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Tag: Google TV

  • Google May Be Releasing a Chromecast With Google TV

    Google May Be Releasing a Chromecast With Google TV

    Google may be prepping a new Chromecast with Google TV, one that could be a significant upgrade over previous devices.

    Google’s Chromecast is a streaming TV dongle powered by a version of Android TV called Google TV. The existing versions of the Chromecast have been a bit underwhelming, but 9to5Google says there’s reason to believe the next version could be an improvement.

    While the 9to5Google has not been able to confirm any details or specs, the outlet is hoping to see a faster processor, more storage, and a second USB-C port.

    The Apple TV has long been a superior device to any of Google’s options. If the next version of the Chromecast does include meaningful updates, however, it could finally be a contender.

  • Google Play Movies & TV App Ending Roku and Smart TV Support

    Google Play Movies & TV App Ending Roku and Smart TV Support

    Google has announced it is ending support for its Play Movies & TV app on Roku and smart TVs by LG, Samsung and Vizio.

    Google has been moving away from its Play Movies & TV app, with the eventual goal being to replace it with Google TV, which the company unveiled in September 2020. In the meantime, the company is steering users toward its YouTube TV streaming service.

    Starting 6/15/2021, the Google Play Movies & TV app will no longer be available on Roku, Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs. The YouTube app will be your new home for movies and shows. Just log in with your Google account in the YouTube app today, you’ll have access to all of your past purchases, and will be able to browse, purchase, and rent new content.

    Google says past purchases will be available in YouTube, Google Play credits can be used in YouTube and Play Family Library purchases can be viewed on YouTube. Watchlists will not make the transition, however.

    As 9to5Google points out, one disadvantage of of this approach is that YouTube TV doesn’t offer the wide range of 4K support as a dedicated app, like Play Movies & TV app.

  • Google Unveils New TV Service, Google TV

    Google Unveils New TV Service, Google TV

    Google made a surprise announcement today, unveiling its take on television: Google TV.

    In the blog post announcing the release, Google acknowledged the myriad of options people have to watch TV. From movies, to live TV to streaming and DVR content, the supply of content is virtually limitless. Unfortunately, the plethora of services can make it difficult to find content. In addition, it can be an annoyance switching back and forth between a bunch of different services.

    Google is looking to address these issues, with a service that pulls content from a variety of sources and serves as the central hub from which to watch it. The new service will be heavily integrated with Google Assistant, providing the ability to interact via voice.

    “The new Google TV experience brings together movies, shows, live TV and more from across your apps and subscriptions and organizes them just for you,” writes Shalini Govilpai, Senior Director, Google TV. “To build this, we studied the different ways people discover media—from searching for a specific title to browsing by genre—and created an experience that helps you find what to watch. We also made improvements to Google’s Knowledge Graph, which is part of how we better understand and organize your media into topics and genres, from movies about space travel to reality shows about cooking. You’ll also see titles that are trending on Google Search, so you can always find something timely and relevant.”

    The new Chromecast with Google TV is available for $49.99 and comes with a remote and 4K support. The Google TV app will begin rolling out to Android devices in the US today, and will start showing up on Sony televisions and other Android TV OS-powered devices starting next year.

  • Google Cuts Google TV Dev Support, Focuses On Android TV, Cast

    It’s hard to believe, but it’s been just shy of five years since Google first unveiled Google TV at Google I/O in 2010. There were a lot of hopes for the platform that launched with partnerships with Sony, Logitech, and Dish, but few of those hopes ever panned out. It just didn’t catch on.

    Now, the company is officially putting Google TV out to pasture. In the summer, Google unveiled Android TV, and at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Google’s partners are showing off their new TVs that support it. These are due out in the spring.

    On the Google TV Developers Google+ account, Google discusses the transition, informing developers that their existing Google TV apps will continue to work, but while some of them will be updated to Android TV, the majority of them won’t support it. Here’s the message:

    With the launch Android 5.0, Lollipop, Android TV is now fully launched, and we’re working closely with OEMs to release Android TV devices going forward. By extending Android to the TV form factor, living room developers get the benefits, features and the same APIs available for Android phone and tablet development. Going forward, we will focus our living room efforts on growing the Android TV and Google Cast ecosystem.

