There ’s anew Chromecastin township , only it ’s not so much a Chromecast as a little Android TV dongle with Chromecast build up in … but that ’s not right either , because it ’s guide Google television rather than Android TV … I know , I cognise . If you ’re wondering exactly what this new software program is , and how it associate to the Modern Chromecast , we ’ve got you covered .
You may remember Android TV originally rose from the ashes of Google TV , years back . Well , the raw Google TV is n’t replacing Android goggle box ( yet ) . or else it ’s an extra user interface layer or skin on top of Android TV , a little fleck like the extra layers that Samsung , LG , Sony and the rest put on top of Android on mobile .
To put it another way , Google TV is n’t replacing Android TV , it ’s running on top of it — though it might end up running on top of it pretty much everywhere , in which case it ’s likely that we ’ll all initiate referring to Google TV rather than Android goggle box . Android television is still doing the low - level jobs like instal and run apps , though if Google TV is instal you wo n’t see Android TV at all , as it includes all the necessary characteristic and preferences . Confused yet ?
Google TV brings all of your watching together.Screenshot: Google TV
In Google ’s words , it ’s “ a Modern entertainment experience designed to help you easily browse and find what to watch . ” That sounds like what the Apple TV app is trying to do , too : bringing together Apple TV+ and your other streaming service in one port .
And that ’s the major modification here : Google TV will consolidate your apps and streaming armed service into one merged interface . If you search for something — with a spokesperson command through Google Assistant , for example — then you should see matches from all the apps you ’ve got installed ( again , like the Apple TV app ) .
That watchlist is a really useful feature , allowing you to keep track of multiple deed of conveyance across multiple services ( and it ’ll sync with other devices too — just Google “ my watchlist ” on a machine that you ’re signalise into ) . But there are some annoyances , though , like the agency you sometimes get agitate titles that you need to ante up extra for , rather than content you’re able to already look on as part of your subscriptions .
Google TV will show you movies and shows across multiple streaming services.Screenshot: Google TV
When there are multiple way to watch something , like buying something to keep forever or streaming it for free , for example , then these multiple options show up when you choose the title . Everything is well presented and well laid out for the big screenland , and of course the newfangled Chromecast come with a remote , so you do n’t have to rely on a sound or laptop .
Google enounce it ’s using some smart algorithm behind the scene to figure out what you might require to determine next , across any of your apps , and to bar that aimless scrolling before you resolve on something . There ’s also a alive boob tube hub you could watch , but for now it only supports YouTube TV .
As with plain old Android TV , you may expect Google Assistant questions about the weather and mutation scores while you ’re take in something or scrolling through one of the fare . There ’s also an ambient mode , where you could put up your old Google Photos , which matches the live Chromecasts .
Google Assistant features and functions are built right in.Screenshot: Google TV
Another Chromecast characteristic that ’s now been integrated into Google TV is the power to bring up the feed from one of your Nest cameras on screenland . We ’re presuming Google Assistant on Google TV will eventually become just as powerful as it is on your phone , if it is n’t already .
Everything has been kick in a dah of digital paint , and while the layout of the interface is very Android video - esque , the existent visuals are more liquid and modern - looking . This Google TV ‘ pelt ’ is being pushed out to other devices over time — it’ll bump off Sony Bravia set in 2021 , for example — even though the underlying OS is still Android idiot box .
The other significant update is to the Google Play Movies & video apps , which will be rebranded as Google TV apps over time , starting with Android . All the same feature and functionality will still be there , but it should make it easier to jump between devices . The Google TV app on your phone will do the same task as it does on TVs , combine hunting results across multiple services .
Where relevant, Google TV will give you multiple ways to watch.Screenshot: Google TV
This very much matches up with Apple ’s approach , blur the lines between streaming apps and countersink up one consistent user interface across gimmick and screens of dissimilar sizes . Meanwhile , everything you ’ve previously bought to keep on Google Play Movies & TV can be recover in the Library section of the Google TV app ( and on Google TV on Android TV ) .
Google take on Movies & TV is out , Android television is retreating into the desktop , and Google TV is very much in — that ’s the canonical center . All of this is fail to take time , though , with Google TV presently only available on the new Chromecast dongle , and the associated app only available to hoi polloi in the U.S. for now .
Whether the best Android television set machine in the business , theNvidia Shield TV , will get a Google TV facelift remains to be seen , but it seems potential . In a few calendar month , Google TV should be much more widespread , and ready to take on Apple TV — which will give us yet another mode of measuring the two technical school giantsagainst each other .
Android TVGoogleStreaming
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and acculturation news in your inbox day by day .
tidings from the futurity , delivered to your nowadays .
You May Also Like
