NETGEAR AV Series NeoTV Prime with Google TV GTV100-100NAS

Pros: Full Google Chrome Internet Browser, Google App Store, Remote Control Features way above average and convenient has QWERTY keyboard on the reverse . Able to watch Live TV through device after you set it up. Easy setup.

Cons: Customer service for this device sucks, you spend so much time being bounced around from department to department. HDMI Cables not included. Does not list the compatible video formats, VOB is one of those, that is not offered. Price just to have a Smart TV device is too pricey! You can get a Blu-ray DVD player for less that offers Smart TV options.

Other Thoughts: If you have WMV, AVI, MPG, MPEG videos then the device is probably worth it, I never had any technical issues with the device, the reason for my purchase was to have an additional media player that was also a Smart TV device, since there was nothing in the list containing file formats it was not suitable for my needs once I received it.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi JBoutte,

Thanks for your honest review. As for the supported video formats, we do have a thorough compatibility list available on our website:
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22228/~/neotv-prime-%28gtv100%29-supported-usb-media-formats

We also apologize for the problems you had with support -- we'd like to investigate the call you made so we can provide the best service for everyone. Please feel free to email us at newegg@netgear.com with the case numbers you were given, and we'll be happy to look into it.

Regards,

NETGEAR Team

Pros: Netflix worked well...that's it.

Cons: What an appalling piece of hardware this is. It's unbelievable how out of touch Netgear is with the people who actually buy these things. Navigating Amz Prime through a web browser using a touch remote and mouse pointer? Really? The HBO Go app is an abomination.

The real tragedy here though is playing my own media. First of all you have to browse using the horrible touch remote and mouse pointer where you are presented with huge bloated folder icons that only have a few letters of the movie title. It doesn't pick up my folder.jpg files for cover art. It doesn't read my .nfo files for movie info...I mean come on Netgear...this is basic stuff.

I have all my DVDs ripped and stored on my Synology NAS. These are full size MKVs with multiple subs, audio tracks, etc. My 4 year old Western Digital Live box plays these flawlessly and I can use the soft-subs and change to the separate audio. The neotv doesn't support any of that!

I was really looking forward to finally getting 1 box that would do all the things I wanted...I boxed this up the next day and returned it.

Epic fail Netgear...back to the drawing board on this one.

Pros: Good at doing the basic things such as watching Netflix, Youtube. Could not test pay channels not available in Canada.

Cons: Very laggy performance, freezes for 5 to 10 seconds at a time, and then starts working again. Browser w/ flash support is a joke - could not watch a single flash video through the browser.

Pros: A good hub to your media devices. Very easy to watch Netflix, HBOgo, Youtube and live TV. PIP ability to run live TV while you are browsing the box or internet. Really like the remote though at time it could be tricky to use.

Cons: Personal media support is thin. Very few file formats are supported. Included aVia app doesn't pretty much nothing. Doesn't play much files. Also doesn't recognize thumb drive or load any media from thumb drive.

Other Thoughts: Device is small (slightly bigger than WDTV Pro footprint).Remote is well built, this remote has a larger touch pad and has a LED on the QWERTY pad side to indicate if the keyboard is in locked position or not. Overall remote is fairly easy to use and I only had a couple of touch pad interference while I was trying to type something in Chrome browser. Device UI is quick and smooth (not the quickest or smoothest) and transitions are snappy. I like the default layout. I updated the device shortly after second reboot. This updates fixes the mapping of MyMedia button on Remote and some minor fixes. HDMI pass through works like a champ. Setup IR blaster so it controls my FiOS cable box. It also offers PIP (Picture In Picture) so that you can run live TV in a tiny window when you run something else. But PIP is not supported in all apps. All other features/apps work fine including Netflix and youtube (I love the interface of youtube). Easily paired youtube with my Galaxy Note II and started playing videos with no problems. Playback is nice and smooth supporting upto full HD if video content is HD. I am running this box on wireless G connection. Tried out local media playback to find out that aVia doesn't see flash drive no matter what I did. So I ended up buying another app from store "ViMu" and was able to play media without any problem.
This box comes with an ad supported verison of "aVia Media Player" which is a DLNA server and DLNA renderer. I have had mixed results with it so far. Best combination I got is when I installed iMediaShare app on my phone to push videos/photos from my phone to GTV. GTV received videos and photos from my phone and playedback using aVia renderer with no problems. iMediaShare allows you to stream local content stored on your phone as well as video content from many websites (including Break.com and some video blogs etc). aVia Media app saw local shares on my network with no problems (PC shares and DLNA servers) but had problems with file playback. I think the media playback format support is pretty thin on NeoTV Prime. Browser worked fine no complaints.
SlingPlayer app is the main reason I bought this box. I have a SlingCatcher hooked up to SlingBox pro HD. For that NeoTV prime rocks. Slingplayer app is similar to what you get on Android/iPhone and is easy to control with touch pad or keyboard. Good interface and no setup required if already have your SlingBox setup. This box didn't pickup PogoPlug device on my network through aVia Media App. I don’t have a compatible WiDi computer to check out wireless PC screen mirroring feature. At this point I am not even sure if WiDi is included with this box.
So far I am happy with the purchase and with the idea that now I can use one device to pipe my slingbox and cable through a single device.

