There’s a new living room play in town, and it’s called Android TV.
Built into Android L Release, coming later this year, it makes it possible for existing cable and satellite boxes to interface over HDMI with Android TV. While not too dissimilar to Google TV, it looks to be a lot easier to develop for, and a heck of a lot better-designed.
Of course, this time around the interface is Google Now-optimized, making it easier to search using semantic voice queries. If Google Play sells or streams the content, it’s a single step to watching it. Other apps, like Netflix and Crackle, will also be supported.
Games are also supported, making it easy to use an Android device or wireless gamepad to control the game.
Google is including Chromecast support with Android TV, making it possible to “cast” content from a smartphone to the big screen. Chromecast has sold in the “millions,” according to Google, and is the top-selling electronic device on Amazon.ca.
Sony, Sharp and Phillips are also going to support Android TV, with every 2015 model coming with Android TV built in.
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