In June 2014, Google had their most recent project ‘Google TV’ shut down and removed from shelves across the world due to the newer device that was sweeping through the nation, Android TV.
Android TV was simply an updated idea of what Google TV had previously offered, but with closer support and integration into the Android system than Google could make alone.
Throughout this blog post, we are going to be taking a look at the origins of this device in more detail, some of its key features and what has kept Android TV going for just under a decade.
What Is Android TV?
In Leyman’s terms, Android TV is a device that aims to bring all of the things that you enjoy about your phone onto your TV screen. This device focuses on making your TV interface as easy as possible for people of all age groups to master.
Android TV is also able to offer integration with the Google Smart Assistant as well as giving you access to control over multiple devices such as your Android tablet, phone and more recently the Android Watch devices.
There are a number of essential entertainment applications that are available for you to download on your Android TV such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV. Having these available has played a major role in the success of the device.
Origins and Google TV
The origins of Android TV lie almost completely in the evolution of Google TV into the product it has become today. Google TV was a Smart TV operating system that Google had created in collaboration with some of the top brands in the industry such as Sony, Logitech and Intel.
This product aimed to provide its users with a much easier way of watching on-demand television by providing a simple user interface to their TV to easily access existing, outsourced applications such as Netflix, YouTube and others.
Towards the end of the life cycle of Google TV, Android TV was emerging as it looked to provide users with an even easier avenue to deliver on-demand TV from leading IPTV companies in an easy-to-use package.
For what Google TV lacked in its number of apps, Android TV certainly makes up for, as it has been consistently developed and updated to make sure that it is compatible with almost any kind of IPTV service the industry has to offer.
Key Features
With the rise of Android TV, there have been many updates throughout the years which has meant that Google has been able to implement many new features that put this device above many of its competitors in the field.
Ease of Use
One of the main things that you will notice when it comes to Android TV is the fact that it is incredibly simple to use for people of all age groups. This has allowed for the excellent success of the product over the years since its conception.
Making a product easy to use is one of the key things that larger businesses must keep in mind in order to reach as large of an audience as possible.
This includes not singling any group of people out from being able to use their products because they are too complex to get used to.
Voice Controls
In addition to this, you will also have access to excellent voice controls in order to find the applications or shows that you wish to find. This makes a further effort to make the device easier to use if they do find the interface or remote controls confusing.
Giving users the ability to voice search initially was one of the pioneering features that the Android TV was able to push into the mainstream over time.
This eventually led to the general popularity of voice controls in various different devices from smart assistants to voice options on TV remote controls.
Various Apps
Android TV is also able to provide you with a wide variety of different applications from the entertainment industry to deliver the content that you are most after on demand.
Alongside the key IPTV apps, you will also be able to install a number of miscellaneous apps to couple together, meeting your need for entertainment including an abundance of Virtual Private Networks!
Android TV has been one of the most consistent and best devices for people to use streaming platforms and its vast popularity has paved the way for other companies to make their own smart television devices to compete.
What Are The Alternatives?
While Android TV has many amazing features to offer to its customers, this does not mean that there are no competitors in the market. The IPTV landscape has broadened vastly over the last 10+ years which has led to many different businesses trying their hand at IPTV.
One of the main competitors to the Android TV is Web OS which LG turned to in 2014 because of its excellent user interface on TVs across the UK which was excellently received by the general public of the UK.
Another of the most prominent alternatives that you may wish to consider when looking at the IPTV market is Samsung’s Tizen which is their version of the Android TV/Google TV idea with a unique Samsung spin.
In recent years, set-top boxes have become much more prevalent in recent years and have offered fierce competition to the Smart TVs on the market.
Devices such as Apple TV, Roku Box and the Amazon Fire TV Stick have become much more popular and have even been replacing smart TVs in some homes due to their much lower price tag and their ease of use.
Conclusion
To conclude, Android TV is one of the best Smart TVs that money can buy and has been one of the most trusted devices for people across the world for many years now.
If you are in need of any extra support with your IPTV, you can contact our team at info@iptv-compare.com and we will help in any way that we can.