Earlier this year, Google indicated that Android TV 13, the upcoming version of its TV operating system, would include expanded Picture-in-Picture (PiP) capabilities as one of its main user-facing changes this year. Google expects the new feature to be used by video conferencing apps and security camera feeds. At Google’s annual Google I/O developer conference this week, the new features were demoed for the first time. Read more ›
Amazon is now, oddly, listing the 2020 Chromecast as a pre-order item that will be released on May 13, as spotted by 9to5Google. The model number on Amazon’s page matches the Chromecast with Google TV that was released near the end of 2020, so it raises the question why is Amazon just now listing the old device and, more strangely, taking pre-orders for it, no less. Read more ›
As more is being learned about Android 13, specifics about what the update will be adding to Android TV are being uncovered. We already know that Android TV 13 will expand on the operating system’s Picture-in-Picture capabilities and now it looks like it will also add a new low power standby mode, as spotted by Esper (via Phone Arena). The new mode goes beyond the standard standby mode in existing Android TV devices to further lower power usage when the devicew is not in use. Read more ›
Apple has updated its Apple TV app for Android TV and Google TV devices this week and has removed the ability to make purchases within the app. While all content within the app is still available, trying to purchase, rent, or subscribe to anything now informs you to make the transaction on a mobile device first. According to John Gruber on Daring Fireball, this change is due to the expiration of a special exemption given by Google to Apple to bypass in-app purchase fees. Read more ›
Google has posted to its Android developer blog an outline of some of the new features found in Android TV 12 that it wants developers to be aware of. The features explained are ones we’ve already known about and include Frame Rate Matching, Text Scaling, and 4K Interfaces. At the end of the article, Google mentions that Android TV 12 is available as a developer preview for its ADT-3 developer kit and, more importantly, says that Android TV 12 will “begin appearing on TVs later this year.” When the blog post was first published, it said that Android TV 12 would “begin appearing on TVs early this year,” so, the fact that Google felt the need to change the wording of the post is an indication that it’ll still be a while before the next version of Android TV is available on consumer devices.
Earlier this month, Nvidia rolled out an Android 11 update for the Shield TV. Unfortunately, the update has been a hot mess for a lot of people. Bugs in the update have broken app file access and Plex Server capabilities, to name a few. Nvidia has released 3 separate hotfixes for these issues, so far. These updates have not been pushed out to devices yet, so you’ll need to install them manually if you don’t want to wait for the public release. However, be aware that these fixes come with several caveats, like not being able to roll them back, not allowing you to watch HD HomeRun DRM channels, not allowing Disney+ to be installed, and others. Proceed with caution or sit tight for Nvidia to finish fixing all the issues and push out a public non-manual update to everyone.
Rumors of a new Chromecast streaming device from Google have begun to surface. 9to5Google reported last weak that the next Chromecast is currently in development and is codenamed Boreal, but didn’t provide any further information. Now Janko Roettgers from Protocol, who has a good track record for insider information, has been told by a source that the new Boreal Chromecast device will be cheaper than the $50 Chromecast released in 2020 because it will only support 1080p video and not 4K. Read more ›
Over the past few weeks, there have been a few noteworthy new announcements and devices for Android TV and Google TV. Nvidia’s Android TV 11 update for the shield TV seems imminent. There are several new budget 4K streaming sticks and dongles, all using basically identical specs, about to be released. Google will be making Bluetooth headphone pairing a lot easier for a subset of streamers and headphones. Read on for a quick roundup of notable news regarding Google’s streaming platform. Read more ›
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 ›
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 ›
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