Digital Home Thoughts: Sony's Google TV Event

The gang over at Engadget attended the Sony Google TV event, and Sony is the first TV OEM to integrate Google's TV platform right into the box. The prices range from $599 (26" TV) to $1399 (46" TV), which is definitely a price premium on the low end - in the 26" TV space, they tend to cost about $350 or so. Sony is betting that people will want to pay a premium for Google TV. They're also offering a $399 Blu-ray player that will have Google TV functionality - though it's unclear as to whether it has the "capture and re-broadcast" approach - I see two HDMI ports on the back of it, presumably HDMI IN/HDMI OUT, so perhaps.

Although this is a long, hard road to go down - asking people to replace their HDTVs to get the new technology is a slow process - ultimately I think it's better than the add-on box route in the long term. Short term, the geeks among us will probably embrace Logitech's Revue box, but long-term, I think direct integration into your TV is the way to go. Agree? Disagree? Sound off.