Last week we learned that Marvell would power some second-generation Google TV boxes, and last night we got our first preview of their Foresight Platform at CES Unveiled. Marvell only had a prototype box on display, but this was the first time we’ve seen the 1.2 GHz Marvell Armada 1500 system-on-a-chip (SoC) in action.
The main benefit of the ARM-powered platform will be lower cost devices. A Marvell representative told us, ”I can tell you it’s going to be a lot cheaper than $300. It will be a very attractive price point.” We saw the sales of the Logitech Revue really take off when the price was reduced to $99, so hopefully Marvell and their OEM partners can offer a device somewhere around that price point.
Unfortunately, we didn’t really get a chance to evaluate the performance of the Armada 1500 processor. We witnessed a couple apps and the browser, but I didn’t see anything that really pushed the performance of the device. The Armada 1500 includes a Vivante GC1000 GPU core, so we can’t wait to see how 3D games run.
Expect Google TV devices powered by Marvell to be available in early Q2. Check out the hands-on video below for a quick preview of the Marvell prototype in action.
