The next time you see Bill Gates on line at the supermarket, ask him and he'll tell you: There's a big difference between proclaiming your domination of the living room and actually doing it. Too many people too often think that the similarities between computers and consumer electronics gear--they use electricity! and now they both connect to the internet!--make them kindred to the point of fusion.
Case in point, the recent Google TV concept, which promises to do for the home theater what the fabled search-engine-cum-everything-else has done for the desktop/laptop/handheld crowd. Rachel Cericola gave us the lowdown on the first Google TV-branded piece of hardware, the Logitech Revue, and now Sony takes it a step further with the Sony Internet TV NSZ-GT1, a Blu-ray player combined with full Google TV functionality via custom hardware and software. The NSZ-GT1 is one part of the new Internet TV line from Sony, the rest of which consists of a selection of Google TV-enabled televisions.
The sizable, squarish, black-and-white NSZ-GT1 box arrives with the NSG-MR1 keypad, a two-fisted remote control which needs to be paired to this new set-top box as they both speak Bluetooth. As should be mandatory with all internet-ready devices, the remote features a full QWERTY keyboard, plus shoulder buttons to Scroll and Zoom, a right-thumb Optical Finger Sensor (OFS) for mouse-like pointer control, plus enough additional buttons to control the Blu-ray, a connected TV, DVR, etc.
During the setup process we we're given the chance to opt out of the default power-saving startup mode, which needs 30-40 seconds to wake up, and into the hungrier but less tedious instant-on mode. We can also maximize the size and position of the viewable image on the screen, along with the usual steps such as joining the wireless home network.
Of course, it's not just Google, it's Google TV, and we will note that one of the two rear-panel HDMI ports is designated "IN" for a high-def signal from a cable or satellite box. I was pleasantly surprised to discover an HDMI cable in the carton, a rarity in the consumer electronics world, but I did the math and realized that this box requires two cables to set up properly. Some of the setup process is auto-detected, but eventually I had to call DISH Network to authorize the integration with my ViP722 DVR. Using this specific DVR from DISH Network enables the full Google TV experience with the ability to view and search live TV listings as well as recordings currently stored on my DVR. The three different reps I spoke with were all incredibly patient, upbeat and helpful, but likely owing to the newness of it all, I spent longer on the phone than I would have liked.
Between the small amount of personal data I entered and the NSZ-GT1's internet-fueled smarts, Google TV was able to determine that DISH Network was my service provider, what was on and when. We are also invited "to enable the full Google TV experience" by connecting our set-top box directly to the NSZ-GT1 via Ethernet cable as well (not included). Audio and video are the stars, but data is a supporting player, too. Note: that this can also be accomplished by connecting both devices to your home network, and identifying the DVR to the Google TV box during set-up.
Using HDMI-CEC, and perhaps some of the Google TV API, I could now operate both my television and my tuner/DVR via the single supplied Sony remote, with dedicated buttons to access each. Also included is an IR Blaster to operate a home theater receiver, if so desired. Clearly a lot of thought went into both the hardware and software here.
Dropping the Google TV box in between my DISH tuner/DVR and my television does introduce an additional link in the video chain, and as such I did notice a very slight loss of detail on recorded programs versus direct connection to the display, and an equally slight introduction of video noise. In exchange though, Google TV brings its own detailed, up-to-the minute channel/program listing, some with illustrative thumbnail images. It looks and behaves quite differently from the DISH Guide but it does push provider-specific features such as DISH Cinema video-on-demand offerings. I can also shift back to the classic DISH remote control seamlessly at any time.
Moment of Wonder, and Then...
This is, after all, Google TV, and one of the big selling points of the device is the built-in Quick Search Box or "QSB," called up swiftly via a touch of the little magnifying glass button on the remote. What's important to remember here is that it is searching not only the web but all of the available TV options, in my case whatever my DISH receiver was capable of delivering. On my very short list of lingering gripes about DISH is the clunky search process, which takes too long and doesn't always yield the results that it should. The QSB method is not only thorough but lightning quick, further aided by a proper keyboard to spell out titles and such in a comfortable fashion.
Both live and upcoming TV programming is listed among the QSB results, as well as any matching recordings already filed on the DVR. Not included in the search is content stored in external USB hard drives attached to the DVR. We can also create bookmarks for favorite sites, our own most-visited are continually tallied automatically, and as we discover the Google TV groove, we can also set up shortcuts on the keypad remote.
Among the pre-installed apps are the usual suspects (Netflix, Pandora, Picasa), some less usual (CNBC Real-time, NBA Game Time and Qriocity VOD, Sony's new all-studio HD entertainment services platform), along with Twitter and the Google Chrome browser. Disc Player is tucked in here among the various apps, which struck me as strange since for some this will be considered a Blu-ray player first and everything else second. The device is Android-based and so we are promised the Android Market app store "soon." Even so, the versatility of the NSZ-GT1 was starting to imbue a bit of enthusiasm, especially once I developed a feel for the handy Dual View P-I-P mode, since this funky-looking box can already do so much. Good thing I have two eyes.
As part of my testing I also typed in the call letters "abc," and within the rapidly populated list of possible choices was ABC.com. Now, I've visited ABC.com in the past via laptop and desktop, as a convenient way to catch up on missed episodes of favorite shows, particularly the weekly serials like LOST where you dare not fall behind. The home page rendered itself a tad sluggishly before my eyes, with promises of recent installments of popular franchises. However, whenever I tried to view one of them, I received the error message that my OS/browser is not supported. This was a polite, technical brush-off to indicate that ABC.com is currently blocking access by Google TV users.
