Nexus TV

[lopri]

Google's latest attempt into our living rooms. This one looks more plausible than the previous ones.

http://techreport.com/news/25742/rumor-google-cooking-up-nexus-tv-box

In short, it sounds like the Nexus set-top-box will be an Android device capable of running both games and video streaming services. Users will be able to control it with their smartphones or tablets, and Engadget says the thing will be "aggressively priced" and intended as a "gaming box."

It sounds essentially like an Android stick in a box. Google wants to have a piece of pie before everyone buys into Smart TVs or Apple TVs. If this picks up, I can see in the future Play store a new section for TV-specialized apps. So there will be apps targeting phones, targeting tablets, and specializing in TVs.

This essentially kills Google TV and Chromecast, IMO. (Although I have to confess that I have no idea what Google TV does.) What do you think?

 

[bearxor]

Well, considering how well GoogleTV went over, I won't be holding my breath.

This is supposed to be a much more focused box though. If they open up the Play Store on it and allow you to download things like XBMC or Plex in addition to games with a BT controller, it will be killer.

And a severe missed opportunity for Apple, whom should have done this two years ago,

 

[lopri]

My question is, will TV manufacturers, Samsung/LG and Sony (Sony esp. w/ PlayStation business), will co-operate? Google may be able to bypass cable companies with this, but what if TV manufacturers started shipping their version of Androids with stronger hardware than what they ship now? Obvious aim of Google is to "seamless integration" between mobile devices and home entertainment - i.e. all your ads are belong to us - but will existing players give it up? There is so much $$ at stake even from outsider's (like me) point of view.

P.S. Ah, I've just learned that Intel gave up on its TV initiative. lol. Not at all surprising and not all all surprised that AT did not report on it.

 

[lopri]

It makes sense now why 4.4 ships with IR support, eh?

 

[poofyhairguy]

My question is, will TV manufacturers, Samsung/LG and Sony (Sony esp. w/ PlayStation business), will co-operate?

Or more importantly, content creators. The Chromecast has been purposefully gimped to keep the content providers happy.

I can't imagine Google is going to allow us to have a fully functional Android device that we can watch our mkvs and hacked Flash videos on. The content providers will flip.

Maybe eventually Google will give up trying to appease them, and just displace them by opening up their TV devices more. But until then anything Google does in the livingroom is yawn.

What Google needs to do is give me a damn Nexus smartwatch. I got $300 just waiting to blow on that early adopter device!

 

[lopri]

It's perhaps a trojan. XD Google disclaim any ambition on contents and play innocent saying it's simply to make TV smarter and extend phone/tablet screens to TVs for more immersive gaming experience. Sony and MS can go *** themselves. Wait until the wave gets big enough?

How much did MPAA learn from RIAA? lolol this stuff is getting hilarious.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I love my Chromecast, but I wish I didn't need a phone or PC to operate it. So I have gone back to use my Roku 3 or Apple TV more. I've avoided Google TV's because it seems like they are mostly abandoned by the manufactures. I've really been waiting for a Nexus TV, something designed by Google and would get Nexus type support. So happy to hear it's finally coming, though I think Google was strangely very slow at coming to this obvious decision.

 

[ponyo]

After owning Revue Google TV and Chromecast, I have very little faith in Google with anything TV. Meanwhile Apple has something great going on with AppleTV. AppleTV wasn't much of anything when it was first released but now has transformed into very capable box even without jailbreak. I would buy AppleTV3 if I didn't have JB AppleTV2. But nothing is going to make me give up my JB AppleTV2. That is the greatest device ever.

 

[s44]

Google needs to open their damned Chromecast before anything else.

 

[poofyhairguy]

It's perhaps a trojan. XD Google disclaim any ambition on contents and play innocent saying it's simply to make TV smarter and extend phone/tablet screens to TVs for more immersive gaming experience. Sony and MS can go *** themselves. Wait until the wave gets big enough?

How much did MPAA learn from RIAA? lolol this stuff is getting hilarious.

Great point. Maybe Google wants to do to TV and movies what Apple did to music.

I mean, the MPAA seems just as ridiculous as the RIAA- IE: you can watch our content on this screen, but not that one.

What forced the RIAA to allow iTunes was the iPod. That would be cool if this was the same thing.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Google needs to open their damned Chromecast before anything else.

Meh, the SoC in that thing is so weak that all of these pie-in-the-sky ideas people have (like it being a game console lol) simply won't work.

