In the past week, there have been a few noteworthy pieces of news regarding Android TV and Google TV devices. Google’s Chromecast with Google TV and Walmart’s Onn 4K Streaming Box have both received minor software updates. Nvidia’s Shield TV has dropped a hint that it may be getting updated to Android 11 in the future. TCL and Best Buy have pulled TCL 6-Series TVs running Google TV off of shelves due to performance issues. Read on for more details about all of these things and more. Read more ›
When a new version of Android launches, it’s usually a big deal, at least when it comes to phones. That’s not the case with Android TV as version 12 has now officially launched but it doesn’t matter to anyone but developers since the only device that it’s available on is the ADT-3 Developer Kit. Google’s own flagship Andoird TV device, the 2020 Chromecast, is still running Android TV 10 with no indication that it will be updated. Similarly, the newest Amazon Fire TVs are based on Android 9 and have also shown no indication of being updated. Read more ›
Last week, Google announced that user profiles were finally coming to Google TV devices next month. TW Electronics, the manufacturer of the Google-designed G10 remote that many Android TV devices have been shipping with, has revealed in a tweet that manufacturers can actually select whether they want to include a user profile button in place of the bookmark button that has been on all G10 remotes so far. Read more ›
Anker has released its new Nebula 4K Streaming Dongle box running Android TV 10, as spotted by 9to5Google. The device uses Google’s reference design, which means it shares identical specs with Walmart’s Onn 4K box and many other streaming devices. What is mind boggling is its ridiculously high price of $89.99, which is triple the price of Walmart’s streamer, despite being practically identical in every aspect. Read more ›
A new Nintendo Switch game console was announced this morning that swaps the 6.2-inch LCD screen on the existing model for a 7-inch OLED screen, among other upgrades. If you’re unaware, Nintendo Switch models are closely tied to Nividia Shield TV models because they are the two primary consumer devices that use Nvidia Tegra X1 processors. When Nintendo announced new Switch models in 2019, it was only a short time later that new Shield TV models appeared. Here’s what today’s announcement of a new top-end Nintendo Switch model might mean for future Nvidia Shield TV models. Read more ›
Nvidia Shield TV owners are upset at the recent addition of ads on their home screen but, while owners of the Chromecast with Google TV have always had ads, they too have reason to be upset. Google TV on the home screen of the 2020 Chromecast has switched from a slideshow of static image ads to autoplaying video ads, according to 9To5Google. Thankfully, you still have to pause for a bit on the banner ad before videos begin to play, but highlighting the ad banner happens often since it sits between the navigation menu and the app row. This behavior of autoplaying video ads, when highlighted, has been the norm on Fire TV devices, but unlike on Fire TV devices where you can completely turn off all video ads, there is no way to stop the new video ads from autoplaying on Google TV.
The Nvidia Shield TV has received an update that changes its classic Android TV interface to the new Google TV interface with ads. The Shield TV’s new interface isn’t the full-fledged Google TV interface found on the 2020 Chromecast, but, rather, it’s the partial Google TV interface with only some aspects of Google’s revamped interface for Android TV devices. One of the few aspects the new interface carries over from the Chromecast to the Shield TV are large ads at the top of the home screen which have upset Shield TV owners enough to flood the Google Play Store with negative reviews that have plummeted the Android TV Home app down to a 1-star rating. Read more ›
Here is a round-up of the top deals on streaming devices across all major brands that are currently available. Included are deals on Fire TV devices, Android TV devices, Roku devices, and Apple TV deals. While I’m certainly partial to the Fire TV deals, there are certainly some others that a worth considering. Read more ›
The Tivo Stream 4K, the companies first Android TV streaming device, has a foggy future. The company first hinted at abandoning the product to focus on TVs running Tivo software, but then backtracked to say they are still supporting their streaming dongle and plan to release a successor. While the future of the Tivo Stream 4K is unknown, one thing that’s certain is that the price is dropping like a rock in what appears to be a fire sale to clear out inventory. Read more ›
Walmart’s first Android TV streamer, the Onn UHD Streaming Device, hit shelves last week and I did a quick overview of what it has to offer. While the hardware is impressive for the price, the software has numerous issues resulting in incorrect color output and a remote that can’t control some TVs, like it’s supposed to be able to. This week I ran the little streaming box through a few benchmarks to see how it stacks up to every Fire TV, Firestick, and Fire Cube, as well as several Android TV devices, including the 2020 Chromecast, Tivo Stream 4K, and Nvidia Shield TV. Read more ›
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