This frustration put me in mind of another rumored incompatibility, and so I navigated to the popular cross-channel TV viewing site, Hulu.com. Here too the arrival was innocent enough, but the attempt to view any actual content was met with failure, the blow softened (or not) with the carrot that "we are working hard to bring our Hulu Plus subscription service to Google TV!"
Since the very first days of Google TV, websites providing "premium" video content (i.e. for people who don't have the unlimited time for/interest in virals and bootleg cellphone-camera clips) have been actively blocking Google TV, and the roster appears to be growing. So a cooperative destination today might not be there tomorrow. Yes, we are aware of certain clever little workarounds, such as changing our User Agent value in the browser settings, but even these sneaky little tricks don't always work, particularly not for Hulu.
But if we're paying a significant sum of money for an HDMI-equipped living room box, shouldn't we expect a certain measure of elegance? Hasn't the very term "Google"--now a verb!--come to represent a type-it-and-go ease? It certainly does on the computer, with none of these restrictions, but they have failed to bring that same universality to the home theater. And I suspect it will get worse before it gets better.
I look upon this compromise much as I do the iPad's lack of Flash support, whereby we can easily access many video-laden websites but ultimately we can't watch anything there. I suppose that the big difference here is that Apple imposed the limitation upon their own device, but Google TV's limits are primarily being imposed by the content providers.
But It's Also a Blu-ray Player
When all else fails, don't forget that the NSZ-GT1 is also a Sony Blu-ray player. So how does it perform? The HQV Benchmark DVD fared well, starting its with fine lines clearly visible and a smooth transition from dark to light in the blue swatch on the Color Bars test. The big bar in the first Jaggies test appeared smooth at all points along the circle, while Jaggies 2 was a qualified "pass" with minor issues on pretty much all of the corners of the three short bars. And the Stars and Bars looked good in the Jaggies Flag clip, with acceptable detail in the background building as well.
The key portions of the Detail Test; the statue, the bridge, the stairs et. al., were all fine, although none really popped. In both the Noise Reduction and Motion Adaptive Noise Reduction sections, the images were satisfactorily clean and stable, although the closing shot of the lone tree is still prone to mosquito noise artifacts, and all of the skies are tainted with noise. The 3:2 Cadence Detection -- a measure of the player's ability to detect and properly handle film-based 24 frame/second material -- locked on quickly and the moiré did not return. Meanwhile Mixed 3:2 Film with Added Video Titles displayed crisp scrolling text in both horizontal and vertical crawls, with no stair-step problems in the background images. So my jaw didn't drop but neither did I shudder at DVD performance.
The HQV Benchmark Blu-ray had me worried as the SMPTE pattern in the Video Resolution Loss Test, and again later in the Film Resolution Loss Test, displayed thick horizontal banding in the corner boxes, which should offer up nothing but fine horizontal lines. The Film Resolution test also had issues with ill-behaved vertical lines in the pattern, sometimes quite severe. The subsequent Stadium test revealed a brief, faint moiré toward the right of the upper deck late in the camera move. It's important to note that these tests identify a weakness that is actually not all that important when watching most Blu-ray Discs (as they re encoded at 1080p/24 which does not engage this cadence detection) but it can lead to artifacts when watching live 1080i TV broadcasts through the box or those relatively few Blu-ray Discs encoded from 1080i/60 or 1080/30p masters.
The HD Noise Tests showed relatively high detail and low noise, and the three little bars and one big bar in the pair of Jaggies tests were all pleasingly smooth. So fine detail apparently poses more of a challenge than motion for the NSZ-GT1.
Disc loading speeds were strong, with the simple pre-BD-Java menus of a first-round Sony title like Underworld Evolution appearing in a quick 22 seconds, while the more complex Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl disc loaded past the spinning coins in 32 seconds.
Saw VI, a real patience-tester because of Lionsgate's cumbersome LG-Live feature set, loaded in a minute and five seconds, neither the best nor the worst time I've clocked for this tough platter and appreciably faster than some recent players.
Blade Runner is rendered in all its paradoxical 1982/future ugly splendor, which is impressive, while the player is also capable of unleashing Sleeping Beauty's requisite vibrancy and nuance. Some of the inherent noise remains in a difficult standard-def DVD like Gladiator, but the detail here is generally quite natural-looking.
Worth noting is that this Blu-ray player features Gracenote technology inside, accessing a vast entertainment database to recognize, eventually, quite a few of my DVDs and Blu-rays when slid into the slot-loading maw, some with cover art plastered across the screen. CDs too benefited from the matching artwork, along with the artist and track names displayed. This was a welcome surprise and puts some polish on the home entertainment experience.
My biggest gripe about the Blu-ray player portion is the remote, which is not intuitive for such a well-established routine as disc-watching. Some basic features even require us to press the Function ("Fn") key as part of a two-button command. A common duty such as ejecting a disc, for example, is carried out as Fn+0.
Turn-Ons:
Turn-Offs:
Final Thoughts
The shortcomings of Sony's NSZ-GT1 Internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player might not be apparent until it's hooked up and in use, and only when we are denied once too often will the disappointment sink in. Google should be an all-access pass, but the disparity between the realms of computer and CE are painfully apparent here. The Google TV platform will be easily, perhaps frequently upgraded in the future, so its best days may lie ahead, and players such as this may reap future benefits when content agreements are more firmly in place. In that case, I'll just wait and see.
Features and Specifications
Connectivity:
Manufacturer's Contact Details:
Sony Electronics Inc16530 Via EsprilloSan Diego, CA 92127Phone: 877-865-7669
Web: www.sony.com/SonyInternetTV
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