Next-gen Google TV Hardware to Be Powered by ARM-based Marvell Armada 1500 CPU
While Intel has been working hard to prepare their lineup of mobile processors for smartphones and tablets running the Android ecosystem, a Google platform that employed the Atom CPU is switching gears. For the next generation of Google TV hardware, Google has chosen Marvell’s Armada 1500 HD dual-core system-on-a-chip. The move sounds like the right choice, as Marvell’s Foresight Platform, on which the Armada CPU is based, offers powerful processing at low power consumption levels. The reduction in heat output allows for the creation of hardware that leaves a much smaller footprint — the non-Google TV Qdeo box pictured above is an example of what we might expect.
The ARM-based platform allows for Blu-ray 3D playback, video encoding and decoding, and the ability to upscale picture quality. It was also the chip behind the OnLive Microconsole (OnLive support looks to make its way to future GTV hardware). It all adds up to an exciting prospect. Standalone Google TV boxes of the next generation will likely rival Apple TV in size and pricing, a must when the two platforms are so often compared.
[via Engadget]