Android TV is a smart TV platform developed by Google. Running the Android 5.0 (“Lollipop”) operating system, it creates an interactive television experience through a 10-foot user interface.
It was announced on June 25, 2014, at Google I/O 2014 as a successor to Google’s earlier attempt at smart TV, Google TV.
Android TV can be built both into TVs and into stand-alone digital media players. Users have access to the Google Play Store to download Android apps, including media streaming services Netflix and BBC iPlayer, as well as games.
The platform emphasises voice search to quickly find content or to answer queries.
The TV interface is divided vertically into three sections: recommendations on top (which update based on viewing habits), media apps in the middle, and games on the bottom.
The interface can be navigated using a game controller, remote control, or the Android TV mobile app. Android TV also supports Google Cast, the technology behind Google’s media player Chromecast that allows a mobile device to be used to select and control media playback on a TV.
Google has partnered with Sony, Sharp, and TP Vision to offer the platform in TVs, while Razer and Asus plan to release media players with a focus on gaming.
Google and Asus co-developed the first device to employ Android TV, the Nexus Player, released in November 2014. Software developers will be able to use the Android SDK to optimize their apps for use on Android TV.
Sony, Sharp, and Philips announced that they will release TVs in 2015 running Android TV. The TVs will all support the platform’s standard capabilities, such as Google Cast, voice search, and the Play Store app. Sony’s Android TVs are currently available.
Sharp’s television sets became available June 10, 2015. Philips announced that 80% of their 2015 TVs will run Android TV.
User Interface
Android TV is simple to learn and use. When you fire up your television or set-top box, you’ll see the main screen/home screen. It is filled with a vertical stream of rows, and you navigate through each row from left to right. The first row is a list of all the stuff you recently watched.
The second row is a list of all the apps you’ve downloaded, and below that, you’ll see a list of all the games you’ve downloaded. And finally, the last row isn’t necessarily a row but rather an area where you can click through to access settings.
Under the Apps row, you’ll see app icons for Google Play Store Movies and Music and Games. You should also see additional apps for the services you’ve already downloaded (such as Netflix & BBC iPlayer). Click on any of these apps in order to browse and find content.
Voice Search
Android TV supports voice commands, as long as you have the necessary hardware that’ll allow Android TV to hear you. To voice search, you can use the Nexus Player’s remote control with a built-in mic, for instance, or even Sony’s One-Flick remote with a built-in mic.
Supported voice commands include simply stating a video game title…or more complex searches like “All the Oscar-winning movies from 1989”. When you speak a search, Android TV will not only show you all related results in Google Play but also results from Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc.
When sifting through results, you will notice handy cards below. They contain informational bits about the programme, other popular titles from the video game developer you’re browsing, YouTube clips featuring the actor you are looking at, and so forth.
Chromecast
One of the coolest features in Android TV is the ability to use it for casting.
If you don’t own an Android TV-compatible television but want to cast content from your laptop or mobile device to your television, you need to buy a Chromecast HDMI dongle from Google and plug it into your television. But not if you own an Android TV-powered television.
Android TV comes with Chromecast built-in, meaning you can send everything from movies and music to even browser tabs to your television (no Chromecast HDMI dongle required).
