Since 2010, Sony has been working on Google TV device, and last year they announced Sony NSZ-GS7, a Google TV 2.0 set-top box. This year, nothing have been announced yet, but a few pictures of a new device have shown up in the FCC site. Sony NSZ-GU1 will be some sort of HDMI TV stick that you insert into your TV, except it looks more like a small set-top box has been glued onto an HDMI TV dongle.
Here are the specifications derived from the FCC fillings and pictures:
- SoC- Marvel 88DE3108-A1 dual core processor (Marvell Armada 1500).
- System Memory – 1GB RAM
- Storage – 4GB NAND Flash (Toshiba THGBM5G5, If I’ve read correctly)
- Video I/O – HDMI output (MHL) 720p/60, micro HDMI input 720p/60
- Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi (AzureWave AW-NH390), Bluetooth 3.0
- USB – 1x micro USB port (for power only?)
- Misc – IR Blaster
- Power – 5V via MHL or USB port
- Dimensions – 109 mm × 42 mm × 22.5 mm
- Weight – 70 grams
The device will come with NSG-MR9U remote control, 2 AA batteries, a Micro HDMI cable, a Micro USB cable, an IR Blaster cable, a quick start guide, a reference guide (PDF), and a warranty card. This appears to be based on an heavily modified and simplified reference design from Marvell.
One the software side, the box is expect to run Google TV, and provides access to and search your EPG, watch Internet video, or run TV apps from the Google Play Store. The HDMI input and IR blaster can be used to watch the video from, and control your cable or satellite box from Google TV.
Via Liliputing
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Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Sony add to the war 🙂
by the way, Enjoy your holiday, friend, take care.
The GoogleTV OS still needs a huge overhaul, it’s slow, poorly designed & overly complex.
Just not enough resources or attention paid to it by Google, hopefully the GTV 4 OS will change things but I’m not terribly confident.
I’m a SONY products user. I’m writing from a VAIO just now. From child in my mind SONY = Quality and also good design sometimes.
Now I must say: “My God! What the hell is that? So ugly…”. In the other hand, I like that “HDMI IN”
Ugly was my first thought too.
To be honest it looks like an FRU or expansion cartridge of a bigger device and not one for separate use of the general public.
As a standalone product from a company that makes TV’s (already with ‘smart’ functions) and playstations – why would they even bother trying to compete in the budget segment for HDMI-capable expansion boxes? How could they make enough money to make it even worth it?
Actually the form factor and direction (assuming the photos aren’t flipped) might make it fit my older sony tv quite well. It has hdmi but predates all the ‘smart’ stuff, and also (by a long way) the drop in prices for tvs.
so this has the same cpu as the chromecast or is it different
@adem
Chromecast is single core, the one used by Sony is dual core.