Android TV: What is it, and should you buy a TV or a box with it?

We would possibly have some bias via announcing this on a web page referred to as “Android Central,” but if you take into accounts it, Android in reality is one of the flexible running techniques in life. We maximum usually recall to mind it as what powers smartphones and tablets, but it surely additionally extends to smartwatches, automobile infotainment techniques, and even televisions.

That closing level is what we are speaking about nowadays — Android TV. This model of Android powers good televisions and streaming containers, and it is been doing that since 2014.

Other platforms like Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV have overshadowed Android TV’s recognition, however that does not imply it is not value taking into account. In truth, Android TV has moderately a lot to provide if you’re a fan of Google services and products and are on the lookout for a technique to deliver extra smarts into your front room.

Here’s what you want to find out about it, together with the inevitable Android TV vs. Google TV query everybody’s asking.

What is Android TV?

As discussed above, Android TV is a model of Android that is designed particularly for televisions. It first debuted in June 2014, with the newest model (Android 12) launching in September 2021. Like different TV running techniques, you can use Android TV to observe Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and numerous different streaming apps. Android TV even helps some video games, giving you a great exchange of tempo when you really feel like having extra interplay with your leisure.

The latest Android TV interface contains parts presented as a part of the brand new Google TV interface, which has changed the former consumer interface (UI) on maximum Android TV units launched in 2021 and past. Among the enhancements rolled out as a part of the Android 12 beta have been a refresh to the running gadget’s house display screen that incorporated better buttons, larger animation, a new taste of widgets, and the addition of a shiny inexperienced microphone icon.

Android 12 additionally presented local fortify for taking scrolling screenshots and a characteristic that generates a colour theme for gadget menus in accordance with your preferred wallpaper. Android 12 additionally contains local fortify for 4K UI rendering, which improves the entire display screen interface and makes visuals even sharper. Previous variations of Android TV set UI rendering at 1080p, with the power to upscale to 4K.

Some of the privateness adjustments found in Android 12 on telephones also are to be had on Android TV as a part of the refresh. Privacy adjustments come with a characteristic that permits customers to toggle get admission to to the microphone or digicam extra briefly and disable get admission to to microphone audio and digicam video for all apps.

Google Assistant on Android TV

If you’re a common consumer of the Google Assistant to your phone and good audio system, Android TV will really feel proper at house to you.

As with different Google units, the Google Assistant is constructed proper into Android TV. Click the Assistant button on the height of the display screen or press the Assistant button to your faraway, and you can communicate to the Google Assistant similar to you would anyplace else.

It’s useful in a few other ways. For instructions particular for your TV, you could have the Assistant pause what you’re looking at, regulate the quantity, open particular apps, and so on. However, it extends a long way past voice command playback controls. Ask the Assistant in regards to the climate, who Kylie Jenner is courting, or to show off the lounge lighting. It’s the similar Google Assistant you know and love, simply to your TV.

How Android TV works with Chromecast

Browsing for displays to observe the use of apps at the large display screen is a nice enjoy, however for the ones instances when you’re already to your phone, Android TV has you coated with fortify for Chromecast.

Find a YouTube video or Netflix display to your phone you need to try? Just faucet the Chromecast icon to your phone, make a selection your TV, and you can ship that video for your TV similar to that.

It’s a characteristic that works with any app that helps Chromecast, together with one thing like Google Photos. So as a substitute of hunching over your phone to have a look at circle of relatives footage, you can show them to your tv with simply a couple of faucets.

Streaming containers and dongles with Android TV

When it involves getting your palms on Android TV, there are a couple of the way to move about this. The maximum reasonably priced of which is to buy a streaming box or dongle with Android TV integrated.

These are quite compact units that plug into your TV, like a mini-game console, and permit you to get admission to Android TV and the entire perks that come with it. So whether or not you have a “dumb” TV with no good interface or a Roku TV you wish to improve, an Android TV box is easiest for including a ton of latest options whilst spending as little cash as conceivable.

