Logitech Revue is one of the most popular options out there for anyone who wants to add online multimedia streaming to their current HDTV. It uses the Google TV service: an interface that combines the Android operating system with Google Chrome and a range of multimedia services. But does Google TV really impress?
Logitech Revue Specs At A Glance
Average Price: $99.99
Size: 4.8 x 13.17 x 0.94
Connection: HDMI
Resolution: Up to 1080p
SD Card Slot: None
USB Ports: 2
Storage Space: None
Internet: Wi-Fi, Ethernet
Web Browser: Yes
Content Services
Netflix: Yes
Hulu: No
Amazon Video: Yes
YouTube: Yes
Logitech Revue: The Good
Price: When the Logitech Revue was first released, its price point put off a lot of potential buyers. Now that it’s just $100 – in line with competitors such as Roku and Apple TV – it’s much more accessible. This is a low price to pay for a device that’ll add so much more functionality to your current TV screen.
Design And Wireless Keyboard: The Logitech Revue features a stylishly simple design, and is small enough to sit in your living room without being noticed. What really impresses, however, is the remote control that comes with it. In fact, it’s not a remote but a fully-fledged keyboard that includes a trackpad for navigating the cursor around the TV screen.
The keyboard is something that you won’t usually find with a digital media device, but it really adds to what you can do with it. You can use it to type into the Google Chrome browser, send emails or update your Facebook status.
If you don’t fancy using a full keyboard, however, you can still use a smaller remote (sold separately) or turn your Android device into a controller.
Internet Streaming Functionality: The main selling point of the Logitech Revue is the range of internet options available through Google TV. Like its main competitors, it has a good range of streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand and YouTube. In fact, this is more than Apple TV has to offer.
Chrome Web Browser: Although this isn’t a fully-fledged version of the Google Chrome browser, it’s still a big bonus to have a proper web browser included at all. Even better, this web browser can play both Flash and HTML5 format videos, which means you can watch pretty much any online video (aside from the restrictions listed in the section below). Flash capability is something that you won’t find with Apple TV.
Share Content Across Devices: If you like to watch and store multimedia on many different devices, then you can use the Logitech Revue to stream from one device to another, without having to transfer any files or change the room you’re watching in.
Interface: The Google TV interface is easy to work your way around. The search bar lets you search through cable content and online videos to help you find exactly what you need, whether that’s a specific TV show or a video that teaches you how to cook a certain meal, by searching online and offline content at the same time. The menus all load quickly and it’s easy to understand what each feature is meant to do. While you’re browsing the Google TV options, you can still see the live TV running in the background which is a nice touch.
Google Apps: Although earlier users complained about the lack of apps on the Logitech Revue box, a new Google Android update means that users will now have access to a range of apps optimized to work with a television screen. Just like on your Android smartphone, you can browse the Android Market for apps that take your fancy. Some examples of apps include Pandora for streaming music, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon Streaming and more.
Logitech Revue: The Bad
Blocked Video Sites: In theory, having a web browser built into the Google TV menu means that you can navigate to popular video streaming sites and watch online video through the browser itself. Unfortunately, however, sites like Hulu and ABC have been blocking Google TV to prevent users from streaming in this way. Consider this if you regularly watch those services.
Should You Buy The Logitech Revue?
Although the Logitech Revue is well thought out, and the keyboard design makes it easy to use, Logitech have obviously seen problems selling their device, which explains why they dropped their price so significantly to around $100. At the new price point, it seems a lot more affordable and worth the money spent.
Many problems have also now been improved thanks to then newest Google Android update. There’s huge functionality when you take the large range of Google Apps into account, which is an excellent addition to the TV. Instead of going back and forth between your TV and PC, you can do it all from one convenient place. The only thing you need to remember is that many popular streaming sites are blocked. Check whether your favorite streaming site is accessible before choosing to buy the Logitech Revue box.
