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Logitech Revue + Keyboard $99 + $17 Shipping from Amazon, Previously Priced at $299 + Shipping

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The price of Revue has dropped to $99 and they are expecting to have an updated Honeycomb 3.1 firmware soon for this model. The review is however mixed and was base on the original price of $299. It is an interesting device none the less and will await what the Android community could do with it to improve it functionality further with hope that it could play mkv video.

Spec:
http://www.googletvforum.org/forum/google-tv-hardware-discus…

Intel Atom CE4150 1.2 GHz processor, with a 400 MHz GPU
Gigabyte GA-SBKAN2 motherboard
Samsung K9F8G08U0M 1 GB NAND Flash (Single Level Cell) Datasheet Mirror
Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR 4 GB NAND Flash (Multiple Level Cell) Datasheet
Silicon Image Sil9135 HDMI 1.3 Receiver Chip Information Datasheet from TI
Nanya NT5CB128M8CN-CG 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 Gb X 8) Datasheet
Realtek Semiconductor RTL8201N 10/100M PHYceiver Datasheet
Microchip PIC24FJ64GA004-I/PT 16-bit microcontroller Datasheet
Phison S2251-50 USB to Flash Controller (Datasheet not available to end users according to manufacture)

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.

Related Stores

Amazon US
Amazon US

closed Comments

  • I ordered a couple direct from Logitech, but using a shipping company. Didn't realise Amazon were shipping these to Australia, no discount getting multiples shipped from Amazon either as per usual.

    • A couple? Not sure whether we in Australia getting the same feature and service as USA. I guess it is the same as it is via internet connection.

      • Yeah, few mates wanted to try them.. I was only going to get 2 for myself as test units and for app testing once it's updated and there's a market available.

        I think with the price drop, more devs are going to get a hold of these units and we're going to see a lot more innovation in this space, also honeycomb was unofficially leaked yesterday for this, buggy but it's alive!

  • +1

    So what exactly is this device? Will it play standard videos from network shares & from a USB host. What video codecs are currently supported? Are the US based TV and movie channels region aware? No doubt most of the content will be blocked for Aussies

    • In its current state it's more or less a full featured netbook, that's missing all your apps and has a fancy interface. Once it gets more developer support and some updates we'll see all sorts of features, basically turning your TV into an easy to use computer with a great interface all for $99.

      It does support most formats currently, for anything else you can use DLNA.

      Does have 2 USB ports & Wireless for streaming.

      I haven't tested it yet, so I'm not sure how it goes in Australia but with the the already available features and much much more promised before the end of the year, it's a steal of a product imo.

      • +3

        http://wdtvhd.com/index.php?showtopic=24767

        This review was scathing on the GoogleTV/Revue saying that codec support was hopeless. It was posted on a WDTV forum so maybe it's a bit biased. My main concern is that it can support XviD and MP3 formats at the very least and hopefully h.264 in MKV and various other containers at a later date.

        How has your experience been with codec playback?

        http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Revue/Codecs/td-p/497680/page/…

        People still complaining about lack of codec support. Think I'll be giving it a miss based on that

    • yes most US channel is region aware and will not play in australia, so pretty much most of the channel on google tv, u will find it of no use. Only way to get around it is have a US vpn account and route through it, but then again performance will be super slow fro streaming HD content

      but specs wise its quite cheap

  • there are some issues for playing mkv!

  • -1

    I have a Logitech mouse it works well. But never used its keyboard. My using one makes too loud voice when tpying. Anyone knows if this keyboard is quielt or not. Thanks in advance!

  • +2

    good price (especially since we can get it directly. problem is I have no use for it :(

    I don't see why I should get this when I have a HTPC

    • Once it actually gets some support, you'll no doubt want to throw away your HTPC, as this little box will do most things better then your HTPC.

      This is all granted we see more support and some actual movement in the development for apps. After all it's just Android with a TV friendly interface.

      • +1

        Throw away a HTPC for this you are joking right?

        Let me know when this thing supports 4 tuners, runs mediabrowser and supports all codecs including playback of DTS-MA and True-HD and I may consider it.

  • Does this come with a US-only power adaptor, or a universal one?

    Any reason this is better than a WD TV Live available locally for ~$100?

    • WDTV Live (esp. with custom firmware) is pretty nice - bitTorrent support, Web server etc… Logitech Revue has Intel Atom processor inside, wireless N (single band)… and you get a wireless keyboard + touch pad, which will make Web surfing easier. It also has HDMI pass through (though the IR blaster software seems to have issue - not sure).

      Android 3.1 update is what people have been waiting for. Hopefully, it will open up Android Market - which means you can run some Android apps. Current firmware has issues.

    • +1

      Most probably a US plug, but you can get a converter for like 2 dollars or just do what I do everytime I get something from the states and bend the pins.

