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Between all the major broadcast networks blocking it from accessing their online content and OEMs being slow to embrace the new technology, 2010 wasn’t really a very good year for Google TV, but the search-giant-turned-set-top-box-maker would like to change that in 2011. Part of their new strategy? To shift Google TV to ARM.
Currently, Google TV boxes like the Logitech Revue run on Intel’s CE4100 media chipset. A source speaking anonymously to ARMDevices now say that ARM-based Google TV boxes are coming soon, confirming reports back in November that ARM was in talks with Google.
Why should you care? Well, the biggest advantage is that ARM-based Google TV boxes could significantly lower their cost. Right now, the cheapest Google TV box is the Logitech Revue, which costs $299; other options are a Sony Blu-Ray player and a few HDTVs with integrated Google TV.
Not exactly cheap enough to go head-to-head with Apple’s $99 AppleTV, is it? ARM-based Google TV boxes, though, could match that $99 price, although not, perhaps, without performance compromises: it’s worth noting that the AppleTV maxes out at 720p even with a 1GHz A4 CPU.
