There is something special about the Google TV experience when you first use it. It kinda hits you when you are able to surf any website and use picture in picture mode with a TV show in the lower right portion of a full screen Chrome browser. Finally, a real Internet surfing experience on the TV.
The television itself represents something that I feel is Sony’s original goal years ago of making that truly networked device. It also has a great deal of software upgrade potential. The Sony Internet TV, powered by Google TV, runs on really nothing more than an incredible modification to Android – in fact, we spotted it was running a customized version of Android 2.1. Sony’s take on Google TV felt quite polished, but not bulletproof.
And then there’s that remote with nearly 100 buttons that we have to talk about.
First, we must say the Sony Internet TV is an eye-catcher at first glance. This display isn’t similar to anything Sony has released in the US market in recent memory. The design is almost tablet like in some ways, with a rounded black bezel in the front and a smooth, glossy white surface on the back. There is a unique 24″ (NSX-24GT1, $599) model and the standard 32″ (NSX-32GT1, $799), 40″ (NSX-40GT1, $999), and 46″ (NSX-46GT1, $1,399) sizes available. In our observations, the viewing experience is crisp and clear with great colors (Bravia Engine 2, or perhaps 3..we will clarify) in the larger models with Edge-Lit LED-LCD. The viewing experience reminded me of the EX600 series in some ways. I wouldn’t say the EX700, since that has 120hz, but I am still on the fence. Most people would be happy with the picture, I believe.
Take a look at our hands-on video with the Sony Internet TV, its remote, and surfing around, playing various flash (regular, HD) videos, using picture-in-picture (we like to call it TV-in-browser), some Apps, and more:
There are some reflective qualities in the LCD, but it wasn’t anything horrible. I think you can see the worst of it in our video, where the 24″ model easily reflects the high-intensity lighting in the SonyStyle store, which is rather unforgiving. I could only see the reflective ability being irritating in certain situations with the 24″ model, and as I said before I had a better experience with the larger Edge-Lit LED-LCD models that were mounted on the wall or at least away from so much angled lighting. The reason why I address this is because some people have said viewing angles are not that great with these models, but in actuality I think that problem only really exists with the 24″ version. CCFL LCD panels have traditionally lower viewing angles than Edge-Lit(or Backlit) LED-LCD panels. If viewing angle issues are a problem, then you may want to take a look at a 32″ or larger.
Regardless, this TV will look very nice in most situations.
Lets be realistic for a second – the display options have some quirks that may upset the high-end enthusiast. The 24″ is a 60hz CCFL LCD, and the other sizes are 60hz Edge-Lit LED/LCD panels. I watched football, HD clips and other content for a while and felt that it handled motion quite well. It’s not 120hz, but its very good 60hz. If the quality of the screen still doesn’t satisfy you, Sony actually makes an Internet TV box, a standalone device with rich connectivity priced (white with a cool flat black glossy top) at $399 that has the same Google TV software and hardware found in the Internet TV, but also has an integrated a Blu-ray Player.
The most powerful thing about the television is none of those things, though, but more or less the fact it has a 1.2GHz Intel CE4100 processor inside, 8GB of storage, Android 2.1, 802.11a/b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, four USB ports, a full version of Google Chrome with full Flash (10.1)/Java compatibility, and the ability to play great, smooth looking 1080p video. Speaker sound quality and loudness for the 32″ – 46″ models is better than average with 20W, but the 24″ model may not impress as much at 10W total output.
As for the Software, it feels very polished for its first version. Google had a while to figure everything out though – it runs a version of Android that is based off the software used in mobile phones and mostly easy to pick up if you have some sort of technical know-how. Applications include CNBC Real-Time, Gallery (which is a great Picasa interface, or can read from USB), Google Chrome, Help Guide, Media Player (which can also play content from one of the four USB ports on the TV), Napster, Twitter, Facebook, NBA Game Time, Netflix, On/Off Timer, Pandora, Qriocity, and Settings. I’m more than sure that an App Store of some kind is also on the way.
