Hands on overview of Walmart’s $30 Onn 4K Android TV streaming box

Posted by Elias Saba on — 56 Comments

Walmart has released the Onn UHD Streaming Device, which is their first 4K Android TV streamer using their Onn house brand of electronics. The most impressive thing about it is its price, which is $29.88, making it the least expensive 4K streaming box from a well-known company. Even more impressive, considering the price, is that it comes with the Google-designed “G10” remote that has voice capabilities and TV controls. Check out my unboxing video above, where I compare the remote to numerous other popular remotes from Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, and more. Then read on for a full overview of Walmart’s first attempt at streaming hardware.Read more ›

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Android TV’s remote app is being built into Android by default

Posted by Elias Saba on — 2 Comments

Just like all major streaming platforms, Android TV has had a remote app for some time. At today’s Google I/O conference, Google announced that those remote control capabilities will now be built directly into Android phones. The new built-in version gains some improvements over the existing stand-alone app, such as a Google Assistant button and TV control buttons. The new remote will roll out to Android devices “later this year.” Even though the Fire TV is based on Android, it is highly unlikely that this new built-in Android remote will be able to control Fire TV devices, so you’ll need to stick with the Fire TV’s Remote App if you want to control Amazon’s streaming devices with your phone.

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Tivo isn’t done making Android TV dongles just yet

Posted by Elias Saba on — 5 Comments

Earlier this week, the future for streaming devices from Tivo running Android TV seemed bleak. CEO Jon Kirchner revealed in an earnings call that the release of the Chromecast with Google TV has caused the company to shift its focus towards embedding their software into TVs. While some priorities may have changed, Tivo has told Jared Newman over at TechHive that it’s not done with streaming hardware and that we should expect new Android TV dongles from TiVo. Additionally, Tivo says they will continue to improve their current Tivo Stream 4K dongle.

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Tivo is likely ditching Android TV because of the Chromecast with Google TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 9 Comments

It’s looking like the Tivo Stream 4K streaming media player dongle will likely be Tivo’s last Android TV device, as originally reported by Zatz Not Funny, and Google’s own Chromecast with Google TV dongle is to blame. In Tivo’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Jon Kirchner explained that they had planned to use Android TV as the core OS for their own interface and eventually work up to its own OS. Now that Google has shifted Android TV into being a more content-focused UX with the Google TV interface, Tivo is shifting its focus directly into its own OS. Read more ›

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FCC filing indicates Walmart will release a streaming stick using its house brand Onn

Posted by Elias Saba on — 13 Comments

A new FCC filing has appeared, first spotted by @AndroidTV_Rumor on Twitter, for a new streaming stick using Walmart’s Onn house brand. Walmart sells Android powered tablets and Roku powered TVs/soundbars under the Onn brand, but this appears to be their first stand-alone streaming device. The Onn streaming stick looks to be a 1080p device that will run Android 10. Read more ›

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Android TV / Google TV gain IMDb TV, Amazon Music, and Apple TV apps

Posted by Elias Saba on — 3 Comments

Google’s streaming platform has gained a few notable apps during the last week. An Amazon Music app is now available on multiple Android TV / Google TV devices, including the NVIDIA Shield TV and the 2020 Google Chromecast. IMDb TV and Apple TV apps have also recently arrived but, unfortunately, those apps are only available on a very limited set of devices. The new Chromecast with Google TV is compatible with both apps, but popular Android TV devices, like the Shield TV, are not compatible yet. Google did say that the Apple TV app would be coming to “more devices powered by Android TV OS in the future” so the app is not going to be exclusive to the Chromecast. There’s no word on whether IMDb TV will be available on more devices in the future.

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Google is reskinning Android TV to look more like Google TV from the 2020 Chromecast

Posted by Elias Saba on — 10 Comments

Google is releasing an update to Android TV that makes it look a lot more like the new Google TV interface found on the 2020 Chromecast. This update essentially reskins the existing Home screen of Android TV now have a tabbed navigation menu and a large banner at the top for featured content. While this update isn’t going to bring all the new features of the Google TV interface to Android TV devices, it does add some new capabilities, like a new Discover menu for finding popular and trending content. Read more ›

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Sony’s 2021 TVs will run Google TV and Roku was the best-selling smart TV platform in 2020

Posted by Elias Saba on — 4 Comments

While Amazon and Roku are neck and neck for stand-alone streaming media player dominance, the same is nowhere near true for smart TVs, where Fire TV Edition TVs lag way behind Roku, which says it was the best-selling platform for smart TVs in 2020. Meanwhile, Sony continues to be all-in with Android TV for its smart TV platform of choice and has revealed that its 2021 TVs will run the new Google TV interface which is currently only available on the Chromecast with Google TV. Read more ›

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HBO Max app is coming to Roku and Apple TV app is coming to Chromecast/Android TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 2 Comments

‘Tis the season for streaming services to make deals with streaming device manufacturers. Roku has announced that they’ve finally made an agreement with HBO to bring the HBO Max app to Roku devices. The app will arrive in the Roku Channel Store tomorrow, Dec 17. Similarly, Google has announced that an Apple TV app will be coming to the Chromecast with Google TV “early next year.” They also said that “more devices powered by Android TV” will be getting the app “in the future.” Now, if only Amazon would cut a deal with NBC to bring the Peacock TV app to Fire TV devices.

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How to Sideload apps on the 2020 Chromecast with Google TV using Downloader

Posted by Elias Saba on — 18 Comments


Google’s new 2020 Chromecast with Google TV has changed a lot about the underlying Android TV operating system that it runs on, but what hasn’t changed too much is the ability to sideload apps. Sideloading, which is the process of installing APK app files from a source other than the Google Play Store, is possible on the new Chromecast, but Google makes you jump through a few more steps than was previously necessary on Android TV. Here is a step-by-step guide for how to sideload apps using Downloader on the Chromecast with Google TV. Read more ›

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