Hardware
As we went over in our previous hardware tour of the Sony Internet TV Player the hardware is top notch which is what you would expect from Sony. Good build quality with plenty of power to run Google TV and your Blu-Ray movies. It is a bit on the heavy and wide side but it has a nice look that will fit right into your home entertainment system. The remote is good but the track pad is just not big enough to navigate the menu system well. The keyboard is nice but can feel weird when typing on it but does feel good in the hand and the remote is nice and compact. Overall good build quality from Sony
For full hardware tour with pictures check out Sony Internet TV Hardware Tour
Usage
The system performs nicely with the hardware. The controller will connect with most of your major components in your home entertainment system automatically but some will not like with TiVo where I had to do a search to find the proper IR codes to get it to work. While the controller will take most of the basic functionality and even a little bit more you still won’t be able to get rid of your other remotes as some things will not transfer over.
I didn’t experience any hang ups or slow downs with the software. The menu is very stock android with the Google TV interface over it. Simple to navigate but like with android on the phone some parts leave a lot left to be desired and hopefully with the Android Market in 2011 we will see the gaps get filled in.
For a full software overview check out Google TV Final Review
Overall
The Sony Internet TV player is a good start to the Google TV experience. The addition of a Blu-Ray player will appeal to those who like and want to combine devices. At the price that it is now its good for those looking for combined devices but you want to be sure that you understand that you are going to be an early adopter and you will need to wait for the opening of the Android Market to Google TV before you see its full potential
For all articles related to Google TV head over to BWOne.com/GoogleTV
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