Once I learned how to get around on the remote, I couldn’t stop exploring and discovering more and more new things. I also began to realize the vast upgrade potential of this device. In fact, you can even check for updates. Here is the complete settings Menu in the Sony Internet TV. This may be a little boring to some people, but to others this demonstrates just how much effort went into the first version – we go over nearly ever setting. A very revealing video of the TV’s functionality, and a must-see for anyone truly interested:
I was slightly surprised there wasn’t more of a custom Sony feel to the UI, such as a skin or theme. Bring in some of the Sony Ericsson guys and have them make this look mint. The real Menu is white text merely on a black, semi-transparent background that is still dapper.
(click to enlarge)
The remote. There are a million things I could say about the remote. Before I start, I give the remote a nice long look in the video so please check that out. This is a really complex (IR) remote – there is a full QWERTY keyboard and 88 buttons. Typing went well in my tests, and I was able to gain speed as I kept using it. It’s somewhat like a weird hybrid of a PS3 controller, with two grooves for your hands in the back. Aside from two D-Pads, there are quite a few short-cut keys for things such as TV controls, Guide, DVR, Channel, Volume, etc, but the real action plays out when you hit the Home button (the Up button on the top right D-Pad). Unfortunately, the Home button is quite small on the remote and not really emphasized enough. There are also two buttons on the back of the device, like the L buttons on a PS3 controller. They control Zoom and a very handy Scroll feature, which is essential in surfing long websites.
Moving the cursor around is pretty cool, but not flawless. You simply run your finger over the D-Pad on the upper right. No joystick, just brush your hand in the direction you want to go. It wasn’t super accurate, and sometimes would stutter, but still better than average. I wonder what it would have been like with a joystick, though. The fact that the TV also has four USB ports makes me wonder what other options are available, such as a Logitech keyboard or whatnot. I liked the remote, and if I had to rate it I would give it a 7 out of 10. Needed improvements include button emphasis (larger, or different colors for the important stuff), joystick, etc.
As I said before, the real action begins in Home, where you can access Bookmarks, Applications, Spotlight, Most Visited, Queue, What’s On, and Sony Recommends. Here’s a little break-down of the not so obvious.
- Spotlight is major content partners like blip.tv, CNET, Crackle, HBO Go, NYT, The Onion, VEVO, YouTube Leanback, etc.
- Queue is quite interesting, it is actually reserved for Podcasts..of any kind, I’m pretty sure of as well.
- What’s On is the dynamic TV guide overlay with categories, search, etc shown off for Google TV. I know this works very well with Satellite, but I am not sure how well this integrates with cable. You can still access the Guide normally with cable, it just looks even better with certain providers.
There is a lot of regular and HD content to watch on the Sony Internet TV, not only from the included providers such as Netflix, Qriocity, etc, but because you can also stream media over your network with the built-in Wi-Fi. If that isn’t good enough, any website with Flash, Java, and other video (SD/HD) can be played in the Google Chrome browser (also in full screen). Flash games work too, and it even has Parental Controls.
This picture demonstrates another idea – the Internet TV has many uses, but is a great option for a family that wants to get kids learning tech quickly and have more control over the experience. How so? You can put the Internet TV in the family room. This could be a device that keeps families together after work and school by keeping kids from locking up in their own room or the office. And if your teen, tween, or younger is using the computer too much or you are unsure what they are doing on it, this could really help keep them a little more nearby. Maybe have a night where the family hangs out and surfs around.
The Sony Internet TV could be the perfect TV for the bedroom, because the aesthetics are great, the picture quality is more than satisfactory, also it also has many of the things you would want to check out on the computer. Could be perfect for those nights where you and your loved one are cuddling and want to surf around. Or, perhaps a lazy Saturday/Sunday morning and afternoon surfing and watching football games. Another cool use could simply be as a PC computer monitor. It has HDMI In, which many modern graphics cards support. You can also plug in a Blu-ray player, PS3, or other other device with the HDMI and Component inputs.
Could you potentially just have this, an Internet connection, and no TV service provider therefore shed the monthly bill? I think this is the closest Sony has come in successfully answering that riddle, but they have also created something that is an incredible compliment to those that do have cable or satellite service.
You can try out the Sony Internet TV at SonyStyle and other major electronic stores. It’s worth looking at.
