Dozens of journalists squeezed into a tiny space in Tribeca Wednesday to witness the launch of Google TV's first progeny: the Logitech Revue with Google TV.
The device aims to solve a difficult problem - bringing together all the content from the Web, local PCs, and TV on the home's biggest screen, the living room TV.
According to Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of products for Logitech, there has "never [been] one solution to bring this all together into one interface, because it's complicated."
Logitech's Google TV incarnation includes a set-top box, remote control/keyboard combination, and a variety of accessories, including a Webcam that'll enable video calling through the device. The keyboard remote control is roughly the size of a full-sized computer keyboard, but adds a touchpad and D-Pad, and fully integrates the Logitech harmony remote technology.
Logitech also unveiled a clamshell-style mini controller that fits in the palm of your hand. It also debuted free Android and iPhone apps that accept voice commands and can control the Revue box and share content directly from the phone to the Revue Google TV device.
Revue will, as promised by Google months ago, bring together the worlds of TV, the Web, and local content. The device is DLNA-compliant and can access music, photos, and videos stored on networked PCs. That content is also, as with everything else in the Google TV environment, searchable.
Perhaps the only surprise of the event was the introduction of video-calling through the Google TV-based device. Logitech has been in the Webcam market for decades and most recently delivered a variety of HD-quality Webcams for the PC.
Logitech Vid HD on Google TV comes pre-installed and works with an external 720p-capbablie Webcam that can be attached to the top of your HDTV. The Webcam also features a Carl Zeiss lens and two microphones. While Revue owners can call each other, any Mac or PC owner running the Logitech Vid HD app can also call Revue devices. Logitech execs said it's a "Plug and play solution." Revue owners can pan and zoom their own image via the remote control's D-Pad.
The Revue will ship with Flash 10.1 support, and version 5 of Google's Chrome browser. Chrome will update just like the dekstop-based browser. It doesn't include any special technology to, say, block pop-ups or protect the user beyond what you'll find in the current version of Chome. Google executives explained that the only difference between the Revue Google TV Chrome browser and the PC's Chrome is that there is less "Chrome" on the Revue browser.
The Revue will come pre-loaded with a variety of apps from, among others, Twitter, Netflix, and Pandora. No Hulu for now, though Logitech executives said Google and Hulu are in talks.
The Revue box and keyboard will list for $299.99. The keyboard alone will cost $99.99 and the mini remote will list for $129.99. The HDTV camera will go on sale for $149.99.
All devices are available for pre-order now on Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and Logitech.com. Consumers who pre-order a Revue should receive it by month's end, executives said.
Meanwhile, partner Dish Networks, has built the Revue technology in its latest DVR so it can work with the Logitech Revue set-top box. It will not work with, say, a Sony Google TV. The Revue-ready Dish network DVR's ($179) should be ready by the end of this month. Current Dish boxes should be able to accept software upgrades that allow the same pairing.