    What does this mean for Google TV? Existing Google TV devices and all of the features of these devices will continue to work, and so will the apps you’ve developed for the Google TV platform. A small subset of Google TV devices will be updated to Android TV, but most Google TV devices won’t support the new platform. We expect to see an exciting lineup of Android TV devices in the coming year, including TVs from Sony, Sharp, and Philips, as well as other set-top and over-the-top boxes.

    Thank you for being passionate developers creating great content and apps for the living room. With this shift, we encourage you to transition your living room development efforts to Android TV apps and Cast-enabled apps. While the Google TV libraries will no longer be available, we’ve made it really easy to transition apps to Android TV using familiar Android development tools, as well as our new Leanback support libraries. Learn more at developer.android.com/tv.

    It’s no surprise that Google TV is on the way out. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time, and even beyond Android TV, it’s clear that Google has a much bigger hit with the Chromecast. Google is smart to build on the Cast ecosystem, and Android TV also gives users and developers a more familiar ecosystem they can work with.

    If you search for Google TV on Google, it’s almost as if it never existed, as you are greeted with an Android TV search result and Chromecast shopping results. The latest post on the Google TV blog is about the now defunct Redbox Instant becoming available.

    Rest in peace, Google TV.

    Image via Google

  • Android TV Unveiled at Google I/O

    Android TV Unveiled at Google I/O

    Google unveiled its successor to Google TV today at the I/O keynote – and as expected it’s called Android TV.

    Although previously believed to be some sort of set-top box (like an Apple TV), Android TV is instead a software platform meant to be baked into various smart TVs and set-top boxes from third-party manufacturers.

    As you would expect, you’ll be able to control Android TV with your Android smartphones and tablets, as well as with voice search. It’ll also work with the newly-released Android Gear smartwatches.

    “Android TV brings all that you love about Android apps and games to your living room. Android is baked directly into your TV-watching experience, through a set-top box or as part of your TV. You can use voice search to find a live TV show, a good flick from Google Play, or a music video on YouTube. Plus, because it’s Android, you’ll be able to play your favorite Android games, reimagined for TV and with a gamepad. Android TV, which, like Chromecast, supports Google Cast technology, will ship with products from a range of consumer electronics companies later this year,” says Google.

    The games thing is a new focus for Google in their attempt to take over the biggest screen in your house. Users will be able to play their favorite Android games via their tablets and smartphones, as well as a gamepad, and beam them straight up to their TVs.

    Google has this information for developers:

    In addition to Google Cast apps that send content to the TV, you can now build immersive native apps and console-style games on Android TV devices. These native apps work with TV remotes and gamepads, even if you don’t have your phone handy. The Android L Developer Preview SDK includes the new Leanback support library that allows you to design smoother, simpler, living room apps.

    And this is just the beginning. In the fall, new APIs will allow you to cast directly to these apps, so users can control the app with the phone, the remote, or even their Android Wear watch. You’ll also start seeing Android TV set-top boxes, consoles and televisions from Sony, TP Vision, Sharp, Asus, Razer and more.

    Google’s never been very successful in taking over your living room, but it looks like they’re giving it another full-on shot.

    Image via Google, Android TV

  • Google’s TV Strategy Could Shift to Android

    For years now, Google has been trying to make the leap from computers to TV. The internet’s largest advertiser released Google TV in 2010 with the hope of expanding its reach into the lucrative TV market while heading off Roku, Apple, and others in the coming streaming video services market.

    Unfortunately for Google, content providers were loathe to give the company access to content, with all four major U.S. TV networks going so far as to block access to their programming from Google TV devices. So, Google TV never fully lived up to its promise of searchable, organized streaming content that could live right beside traditional pay-TV channels.

    In the last three years, however, companies such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have become much more successful than individual network websites have. These companies are also much more relaxed about the platforms on which their content is viewed, paving the way for Google to create the Chromecast.

