2011: 6 Predictions

A coworker (Lon Koenig, figure if I give him a mention...) and I were quickly discussion our predictions for 2011.  I thought to myself, why not see what I get wrong a year from now, so here it goes:

1.  Google TV will invade the living room.  Yeah, I know right now it is rough, and I know it has a long way to go.  I think Google will come out with their music streaming service and open up the market, in addition many manufacturers will get on board and build this platform into everything that moves.  There just is no competition right now.  Roku and Boxee doomed themselves by focusing on their own hardware.  Apple would never allow their software to be installed on any other hardware.  Microsoft while nice, pretty and functional goes the way of Apple and won't look past the Xbox360.  I think manufacturers are looking for a great platform, and Google is the only one offering anything on the radar (Yahoo doesn't count), in addition they are committed to building it up.

2.  Google buys DropBox.  This one is far fetched, but they have always gone after installed user bases, and boy does DropBox have their community in a nutshell.  If they don't do this they will beef up what you can do with Google Docs on the client side, but that isn't their typical nature.

3.  Your mom will get a Droid, so will the rest of your family.  Don't get me wrong, I think the iPhone is great, and very simple and probably more suited for this crowd.  But the marketing engine is pushing Android devices, and I don't see that ending with the soon influx of tablets and the sheer number of options available from different carriers.  Even with the iPhone getting in bed with other carriers I think it is probably still going to come out in Android's favor in 2011.

4.  Apple will have issues at the top.  No one man can replace the man at the helm, but with past health issues and continuous stress something has to break.  The man saved the company from the brink, and even though I assume he is a workaholic and is probably happiest doing what he does, he is still human.  Yes, I still regret not buying Apple stock when it was below $7/share in college, don't remind me.

5.  3D won't be the deciding factor on your next television.  Do I think 3D will be built into everything from here on out?  Yep.  Do I think anybody will care?  Nope.  It will go from marketing hype to a checkbox like "HDMI inputs".  I think in 2012 it will be forgotten unless some of the tech can allow for cheaper glasses (which it appears will be at CES), so I will hold my predictions for it's ultimate fate for next year (I still think nobody cares).

You can find Lon's predictions here.  I tend to agree, although I will add one to counter his.

6.  Apple will not allow all apps on Apple TV.  But might "let you" pick from a few they think they need to stay competitive.  Full iTunes app store access?  No way.  Well, something happens with #4 above, then expect an update about a week after that change.

Revue Review Part Deux

So for the first time in my life I won something with a retail value greater than something found in the quarter machines my 4 year old is obsessed with. I was one of the 10,000 people selected by Google to take the Logitech Revue for a spin (I am pretty sure they don't read my blog and see the bashing I gave it one step down, but then again I am pretty sure not many if any people read my blog).

I decided (by the coaching of my lovely bride) that if I was going to do this, I should just go 100% and see how it stacks up to my (now in a pile in the middle of my living room) Windows 7 Media Center. I am just going to boil this down to the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Intuitive: some people have said other wise, but I thought from hook up to navigation I felt like I didn't have to use my degree to get around. Once again I am comparing this to setting up a W7MC PC.

2. Potential: how can you list potential as a pro?, and list it so early? Well right away I see the promise when I see the "Gallery" app from my android so prominently displayed on the screen. It works the same way as on my phone, integrates with my Picasa account (which I still need to do a write up on), and is just a work of art on the big screen. Similarly the Netflix and Pandora apps just work and are easy to setup. I do have to say though the Pandora app has no where near the sex appeal as the Boxee variant, but this whole device suffers from that.

3. RF Keyboard and Android Remote App: Very well done, however the keyboard has a con, see below. Side Note - great IR blaster.

4. Integration with Google Reader: My "Queue" shows up in my Reader account, which means if I find an interesting Pod/VodCast I just add it to the mix through my browser from anywhere.

5. Browser:  It works really well with the keyboard, has flash support, and even "incognito" browsing if you so desire.

Cons:

1. No Apps: I am just going to say Google has at least stated this is coming. However, this has to be stated early since most of the following cons (sans keyboard issue) are related to a single app's failing, and there are already apps on the market available for my Android phone that resolve all of these issues, but I still have to list it as it sits now.

2. Sorting (app Logitech Media Player): Only alpha sorting, this is horrific for somebody like me that downloads a lot of their shows. I have to say though this failure is pretty common, I have had popcorn hours and wdtv's with this same issue, amazing something so simple being overlooked.

3. No SMB only DLNA (app Logitech Media Player): This was my first time using DLNA and it was horrific. My opinions about DLNA is it is a cheap work around to lazy manufactures for not just throwing in more support for codecs. I tried Windows 7 "Play On" and "Mezzmo" for the PC to get my content to this device. When transcoding kicked in I could hear my fans on the downstairs PC kick into high gear and the output on the TV upstairs was grainy and double compressed, not to mention audio sync issues. Google and Logitech say more format support is coming, but if it comes through DLNA forget it. An SMB browser is sadly needed.

