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The Plex Google TV app was updated yesterday, bringing a critical bug fix for myPlex Queue and Shares features according to a blog post by the developer. In addition to this Google TV specific fix, general patches were made to resolve a long-standing connection issue, a remote control issue, and several other items. Here is the full list of fixes from the Google Play page:
- FIX myPlex Queue and Shares again load properly.
- FIX smarter refresh Home page without manual reload.
- FIX connection issues where local connections would never be selected.
- FIX sometimes servers would be listed with name of sections.
- FIX remote controlled Androids can now resume in progress video.
- FIX when navigating to remote control Loading dialog never dissappears.
- FIX where network logging failed to work on some devices / in some cases.
- FIX a bunch of field reported crash conditions.
The latest version of the Plex for Google TV app can be found in the Google Play store, and in case you missed it be sure to check out our guide for watching Hulu Plus on Google TV using Plex.
Diamond Multimedia, more commonly known as a manufacturer of video cards and other multimedia devices, is entering the Internet-ready STB game with the AMP1000
The suggested MSRP is $120, but a mail-in rebate offer through the company’s Facebook page knocks the price down to $100 (although it does not appear to be listed yet on their promo page). The AMP1000 is available now from a variety of online retailers such as Amazon.com.
The Plex Google TV app has been updated to version 2.2.1.2, bringing support for Plex Remote controls via the iOS/Android app as well as a number of fixes and improvements. Some of the changes include:
- NEW Support for Plex Remote controls (using Plex for iOS/Android).
- NEW Network logging for troubleshooting.
- NEW Media Info displayed at top of screen when playback controls are visible.
- NEW performance page loading, image loading and less unnecessary reloading.
- FIX connection and reconnection logic to cope with failure to connect issues.
- FIX loading dialog was not being dismissed properly
The Plex app needs to be connected to a local computer running the Plex Meda Server in order to function properly. The Google TV app is available for $0.99 and can be purchased from the Google Play store.
Eurochannel, a world television channel focused on European culture and lifestyle through movies, series and other programs, is now available on Google TV via a new app available in the App Store. The Google TV-optimized app features a fully interactive channel guide and a search tool. A $7.99 monthly subscription will also unlock extra streaming content from a variety of the channels programming.
Gustavo Vainstein, President of Eurochannel, had the following to say on the subject:
“We are excited about this new way to deliver our content. Eurochannel will not only be available as a cable and satellite channel. This new option will definitely complement our offering, especially those people who don’t have easy access to cable or satellite subscriptions or who cannot switch to operator that carries our channel. Our current TV viewers will also now be able to enjoy Eurochannel on the go.”
There is also an Android-optimized version available in the Google Play Store.
[via RBR]
If controlling your Google TV device via its peripheral controller or your mobile device wasn’t enough for you, now you can do it from your web browser with Chromemote. As the name suggests, it’s a Chrome applicate that gives you both the functionality and the look and feel of the Google TV mobile app.
Google TV has expanded content to include a fresh batch of international channel-apps that can be accessed via the Android Market, however it hasn’t yet expanded to include international sales. While Google TV continues to only be available here in the US, the new international content, including Euronews, PPTV (chinese-language), IslamBox, Raaga (South Asian music), al-Jazeera, Yupp TV (Indian content), and Japan’s Crunchyroll, will collectively offer music, breaking news, live and on-demand shows, and cartoons from around the world.
Currently, the addition is being aimed at individuals who live in the US and are missing content from home. However, in keeping with an earlier announcement made at last years Edinburgh International Television Festival, a Google spokesperson has said that Google TV is “looking to roll out internationally through the course of 2012″. No word yet on specific release dates and locations, but we will keep you posted as more details will likely surface at Google I/O in June.
[via SlashGear and TechCrunch]
I was giddy with anticipation last week when my Google TV interrupted my regularly scheduled programming to inform me that a software update was available, and after a painless install that took roughly 3.5 minutes to complete without issue, my first act of Google TV 2.0 was to check out the Android Market. But alas, there wasn’t much to see.