    With the inexpensive Chromecast now gaining traction and apps at a fast clip, it seems that Google will be turning more to its Android platform for its TV strategy. A new report from DigiTimes Research has predicted that Chromecast itself will usher in a market for Android-based TV products that better integrate mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The report points out that Google has already merged its Google TV and Android teams, and that no future Google TV products are expected.

    In addition to the TV prediction, DigiTimes believes that the Chromecast might actually increase the market share of Google’s Chrome browser. This cross promotion of sorts could end with Google getting exactly what it has been trying for all these years: internet-style advertisements on living room TV screens.

  • Google Reportedly Ditching Google TV For Android TV

    When Google first revealed Google TV at Google I/O back in 2010, it showed a lot of promise, but even then, many were skeptical of its potential.

    It seems that now, Google is giving up on the brand, but not the concept, moving toward an Android TV strategy, and leaving Google TV in the past.

    Google has not announced this branding change so far, but GigaOm’s Janko Roettgers spoke with a consumer electronics manufacturer, which produces Google TV devices, and said, “They are calling it ‘Android TV’.”

    Roettgers notes that partners like Sony, LG and STMicroelectronics have already subtly stopped referring to “Google TV” in favor of things like “Google services for TV”. He writes:

    Even members of the original Google TV team have started to drop that name when talking about their work. A recently-scheduled developer event in Seoul was officially called “Android TV Developer Day,” and some developers have started to change affiliations in their online biographies from “Google TV” to “Android TV.”

    Ultimately, the Android brand makes a great deal of sense. When people think of Google, they think of search and web services. When they think of Android, they think of consumer electronics like phones and tablets. TVs and other connected devices for TV viewing would seem to fit in here as well.

    I expect Google will make an announcement about this in the near future now that the news is out. An Android rebranding could be just what Google TV needs to capture more interest from consumers, many of which are already using Android devices.

    Image: Google

  • Samsung Acquires Boxee For $30 Million [Report]

    Samsung Acquires Boxee For $30 Million [Report]

    Boxee is just one of many players that are trying to hasten along the cord cutting trend by bringing media streaming to the living room. After a few years of operating as an independent company, Boxee has reportedly been bought up.

    Isreali site The Marker (as translated by The Verge) reports that Samsung has acquired Boxee for $30 million. The company is expected to keep everybody at Boxee on as employees and business will continue as usual.

    But why Samsung? Well, the Korean electronics manufacturer has been aggressively pushing its Smart TV line for a few years now. With Boxee in tow, it could implement the company’s technology into its own Smart TV line.

    All of this is merely speculation for now though. Both Boxee and Samsung have yet to confirm the news. It wouldn’t be too surprising, however, to see Samsung take this as a chance to better differentiate itself from competitors like Google TV. With Boxee, it also has an instantly recognizable brand to tap into.

    Beyond Samsung’s own efforts, we’re also left to wonder about the fate of the Boxee hardware itself. Will Samsung allow Boxee to keep on selling its own hardware under the Boxee brand, or will it just ditch that part of the business? Will it sell Boxee machines with Samsung branding? There are a lot of places where this could go, and we won’t know for sure until Boxee or Samsung say something.

    We’ll continue to keep our ear to the ground, and will update this story should either company confirm the sale.

    UPDATE: Samsung confirmed to Mashable that it has acquired “key talent and assets” from Boxee.

  • Redbox Instant Now Available For Google TV

    Google announced today that there is now a Redbox Instant by Verizon app for Google TV.

    Redbox Instant senior product manager Brad Bowers writes on the Google TV blog, “It’s Friday night and you want to watch a movie. Great! If you have Google TV, now you can enjoy a flick in your living room using the Redbox Instant by Verizon app available through a supported Google TV device.”

    The app works on the following devices: the 47G2 and 55G2 Google TV-enabled Smart TVs from LG, NETGEAR’s NeoTV Prime with Google TV, the Sony Internet Player NSZ-GS7, and the Vizio Co-Star.

    Redbox notes that you need to make sure you have the latest version of your device’s firmware.

