but I think that theres a fundamental disconnect with that concept and the way the vast majority of consumers watch TV. They put the TV on and channel surf because its mindless. Just scroll around on the on-screen guide until something strikes their fancy. Most of the time you don't know what you want to watch before you turn on the TV. how are you going to benefit from having keyword search function if you don't have any keywords in mind?
 
Activate: AMD said:
Well considering that the thread specifically asks about the value of the product, you have to take a look at the hardware to figure out how valuable the Revue is since the software isn't available separately.

As far as Google TV being "revolutionary" in that it combines all your content, its really just evolutionary. An HTPC can combine all your content within a pretty slick interface. So far I have cable TV, DVD, BD, rips and re-encodes, netflix, hulu, browsing, music etc all together within 7MC. The real gain isnt the integration, but the opening up of the ecosystem to allow for app creation, which is definitely a source of frustration on 7MC. It seems like every app on 7MC is fighting Microsoft, rather than having a clear way to operate.
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When you talk about the value of a product, it includes its software, because Logitech is selling the WHOLE EXPERIENCE. The google TV platform is the key "value add" in this product, along with the HDMI in/out interface. This is the same model Apple follows - not just hardware, but selling its software as part of an experience. I'm not a big user or fan of apple products, but this analogy makes sense.

Sure, you may call it an evolution, but I'm really curious to what your setup is with WMC or whatever other software you are using (I've tried many) that integrates as well as Google TV does all this content.
 
darkmatter08 said:
When you talk about the value of a product, it includes its software, because Logitech is selling the WHOLE EXPERIENCE. The google TV platform is the key "value add" in this product, along with the HDMI in/out interface. This is the same model Apple follows - not just hardware, but selling its software as part of an experience. I'm not a big user or fan of apple products, but this analogy makes sense.

Sure, you may call it an evolution, but I'm really curious to what your setup is with WMC or whatever other software you are using (I've tried many) that integrates as well as Google TV does all this content.
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Yes I am familiar with the concept of "value add" and I agree, the software has to be considered. But, to ignore the hardware for the sake of the software is equally pointless. Your Apple analogy is excellent. Just like apple, I'm not willing to pay a crap ton extra for dated hardware just because it looks nice and has a slick interface. Unlike apple, its not outrageously priced for someone who has no need for more advanced features, but it still doesn't completely cut it for someone who needs a little extra power but doesn't want to switch to an HTPC. I just want to make it clear, At 300$ I don't think GTV is a bad value proposition, but its definitely not a killer one

My setup with WMC is an ATI cablecard tuner, media browser (media center master metadata), Hulu desktop integrated (some custom launcher script I found online), Macrotube plugin, kylo browser plugin and the normal WMC netflix integration. I use MPC-HC to bitstream audio for BD rips and have custom menus and themes. Almost everything can be controlled by my Harmony remote. Sure, it wasn't easy to do, which is where the GoogleTV comes in, but it does most of the same things. The only thing it can't do is play youtube videos or browse while having a PIP of whatever my cable is playing. In fact, thinking about it, I would prefer my setup to what GTV does, since media browser will organize my music, movies and TV episodes into groups that span multiple volumes, so I don't have to worry about having to search through various folders or even different computers on the network. I just go to "HD Movies", find what I want, and play. Right now GTV doesn't do that.
 
I like your setup, and it's similar to one of the many setups I tried out; However, as you admitted, it does not have the ease of use or setup of Google TV. Nor is it as smooth - launching MPC HC from WMC works, but its not as integrated: i.e. you can't just hit the back button and have it continue playing. It works, but not nearly as well as Google TV does (or will). I don't see why Google omitted network streaming/DLNA, but it will be an eventual key component of the OS, similar to how WMC took a revision to integrate media playback. And Google TV will integrate that too into its search interface - a jump above what just seeing "My Movies" in WMC.

