84 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC|JAN 2011|www.maximumpc.com
IN THE LAB^
REVIEWS OF THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWAREH
ats off to Logitech: The company
really knows how to design a key-
board. Our opinion of the rest of the
Revue—Logitch’s $300 Google TV device—
isn’t nearly as lofty. Sure, Dish Network
customers can buy a subsidized model for
$180, but they’ll forever pay a $4-per-month
“DVR integration fee” to get full use of it.
The Revue is based on Google’s Google
TV concept, and is designed to let you search
for and enjoy all types of media, no matter
where it’s located. It fully integrates only with
Dish Network DVRs. We tested it with a Dish
Network ViP 622 high-defi nition DVR.
The Revue doesn’t have a TV tuner or a
hard drive. It passes a set-top box’s HDMI
video to its own HDMI output, overlaying
its graphical user interface in the process.
For the throng looking to cut ties to pay-TV
service providers in favor of over-the-air and
Internet TV, the Revue is pretty much useless.
Some of the Revue’s shortcomings are
caused by third parties who see Google TV as
competition: The ABC, CBS, and NBC television
networks, for example, are blocking Google
TV from accessing their websites. Hulu is
doing the same thing. But Logitech and
Google have also stumbled on deliv-
ering some of their own promises.
The Revue’s integrated
browser has no address bar,
for example. If you wish to
navigate directly to a web-
site, you must type the URL
into a search box and then
pick out the link from the
results. And while the Netfl ix
client supports HD streaming,
it doesn’t provide 5.1-channel
surround sound. You can’t
manage your “watch
instantly” queue from
here, either; you need
to use the browser—
or a PC.
Punching the
search button opens
a small search bar at
the top of the screen.
That’s cool. Searches
include information
(and media) both on
the Internet and on
your own network.If you’re searching while watching TV, you
can shrink the TV window to a quarter of the
screen to browse the results. That’s pretty
cool too, but the fact that you can’t move the
picture-in-picture window out of the lower-
right corner is just stupid.
We’ll say it again: We love the keyboard.
It’s thin, lightweight, and off ers exactly the
right amount of tactile feedback. It’s outfi tted
with a very responsive trackpad for cursor
control and a D-pad for scrolling web pages.
It’s the perfect size for typing on your lap,
and it easily balances on the armrest of your
sofa or recliner when you’re not using it. And
since it taps Logitech’s excellent Harmony
online code database, it should be capable of
controlling just about anything. It does have
two major shortcomings: The keys aren’t
backlit, and it doesn’t have an infrared emit-
ter. It uses RF signals to communicate with
the base unit, which does have an IR blaster.
You can supplement this with corded blasters,
but that won’t help if there’s any real distancebetween your TV and the rest of your gear.
If you have an iPhone or an Android phone,
you can also install an app that will control
the Revue via your Wi-Fi network.
If you’re looking to dump pay TV, we
think you’d be much better off using a
home-theater PC, a cheap netbook, or an in-
expensive media streamer. In fact, we could
say the same for most people who have no
intention of dumping pay TV. –MICHAEL BROWNLogitech Revue
Wow, what a great keyboard!
Don’t get fi ngerprints on
the Revue’s glossy black
surface; you’ll scratch
it when you try to wipe
them off.VERDICT$300, http://www.logitech.com6
Fantastic keyboard
that acts as a univer-
sal remote control.Gimped browser;
outdated Netflix app;
fixed-position PiP; sub-
scription fee for Dish
Network subscribers.POSITIVE REVIEWLOGITECH REVUECOMPLETE REDO