    Redbox Instant on Google TV

    Redbox Instant on Google TV

    “The app delivers the full Redbox Instant by Verizon experience right to your living room,” says Bowers. “This includes access to your subscription disc and streaming package, and ability to purchase and rent the latest new releases from the Redbox Instant store.”

    You can sign up for the service from the web or through the app itself.

  • Google TV Updates To Latest Version Of Android

    Google announced today that Google TV is being updated to the latest version of Android and Chrome. This is, of course, one of a slew of announcements out of the Mountain View company today, with Google I/O currently in full swing.

    Over the last three years since Google TV came out, its ecoystem has grown to 10 device manufacturers, 5 chipset makers and 5 TV operators across 10 countries. It uses thousands of apps through Google Play and Chrome.

    Here’s what the Google TV team had to say about the news on Google+:

    Google TV Developers

    Google TV Developers46 minutes ago

    Over the past few months Google TV has gathered momentum by launching powerful features for our users such as the highest quality voice search of any TV product and strong manufacturer adoption of the platform. At Google I/O, it’s time to talk about developers and enabling them to bring more great experiences to TV.

    Today, Google TV is moving to the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean, 4.2.2), and we’ve refactored Google TV so that our TV OEM partners can update to future versions of Android in a matter of weeks rather than months. For developers, this means you can build TV experiences using the latest Android APIs, including the NDK. 

    Today Google TV is also moving to the latest version of Chrome, and from now on Google TV benefits from Chrome updates on the same six week cycle that you’ve come to expect from Chrome. In Chrome on Google TV, we’ve added support for hardware-based content protection, enabling developers to provide premium TV content in HD within their web apps. 

    Google TV-powered devices in market will start to receive updates in the coming months, and we expect to see new devices launched later this year.  If you are attending Google IO, please check out the “Android: As seen on TV!” session and stop by the Google TV Developer Sandbox area.
    https://developers.google.com/tv/

    Google I/O 2013: Android: As seen on TV!
    Google TV gives developers a consistent Android platform to create and deliver applications, games and high quality media on the largest screen in the house. In this session we’ll show you how to unlock the potential of the current Google TV devices and explain the new features of the next generation Google TV platform. 37    29 Powered by socialditto

  • CES 2013: ASUS Qube Is The Latest Google TV Device

    Before CES, Google announced that a number of new Google TV hardware devices would be hitting the show floor at CES. ASUS was the first up with QUBE, a Google TV set-top box that’s not trying very hard to hide its Boxee Box-inspired design.

    The ASUS Qube, like other Google TV set-top boxes, transforms any HDTV into a smart TV. Its main features include 50GB of free WebStorage cloud space and access to the thousands of films on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.

    What sets the Qube apart from the pack is that ASUS has built its own unique UI for the box. The company says the UI “displays functions via a rotating on-screen cube shape.” It sounds like it will be similar to the menu UI seen on the Nintendo Gamecube, just with more options.

    The set-top box will ship with a motion sensing remote control for games and other applications that support the function. It will also allow users to use their smartphones, presumably an Android device, as the remote control.

    According to Google’s announcement from last week, we can expect to see more Google TV devices from the likes of Hisense, TCL, Sony, LG and Vizio in the coming days. ASUS’ Qube isn’t a bad entry in the ever growing number of Google TV devices, but here’s hoping somebody does something special with smart TV software this year. Lord knows Google TV needs the boost in popularity.

  • Google TV Will Have A Major Presence At CES 2013

    For the longest time, it seemed like Google TV wasn’t really going anywhere despite all the money Google and its hardware partners were pouring into the platform. You could still argue that it’s not going anywhere, but Google apparently has some big plans for the platform this year.

    Google announced today that Google TV will have a big presence at this year’s CES coming up next week. The company says that we’ll see “more Google TV partners, updates from existing partners, and more content coming to the platform.”

    Speaking of new partners, Google says that Asus, Hisense, TCL and other OEMs will be showing off Google TV products that will be launching in the coming weeks. There will also be new products from existing partners like LG, Vizio, Sony and others on the show floor. In all, Google says that Google TV will be available in set-top boxes, integrated TVs and IPTV boxes from 9 manufacturers in 10 countries around the world.

