Google TV's Logitech Revue, Apple TV, Roku XDS: Comparison Chart
The much-hyped rumor products of summer are now the realities of fall, with Apple TV, the Logitech Revue (with Google TV), and the Roku XDS all angling for a small piece of your living room real estate. Which is right for you? That's not the easiest question to answer since all three boxes offer a mix of similar and vastly different services.
If you're a cable television lover with a DVR—or even better, a Dish Network subscriber—the Logitech Revue is likely the product for you. Its Google TV user interface brings all of your media to one place—you perform Google searchs to find whatever you want, be it a DVR recording from last week, a YouTube video, or a song on your PC.
If you're more of an iTunes person, obviously you will gravitate to Apple TV, which streams all of your content from your PC's iTunes library, as well as content from your iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad). Where Roku fits into the equation is harder to say—it's not as graceful as Google TV and can't do as much—there's no streaming from your PC without downloading a third-party app, for instance. But the Roku XDS is far cheaper than Google TV, and for the same price as Apple TV, you might prefer the freedom of living outside the iTunes ecosystem.
Somehow Netflix made it on to all three devices, so at least that doesn't have to factor in to your decision-making. Keep in mind, however, that we're far from finished—we'll see new Google TV products from Sony (an HD television with Google TV built-in), as well as the D-Link Boxee Box, before the season ends.
For an extensive comparison of the three devices currently available, check out the chart below.
