Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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Sony and Vizio reveal second-gen Google TV set-top boxes



Google TV hasn’t exactly been a runaway success so far. In November, Logitech CEO Guerrino De Luca said that the company’s decision to build the Revue was a huge mistake — and that the first version of Google TV simply didn’t revolutionize television the way the company thought it would. Things appear to be looking up for the platform at CES 2012, however. In addition to making the move to lower-cost ARM processors and signing new deals with Samsung and LG, new Google TV hardware is on display from two original partners: Sony and Vizio.
Sony is offering up two new devices: the NSZ-GS7 Network Media Player and NSZ-GP9 Blu-Ray player. This time around, Sony is offering a much more intelligently designed remote. Instead of the endless sea of buttons adorning previous controls, the new remote offers a touchpad on the front, a backlit full QWERTY keyboard on the back, and a 3-axis motion sensor — all of which makes for a greatly improved experience within apps. As is the case with nearly all of Sony’s connected devices, the NSZ-GS7 and NSZ-GS9 both play well with other Sony hardware and they’re compatible with Sony’s Android remote app.

Sony hasn’t gotten specific about pricing yet, but they are promising that both will be available to purchase by the middle of this year.
Vizio has also introduced a media player (the VAP430 Stream) and a Blu-Ray Player (the VBR 430). Like Sony’s hardware, the new Vizio boxes sport the latest Google TV software and they’re built to work with the company’s other devices. Vizio, too, is offering an improved remote control that features a touchpad and QWERTY to ease text input. Vizio’s latest do offer something that Sony’s don’t: support for Tehnicolor’s M-Go DRM tech, which will allow Vizio customers to stream first-run movies straight to their living rooms.

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