Android Television
Yanira Conlon
Roku TV, Android TV, Smart TV, AI TV, Google TV, Mini LED TV, QLED TV, and so forth are some of the marketing terms utilized by TV manufacturers nowadays. To be honest, it is tricky to tell the differences between them if you are not an expert in the field of television. To meet the more refined needs of consumers, the TV industry appears to have caught up with the rocket, making it difficult for people to decide which one will grace the living room or bedroom for years to come.
The Android TV and smart TV are so similar that you could argue that an Android TV is essentially a smart TV. Nevertheless, not all smart TVs are Android TVs. There are still some differences between a smart TV and an Android TV, which may influence your decision.
A Smart TV, often known as an Internet TV, is any television that can access additional programming via the internet. It is the equivalent of having a computer embedded in your television. Most Smart TVs have built-in apps that let you play games, watch videos, and stream movies, including Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, and others. However, the operating system on a Smart TV cannot be upgraded, so you cannot access the most recent apps. As a matter of fact, any TV that provides online content, no matter what operating system it runs, can be regarded as a smart TV. In this sense, Android TV is indeed a smart TV.
Smart TV and Android TV are inclusive relationships, meanwhile, Android TV has almost all the functions of smart TV but with the Android operating system powered by Google. Some TV manufacturers also have their own built-in operating system when launching smart TV. Similarly, if the operating system of a smart TV is Roku, we can call it Roku TV. TCL has cooperated with streaming media manufacturers such as Android and Roku; therefore, it is not surprising to hear about TCL Android TV and TCL Roku TV.
Although Android TV and smart TV support a number of popular applications, their numbers differ. Thanks to the support of the Android App Store, which contains more than 10,000 apps, it gives Android TV an absolute advantage in the application program. The considerable application library allows Android TV users to download and use a variety of applications, just like on smartphones. For example, everything from YouTube to Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video can be used on TCL Android TV.
As the development of Android TV is very active and the developers regularly push new updates to various applications, Android TV is superior to a smart TV in terms of updating applications and streaming media resources. In addition, connected with WiFi, Android TV offers the automatic update of applications, while it is difficult for smart TVs to get updates in this regard.
The advantage of the built-in Google assistant makes Android TV so outstanding in the function that users of Android TV can switch channels and search programs easily through voice control without any input device. In contrast, users of smart TVs have to enter content with a full-size keyboard. Even though many smart TVs support voice control, they have to be paired with a device such as Alexa to achieve this function.
Screen mirroring your favorite application directly to Android TV from an Android phone is possible due to the Google Assistant and built-in Chromecast (also known as Google cast). However, it is impossible to happen on a smart TV without other projection equipment, which means an additional cost and effort.
As mentioned earlier, Android TV is essentially a smart TV, though it has more choices in some auxiliary functions and application libraries. Smart TV providing a user-friendly and straightforward interface usually performs better and runs faster than Android TV because there are fewer applications to launch. Moreover, a smart TV can be upgraded to Android TV through Android TV boxes, such as Chromecast.
With the capacity to connect to the internet, play material from streaming services without the use of an external device, and offer voice control features, televisions have gotten smarter. Some smart TVs can also be used to manage smart home devices. Such a trend urges smart TVs and Android TVs to gradually occupy a wide market all over the world. All in all, both of them are mainstream TV products in the current market, and each has its own merits.
In the realm of smart entertainment, deciphering the differences between Google TV and Android TV is vital for an informed decision. Although they share a common lineage under the Google umbrella, each brings a unique flavor to the smart TV experience.
Android TV is an operating system designed for televisions and digital media players, providing a familiar interface for users who are accustomed to Android devices. It offers a vast array of applications through the Google Play Store, from streaming services to games, and it supports Google Assistant for voice commands. Its flexibility lies in customization, allowing users to adjust and prioritize content as they see fit.
