Is convergence ready for prime time?
More than a decade after Windows 98 introduced us to WebTV, there are loud rumblings in the tech world about the resurgent interest in convergence. Remember convergence? It is the almost mythical integration of everything that’s good out there; television and the Internet, entertainment and interaction, video and live action, peanut butter and chocolate…okay, maybe not that last one.
In short, convergence is everything that your Home Theater PC (HTPC) offers now. If you’re not willing (or able) to build or buy your own HTPC, and you must have Hulu on your HDTV, then consider IETV aka Smart TV. With the current crop of boob tubes hoping to wow and impress you in a way that 3D TV hasn’t yet, manufacturers are increasingly offering in-set options. We’re talking Facebook and Twitter, people! Right there on the big screen! We're going to tell you all about the muddled minefield of IETV, the next big battle for your eyes, ears and wallets.
Acronyms and Background
As with any technology, there are acronyms galore in the world of smart TV. Here’s a quick list of some of them:
IETV – Internet enabled TV. Basically, a television with a wireless or Ethernet connection which allows some level of interaction with the Internet (Interaction here means two-way communication), also called ‘smart TV’.
IPTV – Internet Protocol TV. This is a system of streaming television content over broadband. This could be live TV or video on demand (VOD). IPTV requires a very fast connection in order to deliver television content as well as separate Internet content and/or VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) over the same wire. IPTV is popular in Europe and in some Asian countries, and in some areas of North America.
DLNA – Digital Living Network Alliance – Sony introduced this group in 2003 in an attempt to standardize the rapidly emerging technology which allows us to take and watch pictures, listen to music and see video. Most major manufacturers are onboard with DLNA, including LG, Samsung, Intel, Microsoft, and Verizon. Apple is not. DLNA devices are often easier to get along with, helping you avoid wonky, one-off devices that may or may not work once you get them home. Besides looking for the DLNA certification on technology that you are about to purchase, you can also certify your PC using the Media Share setup in Windows Media Player 11 or higher. Once you do that, all of your DLNA devices should be able to communicate and share with each other.
Android – OK, it’s not so much an acronym but it is everywhere these days. Although Android is generally known as a mobile OS, you can find it on some smart TVs as well. Android-based technology aims to give you the world at your fingertips, whether you’re walking down the street, sitting in a coffee shop or sprawled out on the couch at home.
The Great Divide – Browser or No Browser?
While IETVs or smart TVs may seem pretty confusing at first, it all comes down to one main difference: whether the technology (set top box, TV or console) has a browser or not. For less than $100.00, you can get some level of smartness for your television. For a bit more, you can get smartness and the freedom to surf the ‘net - without being locked into the confines of whatever apps or widgets some manufacturer thinks you’ll like.
Right now, only Sony and Logitech offer browsers. These two companies have taken the jump into smart TV earlier than anyone else by partnering with Google TV and, hopefully, this eagerness will pay off for their customers. Watching TV through a browser makes the whole TV/Internet experience better, in our opinion. Integrating the TV experience seamlessly with the web experience is what this whole thing is about, isn’t it?
We think that most of our readers would insist on Internet access and interaction with their smart appliance. Oddly enough, some manufacturers have decided that a browser isn’t required, that you really don’t want to see web pages on your family room wall. Time will tell if these guys have their fingers on the pulse of their buyers or if they’re just behind the times.
Widgets, Apps and Buttons
Before we get into the players for today’s smart TV game, we’ll explain how you get around the Internet if you don’t have a browser at your fingertips. Both types of smart devices offer similar navigation systems, whether you are able to extend your Internet activities with a browser or not. Surf to any manufacturer’s site and you’ll see that they all are utilizing buttons or icons whichtake you to the respective web page. Facebook and Twitter are fairly consistent offerings as is Netflix.
Beyond that, you’ll have choices like news, sports and entertainment buttons that instantly (more or less) connect you to other sites. Samsung, Sony, and LG have dozens of options that you can choose from once you bring them up on your TV screen with your remote. Each manufacturer handles the menu differently. (More details on that later.)
