this post was submitted on
7 points (66% like it)
14 up votes 7 down votes
shortlink:
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...

6
7

People may not want a computer on their TV, but they would like a fully fledged browser on it. Discuss. (self.gadgets)

submitted ago by pedrosanta

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced the revamped Apple TV, which turned out to be simpler than the previous version. If you recall Google is also on the living room game now with their Google TV platform - which has webkit browser and apps support.

Of the many quotes of the event, the one that got my attention was this one: "People don't want a computer on their TV." And this, besides a hit on Google TV IMO, was also a lame excuse for the new revamped Apple TV not having (1) a fully fledged browser and (2) not having apps support, like pretty much everyone was expecting.

Although I think apps still have a long way before they conquer our TV, I really can see the need to have a browser on my TV - to show a couple videos to friends on a party, to check the news on your comfy couch when you arrive home, etc.

What do you think? Does it makes sense? Wouldn't be better for them to wait a bit more and launch a better product instead of throwing BS in your eyes again?

all 19 comments
sorted by:
best
hot
new
controversial
top
old

[–]dalieu 6 points7 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

call me crazy but i already have a computer connected to my tv and use an iPhone app to control the mouse from afar.

[–]NancyGracesTesticles 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Same, but I use a diNovo Mini for a keyboard and mouse.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/3848

[–]litui 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I also have a diNovo Mini. For a mini BT keyboard/mouse it's not horrible, but for anything apart from navigating my HTPC software I find it painful. The mouse pad tracking is awful and the miss rate on the keyboard is pretty high.

Ah well. Guests still find it pretty cool.

[–]NancyGracesTesticles 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I'm about 9' from my TV on my couch and it is comparable, if not the same, to my laptop mouse for a strong majority of the battery life. Playing with it, I found that I can go on the other side of my half wall and have the same experience you've had.

[–]pedrosanta[S] 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Just out of curiosity, what are your main activities there? Not everyone, say the top 4-5.

[–]NancyGracesTesticles 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

  1. Porn. TV sized porn.
  2. Porn. TV sized porn.
  3. Porn. TV sized porn.
  4. Netflix, Hulu and rips.

[–]dalieu 2 points3 points ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I mainly use it to 1. bittorrent movies/Top Gear/past UFC fights 2. stream videos (youtube, hulu, and etc)

[–]Fidodo 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I don't have a TV but if I got one I would forgo cable and just hook a computer to it with a media center.

[–]Khorv 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

My browser has a TV on it.

[–]midashand 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

My grandparents subscribed to a WebTV service, back when they first came out. (i'm pretty sure they have all gone under)

It was a set top box that came with a remote to move around the screen, and an optional keyboard accessory. It used a dialup connection.

They wanted to be able to browse the web and send/receive email without buying a whole computer.

It worked well enough I suppose, but wasn't really polished enough.

Of course this was in the days before Youtube, Flash, etc etc...

[–]OneMonkeysUncle -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

If I wanted a browser on my TV, I'd just connect a Mac Mini and be done with it. But since i already have a browser on my iPhone, my iPad, and my Macbook, I prefer to just use my TV for... watching TV. So, I neither need nor want a browser in the new Apple TV. I think you rely too much on gossip sites to tell you what you "need."

[–]tony_vipros 4 points5 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

my iPhone, my iPad, and my Macbook

I think you rely too much on gossip sites to tell you what you "need."

[–]pedrosanta[S] 1 point2 points ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

It's not about the device, it's about the experience. Why do you wan't to browse the Web starring at a 3.2in screen when you can have it on a big LCD when you're on the couch? I make up my own mind, soz.

[–]movzx -3 points-2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

The experience of browsing the web on a giant TV sucks as well.

[–]pedrosanta[S] 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Isn't that a bit naive? For instance I feel great with the Wii web browsing.

[–]movzx 2 points3 points ago* 

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

My HTPC + 52" TV begs to differ. If I need to quickly look something up, the TV will suffice.. But for actual browsing, no way. It's just no good at 1080p from that far away. You have to zoom the text in, which often corrupts the webpages layout. There's a reason MS uses a design doctrine called the "10ft user interface"

The Wii probably works better because it can only do 480p max. Somehow I think a device designed to play back multimedia is going to have a native resolution higher than 480p.

[–]Conde_Nasty 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Well this topic is discussing whether people would want a better browser experience. If it becomes a larger demand there's absolutely no reason we wouldn't start having sites like tv.engadget.com or the like just like most major websites have mobile sites now. There's also no reason for integrated browsers not to automatically resize and fit text and images (while keeping layout) to be viewed from far away.

[–]kettal -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I really can't think of a reason I would use the Wii web browser for anything.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 17679 on app-128 running 4208376.