Ever since I expanded my scope a bit in early 2015, I’ve always included a decent amount of non-Fire TV streaming device coverage on AFTVnews, but I haven’t gone into depth on my coverage of other platforms as I do for Fire TV devices, mostly due to lack of interest and time. While Android TV has certainly been the other platform to interest me and site visitors the most, the pricey hardware and stale UX have kept me from giving it more attention. With the release of the 2020 Chromecast as the first affordable Android TV device and the new Google TV interface, I’m going to try to increase my Android TV coverage and dive a bit deeper with guides and articles focused on those devices. A lot of you have been asking me to do this for some time, but I do want all the Fire TV owners to know that I’m by no means shifting the focus of AFTVnews. While there will likely be a surge of Android/Google TV, Chromecast, and Shield TV articles in the coming weeks while I cover some core functionality, I’ll still be prioritizing Fire TV articles and bring you all the same level of Amazon device coverage that you’ve become accustomed to from me.
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Fantastic, and thank you for the message.
Cool!
More content isn’t a bad thing to me. FYI though it’s not the first affordable Android TV device. Putting aside the Mi Box and it’s ilk, the TiVo Stream 4K dongle is $50 and now that Google shipped, that’ll probably stay the permanent price.
Awesome , I would love to see some android talk too.
I wouldn’t even mind if you had the odd Roku article either. I suspect that a lot of us have more than one type of streamer. The more information the better.
I’ll be looking forward to the articles!
@Elias – I’ve notice this past year than many/most of the FTV updates no longer prompt you to reboot afterwards, which seems different from prior behavior. Do you know if the OS no longer requires a reboot to apply these updates, or if the device just waits for it to go idle or overnight, and then reboot without the users knowledge?
A proper OS update will always need to restart the device. The device will auto-install the update and reboot itself when it is idle for an extended period of time. (It has always been this way.) The only updates that don’t need rebooting are system component updates, which are essentially just system app updates. Those too will auto-install when the device is idle.
I wish it possible to seek app updates when you know there is one.
If you mean updates to apps from the appstore, it is possible to manually update them. See here: https://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-guide-check-install-app-update-amazon-fire-tv-stick-firestick-cube/
If you mean system app updates, then you manually check/install them the same way as OS updates, through Settings > My Fire TV > About > Check for updates
I wonder if app updates are what is showing up when you go to about/ftv. I have had 3-4 updates in there over the past week, and those system updates used to be maybe 1x per month.
I have been lurking on this site for a while. I have several Fire devices and an Nvidia Shield. The instructions for sideloading Peacock and HBOMax have been most welcome. The newest Chromecast with Google TV is very tempting and I am glad that you will be paying attention
“2020 Chromecast as the first affordable Android TV device”.
Well there has been cheap ATV options already. Not talking about no-brands but Xiaomi has cheap ATV boxes since a long time.
Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is the newest kid in the block, but Xiaomi Mi TV Box S is here since a while…
True. I should have been more specific with my phrasing. I meant sub $50 devices. The Mi Stick and Tivo Stream 4K do qualify (although the Mi Stick is overpriced for 1080p), but I don’t see those selling in the millions. The new Chromecast has that potential. Either way, budget-friendly Android TV devices are finally here in force, so I’m looping them into my coverage.
The Mi Box has always been in the 70.00 range, which is likely above the 50.00 price point of affordable. I owned the Nexus player, but it too was well above the 50.00 mark. I think I liked it better than the Mi Box.
OK, fine. Though I do come here for Amazon Fire TV news. Not Google/Android. For that there are Google blogs. Please do not waste your time on Google/Android devices on your website.
I like the comparisons against android tv and roku.
Some of us have moved on to other devices that more appropriately fit our needs. Speaking for myself, I have moved on to the more powerful Shield Pro (2019) that powers through high bitrate mkv on my network through Kodi, and has a brilliant AI Upscaling capability, as well as a clean, simple GUI, all of which, IMO, leaves the FireTV devices in the dust.
But, I still appreciate Elias’ insight into FireTV adjacent devices.
Very nice awesome, keep up the great work thumbs up
I have been a MiBox owner for a few years, the device has always received a bad rap but I have never had a problem with mine, including updates, UNTIL the recent Android 9 (last week). The update itself does seem to make the box run smoother but it completely bungled HDMI-CEC which I rely on with my Samsung. I’ve tried all tricks to fix it but no go.
Also a word of caution: Android 9 breaks the ability to use custom launchers without major work arounds and headaches (I also relied heavily on custom launchers because the new Android TV UI is lacking to say the least)
The last few Mi Box updates gave me a ton of issues, until I finally sold the thing. I also had issues with a firmware update bricking a Mi phone. I will likely not buy anymore Mi products in the coming years. My Chromecast(in blue) came today, so I am looking forward to testing that out.