Aside from the buttons, which are essentially bookmarks, Android based devices will soon see the option to download apps, the same way you can on your Android-based handheld device. Pretty much any app that you can use on your Android phone should be available for your TV. Right now, armed with your Android phone, you can shoot images back and forth between devices as well as being able to control your smart TV with your Android based cell phone using the Harmony app. Ah, we’re sensing nirvana here, folks.
The Up-to-the-Minute Line-Up
Internet Enabled devices come and go in the blink of an eye, it seems. Here’s a list of the major players from bottom to top as of this moment. In a week or two, maybe a month, heck, maybe by the time you refresh this page, things may have changed dramatically. If you haven’t noticed, we’re avoiding Google TV for the moment, simply because of it’s current state of limbo with it and the networks. Farther down in this article we’ll give you the current status of Google TV.
Add-ons
Roku – Available in three versions, Roku is the only product that you can add to your current setup that’ll put you back less than $100.00. While Roku’s widget selection is rather limited, you still get a pretty good bang for your buck (without an official YouTube offering, unfortunately). Note: The Roku device will not play your own videos or music, just material from the Internet. Check our full review of the Ruku HD XR.
Apple TV – Tiny, cool looking, but basically useless as far as anything interactive goes, Apple’s sub-$100 Apple TV lets you watch movies, pics and videos (yes, including YouTube) on your current TV set. Heavily integrated with all of Apple’s other products (iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc), there’s even an app which allows you to stream or control everything from your handheld Apple product.
Boxee Box from D-Link – D-Link has shown up with a $200.00 oddly shaped box that streams Internet-based material to your current TV set. Netflix, Vudu, MLB and the NHL (and other sources) are available but not, at this writing, any networks. As with Google TV, the networks are blocking the box but, for all you HTPC users, they aren’t blocking the unboxed version that you can run on your PC. Here’s what we thought about the Boxee Box.
Logitech Revue – The Revue is equipped with Google Chrome as well as Google TV but, since Google TV is virtually useless at this point, you’ll have to figure out if a browser and some apps are worth the Revue’s $299.00 entry fee-since there are cheaper alternatives for pretty much everything the Revue does. The Revue is offered at a discounted price by Dish Network but a $4.00 monthly integration fee will apply. Dish is, so far, the only entertainment provider that has grasped the smart TV concept. Get the Revue review here.
Smart Blu-ray players – Right now, for under $150.00, you can get a Blu-ray player that is just about as smart as anything else on the market today. For example, Sony has the BDP-S370 which will stream NetFlix, YouTube, etc. as well as play your own material through your home network. Add the Blu-ray capability and we’d say you’ve got just about everything you need…except a browser. Samsung has the BD-C5500 for about the same price, complete with Samsung Apps which extend your entertainment possibilities dramatically.
A quick note: Check the specs before you buy. Do you need 5.1 sound? 3D? We’ve given you some basic ideas here, but there are a full range of options and prices out there .Let your needs and your wallet steer you in the right direction.
Game consoles – With a rudimentary browser, Blu-ray capability as well as all kinds of media sharing and game options, the Sony PS3 is a viable contender in the smart TV arena. Add to this the standard (and upgradable) hard drive and you will agree that Sony was ahead of the curve back in 2006. If you just use your PS3 for games, you’re missing out on a lot. Xbox 360 fans aren’t left out either – Microsoft’s game console can stream Netflix and ESPN, has Windows Media center capabilities and also offers downloads from its Zune marketplace.
Internet Enabled Televisions and What They're Offering
Most major television manufacturers now offer buyers at least a minimum of Internet connectivity. Some, such as Toshiba, eschew a browser completely while others; LG and Sony for instance, offer browsers only on certain models.
If you’re confused about who offers what, head over to Amazon and do a search for ‘smart tv’and start clicking on the different models of televisions. Almost every product has a video available which gives you the low down on what each one offers. The Amazon videos are short and informative, quickly giving you all the basic information you need. Once you get a feeling for each manufacturer’s offerings and, hopefully, having narrowed your search, then you can check out your favorite model on its own website
Remember, what you’re reading was current when it was written. Things change. Sony has just announced that the Opera mini browser will be available on some of its Bravia line. They also offer Google TV on another line of sets. If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into smart TVs, do your research online and in the store. Change is good but with smart TVs, it’s can get pretty confusing.