      • +1

        I think the power adaptor has 2 parts. One part is a 2 pin wire cable (can find the AU version easily), the other one is the main adaptor (which should be universal 110/240V). Or, like you said, get a converter or bend the pins.

  • It is a toy and for $116 USD (which is around $113 AUD from memory), you get a media player and a wireless keyboard + touch pad.

    Android 3.1 upgrade for it is suppose to come (Summer 2011 in US is the schedule) - which could make this the cheapest Android Honeycomb device.

    One of my mates have 2 HTPC setup already… and he still wants one - as a toy.

    • Honeycomb beta was released yesterday.
      http://www.androidcentral.com/honeycomb-beta-logitech-revue-…

      Your mate sounds a lot like me. LOL!

    • Does the wireless keyboard work only with the Revue or can I use it for PC?

      • I am hoping it will work for PC (though you need the Logitech universal 2.4Ghz USB receiver dongle). It is one of the main reasons for getting it. The keyboard alone could nearly justify the $99 - if it works on PC.

      • It's a USB RF device, which can be soldered off the board apparently, bit of work. Or you could just buy a Unified Logitech receiver as mentioned above and then it'd work with any computer you wish.

  • I was pumped to hear of the price drop to $99, since I've been using fixplay a lot lately and hooking up my laptop to the tv is a pain. Then I realised fixplay uses silverlight, and AFAIK, there is no way of playing silverlight content on android right now. Even after Google Tv gets Android Market access.

    If someone can tell me I'm wrong I'll buy one in anticipation of the official 3.1 release!

    • Just don't use anything that needs silverlight. It sucks.

    • fixplay has a flash version as well AFAIK, as it does work on linux, which does not have silverlight DRM

  • When the Android upgrade comes I'll consider it. Given that Logitech have reduced the RRP to $99 and not just as a special then I don't see the rush.

  • -4

    i am sure Amazon doesnt ship electronics to Australia

    • +2

      Incorrect.

    • +3

      they do ship some electronics like the Asus EEE transformer and this

    • I thought that too mate, apparently not any more.

      It's definitely a recent change as it seems a lot more things are getting international shipping from them.

    • +1

      I am sure that you are wrong

  • Got one of these yesterday

    • As in ordered or actually received, if in hand then what are your thoughts? and have you tried playing mkvs on it ?

  • +1

    Just ordered. Consider that arrival date is Aug 24 - Sep 7th (I'm in Sydney Metro btw) and by that time, a lot of good things might have happened to the 3.1 update. Also, in case anyone was wondering, the price, at the current exchange rate for me came:

    Order Total: AUD 111.68 (inc delivery)

    bargain!

  • According to MacRumors (http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/28/logitech-slashes-google-…)

    Logitech Revue is now below cost at $99. So it's a real BARGAIN guys. Great find OP for cheap shipping cost, I tried B&H photo video which cost me $50 for shipping.

  • +1

    This is something I'd normally be ALL over, but every way I look at it, it just screams TOY, not gadget, not useful. "Worth it for the keyboard alone", then it can join the ranks of all the other options (I already have/tried/failed). When it drops price THAT much, and we still don't really know WTH it's even meant to be/do… I'm steering away from it. Sorry to say, but it's looking too much like FAIL, and I've already gambled enough on tech this year. "Oh, but it'll get good!" Well, I'll buy it then. The price isn't going up, that's for sure. If it's still alive in 12mths, it'll be the same price or cheaper.

  • +1

    This is the spec.

    Intel Atom CE4150 1.2 GHz processor, with a 400 MHz GPU
    Gigabyte GA-SBKAN2 motherboard
    Samsung K9F8G08U0M 1 GB NAND Flash (Single Level Cell) Datasheet Mirror
    Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR 4 GB NAND Flash (Multiple Level Cell) Datasheet
    Silicon Image Sil9135 HDMI 1.3 Receiver Chip Information Datasheet from TI
    Nanya NT5CB128M8CN-CG 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 Gb X 8) Datasheet
    Realtek Semiconductor RTL8201N 10/100M PHYceiver Datasheet
    Microchip PIC24FJ64GA004-I/PT 16-bit microcontroller Datasheet
    Phison S2251-50 USB to Flash Controller (Datasheet not available to end users according to manufacture)

    Can the Atom 1.2 CPU handle MKV file?

  • i read somewhere mkv plays ok…

    was wondering anyone know if you can watch YOUTUBE on this device?

    • Youtube is ok.

      Not sure about Iview but I cannot see why note.

  • anyone confirm that the power adapter is Universal 110/240V australian compatible?

    • +1
      Found da info

      Voltage: 100~240V
      Frequency: 50~60Hz
      Power rating: 36W

      all good! now ordering.. :)

  • Is there a way to stream videos from your pc or NAS to this?