4. Keyboard Backlight:  Or lack thereof.  Really Logitech?  Really?  This thing costs $300 and you can't backlight the keyboard?  Do you think most media viewing areas are well lit?  This one chapped my hide.

5.  Reliance on another "box":  Most of the features I am just not using in the Google TV because I don't have satellite (this has integration for Dish Network) or an external cable or even over the air tuner box.  I think they should have bundled in something for the price point, at least over the air.

New Setup:

So the final question, Mr. W7MC, what is in your rack now?  Well, I honestly don't know if I am going to go back to the a full fledged PC.  To get rid of con #3 I hooked up my WDTV Live, because it has a great SMB browser that plays all formats without transcoding.  For live TV browsing I moved my antenna up to my TV and ran the optical out it provides to my receiver.  I don't have a guide now, and I can't record live tv, but those were 2 items when you are mainly grabbing your shows from "other soruces" that aren't much of an issue.  It also turns out my TV has a better OTA tuner than my TV Tuner card in my PC had, so I get more stations (namely PBS Kids, so the toddler is happy).  Those 2 changes combined with the Google TV for Netflix and Pandora and a future app platform down the road are all I need.  I have my hopes I will again be able to retire the WDTV Live after a future firmware version.  We will have to see what Q1 of 2011 brings.

Side Note:  It wouldn't be impossible to pull off this switching nightmare and remain wife approved without a Logitech Harmony remote, if you don't own one, go buy one (link below to a cheapo entry level).  

Would I buy this device?  Nope.  A single WDTV Live Plus would do what I want and more.  I do think though at some point after apps are released that something like the Sony version with an integrated BluRay player is going to be veeery promising.

I will miss Windows 7 Media Center + Boxee for the sex appeal, but I am guessing not running that beast 24x7x365 is going to bring some savings to the power bill.

Revue Review

Logitech announced their Revue with Google TV today.  I can't get excited in the least with the information they presented.  The box itself is $299, upgraded remote is $129, living room video conferencing is another $149.  So for the "basic" full featured setup you are looking at $450.

On price alone (in typical Logitech fashion) the device can be eliminated.  For that price you can almost get a full featured Windows 7 Media Center setup going in your living room, or the Boxee box due out soon ($199).

After some digging on the Logitech site I discovered another gigantic failure:
Supported Media Formats
Notice MKV?  No?  Neither do I.  I am speechless on this one.  I guess I will wait for legit reviewers to get their hands on this one to pass full judgement.  I see lots of full HD formats, and I know MKV is just the wrapper for some of these, so this might just be a horrible typo.

Update:  MKV supported, discussed during Q&A
Live Engadget Feed

Do I want one of these?  Yes.  But this thing SCREAMS early adopter all over it.  I think I will wait for others to get their hands on the platform and see what they can do.

Oh yeah, no app store until 2011 either.

This is an amazing leap forward though and there are things I am very happy to see.  Once apps start flowing into this thing and the price comes down (i.e. somebody else makes one) I will be be lined up with cash in hand. I am praying for either a NHL or NFL app, then I could even kiss my antenna goodbye.

Final verdict:  Pass/Wait.

If you have the itch to buy something, here are some alternatives.  I personally have a WDTV Live and love the little guy.  I hear amazing things about the Roku box, and as always, the Apple hockey puck hits the price point a lot better than this device and will most likely have apps eventually.

Mucking About with Shaun the Sheep

So now that I have my media center setup I can focus on watching content, and I stumbled across one that will have everybody in the clan yellowing their shorts with hysterics.

Shaun the Sheep is from the maker of Wallace and Gromit (Nick Park) and is only aired on the BBC (from what I can tell), however, both are widely available on Netflix streaming or DVD.

The show has everything except the spoken word.  The characters have the best expressions and sounds from the flock's side stretching smile to the dog's eye rolling at the farmer's stupidity.  Most of these clips are short, 7 to 10 minute long so they fit perfect into a hectic night or that last pre-bedtime show for the little one.

I think my favorite character in the show aside from Shaun and Bitzer (the dog) is "the fat" sheep Shirly.  They use this character to achieve so many physics bending scenarios every time she shows up in the scene you don't know what is going to happen.  The next runner up goes to the hardcore heavy metal pigs on the other side of the fence, every show needs a common protagonist, the pigs do it with amazing brutality. 

I am not sure how the BBC continues to find and produce such great content (if you haven't seen The IT Crowd, do so, and I can't forget to mention Monty Python or Faulty Towers).  I would say it has to do with living in such a gloomy place you have to have a sense of humor, but I live in Minnesota and all we have produced is Louie Anderson (although he is hilarious also).

There is also a spin off show my 3 year old can't get enough of called Timmy Time (Timmy does show up in most Shaun episodes).  It basically expands on the barnyard animals, but of course they are attending pre-school and learning to share, be good sports, solve problems, and such.

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_the_Sheep

Official Site:

http://www.shaunthesheep.com/

Shameless Plug: