While wading through much information, I came upon this handy chart from Tivo that provides a good summary of the key offerings that are hot right now:
Now this is from Tivo, so you have to keep that in mind, but it does highlight some differences. Tivo does provide most of the same functionality as Google TV and Apple TV, but what do they offer instead. Google offers Apps, better and more familiar web integration (although it seems that they are still working out all the kinks). Apple TV is cheaper ($100) and smaller, and offers iTunes integration (including the iPhone remote application to run it), but what probably turns out to be greater cost over time ($1 per show or $10 per movie).
Cost:
- Tivo – $20/month for 2 years or $99 + $20/month for 1 year
- Cable DVR: additional $2 to $5/month
- Google TV: about $400 (which includes a BluRay player)
- Apple TV: $100