Technology Android

Casey

Well-Known Member
Staff member
When I think of Android TV, I think of what was introduced around this time in 2011. Four years ago.

There was the Logitech Revue, I think? And then that one Sony TV that had Google stuff integrated into it. That Logitech box, I'd buy that for the price of a Chromecast, so about $30. Not for the $199 I think it sold for.

It was neat and I think it'd still be neat to have it now. But it hasn't gone much beyond that.

That was Google TV, which has now been deprecated.

Android TV is not the same thing.

Google TV was a fork of Android, it was not run by the Android team. And that fork never moved past 3.2 Honeycomb, which is positively ancient in technology terms. Android TV is run by the Android team, and kept up to date (for example, the Nexus Player was recently the first device to get 5.1.1 Lollipop, I had it on my Player before I had it on my Nexus 6 or Nexus 7).

Google TV had a complicated interface. The remotes that came with Google TV devices looked like this:



whereas the remote that comes with the Nexus Player looks like this:



Apps had to be whitelisted for use on Google TV, whereas with Android TV, any app can be made compatible and available with a few lines of code.

Android TV has built in casting support, so if you were thinking of getting a £30 Chromecast, you can spend a little more and get a fully fledged smart TV device.

I think one of the main problems with Google TV was the expense and the fact that the app ecosystem wasn't there yet. Android TV doesn't have that problem - the Nexus Player is only £79 (I think the Logitech Revue was £299) and comes out of the box with all the core apps you might want, all the popular video on demand services are there.

Plus, it's hooked into Google's artificial intelligence technology, so you can literally say stuff like "Show me films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in the 1980's" and it'll do it.

It's a far more developed system than Google TV ever was.
 

Casey

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Just got the 5.1.1 update today on my G-Watch. A solid update, the Android Wear platform is really living up to it's potential now.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
That was Google TV, which has now been deprecated.

Android TV is not the same thing.

Google TV was a fork of Android, it was not run by the Android team. And that fork never moved past 3.2 Honeycomb, which is positively ancient in technology terms. Android TV is run by the Android team, and kept up to date (for example, the Nexus Player was recently the first device to get 5.1.1 Lollipop, I had it on my Player before I had it on my Nexus 6 or Nexus 7).

Google TV had a complicated interface. The remotes that came with Google TV devices looked like this:



whereas the remote that comes with the Nexus Player looks like this:



Apps had to be whitelisted for use on Google TV, whereas with Android TV, any app can be made compatible and available with a few lines of code.

Android TV has built in casting support, so if you were thinking of getting a £30 Chromecast, you can spend a little more and get a fully fledged smart TV device.

I think one of the main problems with Google TV was the expense and the fact that the app ecosystem wasn't there yet. Android TV doesn't have that problem - the Nexus Player is only £79 (I think the Logitech Revue was £299) and comes out of the box with all the core apps you might want, all the popular video on demand services are there.

Plus, it's hooked into Google's artificial intelligence technology, so you can literally say stuff like "Show me films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in the 1980's" and it'll do it.

It's a far more developed system than Google TV ever was.

To be honest with you, that Nexus remote looks lame as hell. It's like it over did the minimalist theme it was going for.

I liked Google TV when I used it. At that time, tablets weren't as big, as the XOOM had also recently come out around that time. I still would love to be able to browse the web on my TV while watching it as well. The novelty would wear off, but I can still see myself popping it open to checks scores during a game or info on a movie or something on TV.

Still, not $100 worth of usage, though.

You mentioned playing with the G4. I really like MKBHD.

 

Casey

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I mean, it;'s a remote, what do you want it to look like? It's simple, and it works. It does what it needs to do without having millions of unnecessary buttons. I've had my flatscreen TV for about 5 years, and my cable box for 3 years, and both of them have remotes with millions of buttons that I just never use. I don't even know or care what most of them do.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
Well, our Dish remote has also been programmed to control the TV. So between channel and volume changing, I mute, pause, rewind, etc. The guide is also one button. Powering the TV and dish box is done through the same remote.

I don't mind the buttons since I've just gotten used to navigating around without even looking. Sure I don't use all the buttons, but that Nexus remote looks like it's missing some features. Features I'd have to switch to another remote to use.

Can't really say I've looked into a Nexus Player too much, but the only thing I can say about that remote is that it's got a voice button. But I wouldn't expect anything less from an Android machine.

I feel like I'm the only one content watching media on my 13" screen. And if I want to see it on the big screen, just connect an HDMI cord to the TV.
 

Casey

Well-Known Member
Staff member
So, Android M looks fucking awesome.

I might install the preview on my N6 and Player. Probably next week when I've got a bit more time on my hands.
 

THEV1LL4N

Well-Known Member
Today, I ordered the LG G4 in Black Leather (32GB) from O2.

Unlimited Mins, Unlimited Texts, 1GB Data. £25 for the handset; £27.50/month for 24 months = £685 over 2 years; = effective cost of < £29/month depending on the RPI (inflation) rates.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
lol, that was Google I/O? Either I've really stopped giving a shit about tech news or Google didn't do the same job promoting it this year.

I knew the M Preview was released, but that's about the only news I heard about Google the past week. It's like a shit movie getting released a week before the summer blockbuster to salvage sales.

Irrelevant to this thread but I hope WWDC is better next week.
 

THEV1LL4N

Well-Known Member
lol, that was Google I/O? Either I've really stopped giving a shit about tech news or Google didn't do the same job promoting it this year.

I knew the M Preview was released, but that's about the only news I heard about Google the past week. It's like a shit movie getting released a week before the summer blockbuster to salvage sales.

Irrelevant to this thread but I hope WWDC is better next week.

But do you expect them to announce something major every year? I was pleased with the announcements and improvements to their product line. Of course, every year I get excited for the possible announcement of Android@Home but I think it will all fall under the Nest category for Home Automation. I'm happy so long as there are improvements that directly affect me, meaning that I can make use of it and don't have to wait for it to come out or has some sort of importance to me.

I guess we were all expecting some kind of news on the possible LG and/or Huawei Nexus devices (maybe the Nexus 5 2015).
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
Am I expecting a new iteration of Android every year? Um...yes. I believe that is what the current model is for both Apple and Google. And that would be a major announcement. And if it affects me, I would consider that major enough.
 

dilla

Trumpfan17 aka Coonie aka Dilla aka Tennis Dog
Sure, I realize that. There's a difference in hardware and software, though. You can always improve battery life by...like...not adding another inch to the screen or another core to the chipset.

You can try and make the real time information more accurate, like Google did recently with traffic conditions on Google Maps.
 

Casey

Well-Known Member
Staff member
It's not that the curve is flattening, it's that Google I/O over the last couple of years has gone back to it's roots, which is as a developer conference.

They swung too far the other way before that. Giving away loads of free hardware, crazy product announcements like Glass, here's a brand new version of Android, WOO!

And what happened was that Google products and developments became centred around a yearly IO launch.

Now, you see them launching updates and products much more regularly. Just not all at the same time.

Apparently my Nexus Player now has 600 more channels compared to last week. I need to find the best ones.
 

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