But in your setup, you still can't say "I want to watch TV show x" and type that in, and aggregate all the sources of that content. Your method is unified into 1 box/system, but not into 1 "experience" - you switch between WMC, Hulu desktop, and MPC-HC. I've been looking for this 'grand unification' for quite some time, and while I agree that Google TV is not perfect - for example, I don't think it'll have as much format support as MPC HC or WD TV or popcorn hour, it is the best yet.

One exception to the apple analogy, however - apple products don't necessarily deliver new integration or features as Google TV/Revue does, but just a better user experience. Google TV is the first to have this level of tight integration across many media formats.

-darkmatter08
 
darkmatter08 said:
I like your setup, and it's similar to one of the many setups I tried out; However, as you admitted, it does not have the ease of use or setup of Google TV. Nor is it as smooth - launching MPC HC from WMC works, but its not as integrated: i.e. you can't just hit the back button and have it continue playing. It works, but not nearly as well as Google TV does (or will). I don't see why Google omitted network streaming/DLNA, but it will be an eventual key component of the OS, similar to how WMC took a revision to integrate media playback. And Google TV will integrate that too into its search interface - a jump above what just seeing "My Movies" in WMC.

But in your setup, you still can't say "I want to watch TV show x" and type that in, and aggregate all the sources of that content. Your method is unified into 1 box/system, but not into 1 "experience" - you switch between WMC, Hulu desktop, and MPC-HC. I've been looking for this 'grand unification' for quite some time, and while I agree that Google TV is not perfect - for example, I don't think it'll have as much format support as MPC HC or WD TV or popcorn hour, it is the best yet.

One exception to the apple analogy, however - apple products don't necessarily deliver new integration or features as Google TV/Revue does, but just a better user experience. Google TV is the first to have this level of tight integration across many media formats.

-darkmatter08
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Right, it is the first, but in my mind the leap is fairly small from what I've got to what the google TV does. All the content is present on my system, the software just needs to be slightly tighter. But its definitely a step of 1 step forward 2 step back for GoogleTV, for me at least, since the loss of the format support and upgradability outweighs a universal search feature. Plus, swapping back and forth among all the things in my setup in 7MC isn't as jarring as you seem to be implying. The only noticeable jump is when I swap to hulu, since its a totally different program and even that is controlled via remote. Even using MPC-HC isn't significant becuase it opens from media browser, can be controlled by remote, then 7MC returns upon its close. of course, no PiP support (but you'd be watching something on MPC-HC anyway so why use PiP?), but PiP is not a $300 feature... For everything within 7MC, cable tv or dvd's will keep playing in the background

Unfortunately, Microsoft seems very unwilling to open up 7MC to more plugins, so instead of being able to have an "official" hulu plugin, we have to rely on some bodge job thats basically hacked on. Its a shame because all they'd need to do is integrate some kind of "app" framework and 7MC would be a powerhouse. Its already got a large install base and the UI is very polished.


Edit: I just had a thought related to your point about universal search. Say you search for something like "family guy", you might get results for channels playing family guy, youtube video clips, family guy instant streaming on netflix etc etc.. I wonder what the content providers will think about all this. Their brands would basically be getting cut out of the picture, since you no longer care that its "netflix" or "TBS" or whatever, its just the content and the consumer is now provider agnostic. since there'd be many alternatives for the most popular content, consumers would be able to get away with paying for fewer premium services. Its good for us, but I wonder if we'll see any kind of negative effect on content providers
 
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darkmatter08 said:
I don't see why Google omitted network streaming/DLNA.-darkmatter08
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Do you mean it doesn't have the ability to stream from it or to it? The Revue played back video from my DLNA server. It didn't work with my .vob files though. So the format support is not great.

darkmatter08 said:
But in your setup, you still can't say "I want to watch TV show x" and type that in, and aggregate all the sources of that content. Your method is unified into 1 box/system, but not into 1 "experience" - you switch between WMC, Hulu desktop, and MPC-HC. I've been looking for this 'grand unification' for quite some time, and while I agree that Google TV is not perfect - for example, I don't think it'll have as much format support as MPC HC or WD TV or popcorn hour, it is the best yet.
-darkmatter08
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I had been waiting for the grand unification as well. This was the closest thing so far and I got sick of waiting. It's far from perfect. However android phones started out as also-ran phones and they have evolved pretty quickly to be a very nice phone. I think this first iteration, much like the G1 phone, will turn out to be too underpowered to run the future GoogleTV OS upgrades, but that is the price I will pay for being an early adopter. I think with the inclusion of apps built for the devices it will catch on pretty quickly...I hope!
 
