Sony takes Google TV Internet Player global
updated 06:20 am EDT, Mon June 25, 2012
Sony launches Google TV STB in international markets
Sony is launching its NSZ-GS7 set-top box internationally, putting it up for pre-order on in the UK and the US. The device is also slated for launch in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands later in the year. A version with an integrated Blu-ray player, the NSZ-GP9 is also expected to arrive around October.
The utility of Google TV in the US has thus far been significantly reduced due to some high profile third-party Internet-based content providers blocking the delivery fearing that Google would end up controlling how their content was sold and delivered. Google had mistakenly assumed that it could launch the original boxes with limited apps on the assumption that users could access the content. Instead, Fox, NBC, SyFy, ABC and CBS among others all blocked their sites from loading Google TV boxes. The most high-profile casualty was the Logitech Revue box, which the company labelled as being a ‘big mistake.’ At the time, it also called the software incomplete.
Unlike Logitech, Sony has a more vested interest in the success of Google TV as it can either help drive the adoption of its Internet-enabled TV sets, or also help to drive the sales of its Android smartphones. As the video embedded below highlights, the cross-platform integration offered by the Android OS is a major selling point for the company.
The NSZ-GS7 will retail for $200 when it lands on store shelves around July with pre-orders starting on July 9. The NSZ-GP9 will retail for $300 when it arrives sometime this October.
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Joined: Jul 2012
Love this device!
Sony sent me one of these to trial, and so far I've been very impressed. One of my favourite features is picture in picture. I have my cable TV connected through HDMI, which means I can watch cable and surf the web at the same time. I also love the Media Remote app which I added to my Android phone, which allows me to use it as a remote plus other cool features. It has a function called Catch and Throw, which allows me to bring up a website on my phone and press a button to throw it to the TV, or pull a site from the TV down to my phone. The standard remote is also awesome, with so many different ways to use it. It has the QWERTY keyboard on one side, and a standard remote and mousepad on the other. I've been impressed by how easy the Internet Player was, ready to go straight out of the box. Check out my short video review here: http://youtu.be/bUbw9BxNbE8