Google's already well acquainted with the living room, having launched its Google TV platform at the I/O conference four years ago. It's safe to say the set-top box software has fallen out of favor (with all but Sony, anyway), and Google's been experiencing more success of late with its simpler Chromecast dongle. Well, today the search giant's revealing its next play in home entertainment with Android TV, a brand new software platform bringing Google's OS back to the big screen.
Much like on Apple's set-top box or Amazon's Fire TV, Google's platform is a convenient front-end for it to push video content from its own collection, in this case the Play store. And, of course, it runs apps from other content providers such as subscription streaming services. Android TV also allows you to access live TV through the interface. Even closer to Amazon's effort, though, Google intends Android TV not to be just for passive media consumption, but gaming as well.
Anything running Android TV will have the same functionality as a Chromecast, so you'll be able to push content from your other devices to the TV exactly like you do with the dongle. Android TV will be launching later this year with the Android L release, and various hardware partners are already on board. Next year's smart TV ranges from the likes of Sharp and Sony, among others, will use the Android TV platform. And, if you don't fancy buying a whole new set, Razer, ASUS and others will be making set-top boxes. Google's also got a dev kit for those eager to get working with the SDK right away, which is the same one for tablet and smartphone form factors.
Android TV features a simple and familiar card-based UI that naturally focuses on visual information (displaying movie posters, for example). The home screen floats on top of the content you're currently playing, bringing that feeling of depth that's key to Google's new Material Design language. Google's services are prominent, and voice search is included to make finding consumables, or anything else, as easy as saying it from the sofa. Apps and content can organize themselves across your home screen dynamically, based on your recent usage patterns.
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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Google
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