谷歌电视，苹果电视和TiVo:不仅仅是漂亮脸蛋

第二次降临苹果电视, which began shipping last week, has been followed closely by the re-imaging of 谷歌电视, an announced but not yet operational competitor to both 苹果电视 and industry stalwart TiVo. While most of the coverage of these devices has focused on content partners and user interface, there are deeper-and perhaps more significant-differences under the hood.

手机操作系统之战转移到客厅
In one corner of this multi-round bout for domination of the living room sits Android, 谷歌的移动操作系统(OS). Android has seen a marked uptick in usage over the past few months, after the advent of the 2.它在苹果iPhone设备上的市场份额也在不断增加.

In the other corner sits the mobile operating system now known as iOS, 苹果iPad的动力是什么, iPhone, 和iPod touch, and apparently has a derivative version in the second 苹果电视 product. 黑客的消息已经传开了, 也被称为越狱, 允许iOS 4在苹果电视上运行, meaning it shares similar software and hardware platform similarities to its mobile and tablet counterparts.

谷歌已经有了自己的桌面操作系统, 铬, which is lightweight enough to qualify as an embedded OS for set-top boxes (STB) and centers on Google's Chrome web browser. 然而,, for STBs or other devices that would meet the 谷歌电视 hardware specification requirements, 这一举动更倾向于Android而不是铬.

Flash得到提升
iOS设备无法播放的是Flash内容, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has publicly panned the Flash Player as being old and memory intensive.

On the other hand, TiVo's Premiere devices, which are powered by Linux, use Flash player extensively. To make the Flash integration snappy enough to respond the way that previous TiVo interfaces had, TiVo has stated that it doubled the processing power-and one would assume the RAM as well-in the Premiere devices.

Google is also embracing Flash for 谷歌电视: Two requirements of every STB that runs 谷歌电视 are the use of Google's web browser and Adobe's latest incarnation of its Flash video player.

“使用Google Chrome和Adobe Flash Player 10.1、谷歌电视可以让你访问网络上的一切，“谷歌电视” 网站 states, meaning everything on the web on your STB-equipped television.

谷歌对Flash的态度令人好奇，原因有二:首先, 谷歌的WebM视频工具包, 基于VP8编解码器, 在像开放式视频会议作为Flash视频播放功能的对立面. 第二个, Flash's interactive capability is being challenged by HTML5's canvas feature, which Google is championing as part of its appeal to the open-source community.

你的界面还是我的界面?
在IBC的简报会上, TiVo representatives showed off the power of integrating Flash into the TiVo experience. 每个第三方服务, 从Netflix到YouTube, 被封装在TiVo接口中, 所以这个搜索, 选择, 回放在不同选项之间表现一致. When asked about the ability to add additional features such as the widgets popular with some internet-equipped TVs, 或移动操作系统用户熟悉的应用程序, the TiVo representative stated that customers are drawn to TiVo's consistent interface.

苹果电视用户还分享了一致的界面体验, with the ubiquitous iTunes and slightly less familiar Front Row interface, 这两种功能都是苹果Mac台式机和笔记本电脑的标配.

苹果用户无法访问App Store, 但这一切发生似乎只是时间问题, whether through jailbreaks or an official Apple approach to apps on 苹果电视. 然而, it begs the question as to how these apps will need to be modified, since they are designed solely for touch-based interfaces at present.

谷歌电视从一开始就可以进入Android市场, so that "users can download unique applications to run from their HDTV in the living room" according to the 谷歌电视网站.

In addition to the question about application redesign for non-touch devices, Google seems to be caught between two models of interface: the standard web page and a set of modified web网站s.

“看你最喜欢的网络视频, 浏览照片, 玩游戏, 检查幻想得分, 与朋友聊天, 做其他你习惯在网上做的事情,谷歌电视网站上写道. 然而, it also adds the caveat that "the world's best web网站s are now being perfected for television" meaning that some web网站s aren't going to be as viewable on 谷歌电视 as they are on the web.

搜索的力量
在下周的流媒体欧洲 show in London, a panel I'm moderating will explore search and recommendation engines.

对于那些已经有TiVo的人, 推荐的整合现在正被搜索增强, with an update to the company's well-known peanut-shaped handheld remote now sporting a full QWERTY keyboard.

On the Google front, with the impending advent of 谷歌电视, the emphasis will also be on search. 然而, the company is reaching for a device you already have close at hand: your smartphone.

"Your Android phone or iPhone can be used to control your 谷歌电视 in place of a remote control,该公司表示. "Use your voice to search, and even use multiple phones to control the same TV. 不要再争遥控器了!"

iPhone也可以通过Remote应用来控制苹果电视.

Given recent reports of joint television-mobile device usage from broadcasters, including feedback from the Microsoft broadcaster's workshop held at IBC, it's not surprising that Google would leverage the Android OS on the mobile device to work in conjunction with the Android OS on the 谷歌电视 device.

硬件自助餐
苹果电视和TiVo Premiere设备相当简单. 苹果电视不允许任何额外的修改, save for the ability to update the device's firmware for feature enhancements, 而TiVo的功能集差异有限, primarily dependent on the service provider decision on which hardware features are required to integrate its service.

谷歌电视服务将主要基于机顶盒, 尽管谷歌指出它可能会集成到一些高清电视中.

此时此刻, it is uncertain which manufacturers will have Flash-enabled televisions, and how they will integrate the requirements for pointers and keyboards, 但即将播出的电视剧可能会给我们一些提示: Adobe马克斯 is being held in late October in Los Angeles, the week after 流媒体欧洲. MAX was used two years ago-prior to Adobe's mobile-strategy announcements at the Mobile World Congress show-to highlight the potential uses of Flash in a set-top box and a number of mobile devices.