Sorry, I had a slight understanding of google tv's media streaming capabilities as well. I thought that it had minimal support and it didn't show up in the search box, and it was a forthcoming feature. I now know that the format support is limited, but it works...

And to respond to the comment that we are cutting content providers out of the picture by only looking at content and not at the channel or service: The same comments were made about DVRs, especially "smart" DVRs that could automatically keep track one show across multiple channels and record the show from wherever it aired first. But that really hasn't negatively affected content provides in a signficant way.

-darkmatter08
 
darkmatter08 said:
And to respond to the comment that we are cutting content providers out of the picture by only looking at content and not at the channel or service: The same comments were made about DVRs, especially "smart" DVRs that could automatically keep track one show across multiple channels and record the show from wherever it aired first. But that really hasn't negatively affected content provides in a signficant way.

-darkmatter08
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That's because people pay for cable access. the money you pay for cable gets sent back to the content providers. If you cut out cable and just have inet for content then the content owners are getting cut out. Ads don't pay for shit.

The bottom line is that more people cut the cable cord and use the inet for content then inet prices will sky rocket to make up for it.
 
danman said:
That's because people pay for cable access. the money you pay for cable gets sent back to the content providers. If you cut out cable and just have inet for content then the content owners are getting cut out. Ads don't pay for shit.

The bottom line is that more people cut the cable cord and use the inet for content then inet prices will sky rocket to make up for it.
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Yea this was along the lines of what I was thinking. I don't see it really coming to pass though, since cable providers and networks will continue with the trend of blocking devices and putting up pay walls. Like i also said, this global search feature is great if you know what you want to watch, but for channel surfing it sucks. at least 80% of the time i watch TV I just put it on and find something interesting in the guide and its ok because its all professionally done. I don't think you'd get half as good an experience by trying to make it up browsing random youtube videos if you do wind up cutting the cable out.
 
That's how I am as well. I'm not looking to 'search' for content on my TV as I don't really know what I want to watch when I turn it on. I just scroll down the guide or check my recorded TV folder to see what's there.
 
I picked up the revue today and I am pretty impressed. I do not have cable so I was hoping to get this to work with my xbox 360 which I use as a media center extender. And it works very well. Pip works great. Searching live tv works great, it would be awesome if it could schedule recordings like the dish network dvr will be able to but as of now, it just brings up the guide for you.

Either way I was pretty surprised I got this working with the 360 and media center. Overall I really like the experience. I wish CBS, NBC, and ABC were not blocked. But it is still amazing how awesome this thing is.
 
I bought one today as well, pretty sweet device so far. The setup was a bit long (it wants a gmail account so we created a new dummy one, the patch update hung it and we had to power cycle, etc) but after that it was smooth sailing. Didn't need to use the IR blaster, and all the hardware just worked with my Comcast-issue STB.

We have a Netflix account and regular cable tv and cable (wireless to the Revue) internet. No HTPC or previous means of getting that on the tv. My wife really likes it too, so the Revue is a keeper.

While at bestbuy I played with the Sony version as well. More expensive and its a wacky playstation-style controller. No thanks, I'll stick with a nice light keyboard that I can actually type on.
 
Strikes me as a poor man's HTPC - nothing wrong with that I suppose. But I do resent there commericials a bit. The internet and TV together at last? One of the first things i did with my new HDTV was hook up in old PC to it.
 
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