After retiring the all too meager Google TV, the Mountain View giant wanted to relaunch its image in the world of smart TVs with Android TV. Introduced at Google I/O 2014, the new small-screen platform developed and manufactured by Google is based on the Android operating system to overlay an interactive user interface over regular television programming. Well received by both developers and manufacturers, it has free access to the Google Play Store and its tons of apps, is easy to use, can be controlled by voice and supports Google Cast.
In short, it is effectively Android optimized for TV. As you surely already know, there are other smart platforms, such as Tizen OS, Amazon Fire TV and Roku TV, which offer free access to applications, movies, TV series and music, but Android TV is currently one of the most popular, widely compatible with different models manufactured by Sony, Philips, Hisense or Sharp. Not only that, it has peculiar characteristics that distinguish it from the competition, and which we are now going to discover together.
Android TV: what it is
Android TV has been available since 2014, but thanks to the network connection it is constantly updated with new functions and optimized to work best with the latest generation TVs. Google designed it with the specific intention of bringing everything we like about Android to mobile devices to the screen of smart televisions. Of course, this does not mean that we will be able to use our TV for emails, conversations on WhatsApp and calls, but that at the remote control we will have extremely easy navigation, greater interaction and a gigantic world of entertainment. Without having to buy an expensive modern smart TV.
It is therefore a question of making the TV more "intelligent", at a decidedly lower price, moreover with a recognizable and simple to use interface based on the cards. An economic way to immediately access all the technological beauties of the smart TV, simply via an Android decoder to be connected to the TV via HDMI cable and to the Wi-Fi network.
To use Android TV, a rather fast Internet connection is therefore required on the download front, to enjoy all those contents that otherwise we would only find on smart TVs, computers, smartphones or tablets, and which range from weather information, movies and even video games. In addition, it is also necessary to proceed with the purchase of the Android TV Box, an external device that acts as a "via" and whose cost starts at 21 euros, however it depends on the models on the market. Setting it up is very easy:
If everything is done right, Android TV will run perfectly on our TV, and we will immediately be able to download apps, watch movies and series, listen to our favorite music, and engage our fingertips with some nice video games. All features to be enjoyed through an interface already known, which is based on tabs exactly as it happens on mobile phones. In January 2021, Big G also released a major and massive update to the Android TV user interface, which includes a new simplified search function, a redesigned home page that can show much more recommended content, and an app bar which allows you to access all the applications that we have downloaded on our smart TV. Just a few months earlier, Google had introduced compatibility with the Chinese app TikTok.
How Android TV works
Having established what Android TV is and what it is for, it is then advisable to also go and understand how it works. We will do this by examining all its options in detail, some particularly used and others less known, but equally useful for making the most of the Google platform and our smart TV. The American company has in fact thought of everything to make the user experience on the small screen almost similar to that proposed on the touchscreen, with small and large precautions that show how much has been learned from the mistakes made with the previous Google TV. Among the features in question, recommended content shows movies and TV series similar to those we usually watch on the home page.
This is because Android TV continuously analyzes our visions, to offer us entertainment in line with our tastes. There is also the so-called universal search, with which to use the search bar of the Android TV interface or the voice search button on the remote control to find content and apps. Just enter the keyword to have the Google-branded platform search for us among different services, including Netflix, Hulu or Google Play, to let us choose between those that are right for us, or more convenient, if they are available. payment.
Not only that, as already mentioned, the Android TV "portfolio" is enriched with native support for Google Cast: this function allows you to play content from a PC or notebook on our smart TV with a simple click, without any need for a physical connection. Instead of carrying out a long search by name, we can also use the voice search with the remote control, integrated precisely into the remote control of the platform made in Mountain View, saving time and unnecessary effort. The Google assistant is not missing either integrated, which was introduced in the Android TV possibilities in 2017.
The functions available to users are exactly the same as those found on Google Home and on any high-end Android smartphone. The assistant, like its competitors Siri and Cortana, performs various tasks, such as reminding us of our commitments, managing our calendar or answering questions of common interest.
If the titles on consoles and PC, but also Google Stadia, are decidedly more sophisticated and in step with the times, even on Android TV it is possible to enjoy some work in pixels and polygons, to be downloaded directly from Google Play store. As with Android smartphones, some games are free, and with in-app purchases, while others must be purchased. The possibility is particularly appreciable, in the face of what is now a catalog of video games superior to any other TV operating system.
To close, with the Android TV device we can find various and interesting information on the cast and production of TV series and feature films: for example, if we are watching a show with Norman Reedus, the integrated search will tell us in which other title we can see him act , providing us with his complete filmography; by clicking on the icon of a series, however, we can know where to watch it and read information on the complete cast, as well as details and curiosities about its production.
Android TV: apps and compatible devices
With Android TV, we can also access a wide selection of applications on the TV, which can be downloaded directly from the Google Play Store via our personal Google account. Among these, of course, there are the best known and most used streaming platforms by fans, such as Netflix, Disney +, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Infinity or NowTV. Of course, each of these requires a paid subscription. Similarly, apps such as Mediaset Play or RaiPlay can be installed, thanks to which you have access to a large free catalog of programmes, films, TV series and dramas, and live broadcasts on the various channels of the two companies.
There are also applications strictly connected to information and dissemination, supported by thematic channels such as ABC News. Among the virtual shelves of the Google Play Store, as if that weren't enough, there are apps for music, Spotify is the most famous, and for videos headed by YouTube, and very popular games such as Minecraft and some classic chapters of Final Fantasy, along with milestones like Tetris or Pac-Man. Without forgetting the multiple puzzle games, racing, shooters, brawl, RPG and adventure that populate the Android home digital store.
Moving to devices compatible with Android TV and Android OS, the list is made up first of all of many of the Sony, Philips and Sharp branded TVs, but also Cello and Hisense. Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, have chosen to use their own operating system, while others rely on third-party OSes. Similarly, Android TV is not identical on all smart TVs on sale, since each company can modify the code to best adapt it to their devices, adding customized settings and additional features, perhaps exclusively. Alternative methods for using the Google platform are Nvidia Shield TV Pro, Xiaomi's Mi Box S and Google Chromecast, a miniature device which, once connected to the TV with an HDMI cable, gives us access to the Android television world.