    Of course, all that means nothing if Google can’t get people to buy Google TVs in the first place. The set-top box seems to be the company’s best bet at taking over the living room as buying a Smart TV has yet to prove financially reasonable. Set-top boxes, like Vizio’s CO-Star, are incredibly cheap and compete with Apple TV on equal footing in just about every category.

    Either way, it will be interesting to see what Google TV brings to the table at CES this year. The potential threat of an actual Apple television still hangs above all the other TV manufacturers as they bring their best to the show. Bigger TVs aren’t going to cut it anymore so Google TV better have some new tricks up its sleeve.

  • Google Announces New Google TV Partners, Devices To Be Shown At CES

    Google Announces New Google TV Partners, Devices To Be Shown At CES

    Google announced today that it has some new Google TV partners and that new devices and more updates from existing partners will be revealed at CES next week. More content will also be revealed.

    “Asus, Hisense, TCL and others will show products with Google TV launching in the coming weeks,” Google says in a blog post. “Existing partners like LG, Vizio, Sony, and others will show off the newest Google TV platform that makes finding what you want faster and easier. Combined, these set-top boxes, integrated TVs, and IPTV boxes with Google TV are available from 9 partners across 10 countries around the world.”

    “You’ll also see recently launched apps on Google TV like Amazon, SiriusXM, France24, Dramafever and more,” Google says. “These add to the hundreds of TV-optimized apps and thousands of supported mobile apps available on Google TV.”

    Google launched a major update to Google TV in November, making it faster and giving it a polished user interface.

  • Watch The Latest Google TV Developers Office Hours

    Google has put out a new Google TV developers Office Hours hangout. The video features a developer demoing a gesture-based interface for Google TV.

    Earlier this month, Google TV received a big update with Voice Search and PrimeTime Guide. More on that here.

  • Google TV Gets Big Update With Voice Search, PrimeTime Guide

    Google announced a new update for Google TV, which adds Voice Search, a revamped TV & Movies app called PrimeTime, and integrates YouTube mobile pairing.

    “Instantly access the power of Google TV, simply by using your voice,” Google says in a blog post. “Just speak to watch TV shows and movies, start playing a YouTube video, open applications, go to websites, do a Google search, and much more. Say ‘CNN’ to go right to the channel, or say ‘Homeland’ to see all the live and streaming options to watch the show. You can even say ‘how to tie a bow tie’ to watch an instructional YouTube video. Try ‘search movies with Jeff Bridges’ and see results in our new, more visual search results page.”

    “Last year your Google TV added the TV & Movies app to help you browse 100,000+ movies and TV episodes available to watch,” Google adds. “Now called PrimeTime, the app makes it even easier to find your favorite content. Easily access PrimeTime anywhere in Google TV and browse for something new while you watch. You can quickly flip through the best stuff on live TV, access your favorite channels, see TV shows you recently watched, and find other suggestions based on what you enjoy watching.”

    We talked more about the YouTube mobile pairing feature yesterday.

    The updates are coming first to LG devices this week, and will be rolling out to other devices in the coming months.

    Google TV currently has six partners with products in ten countries. LG’s Google TV was rated the best Google TV device by Consumer Reports. Google TV currently offers over 100,000 movies and TV episodes.

  • Google Improves The YouTube/Google TV Experience

    YouTube announced today that it is making it easier for users to enjoy YouTube on TV by automatically pairing their devices.

    “With the updated YouTube app for Android and Google TV rolling out today, you can play any video from your phone or tablet YouTube app on your TV with just one button,” a YouTube spokesperson tells WebProNews. “The feature will be coming to more devices and screens in the future, as we work to make YouTube the platform for the next generation of channels.”

    YouTube - Send to TV

    “We’re making it even easier to play videos from your phone or tablet on your TV, with a YouTube app update for Android and Google TV that automatically pairs your devices on the same WiFi,” explains product manager Timbo Drayson. “Just find a video on your YouTube app for Android — like the latest video from GoPro or H+ The Digital Series — click the TV icon that appears, and the video will play instantly on your Google TV.”

