CES 2011: TVs at CES 2011 Sony Google TV

Sony’s Google TV is probably the most faithful attempt at integrating web searching into a TV we’ve seen at this year’s CES. In terms of search it feels far more like a traditional web experience, rather than being a TV bundled together with web access. However, the current lack of an app store, and ability to integrate with a home media library makes it feel a step-behind Samsung’s Smart TV.

Most new internet TVs at CES 2011 have full web browsing capabilities, but traditional remotes and virtual on-screen keyboards can make entering text and navigating web pages a bit of a chore. Sony Google TV goes one better by bundling in a real remote control keypad. It could be a real selling point for would-be web surfers, but may not be the best option for just using as a regular TV remote. 

Sony Google TV first look video review

Searching on Sony Google TV

Though the keypad is very small, and some of the keys are awkwardly placed, it’s actually far easier to use than many of the alternative virtual on-screen keyboards favoured by rival manufacturers. Shaped like an X-box controller the keypad is comfortable to hold and makes it easy to enter text.

The on-screen cursor can be controlled via either a directional keypad or an ‘optical finger sensor’. It can feel a little fiddly but it makes web pages relatively simple to navigate. The browser supports flash (allowing you to play video on many websites), and a neat picture-in-picture feature lets you watch TV whilst viewing web pages on the big screen. The in-picture box can be moved around the screen and re-sized, which is a great help if it happens to be obscuring something you’d really rather see.

When not in the browser, on first impressions the Google TV menu system is clean, simple and fairly straightforward to navigate.

Google TV drawbacks

On the downside Sony hasn’t included any DLNA connectivity, so it’s not possible to integrate the internet functionality and soon to come app store with your own home media network (as Samsung has so impressively done on its Smart TV hub).

It doesn’t have access to an app store either, though Sony tells us that the Android store should be added at some point in 2011.

Other Google TV options

The Sony Google TV isn’t the only way to access the web through a TV using the Google interface. Sony also has a Blu-ray player with the Google TV browser built-in, and the Logitech Revue is a Google TV-powered set-top box. There’s no news on UK availability or prices yet, but in the US the Sony Google TV is available in a range of sizes: 24-, 32-, 40- and 46-inches.

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