Sony Internet Player with Google TV (NSZ-GS7)

Tech reviewer Maarten Heilbron provides a no-nonsense look at the Sony Internet Player with Google TV and the services available in Canada. The review primarily focusses on the TV and movie viewing functions of the device, with detailed comments on user interface and usability features. In order to keep the video to a reasonable length nearly all on-screen sequences have been edited or speeded up - most actions take longer than depicted. December 2012

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Closed Caption:

the sony internet player with google
t_v_ is a small black box
it comes with the power cord and an ir blaster
the hdmi cable you'll need to connect to the TV isn't included
i picked one up for two dollars at the
dollar store
but you don't need a free hdm i input on
your t_v_
connect your digital receiver to the
input on the sony and sony's output to
your t_v_ where the digital receiver was
connected
it connects to the internet for your
home network using ethernet or wifi
there are two usb ports for media
content from an external hard drive or
connecting a digital camera
setup is straightforward but you will
want to create or log into a sony
entertainment network and a Google play
account you'll need to add a credit card
to be able to rent movies or purchase
apps
the advantage that this internet player
has over others
is that you don't need to switch inputs
and when you go to the main menu it
doesn't fully obscure the t_v_
the remote includes both the keyboard
and a track pad
there's luckily some duplication
but the frequently used home button
appears only on the track pad side
like most remote there are many
confusing keys leading to a sometimes
confusing interface
i think apples remote with so few keys
forced their designers to create a
simpler to use menu navigation system
tv and internet are nicely integrated
the remote changes channels the guide key
displays the guide and that's before i
connected the ir blaster
let's bring up the search
i expected searches to display tv shows
in the guide maybe episodes online
but these are the same results i get on
my computer so not really what i want on
t_v_
same with movies defines iam didi pages
or trailers for current theatrical
releases
it doesn't link me to movies that are
available for rent either into google
placed or or the sony unlimited video
store undisciplined
let's try some internet channels
this is the best utube interface i've
seen on a t_v_ screen
it's clearly designed for easy
navigation and provides a very t_v_ like
experience
the playlist driven menu delivers videos
quickly
and keeps on playing
other u_-two capabilities are easy
discover
even search loads up a playlist
e and discover categories on an
interesting and useful way to explore
the riches of you too
the google play story delivers aps
games and movies
installing an ap requires a little more
navigation then i'd like
and it's sometimes hard to see what
selected when you're using only the
navigation keys an issue that many t_v_
interfaces have
using the trackpad with it smells like
cursor is better
there are some on-screen elements like
categories here that can only be
selected using the trackpad
you can probably tell that i found the
trackpad to be imprecise and slightly
skittish
some of the google play screens look
like a web pages
not really designed for t_v_ viewing a
navigation
google plays movie prices and selection
are comparable to the other online movie
rental services
for ninety nine for esti
five ninety nine for h_d_
i find the you are a clumsy in not
conducive to browsing or discovery
especially compared to the sony video
unlimited store which you'll see in a
minute
and i don't understand why some of these
can be bought but not rented
when they are available for rental
elsewhere
the google play ap story is android
but it's curated and specifically
filtered for the sony player
you won't find skype
amazon card player or tunnel bear here
the ups store has a variety of
interesting content there's lots to
check out
if you prefer used a computer to make
your selection and send the apts to the
player
browsing the internet on a t_v_ screen
has been tried before
but now the chrome browser provides
access to a broadcasters website to view
videos even if they don't have a nap
not sure why rogers media blocks this
device
bell media
and shah
do not
there's no escaping the acts
but you will be able to watch in full
screen just like real tv channels
there's a picture in picture road so you
can continue to watch tv while you
settle that back
sony entertainment network includes both
the video rental store and a music
service
movie prices and selection are similar
to google play and other online video
rental services like apple
the details overlay provides more
information about a movie without
navigating to a new screen which i like
the selection is good but all titles
don't have trailers and if this title
isn't quite what you're looking for
there are no alternate recommendations
there's a band with check prior to your
purchase and as long as you have a fast
connection the video quality is
excellent in my opinion the best of the
online movie services
music unlimited costs ten dollars a
month or sixty four a year
bidder acquires a pin each time it's
launched coach
the organization in navigation of the
sap defies description
if there is a way to browse by category
i can't find it
i've been using it for a month and still
get lost i could go on but you get the
idea
acts like crackle and netflix provide
movies
but compared to the u_s_ this is a small
selection
still there are many good apts like
flixster to watch trailers for movies in
theaters
an f_d_a_ films where you'll find great
canadian shorts and features including
chris land routes ryan norman mclaren
neighbors
and there's a line and bb
nicely designed for t_v_ use
classy fireplace in aquarium are pretty
sony's social life at helps you keep
track of face book and twitter
photos from usb connected drives and
cameras
or online serves is like flickr can be
played as a standard or the discover
mode slideshow
all good streaming players have
smartphone abnormal controls
in addition to changing channels in
launching aps
this one consent pages from the phone to
display on t_v_
quite a useful feature
there's loss you can customize including
the apts which appear on the home screen
online help is excellent with detailed
instructions
one ninety nine the sony player costs
more than the other internet players
that offer netflix and an online video
rental store
but until our t_v_ stations have aps
the ability to play video from most
broadcasters website send a single
england aggression are nice features
with software updates from sony in
google and more apts delivering more
video this player could easily become
indispensable