  • What sort of 'Tv' will we be able to actually watch with this?

  • +1

    Theres a 9 page thread on Whirlpool that may answer some of these Qs if u want to check it out http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1544598&p…

  • Can anyone confirm if this thing can bring full internet access to my TV? When i say full, i mean just like i browse internet on my Laptop. Can this box do this..if so, i will buy it straightway.
    Thanks in advance.

    • Adding to the above, how does it handle flash 720p? 1080p?

  • +5

    Its so cheap its not even like spending money.

    • ^ lolz, thanks for making me laugh stumo

      • I actually took that quote from a mate of mine, when he was buying desktop RAM for like $75 for a 256MB stick. Those were the days lol. 2001 IIRC.

        Anyway I'm looking forward to playing with this new toy, but will probably just end up using the keyboard with my HTPC (I have a spare unifying receiver here).

        • +2

          or when your confused you can use the good old one… more confused than a homeless person on house arrest!

          Still tossing up weather to buy this or not… Would be good if we could watch Stations from overseas

  • $17 postage is pretty reasonable

  • +19

    Okay, I own one of these (and have owned one for the last 6 months) so let me answer some questions here.
    Firstly, I DO NOT recommend you buy one. The situations with updates is appalling, basically Logitech releases a “security” update every few months, which just means adding further measures to prevent rooting. The problem is that these updates are full of regressions, and generally it will play less and less file formats after every update. When I got the device in January it played all my video files but as of the last update it doesn’t play any. Logitech’s simply says to re-encode your videos, but I’m not going to re-encode thousands of hours of media when everything else plays it fine, and despite this I haven’t heard of a codec that has worked universally since the last update. The bottom line is that it is a can of worms….

    When the IceCream update is released I expect it to be the best on the market, but they have been saying they will release an update with the market since January so be prepared for an indefinite wait.

    On a side note, it is possible to get the set top box working pretty well with foxtel. I managed to program the keyboard to replace the foxtel remote so everything just went through the Google TV interface.

    Now for some of the questions in the comments:

    “Will it play standard videos from network shares & from a USB host. What video codecs are currently supported? Are the US based TV and movie channels region aware? No doubt most of the content will be blocked for Aussies”

    It will play via DLNA and from an external hard drive (NTFS or FAT32). On paper Logitech says it will play almost any codecs but in reality the codec support is terrible thanks to updates, as I mentioned above. Most of the “apps” are location aware, but the included apps are pretty useless in terms of content any way, the good news is the browser has flash though so you can go on megavideo.

    “ Anyone knows if this keyboard is quielt or not.”

    It seems pretty quiet to me, the keyboard is one of the things I really like about it.

    “Any reason this is better than a WD TV Live available locally for ~$100?”

    It is a lot more powerful than the WD Live, has a better keyboard and a full chrome browser.

    “was wondering anyone know if you can watch YOUTUBE on this device?”

    Youtube works great, and so does flash in general.

    “anyone confirm that the power adapter is Universal 110/240V australian compatible?”

    Yep, I plugged a standard Australian power cable in and it worked fine.

    “Is there a way to stream videos from your pc or NAS to this?”

    Yes, DLNA, you just need a server like TVMobili installed.

    “Can anyone confirm if this thing can bring full internet access to my TV? When i say full, i mean just like i browse internet on my Laptop. Can this box do this..if so, i will buy it straightway.”

    Yes, the browser is a full Chrome browser (although it is an old version), you can change the user agent in the settings to get the full versions of sites too.

    My advice

    I eventually gave up on the Revue and chucked it in the cupboard and got an Apple TV instead and installed XBMC on the Apple TV. It costs about the same and if you’re using it for streaming you will definitely be more satisfied with this option over the Revue. If you basically just want a box with a browser then the Revue is great.

    • But would you change your tune if you'd only paid a hundred bux for it?

      Have you got any links to good sites for hacking/howtos/community support for it?

      Either way I'm not intending to use mine straight away, I just want the keyboard to use with my HTPC.

      I will look at the main box once a later firmware version is out for it. And hope in the meantime that with its new found pricing/popularity that it falls into the right hands rooting/firmware wise.

      • +4

        Yes, even at $99 I would get an Apple TV and install XBMC instead (which is what I did once the Revue became useless to me due to updates). Right now the Revue is basically nothing but a browser, the limited app selection isn't much use here and the media player has severe problems. I am pretty optimistic for it's capabilities after the Honeycomb update but I doubt the price will go back up after that, more likely they will release new devices but you should still be able to get a revue then at you will know exactly what you're getting at that stage, rather than getting nothing but a brick and a bunch of promises.