Pros: I like the integration of Live TV to other sources of Media. Chrome works well and so does Netflix. The remote works well when you get used to it.

Cons: Utilizing your media is next to impossible. The 'My Media' button on the remote does nothing. I cannot get the aVia app to recognize any type of media plugged in to the USB port.

Common apps such as HULU, other instant video, etc aren't there. I'm sure they will make their way to GTV eventually

Other Thoughts: I spent several hours on the phone with a number of support reps trying to solve the USB media issue without any answers. The support staff for Netgear was unfamiliar with the product and had no idea how to troubleshoot my issue. They ended up closing the case, telling me my problem was that I had a 3 TB hard drive and the device only supports 2 TB. This is incorrect as I have tried using my 4 GB thumb drive with the same result. They closed the case anyway. Above that, I am able to access the video files on my external hard drive if I search the through the Photo viewer. But simple functions like fast forward and reverse don't work so this isn't an acceptable replacement for a media center app.

I assumed that this was a great solution and upgrade from my PS3 but I have been disappointed. I decided not to return it because of the restocking fee and the hope that they will eventually get their stuff together but I would not recommend buying this product until there are major Changes.

The functions advertised aren't available and calling Netgear's support staff to resolve the issues was about as helpful as it would have been to call my grandma.

Manufacturer Response:

Hello,

We would like to offer our help and put you in touch directly with our engineering team to troubleshoot your USB storage issue you are experiencing.

We have tested numerous storage devices including devices with different file systems including NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, EXT2, and EXT3 all of which are supported.

To get started can you let us know what file system format you are using on your USB storage devices?


Please contact us for further support at newegg@netgear.com

Thank you,
NETGEAR team

Pros: It's small. Slightly faster then my old Google TV.

Cons: The remote is awful. The trackpad doubles as the navigation arrows. Using the trackpad ends up triggering the arrows and visa versa. Makes navigation difficult.

The My Media application is a third party app called aVia. It's not even the full version of the app and displays ads in the lower left corner when navigating. I at least expected to have the full version. The app itself works for the most part though sometimes it refuses to play videos and requires the system to be restarted.

IR blaster doesn't quite work. It works during the setup, but afterwards I cannot control the volume on my TV. I think it's because I"m using the device without a video source plugged into it.

Other Thoughts: For the price I expected a better quality product. This review is after the v1.09 update. Hoping future updates fix some of these issues.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Aaron,

Sorry you have experienced issues with the NeoTV PRIME remote control. By clicking on the up/down/left/right arrows you can disable the curser mode and swiping across the touchpad enables the cursor mode again.

The aVia app for My Media is the premium version with additional features like Dropbox and Picasa access all on your TV, and with the latest firmware we have also removed ads as well.

Please make sure the IR blaster is close to your TV to control the volume on the TV. If you are using the IR blaster to control your cable/satellite set-top box and if your set-top box is not close by your TV, the TV may be too far to receive the IR blaster signal. Have you tried moving it closer to the TV?

Please contact us for further support at newegg@netgear.com

Thank you,
NETGEAR team

Pros: Easily rooted on latest FW thanks to GTVhacker.com
Smooth content playback.
Hulu Plus working.
UI is great.
Easy to use.
Setup is a breeze (if you're accustomed to GTV boxes)
Web Access
Google Play Store (Formerly known as Android Market)
Double-sided remote with full QWERTY keypad and tactile touch pad.

Cons: Remote will take some getting used to.
Learning curve may be discouraging to NEW GTV users.
READ the MANUAL!

