Google TV is still a flop

http://www.bgr.com/2012/02/29/google-tv-is-still-a-flop-report-claims/

by kemper • 14 years ago

6 10 14 years ago

bgr.com

VikingCoder• 14 years ago

Tint control is still a flop. I don't know anyone who threw away their old TV to buy a TV with tint control.

Accessing the internet on your TV isn't a "killer feature." It's a "nice to have."

Legion• 14 years ago

Nobody wanted a set-top box that just plays what all the other set-top boxes already offer.

And for the TVs with it built in, that's nice and all, but is old hat at this point. Plenty of manufacturers like Vizio have their own built-in software for accessing the same content providers.

ajross• 14 years ago

I think you have this backwards. What do people want then? I mean, my TiVo is getting old and it's time to look for a replacement. I'm looking around the field and as you point out, they're all pretty much the same. I want OTA TV capture and a reasonable interface to streaming content (currently using Netflix, but I'd be happy to jump ship).

It's a commodity market. No one cares about the UI[1], they want the content. So while I certainly agree that Google isn't going to get a huge win on this, they will certainly be a player.

[1] Though it has to not suck. I'd be very suspicious of a streaming app packaged with my TV. Google has a rather better track record of producing solid consumer software than, ahem, Vizio.

r00fus2• 14 years ago

Isn't Boxee's latest pivot (no longer available as software-only, support for Live TV) a big move in this direction?

herval2• 14 years ago

IMHO, the UI will play a huge role in whichever solution comes out and dominates the market. TVs are everywhere, yet most users find them hard to deal with (even switching inputs is "hard", let alone doing stuff such as recording content)...

politician• 14 years ago

And yet, I love my Sony Google TV.

tobiassp• 14 years ago

Soon enough it will be on all motorola set-top boxes. That part of the acquisition imho was more important than the mobile device manufacturing business.

ChuckMcM• 14 years ago

I'm not surprised by the numbers. Google and TV are not a good fit.

Primarily because the media companies hate Google at a really high level and very viscerally. Now I realize that is a strong statement to hold out as the primary reason but having seen and heard these guys (and generally they are always male) talk about Google at NAB I really find it hard to believe they would do anything to make it easier for Google and go out of their way to be, if not obstructionist, difficult to work with.

I do think that the 'TV on demand' model will win out over nominal 'live' TV streaming, but it will succeed because of the Hulus, Rokus, and Amazons of the world, not Google.

r00fus2• 14 years ago

> because of the Hulus, Rokus, and Amazons of the world, not Google

I agree with your sentiment, but it's Interesting that you left out Apple in this context - that is the biggest company that is both feared and loved by the media industry. Jobs was the largest single investor in Disney, due to Pixar. Apple also has incredible power over the music industry, and thus the fear.

I think Apple is more likely (in the long run) to shift the TV electronics market than Hulu, Roku, Netflix or Amazon. Regardless, Google is not even really on the scene compared to the other players.

herval2• 14 years ago

To some extent, AppleTV is ALSO still a flop...

Google TV is still a flop

Related Stories