Hope Logitech Makes an AndroidTV Device; I'm Not Sold on the Nexus Player

by descoladoj

Long-time GoogleTV user here...I'm seriously hoping by CES 2015 Logitech releases an AndroidTV standalone set top box similar to the Revue, with supported HDMI Pass-Through.

As GoogleTV set top boxes go...the Revue was a game changer, and one of the best devices released (their keyboard is the single best mini keyboard I've ever used). Unfortunately, Logitech lost a lot of money on this device, so I'd wager they would be wary to re-enter the Android set top box ecosystem.

With that said, my Logitech Revue isn't getting any younger and I fear one day will fail to boot.

I nearly jumped on the Nexus Player...but the lack of ethernet support (c'mon Asus) and HDMI Pass-Through leaves me waiting patiently for a superior alternative.

s1ncere

I highly doubt logitech will make anything Android TV related. They publicly pulled out of this market, shut down the division and took losses in the $250m range if I remember correctly.

horrorslice

The Logitech Revue was also more the 2x the price of Nexus TV. I ordered it as a Roku replacement since it fits all my needs. However, I do agree Ethernet would be nice, and hopefully more manufacturers come out with higher end devices for people like yourself.

Edit: it's also possible otg will work for Ethernet. I'm sure people will test it.

wookiepedia

All I can say is that I won't be buying whatever AndroidTV box Sony comes out with. I feel so abandoned. Fortunately, it still works, for now.

speedyg0nz

I also doubt Logitech would make a return to this area. Even if they do, they may choose to sell compatible controllers initially (e.g. gamepads or stick type remotes) to test the market before launching into it full throttle. Sony, on the other hand, has committed to TV sets with Android TV built-in, so it's not surprising if they come up with a companion device for TVs with Android TV built-in.

However, I'm betting on the Chinese companies to make a splash in this area. Companies like Xiaomi already have the MiBox and are able to sell it at scale and extremely cheaply. Hopefully Hugo Barra can convince the company to adopt Android TV instead of their own implementation. Let's face it, people aren't willing to pay that much for a gateway device to access paid content. This is why Google's Chromecast and Amazon's FireTV and FireStick are doing well.

anidrin

One thing not discussed during the keynote, but during the developer panel was that they are working closely with HDHomerun devices to get antenna, QAM cable and cable card access to the nexus player via these devices and it's iptv services. It's on the YouTube channel for the i/o. It's another device to purchase, but it also enables you to watch TV channels on mobile devices and computers as well.

niuguy

You're asking for something that isn't Android TV.