Five Things You Didn’t Know about Android TV

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Google has attempted multiple times to break into the streaming TV services with Google TV and Nexus Q line, however each time proved to be not very successful for the technological powerhouse. So Google went back to the drawing boards and introduced the popular $35 dollar Chromecast: an HDMI dongle that allows you to push media to your television via your phone or tablet. Now Google is ready to step it up a notch and bring to users Android TV: a smart TV platform that uses the Android operating system. Google recently announced the Android TV at its most recent I/O conference meaning it’s not out yet, so little is known and there is a lot of speculation. However here we are going to talk about 5 things that you probably don’t know about it yet.

5. It will play movies, TV shows, and video games

Android TV will not only be able to steam videos and television shows, but it will also allow users to play video games through Google’s smart TV platform. Google is attempting to create a multimedia experience for its end user with Android TV and wanted to include video games into their platform. The ADT-1 set  top box is an Android developer-only preview of Google TV and it comes with a moderately powerful 1.9 GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 Quadcore A15 Chipset and a large controller that looks very similar to an Xbox controller. The chipset is much more powerful than the Chromecasts 1.2 GHz single core processor, so it is safe to say that Android TV will have some low-end gaming potential (think platform and indie games). In the developer preview of Android TV there is a lengthy section about gaming on the device, and not just single player games. In fact Google is working with Razer and Asus to make gaming oriented Android TV set top boxes.

4. You can search for content using Google’s voice search

The iconic “Ok Google” search function found in nearly all present day Android cellular devices will be implemented into Android TV. This search feature will allow user to quickly search for their favorite movies, games, and TV shows with relative ease. Google TV came with a remote with over 70 buttons (it had a full keyboard) which was very clunky to use, so Google is making searching for content a whole lot easier.

3. It will sync with your Google account(s) and Google Search

This probably does not come as a surprise, but Android TV will sync with you various Google accounts like the Google Play services and YouTube. Android TV will also provided you content based on calender events and popular search items. Google says in its developer section for Android TV that “Android TV makes new, dynamic connections between content. A favorite movie may lead to the discovery of a new music artist, planning a trip to Paris might surface new YouTube content and photos”. This certainly seems like an interesting and unique feature that other streaming TV and media services like Roku do not have.

2. Your TV may come with it pre-installed

That’s right, no extra purchase necessary of a set top box. Much like Google TV, Google is working with Sony, Sharp, and TP Vision to create television sets with Android TV built in. These TV sets will have all of the features of Android TV that one would receive with the set top box. Google always wants to streamline things, and including Android TV pre-built into television sets is a great idea.

1. It will be compatible with Android cellphones and tablets

Seeing the success of the Chromecast, Google will implement its “casting” services into Android TV allowing users to control the device via their phones or tablets. The Google Cast technology will also allow users to pause their content on their TV and then continue watching it on either their phone or tablet. Google likes to offer its services on a variety of different devices, and Android TV will stay consistent with that vision.

Photo by Stephen Lam

Written by Sebastian Hensiek

From Philadelphia, Sebastian is a fan of music, writing, art, and entertainment.