Other Thoughts: I am the owner of the Logitech Revue, (which I LOVE).
This is GTV 2.0 With updated hardware and current support. (Logitech no longer supports the Revue..)
Other than the Sony NSZ-GS7, this is the second best box to get.

Pros: Easily rooted on latest FW thanks to GTVhacker.com
Smooth content playback.
Hulu Plus working.
UI is great.
Easy to use.
Setup is a breeze (if you're accustomed to GTV boxes)
Web Access
Google Play Store (Formerly known as Android Market)
Double-sided remote with full QWERTY keypad and tactile touch pad.

Cons: Remote will take some getting used to.
Learning curve may be discouraging to NEW GTV users.
READ the MANUAL!

Other Thoughts: I am the owner of the Logitech Revue, (which I LOVE).
This is GTV 2.0 With updated hardware and current support. (Logitech no longer supports the Revue..)
Other than the Sony NSZ-GS7, this is the second best box to get.

Pros: Looked promising in advertisements.

Cons: Tech support unfamiliar with this device. No static IP support.

Other Thoughts: I received the GTV100 on Jan 11, 2013. Connected it to my TV and turned it on. The initial setup screen required internet connection, but would not allow you to setup a static IP. OK, I enabled a DHCP at the router and it connected. Then I lost bluetooth pairing with the remote. Several restarts did not help. The small manual included said to press the reset button on the bottom for 5 seconds and then press buttons on the remote. This did not work. I then went to look online for more information, and that's when I entered tech support hell. There was no additional support documentation as of Jan 13th, attempting on-line chat resulted in an invalid serial number. Opened a tech support case and after two days, of email exchanges with Simbhu, Rajesh, and Denston it was obvious that they had never seen this device before. For example, they asked me to connect to the TV with connections that do not exist on this unit. Also, you explain to them that you have pressed the reset button on the bottom, and they reply back to you asking you to press the reset button. In the end, the device would power up and show a NETGEAR splash screen, then show a GoogleTV splash screen, then went to in an initializing screen and stayed there for hours. Tech support determined they could not help me and told me to return it. So I did.

I would wait for them to work the bugs out before I attempt to try this unit again.

At least now I see they have put a manual on line, and noticed in another review they have upgraded the software.
As of Jan 13th, this device was not ready for the market yet. Hopefully they will get tech support trained, add static IP support, and investigate the unit I returned to figure out what can cause a total failure.... yes, I know, I'm dreaming.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Mike,

Sorry you have experienced issues with the NeoTV PRIME remote control pairing. If you still have your unit we can definitely help you troubleshoot it directly with our engineering team.

We see that you tried pairing the remote manually as well. After pressing the connect button on the bottom of the NeoTV PRIME for 5 sec. make sure to also follow the onscreen instructions by pressing FF and REW buttons for 5 sec. to pair the remote with the NeoTV box.

Please contact us at newegg@netgear.com for further support.

Thank you,
NETGEAR team

Pros: Google TV
Shiny Black box
Did not explode

Cons: currently no "Large Online Retailer Who Steams Video with their Prime Server"™ Instant Video app
currently no My Media app
navigation

Other Thoughts: The NeoTV prime with GoogleTV (GTV100) does not currently have several of the apps that the manufacture is currently claiming on the manufacturer's website, such as the "Large Online Retailer Who Steams Video with their Prime Server"™ Instant Video, My Media, etc.

The interface for this device is frustrating, as there is a fair amount of scrolling required in the GoogleTV interface, but the only way I found to scroll is via the keypad. So you end up flipping the remote over and over.

Newegg charged a restocking fee of $19.50, and then there was the return shipping fee. Also, remember to do a factory reset on this device before you return it.

This isn't the droid you're looking for

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Hans Olo,

Amazon Instant Video feature can be accessed using the browser or the Google TV PrimeTime feature that allows you to discover movies, TV shows across multiple apps including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and others, even live TV.

You can also use the touchpad on the front to scroll up or down. To scroll up or down simply press the edge of the touchpad marked with up/down/left/right arrows until you hear a clicking feedback, so there no need to turn to the keypad side every time you want to scroll. In addition, we have enabled the CH+/ CH- button to serve as up down scrolling button when you are not watching live TV programming.

My Media is also available under the All Apps section of the device or can be launched directly from the remote with the Quick Start button.

Please contact us at Newegg@netgear.com for further support.

Thank you,
NETGEAR team