Two great pieces of news here in one press release -- Sony's new set-top Google TV box, the NSZ-GS7, will go on sale July 22 and the $199 price tag has been confirmed. Pre-orders are live now at Sony. Maybe even bigger news is that Sony will follow the US release with units for the UK also in July, and Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, and Mexico will follow after. To round things out Sony also says they will be releasing the Blu-ray version this fall for United States, followed later by Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Netherlands.
As one of the first units of Google TV's promised 2012 summer refresh, we're excited to see how the dual-core Marvell SoC performs compared to the last generation ATOM-powered devices. We're think it will be a good bit better, as hardware performance was one of the weak spots with previous Google TV units. And that remote, with it's rear mini-qwerty and trackpad on the front, well, it just needs to be tried.
The full press release and a handful of official photos are after the break.
SONY'S NEXT GENERATION SET-TOP BOX WITH GOOGLE TV™ ARRIVES JULY 22
Internet Player's Versatile Remote Control and Library of Apps Customizes the Home Entertainment Experience
SAN DIEGO, June 25, 2012 – Sony Electronics Inc. today announced the availability and pricing of the NSZ-GS7 Internet Player with Google TV™, originally introduced in January at CES. Powered by Google TV, the Internet Player will be available at retailers nationwide on July 22, priced at $199. Pre-orders begin on June 25, 2012 at www.sony.com/sonygoogletv.
"Expanding the reach and interoperability of the powerful Android platform with Sony's smartphones, tablets and renowned Audio & Video products, we are proud to continue our relationship with Google through the introduction of the new Google TV set-top-box," said Phil Molyneux, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics. "Entertainment content is available through so many channels and sites, and Google TV helps consumers easily find what they want to watch, listen to or play using familiar search engine technology, enhancing the viewer experience. TV will never be the same."
In addition to the NSZ-GS7 Internet Player, Sony's newest Internet Blu-ray Disc™ player with Google TV, the NSZ-GP9, will be available at retailers in time for the holiday season, priced at $299. The NSZ-GP9 player features Sony's proven Blu-ray Disc technology coupled with the robust Google TV platform.
Global Expansion of Google TV Platform
In 2010, Sony helped pioneer the Internet-TV convergence as one of the first manufacturers to launch products powered by Google TV. With the new NSZ-GS7 Internet Player with Google TV, Sony will also be the first manufacturer to launch Google TV products outside of the United States, initially starting with the United Kingdom in July, followed later by Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, and Mexico. The NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray Disc player with Google TV will be available this fall in the United States, followed later by Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Netherlands.
Customized Entertainment Made Easy
Sony's evolution of hardware to complement the continually updating Google TV is the next step in the future of home entertainment convergence. Sony's NSZ-GS7 and NSZ-GP9 bring the best of Google to your TV, with new experiences arriving every day through the Google Chrome™ browser; thousands of supported mobile apps in the Google Play™ Store, including hundreds optimized for TV; YouTube™ with 72 hours of video being added every minute; and a global community of developers from around the world. Google TV's cross search functionality shows viewers all content sources available from broadcast providers* and the Internet to deliver customized video results on demand.
Both new products come complete with a redesigned remote control equipped with a backlit QWERTY keyboard, a touch pad for easy operation and a three-axis motion sensor to enjoy games. Additionally, the Bluetooth® remote control can also be utilized as a universal remote to control connected devices such as TV, set- top-box and A/V receivers - the NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray Disc player even incorporates voice search capabilities.
For full specifications and high-resolution images, please visit www.sony.com/news.
* Must be connected to a set top box for cable TV or satellite broadcasting in the U.S for TV integration.