Google TV, on the other hand, represents the next evolution of this platform, offering a more refined user experience. Google TV reached TV screens in 2020 when it was launched alongside a new version of Google's streaming dongle, the Chromecast with Google TV. It integrates with various streaming services, pulling in content to create a central hub for your entertainment needs. Google TV shines with its For You tab, which utilizes Google's powerful algorithms to recommend shows and movies based on your preferences and viewing history.
One of the main advantages of Google TV over Android TV is its emphasis on content over applications. While Android TV users navigate through different apps to find content, Google TV users are met with suggestions directly on the home screen, reducing the time spent searching and enhancing the viewing experience.
Both platforms support key features such as 4K resolution, HDR content, and voice control through Google Assistant. However, Google TV often benefits from a streamlined interface that's more cohesive and less cluttered compared to Android TV's app-centric layout.
In conclusion, while both Google TV and Android TV offer robust smart TV features, the choice between them depends on user preference for an application-driven interface (Android TV) or a content-first approach that simplifies discovery (Google TV).
As the second-largest manufacturer of smart Android TV in the world, TCL has attracted an increasing number of loyal clients around the world in terms of price and picture quality. You will receive the same TV size and undifferentiated functions at a more affordable price from TCL TV in the world.
Android TV is a smart TV operating system based on Android and developed by Google. It is available on television sets, soundbars, set-top boxes and digital media players. A successor to Google TV, it features a user interface designed around content discovery and voice search, content aggregation from various media apps and services, and integration with other recent Google technologies such as Assistant, Cast, and Knowledge Graph.
The platform was unveiled in June 2014, available first on the Nexus Player in October. The platform has been adopted as smart TV middleware by companies such as Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba and TCL.
Android TV products have also been adopted as set-top boxes by a number of IPTV television providers. The "Operator Tier" certification allows operators to distribute their own custom devices based on the Android TV platform.
Android TV was first announced at Google I/O in June 2014, as a successor to the commercially unsuccessful Google TV. Some attendees received the platform's development kit, the ADT-1. The Information reported that the ADT-1 was based on a scrapped "Nexus TV" launch device that was being developed internally by Google.[3][4] Google unveiled the first Android TV device, the Nexus Player developed by Asus, at a hardware event in October 2014.[5]
The ADT-2 development kit device was released before the release of Android TV 9.0.[6] Android TV 10 was released on December 10, 2019,[7] together with the ADT-3 development kit.[8] Android TV 11 was released for the ADT-3 on September 22, 2020, while rollouts were planned for original equipment manufacturer partners in subsequent months.[9]
In September 2020, it was announced that Google TV experience that was designed to browse and discover content, will be available on televisions from Android TV OS partners starting in 2021.[10] In February 2021, an update to Android TV home screen was announced which added three new tabs at the top: Home, Discover, Apps. The 'Discover' tab presents personalized recommendations for movies, shows and live TV.[11]
The Android TV platform is an adaptation of the Android OS for set-top boxes and as integrated software on smart TV hardware. It supports media and games apps from Google Play, although not all Google Play apps are compatible with Android TV.[15] Some Android TV devices, such as the Nvidia Shield and Razer Forge TV, are also marketed as microconsoles and are bundled with a Bluetooth wireless gamepad.[16][17][18]
The Verge characterized Android TV with leveraging Google's Knowledge Graph project; Chromecast compatibility; a larger emphasis on search; closer ties to the Android ecosystem including Google Play and Android Wear; and native support for video games, Bluetooth gamepads, and the Google Play Games framework.[19]
A special certification, called Android TV "Operator Tier", is available for pay television and other service operators allowing them to customize the home screen; manage UI as well as available apps, content or services on the Android TV devices that they provide to their subscribers; thus, differentiating from other operators and devices running Android TV as well.[20] [21]
Earlier, the Android TV home screen used a vertically scrolling, row-based interface, including a "content discovery" area populated by suggested content, followed by "Watch Now" rows that surfaced media content from installed apps.[24][25][26]
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