Based on Google’s pre-Honeycomb call for app development, we knew that Android Market Apps for Google TV weren’t plentiful, but the slimness of the pickings is still a little shocking: of the roughly 50 choices (Were there really fifty? There seemed many fewer), I downloaded only a few of interest. Most unfortunate what that I was bummed to find that my classy fireplace really wasn’t that classy, after all (not to mention it freezes every few awkward, elevator-music and campfire crackle-filled seconds).
App developers, if you’re out there, please please please give a little love to Google TV.
After launching its music store just a few days ago, Google Music has rolled out a Google Music App for Google TV. The service, which is integrated with Google+ for social sharing, is also free to sign up for in the US and offers 13 million tracks from the archives of Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and EMI, as well as a number of indie labels. The app for Google TV allows you to stream from your library of music stored in the cloud and is integrated into the Google TV system such that you can set up playlists to act as a soundtrack of a photo slideshow. The app is available via the Android Market (assuming you’ve gotten the Honeycomb update) and requires enrollment in the service on your computer.
[via The Verge]
Hey everyone, remember a few weeks back when we speculated that Logitech may be pulling out of Google TV? Well, as it turns out, it looks like we were right. As stated by Logitech’s CEO Guerrino De Luca, Logitech is done with Google TV:
To make the long story short, we thought we had invented [sliced] bread and we just made them. [We made a commitment to] just build a lot because we expected everybody to line up for Christmas and buy these boxes [at] $300 [...] that was a big mistake.
While Logitech still undoubtedly hopes to unload their remaining stock of Revues with what may be a renewed wave of interest with the Honeycomb update, their work on Google TV is done. De Luca noted that while Google TV may have marketplace success in the future, he believed any notable success is still a long way off, and that Logitech will not be involved if and when that success occurs.
Logitech, which “executed a full scale launch with a beta product” (De Luca), lost $100 million dollars when consumer demand failed to (even remotely) meet expectations. It really must have hurt if they are swearing off Google TV forever, despite acknowledging that it may still have a significant future. If Logitech is out, should Google worry about losing Sony, which has also suffered significant losses as a result of low Google TV interest? Stay tuned to find out.
[via MacRumors]
With the coming of Google TV 2.0, giddiness over access to the Android App Market has left another key app-related feature unnoticed: Google TV users will be able to install non-market apps as well. This feature builds a space for creation and proliferation within separate app markets, as well as space in which other Android-powered copycat streaming devices that could compete with Google TV products.
In the GIGAOM article from which this is article is sourced, a comparison is drawn between the tablet market and the Google TV market, as tablets provide an easy to see example of a wide diversification of spin-off products which offer access to third-party app markets, but even without a tablet comparison its easy to see how similar Google TV copy-cats are already abundant in the streaming TV space: Boxee, Roku, Netgear, WD, Seagate and others all have options available to consumers. While it is likely that these impersonators don’t have access to the Android Market, it also seems likely that with time and interest, more and more apps will be optimized for these devices, or they may simply elect to go Android themselves.
Could this seemingly unchecked creative space for both product proliferation and app optimization eventually lead to competition for Google TV products? And more importantly, does Google TV have anything to fear?
Well, the good news is that Google has strict requirements for Google TV hardware makers: devices must support ARM chips, include plenty of RAM, and work with a cable box and a full QWERTY keyboard. Hence, it seems hard to believe that others will sneak to the forefront of innovation or customer need. However, if other contenders in the connected TV space go Android, grab enough apps and offer access to a separate app market, they could potentially steal some thunder.
The key will be to avoid too much fragmentation: multiple Android-based platforms could cause consumer confusion and apps that work on one platform and not another could lead to developer frustration. On the other hand, any device that gets consumers using Android over iOS could only help Google TV succeed. Besides, impersonation is the most sincere form of flattery, and competition breeds innovation.
[via GIGAOM]
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