Among the most efficient Android TV containers, probably the most tough choices are the NVIDIA Shield and Shield Pro. The baseline NVIDIA Shield helps 4K HDR content material, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, plus AI upscaling for HD-to-4K content material. It has an ethernet port for constant streaming speeds and fortify for GeForce Now cloud gaming. But if you’re keen to improve, the Shield TV Pro doubles the introduced garage to 16GB and will increase the RAM to 3GB.

But you cannot move incorrect with the Chromecast with Google TV, our height select. It has identical upsides because the Shield like 4K HDR and Dolby, despite the fact that you’ll must buy an ethernet adaptor and circulation Stadia video games as a substitute. It does not upscale content material, and 8GB of garage would possibly not be sufficient for everybody, however it is so a lot more reasonably priced than the Shield, making it the similar worth as maximum top rate streaming dongles.

The Android 12 replace additionally allows customers to make use of their phone as a TV faraway with Android TV OS streaming units, making navigating the interface even more straightforward.

Some TVs additionally send with Android TV integrated

If you have more money to spend and need to improve all your TV, you may just additionally buy a tv that comes with Android TV integrated proper out of the box.

This is a a lot more pricey acquire, but when you want a new TV anyway, you would possibly as smartly buy one that does not require further {hardware} to make use of Android TV. That approach, you save your HDMI ports for different units like gaming consoles.

We’ve decided on the most efficient Android TVs to be had, with the Hisense U8G Quantum as our present favourite. This 4K TV has 4 HDMI ports, helps 120Hz refresh charges, tiny bezels, hands-free Google Assistant, and an reasonably priced worth. If that set does not seize you, TCL and Sony additionally make superb Android TV units.

You would possibly need one thing a bit extra high-end. In that case, our listing of the most efficient 4K Android TVs goals extra spendy customers who handiest need the most efficient. And the Sony A80J Bravia XR OLED in reality is one of the crucial absolute best TVs to be had, Android or differently. The image show and sound high quality are top-notch, and you get HDMI 2.1 ports for next-gen gaming.

What’s the deal with Google TV?

In line with the release of Chromecast with Google TV in 2020, it used to be introduced that Google TV will be the new UI for Android TV.

Powered via Google’s system studying, Google Assistant, and the Google Knowledge Graph, the brand new Google TV interface sits on height of the Android TV device. It’s a very simple approach for customers to seek out content material from quite a lot of streaming services and products on their TV or track. More particularly, the brand new interface puts Google’s content material suggestions entrance and heart and options a new Live tab for TV-like integrations reminiscent of YouTube TV.

The Google TV interface is divided into a number of tabs that let you to browse content material via motion pictures, displays, and apps. You may even get admission to your library of bought content material from Google by the use of Play Movies & TV now that the Google TV app is saved. Content is additionally really useful to you in accordance with your viewing behavior when signed into your profile.

The new interface additionally introduces the approach to create profiles particularly centered at more youthful audience, which characteristic rows of really useful movies from kid-friendly apps. The kid-specific Google TV interface additionally options shiny colours and a laugh illustrations, the choice to pick out background issues reminiscent of “beneath the ocean” and “area trip,” and profile avatars aimed toward more youthful audience.

Our listing of Android TV units that fortify Google TV will inform you that have converted and which stay at the outdated OS. If you are caught with Android TV, relaxation confident that you can now manually fine-tune your Android TV suggestions, very similar to what you’d get mechanically with Google TV.

The long term of Android TV

At this level, most aged Android TV units have up to date to the Google TV OS, and maximum new Android TV containers and tv units use Google TV. Right now, we do not know a lot about any new Chromecasts at the horizon, however a number of new Google TV units have shipped (or will send) in 2022. 

While the Android TV emblem would possibly not die anytime quickly, Google has shifted its focal point to its namesake interface. But Google is nonetheless bringing Stadia to extra Android TV units through the years, in addition to Google TV options to the outdated OS. So it is as much as you whether or not or now not you can stick with your outdated Android TV instrument or wish to improve to Google TV.