Here’s a rundown of what some manufacturers are offering at this moment.
Toshiba – With probably the leanest offerings as far as smartness goes, Toshiba offers two levels of access: NetTV, with the usual apps such as Facebook, twitter and Pandora, with either YouTube or NetFlix. Their more expensive models come with ‘Enhanced Net TV’ which includes YouTube and Netflix as well as Blockbuster. According to various reports, there is no browser in Toshiba’s future.
Vizio – A click of a button on the remote brings up the Internet icons across the bottom of the screen on the Vizio XVT series of smart televisions. You can keep an eye on whatever you are watching and scan the Internet icons at the same time. The remote also includes a slip-out QWERTY keyboard for updating your status on Facebook while you’re watching TV.
LG – LG uses something called Netcast to access its selection of Internet apps. A menu pops up, covering the whole screen, and you select which Internet portal you want. Text input on the screenis a bit tedious we think, and there is talk of a browser being available very soon. LG also offers the BD590 smart Blu-ray player equipped with a 250 gig HD for around $200.00.
Sony – Of all the manufacturers we looked at, Sony seems to have grasped the smart part of television better than anyone else. Sure, they are in limbo as far as Google TV goes but so is everyone else. What really won us over was the simple but very effective presentation on the website.
Except for the techno bubble sound in the background, the Sony flash presentation is head and shoulders above any other manufacturer’s information page. All of the features are explained plus Sony eases some of your stress by answering common questions about Internet TV, all on the same web page. Every other manufacturer basically gives you the runaround when you’re hunting for the details you need- as if they aren’t really sure of what they’re offering - but Sony puts it all out there for you on their sonystyle.com site.
Sony also offers a cool keypad/scroll/touchpad remote with their smart deviceswhich is the closest thing we’ve seen to a mouse/keyboard combo yet. You’d probably feel more comfortable using your thumbs to input text but it’s a lot better than waving a motion controller around in the air for your LOLs.
Add Google Chrome to all of this and you’ve got a pretty complete package. Once Google TV gets straightened out, if it ever does, Sony should jump to the head of the line with their nice array of products (and premium price tags).
Google TV – At this point in time, all of the major networks have blocked Google TV. Everything is on hold until Google works a deal of some sort with at least some of the biggies. This may take some time, as Google isn’t known for its finesse when it comes to dealing with partners, but at least Google has tried to master convergence. Sure, there have been some bumps in the road but the concept itself is very strong. Time will tell if Google TV will be a success. Not everything that Google touches turns to gold but we feel that Google might just have a winner with this one. In a year, we’ll know more about where this is all going.
In Our Wildest Dreams...What we’d like to see on our IETVs.
With enormous amounts of LCD or plasma real estate hanging on our walls, why are we limited in what we can choose to watch? PIP is great but why stop at two onscreen boxes? Any live sporting event that is streamed over the Internet begs for multiple feeds. Why not allow us to choose the camera we watch? Think of a center box with the normal feed in it surrounded by boxes with the feeds from the other cameras in them. That would give us ultimate control. We could check out the cheerleaders, for instance, or the fanatics in Philly, or the action on the line during a scrimmage simply by choosing which camera feed is shown in the center.
Anyone who reads this is a pretty intense computer user. We’re used to multiple screens, busy desktops and multi-tasking. Many of us aren’t content with just watching a movie or a TV show and taking a break during commercials to Facebook or twitter. We’re used to doing both at the same time. Add chat into that equation and we’re back to the HTPC concept. Or are we?
If a manufacturer can dish up a decent HD screen with a generic PC attached, something that would allow for some storage, BluRay and the new IETV interaction, the costs wouldn’t be high enough to drive customers away. We’re not talking about gaming or rendering HD video here, just some simple PC activities while we’re watching Modern Family. It ain’t rocket science!
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?
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