Put Nexus 2013-level guts in my TV's HDMI port and then the fun can start.

 

[s44]

Meh, the SoC in that thing is so weak that all of these pie-in-the-sky ideas people have (like it being a game console lol) simply won't work.

I don't want pie-in-the-sky.

I just want device mirroring (apparently in the actual Chromecast code now) and streaming from my server.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Meh, the SoC in that thing is so weak that all of these pie-in-the-sky ideas people have (like it being a game console lol) simply won't work.

Put Nexus 2013-level guts in my TV's HDMI port and then the fun can start.

I'd like to just see more streaming apps like Plex, Crunchyroll, TWiT TV and such, it should have no problem with that.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I just want device mirroring (apparently in the actual Chromecast code now) and streaming from my server.

I think that server streaming (aka a Plex app) should hopefully come soon, if Google allows it:

http://chromespot.com/2013/12/04/plex-chromecast/

I have little hope that the device mirroring won't be gimped to pieces though (aka only apps on a whitelist can mirror or something like that).

 

[s44]

I have little hope that the device mirroring won't be gimped to pieces though (aka only apps on a whitelist can mirror or something like that).

It will probably be like AllCast/HDMI, where certain apps can blacklist themselves from showing up on the big screen.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I'm still baffled by the weird crap content providers are doing. Like on the Apple TV it's okay to show some content on an iPad, but oh god no it can't be displayed on a TV for some reason? WHY?

 

[Commodus]

I can't help but think that this wouldn't fare as well as Apple TV (which is a modest success) or game consoles. The former already has lots of content, wireless video features and a low-ish price; a PS4 or Xbox One will do just about everything for a higher price. Google would have to find a way to combine a low price with a lot of features, all the while avoiding a rehash of Google TV.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I can't help but think that this wouldn't fare as well as Apple TV (which is a modest success) or game consoles. The former already has lots of content, wireless video features and a low-ish price; a PS4 or Xbox One will do just about everything for a higher price. Google would have to find a way to combine a low price with a lot of features, all the while avoiding a rehash of Google TV.

I think a killer feature Google has is YouTube.

The YouTube app on Apple TV is so horrible I don't even use it.
Roku 3 has no official YouTube app and the alternatives like YouTube channel is Plex are pretty bad too.

I'd buy a Nexus TV just to have a decent YouTube app on my TV.

And if this thing is really running something more like Android than Google TV and is open to much more apps, that is also a killer feature the Apple TV doesn't have. Apple TV has a growing number of approved channels, but it's still fairly limited.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

isnt a smarttv just a tv with android built in? how is this different

 

[lopri]

Indeed it is. But the picture is pretty messy as of now. TVs got something that looks awfully like Android built-in, so does a Blu-Ray player, so does a cable-box, so does a console.. More "smart" stuff are added along with Apple TV, Roku, Google TV, WDTV, Boxee, wtfwtfbbq.. per user. Evidently Google wants to show how to do it "right." :biggrin:

 

[lopri]

I'm still baffled by the weird crap content providers are doing. Like on the Apple TV it's okay to show some content on an iPad, but oh god no it can't be displayed on a TV for some reason? WHY?

I am not good at reading conspiracy theories but that one sounds easy: A TV can serve more people than an iPad? Content providers don't want you to invite your family/friends over for free-viewing. They are a total a-hole.

 

[s44]

I'm still baffled by the weird crap content providers are doing. Like on the Apple TV it's okay to show some content on an iPad, but oh god no it can't be displayed on a TV for some reason? WHY?

They want to support alternate screen viewing, not true cord-cutting.

 

[Bman123]

It would be nice if this worked. Wireless keyboard mouse and controller support. No paying $50 for angry birds on the ps4 and plants vs zombies on my big screen for free. Hell yeah

 

[Ravynmagi]

They want to support alternate screen viewing, not true cord-cutting.

I was thinking specifically of Amazon that won't let me watch their content on the Apple TV. Yet they allow me to watch it on the Roku 3. WTF?

 

[ponyo]

I was thinking specifically of Amazon that won't let me watch their content on the Apple TV. Yet they allow me to watch it on the Roku 3. WTF?

At least you can watch it using AirPlay. AirPlay solves lot of problem for AppleTV and is its killer feature. JB AppleTV will play Amazon Prime Streaming natively. At least it worked in the past when I had Amazon Prime subscription.