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You may remember a certain little set top box called the Logitech Revue. Or maybe you don’t — and that’s kind of the point. The device from Logitech was early out of the gate introducing the world to Google TV. Unfortunately, nobody was lining up to buy them. Things got so bad for the company that they had to drop the price of the Revue from $300 down to $100. Even then, potential buyers were still hesitant.
So how does Logitech’s CEO Guerrino De Luca feel about the device? Well, in an Analyst Investor Day meeting, De Luca described the December 2010 launch as, “a mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature.” He also went on to say,
To make the long story short, we thought we had invented [sliced] bread and we just made them. [We made a commitment to] just build a lot because we expected everybody to line up for Christmas and buy these boxes [at] $300 […] that was a big mistake.
As far as the future of the Revue is concerned, I wouldn’t expect a sequel anytime soon. At least not from Logitech. De Luca told investors that he is ready to move on having “brought closure to the Logitech Revue saga,” with “no plans to introduce another box to replace Revue.” Logitech lost well over $100 million in the Revue fiasco.
So who’s to blame for the blunder? According to De Luca, it could be Google saying, “[We] executed a full scale launch with a beta product and it cost us dearly.” Logitech may have put too much faith in Google and while I think Google TV is still a great idea, I don’t know how many more manufacturers will be so quick to adopt with fear of pulling another “Logitech.” So sad. Let’s hope Ice Cream Sandwich can transform all of our devices into mini Google TV devices.
If they hadn’t tried to sell the damn things for $300, they wouldn’t have had so many issues with it. I absolutely love my Revue, but there’s no way I would ever even CONSIDER paying $300 for it.
My only issue is that it’s painfully slow even as a web browser. And it really bothers me that it can’t play back YouTube 720p smoothly. Drives me nuts actually.. =/
I’m hoping the update makes things snappier :)
An XBox costs 300 and it is a full blown game console and it plays Netflix and hulu plus. It also plays netflix in much higher def. If gtv didn’t get blocked by so many networks then we wouldn’t have noticed the overpricing. At $99 it’s fair deal even though Roku is 50-60. I honestly doubt that the Revue is higher quality at all. Having said all that I’m looking to buy a couple more because at $99 it’s not a bad deal .
Roku is cool but no internet browser or keyboard remote. =/
I agree. It’s an interesting idea but simply couldn’t compete at the price of an xbox or ps3 (which gives you one of the better blu-ray players on the market as well) and the price drop came far too late, well after the hype had died down and complaints came up.
I wish I could’ve gone with a google tv anyway, but with so much content being blocked there was no draw left. Instead I invested a bit more in building a htpc which while pricey, has all the muscle, content access, and software support I’ll need for quite some time.
While I don’t have a Revue, I have the Google TV. It had similar performance issues. But with the new update, those performance issues are gone. I was also upset about the networks blocking content from Google TV. But with the new update, you can change your user agent in the browser to be generic. That then allows me access to content that was previously blocked. Also regarding XBOX, you have to pay Microsoft a yearly fee to be able to access Netflix content, but not on Google TV. I have not had any issues with Netflix on Google TV. Perhaps that is only an issue on the Revue? While many say the initial release of Google TV was clunky and not as intuitive, my three year old daughter had no problems using it.
That’s fine if you like watching films with backing track of two noisy fans. Personally I like my lean back tv experience to be whisper quite as far as peripherals.
I assume then that your HTPC experience is based on living in a basememnt on a single room apartment.
Nothing stops you from keeping your hardware in a different room, or even on a different floor. My HTPC/Gaming PC stays in the basement while I enjoy media and gaming experience upstairs. It only costed me another $50 to buy long HDMI cables, couple of 15-feet USB cables I daisy-chained and some skills to pull it all behind the wall to my flat screen.
So to compensate for a product with a loud fan, a consumer needs to have a multi-level house, plus wiring between levels?
I DO have an HTPC, separate from my primary TV, but I find this post ridiculous – it is NOT too much to ask for a product that can handle heat in an efficient manner
After the part where you said the xbox was ‘much higher def’ I quit reading. LOL.
For just over $300, I got a refurbished quad core Win7 PC and put a tuner card in it for a media center. What were they thinking?
I bit the bullet and bought my Revue when it was $300. A month or two later they dropped it to $99 and I was furious. I think their $300 price killed it, and Google’s delay on releasing Honeycomb for GTV put the nail in the coffin. I still think it has potential if Google can get some partners. That and the fact that Honeycomb is out and hopefully there will be some development for it. I’d really love some type of app to record shows onto network attached storage :D
I bought one for $99 dollars but I would have to buy an additional $150 hdmi 25 foot cable to get the thing to work with my motorola cable box and home theater.(I have a conduit in the wall) The green screen kept coming on my t.v. saying I had a recording device attached. So i returned it.
If they’d actually UPDATE THE SOFTWARE and if Google actually put out some EFFORT, Google TV could be a massive hit. I love my Revue, but it seriously is time for a significant update. It’s essentially a dead device until Google updates it and takes Market live on it. I feel for Logitech.