        In terms of hacking/community stuff, until today when someone leaked that Honeycomb version there was pretty much nothing other than a root method that required you to solder stuff onto the motherboard and only worked with virgin devices. Check out gtvhacker.com, I am strongly considering installing this leaked Honey Comb version, though unfortunately there is no way to roll back and no certainty that it will be possible to upgrade in the future.

        • +4

          Ok thanks. Oh and thanks for the writeup too.

          The keyboard is pretty good though right?

          XBMC on ATV looks pretty good I must admint. Call me what you want but I just can't bring myself to buy an Apple product. Never have, and hopefully never will have to either.

        • +1

          It is great to hear from a user with some "hands on" experience with the product - I was tempted to buy it whilst in the USA recently (the price had just dropped from $299 to $199 at that point) but I was also concerned about the "updates" causing "downgrades" in functionality…

        • Thanks for all that info mate.

          Is the fan very noisy on the Revue? And do you have any idea what it's idle power consumption is? I haven't been able to find that anywhere.

    • Thanks, this is what I want to know but I knew it will bring out some emotional hate and love camps as this device is trying to do a lot but have not yet succeed in acing all of them, but time will tell and I will be watching this closely.

    • what video formats work now on your last update?

  • mmmmmmm… i just like the keyboard…

  • I'm definitely going to keep my eye on this.

  • Thanks OP, it's a good deal, bought 1 already. I am planning to use it as a browser on my bedroom TV as well streaming a video from my server. Cheaper than the cheapest netbook. Honeycomb and other apps would be additional bonus for me

  • Have to say I LOVE my Boxee - I paid $188 AUD from Amazon delivered. Have previous tried WD Live, Popcorn Hour A-200, A-210 and plenty of other try hard gadgets. Apple TV w XBMC/Boxee would be my 2nd choice but that won't do 1080p, not powerful enough. BTW Boxee UI is based on XBMC.

    • direct link? UI is based on xbmc but is it xbmc?

      • my understanding is that Boxee is a UI built on top of xbmc.

      • It's a modded XBMC, so it's very smooth and beautiful (XBMC is open source).

    • Yes sorry - I should have said 'Boxee Box', not Boxee. Boxee is just the software. Find a spare laptop around the house, install Boxee, plug it into your TV, download the iPhone remote app and try it for yourself.

      I had this setup for a while but the Boxee Box hardware is so cheap, quiet and uses stuff all power. The physical remote is unreal too, QWERTY on the back of it. The Popcorn Hour UI (when skinned - AEON) looked awesome but it was such a fiddly thing I spent more time getting it to work than I did watching stuff. The Boxee software just works so well and the UI is Apple like fluid.

      Ignore the bad reviews on Amazon, all of those things people complained about have been addressed with Firmware updates.

      Next to my Sonos this is my best gadget purchase EVER (and I buy a LOT of gadgets).

      • Is the Boxee Box worth the money or I better build a HTPC with Boxee installed?

        • +1

          No comparison. Can you build a HTPC (including a very good remote) for less than $188? One that is very quiet, looks good, is tiny and uses hardly any power?

          Also one that you don't have to 'boot up' Ubuntu or whatever.

          Not to mention the time stuffing around researching, building, getting it all to work. Boxee you just unpack and plug in.

      • So, just to confirm, would it (Boxee Box) take XBMC plugin? eg. say I have subscription to the service liveTV (www.webtelek.com) and they have 2 options PlayOn plugin or XBMC plugin. Given that I am running WD TV Live Hub (not much choice here apart from PlayOn, would have prefered XBMC), I have to have PC always on with PlayOn server running so that WD can pick it all up via DLNA. Just want to eliminate the need for PC running and point Boxee Box (need to get one if that works out) directly to the service - if possible, bypassing PC.

        • No idea sorry. Try the Boxee forums.

  • Tempted to get this but figured a JB'ed Apple TV with XBMC might offer a smoother experience.

    Also, streaming videos from MB Air to PS3 via Vuze. Works well. If all else fails, MB Air can be connected to telly via HDMI adapter. Too easy.

    Do I need a new toy!?

  • Does the fact that this has been rooted mean it will be possible to install an alternative OS? I'm thinking that, in the event Google doesn't get its media support straightened out, it would make a cheap Boxee (the software) box, since it's the same chipset as the actual Boxee Box. Obviously you'd lose the HDMI pass thru, but still.

    Also question for Apple TV users. I know it can't do 1080p, but does that refer to the resolution of the media, or the output screen resolution? In other words, would it play DVDs ripped to hi profile H264 on a 1080p monitor?

    Too many options. The Kogan ARM box at $129 (with their $30 paypal deal) is also tempting.

    • It refers to the power of the CPU - it just can't handle 1080p without becoming all choppy (so I'm told).

  • Got mine today, nice package, keyboard is great.

    For the person who asked earlier about power consumption…

    Mine is showing 10.8W

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