I have had the revue for 5 months now and recently the revue hdmi output died (not the boxes fault..it happened during a surge that came from the cable box which also killed the hdmi switch at the revue output...trust me I know exactly what went wrong). I cannot begin to explain how you miss it after you have started using it for a while. Basically your tv is not the same anymore without it.
First off I want to address an issue I have seen on reviews with Netflix. I use netflix on Xbox 360, PS3, PC and the revue. The revue interface has everything you have through a pc with full search functionality and ease of use. The xbox and PS3 are far behind. The only reason people jumped to conclusions about this is because there are two choices to watch netflix. One is on the left menu which is sort fo a preview of netflix and the other is to go to Applications->Netflix and launch the dedicated netflix application. Thats when you have the full featured app. As for quality the revue is at par with the PS3 as the top two. The xbox for some reason decides to lower my quality at times due to bandwidth. This never happens with the PS3 or the revue.
Second I want to address the concern people have about blocked video websites. This has nothing to do with the revue. This is due to sites like hulu blocking android from accessing their content because they want to charge for this. If this bothers you, do not complain to logitech or google, but to the FCC. Tell them to take action because they are allowing sites to block content to charge. This should be illegal. The fake messages you get from hulu saying we are working on bringing hulu to android just means they are "working" on a monthly plan and hulu plus app.
Next ill address the mentions of connecting a pc to your tv to get the same or better results. the convenience of just having the web access at just the push of a button without needing to get up connect your laptop or having a dedicated pc for this purpose is not comparable. Just think of watching a movie, getting that brain freeze of where you saw that actor before, pausing your film, clicking the search button on your keyboard and checking on imdb in an instant and then resuming your film. You cant achieve this with a dedicated pc or bringing your laptop to your tv. Not to mention that not all tv's have a vga input, not all laptops have an hdmi output. Plus the revue is a tiny box that fits right next to your home theater setup without any bulky pc next to it (even a shuttle is bulky in comparison).
Other benefits I have. Streaming my media from my networked PC's to the revue. I just power up any pc in the house that contains the media I want and is shared (windows 7 and windows media center make it rather easy..even though im not a MS fan..but thats how it is). Use the logitech media player app and it will see any networked device sharing media. Pictures, music or videos. You can even use one of the two usb ports to connect an external hard drive with media and it supports a wide range of formats.
Another issue people have mentioned is the difficulty browsing websites. I noticed this mainly with scrolling. The on board mouse and buttons do not make this easy. However you can connect any wireless mouse and use that. It makes a big difference. I have a logitech wireless trackball mouse and that is a perfect companion for web browsing. some sites that are flash heavy might be a bit slow and jumpy but the fact that you can view them right on your tv with such ease makes a big difference. The trackball is also great since I do not need to move the mouse around. I just hold it next to me on the couch. I also love that I can go to youtube and show friends any youtube video right there on my tv without having to open up a laptop and everyone crouching in front of it. The youtube app offers the "leanback" experience but I am not really a fan of that.
Another great feature is how you can customize the keyboard to any functions of your various remotes that are not built in by default. For example i chose "fn" key and "I" for tv input source and "fn" and "1" to scroll through my favorites list on my cable box.
I really can go on and on about the features. The more you look into it and customize it (bookmarks, keys, websites etc), the more you find to love. Not to mention that Honeycomb was announced for the revue to be coming this summer. I cant wait to see what that is like.
Finally I have to mention Logitech customer support. They start off with the normal simple questions for ...lets say "inexperienced" users but as soon as you identify yourself as a tech they treat you very professionally and help you all the way. They offered a replacement unit, sent me a UPS return label for free shipping, I sent them an email once I dropped it off at a UPS location and they shipped the replacement before even receiving the defective one. Granted this whole process is taking me a week without my revue...and the weekend went by without it which killed me since I use it so much for everything...but as I said, very helpful, very understanding and honestly, Ive dealt with them before and several other customer service departments of many reputable companies and Logitech is at the top of the list.
So overall, I think that the bad reviews come from people who either do not know how to fully use their revue, or were expecting something the revue is not. Its and addition to your home theater setup that enhances it with several features and I feel this is the future of tv...Google knows what its doing. You can bash them all you want..but that is the plain simple truth. I highly recommend this purchase....especially now that its dropped to 200 bucks..Im considering getting a second one for my bedroom tv.