Google TV: A for innovation, F- for effort.
Invest time into Google TV, please, Google. We’re behind you, as long as you’re behind your products. The limited few that did buy the Logitech Revue bought it with the hope of Android Market, and it’s been more than a year with no significant updates or reasons to buy the product, only a hope of an update in some distant hoped-for future.
It’s slow and a crappy web browser with sub par video quality. How is that googles fault? If it were even halfway decent everyone would be lining up just because its $100. It’s junk that’s why no one buys it.
Logitech will still make accessories and apps
I agree. WHERE THE FUCK IS THE GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING UPDATE???????????????????????????????????
Google TV needs to be implemented as part of the TV. That’s the first mistake, secondly I bet like honeycomb, google tv was a little early to the market. It’s a brilliant idea, but it needs more. The other thing is if it isn’t part of the TV, it should have other features to it, like bluray or something.
You know i disagree, i would so much rather buy it as a settopbox. That way i am not dependent on a TV for the Google part, but i can see why some people would want it in the TV itself too. Which is why Sony has ( had? ) a Google TV as well. As a set top box it is independent of the actual TV and i can move it, change tvs, or take it with me as a stand alone product.
But i do agree adding in a dvd/blueray player would be nice as well. One less product i would need.
I agree, I do not want GoogleTV and my TV combined.
Where I think Google could have really hit the mark (especially with Logitech), is making to so I could hide all my other devices (AV Receiver, BluRay, etc), & the Google TV acted as an IR Receiver/remote plus GTV… that would be great, and almost worth $200 (but still not $300)
Google TV will be a standard on Samsung TV’s next year, and Logitech will sadly be it’s stepping stone if they don’t design a new model with better hardware.
logitech is mostly responsible for the mistakes google just make apps available it’s a golden opportunity but logitech didn’t get it.
Golden opportunity? I hope for your sake you never start a business.
Just give me Honeycomb and stop bitching Logitech.
Reminded me of WebTv.. 0.0
By the time they dropped it to $100, it was clear that Google was already shifting towards an ARM based TV box, and you were just buying a soon to be obsolete product.
They can blame Google all they want but it was the pricing out of the gate that killed them. At the time they came out I really wanted one but couldn’t see spending $300 for it. I was able to go out and buy an e-machine with a similar form factor, more horse power and Windoz loaded for less than $300. Why would I pay more of something with less performance and basically a free OS? Just because it say Logitech on the side? At $99 I think it’s a good deal, hell even at $150 I think it would have been reasonable. No Logitech screw this one up by not building demand and market as fast as possible, and instead overpricing the thing, especially if you are trying to sell what is essentially a beta product. (Cough, Cough Motorola Xoom Cough.)
Everyone had some fault in it. Logitech priced it way too high. TV networks wrongfully blocked it. Intel put a chip in there with poor graphics performance. Google drug their feet and took forever to launch the market. All in all, you get a product most people just can’t tolerate, even at the reduced price of $99. Hopefully for the next generation of Google TV devices, the ARM chips run better, the market adds the much needed extra reason to buy, the devices are priced smarter, and TV networks start putting apps in the market and start accepting Google TV. If those things happen, Google TV has a chance but its pretty easy to see why the first run was a failure.
It really is a half assed product.
This is so like Logitech, good hardware but shitty drivers, software and almost no updates. I love my G19 keyboard with the LCD, the software and plugins could use massive overhaul.
As the owner of a Revue and a Sony Google TV, I can give you what problems I experienced. In my situation, I am a cord cutter. The only cable I have is my local stations in HD that are provided to me via coax. I have no set top box from my provider, etc. In that situation, the Revue did not integrate well and most of the features didn’t work. To make matters worse, most websites block GoogleTV. Now, with the Sony GoogleTV, I have that integration and love it. Basically my Revue was given to my kids to watch Netflix. And $300 is a lot of money for a Netflix players.
Another example of Googles ADHD acting up.
And the list of failed Google products because THEY DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE END USER AND ONLY ABOUT ADVERTISING REVENUE continues on.
Why all you fools continue to buy in this continuously failing ecosystem? Oh yeah because you think using an “open” platform makes you cool and free. Hint Hint: It doesn’t because it isn’t truly “open” and Google doesn’t give a SHIT about YOU. Just their pockets. Just like Apple. Just like Samsung, and just like any other tech company out there.
And yet another classic flip-flop of opinions. On this same board, many preached the superiority of GTV and how it was going to cement Android as the hub for entertainment.
The reality? No one bought it, the geeks made it way too difficult to use, and the entertainment houses gave it the middle-finger.
So funny to read how you guys scramble to the back of the room in the hopes no one notices the epic fail of your opinions.
$150 for a hdmi cable is pure anal rapage,
Newegg has a 50 feet one for 50 bucks or so with great review feed back lol
this is very interesting topic. ouch, no update for Google Tv like no update for android device.. Ahh its soo pain!
blame Google lol. I never once saw a commercial about this on TV or anywhere, and besides who even really knows about Google TV? I’m going to stay away from Logicrap for a few years if that’s how they run their business, what a fat load of ****