What do you guys think?

Announcing Google TV

No.

It doesn't have tuner capability. It doesn't have DVR capability. It's basically a crApple TV killer. Anyone who knows anything knows how stupid that garbage was.

well you can watch live tv channels and record them. be it tuner based or internet based doesn't matter (but i think it's tuner + internet based). so essentially, yes, it's a media center killer. the killer feature for me: controlling it from another pc. browse for new apps that fit the media center, chose "install there (pointing to the media center", and done. my media center really just has a remote control, so installing/changing/updating anything is tedious. oh, and the "play to" like feature from google will be great, too. on a webpage you want to share? send to media center, so everyone can see it. found a funny video? send to media center to watch it big. in essense, i like the way they integrate it all together, and how they make it much better manageable and updateable.

I'm keeping a very close eye on this one. I have invested a lot of time and money in developing my 7MC HTPC, but on the other side of the coin I'm also a huge google fan. I think it would take years before Google TV matures enough for me to consider jumping ship though. So for the time being, I'm still tweaking my 7MC.

dzitran

I'm keeping a very close eye on this one. I have invested a lot of time and money in developing my 7MC HTPC, but on the other side of the coin I'm also a huge google fan. I think it would take years before Google TV matures enough for me to consider jumping ship though. So for the time being, I'm still tweaking my 7MC.

But what you can guarantee is, Google will release updates on a much MUCH more frequent occurance than Microsoft ever will, especially as MS have decided to keep Media Center updates tied to OS release! - stupid idea - sack whoever decided that one!!

The more competition the merrier as far as I am concerned - maybe it will be the kick up the ass that MS need to get a grip on reality and start listening more to what their users want... and providing it!  Dont get me wrong, I love Media Center but that doesnt mean I necessarily like what MS is (or isnt) doing to it.

And before anyone jumps on the 'politically-correct bang wagon' again, when I say MS I mean the company, not MS individuals!!  Also, whoever is on the PCBW, please fall off!

Rich

and actually, it allready allows more stuff than media center on win7 ever will (if they don't change plans) remote control from phone or pc, browsing the web. and allows about all you can do with media center (watch tv, record it. most likely dvd, video, music playback too.. even while not demoed per se) so actually, right now, microsoft allready is at at the catch-up position. which saddens me. oh, and they showed how you can allready f.e. right now buy music on your phone that directly downloads onto the media center. they can sure set up the same for video content till release. (or buy directly from the tv, of course)

@StumpyBloke: Agreed, competition is always better. I love what 7MC is and all that it has provided to the Media Center experience. Like you said, 7MC just needs to listen more to what their users want - which I think translates to giving the user more capabilities to customize their 7MC. I think this is their one *** in the armor, and definitely something Google TV will exploit.

Fundamentally, in **MY** opinion, Microsoft is an incredibly arrogant company who truly believe it knows exactly what its users want without actually listening or asking them.  History has shown on many occasion where MS has got it totally wrong and I feel very sorry for the guys and gals on the 'shop floor' who take the crap for decisions which are entirely out of their hands!  I know for a fact that some of them find it just as frustrating as we do.  The very sad fact is that this (Google TV) could be another nail in Media Centers coffin - MS has to get a grip and not let its (once) ground-breaking app go the same was at the Titanic!

Rich

Microsoft has an awesome product in Media Center (using it as primary TV device since 2004). They just underfund it and underdevelop it. Seriously, there doesn't need to be a large team for the long-term, just a "surge" of devs to make it even better. I'm talking transparent, ease-of-use stuff like (1) Whatever works on the MCPC will play on the extender  and (2) More developer support to hook into the MC engine in a secure, supported way.

one thing about google tv that media center will never get is actually the nice extender things: google tv "is an extender". an extender for all your other systems. there will be (allready announced) tv's with google tv integrated from the start. settop boxes (a.k.a. what the media center extender sort of is) with google tv for existing tvs, too. so google can right at start do a thing media center always failed: it can reach the actual ordinary home's media center: the tv. if microsoft doesn't catch up and deliver that right now, they allready lost. media center was an innovative creative product that never got a chance to grow.

Are you guys sure that this does all the same things as media center? It just seems like a way to integrate all your other peripheral's information into one screen. It's not actually replacing any peripherals. You still need the blu-ray player. You still need the TiVo. You now need the new TV with Google TV installed...? And the Logitech box to control them all. To me, it just looks like Internet on your TV, plus peripheral coordination. I still prefer having my HD DVR, my DVD library, my music, my bluray player all in one device. No A/V stack necessary. That's not to say that it doesn't have some neat things that I'd wish Microsoft would do- like a better phone app that works over wifi, a better search function, better internet tv experience, etc. But I just don't see this as the same type of device as Media Center.

well, most of all it's based on android, and thus very extendable. it can have apps, and thus WILL have apps for any form of media playback. and sure some versions will have a dvd/bluray drive. but it leaves all options open to fit into all different forms of setups. why should one who allready have a bluray player drop it and get a new one? and no, no need for tivo afaik. it has 100% of the tv functionality you get in media center. it sure has all the audio playback (+ more, as you can have allready now tons of music playback apps for different things, pandora always being named first), and all the video playback. what ELSE do you have in your media center, except for the disk playback. which sure will get supported.

It feels a little blasphemous to speak of Google TV here.

Regardless, Google TV is coming and it'd be interesting to see how MS will respond. From what I've been reading though, it seems Google TV is currently really after WMC Embedded market - seeing as how Google TV is going to be preinstalled on STBs and Sony TVs. Does anyone know if its going to be downloadable for Windows when its released this fall?

I guess not, as it's a full os. but you can sure install it on some intel atom system you have around (or put it into some vmware to test).

Ah, I wasn't aware that its its own OS. If thats the case, then I'm out. Even if all my current apps/plugins for 7MC will most likely be replaced some Android App, I doubt my PC games will port over. A downloadable/installable version of GTV might be a another angle to consider if they want to enter the market.