    “Like a remote control, you can pause, scroll or skip to the next video with your mobile device as it plays on your TV,” Drayson adds. “Since your devices are connected in the cloud, you can also do things like find the next video to watch from your tablet or browse around the web on your phone, all while the video plays on TV. You can even connect multiple devices to the TV to have your friends add to the playlist.”

    Mobile currently makes up over 25% of YouTube total views, and that percentage is growing. The peak viewership of YouTube occurs during the evening primetime hours. That should bode well for YouTube’s emphasis on original content. Word is that they’re increasing their investment in this area. More on that here.

  • Android Developer Relations Team Answers Questions In This Hangout

    Google has uploaded another Android Developers Office Hours hangout. It features the EMEA-based Android Developer Releations team (from the Google TV Team) answering questions. As usual, it’s about an hour long.

  • Watch This Recent Google TV Developers Hangout

    Google has been posting a lot of hangouts to its developer YouTube channel lately, and this week, they uploaded one for Google TV app developers.

    If you fall into this category, or are considering testing the Google TV waters, you might want to check it out. It’s about 53 minutes long.

  • Google Play Movies & TV Coming to Google TV

    Google Play Movies & TV Coming to Google TV

    This week Google announced that some essential features of Google Play will be rolling out to Google TV. Though they have been conspicuously absent from Google TV until now, the Google Play app will be getting movies, TV shows, and music, just like that smartphone version has. Google stated in a blog post to the Google TV blog that the updates will “be rolling out to your Google TV over the next few weeks.

    Google TV users will be able to buy or rent the content even on other devices, which will make it automatically available through Google TV. Also, the content found in Google Play will be “discoverable” in the TV & Movies Google TV app.

    Aside from the content, Google announced that the update will enable other Google Play features to make customers’ and developers’ lives easier. Specifically, the auto-update, subscription billing, and smart app update features of Google Play are now enabled for Google TV.

    Though Google TV started as a very niche product for Google fans, the service has become more and more Android-like in its interface and feel. Initially, much of the content that could be accessed through Google TV was blocked by content providers who wanted more control over what viewers could watch on their TVs. Google stuck with the project and made it welcoming to developers by encouraging an “app” ecosystem, much like other streaming boxes and services.

  • Google TV Is Finally Getting Google Play Movies, TV Shows And Music

    Google announced today that Google Play Movies, TV shows, and Music are rolling out to Google TV over the course of the coming weeks.

    Users will be able to buy or rent content directly through the Google Play Store on Google TV devices, and purchases users have made on other devices will be automatically available through Google TV.

    “Google Play titles will also be discoverable through our TV & Movies app, which brings recommendations for shows and movies available on live TV and apps like Netflix, Amazon, and now Google Play,” says Google TV Product Manager Ambarish Kenghe.

    “For developers, this update also enables many other Google Play features including auto-updates, subscription billing, and smart app updates,” Kenghe notes. “Google Play gives you one place to find, enjoy and share your favorite entertainment with millions of songs and thousands of movies and TV shows for sale, and adds to the millions of entertainment options available for you on Google TV through YouTube, TV & Movies, Search and the full web through Chrome.”

    Kevin Bacon will be ecstatic.

  • Hisense Finds A Pulse In Google TV

    Google TV is really picking up steam as we head into fall and the holiday shopping season. The launch of the Vizio Co-Star brought an affordable option to would be Google TV owners across the U.S. by launching at $99. Chinese manufacturer Hisense is now giving Vizio a little competition.

    Hisense announced today that they would be bringing the Hisense Pulse to market later this year. The Pulse, like the Co-Star, is a small set-top box that brings the Google TV experience to any television with an HDMI input. It will be available in mid-November for under $99.

    The Hisense Pulse comes preloaded with all the standard Google TV apps like Chrome, Google Play, Search, TV & Movies, and YouTube. It supports all resolutions from 480i to 1080p alongside the H.264, MPEG-4 and AVC formats.

    “This box effectively bridges the gap to the latest in home entertainment, without the need for expensive hardware upgrades,” said JoAnne Foist, Director of Marketing at Hisense USA. “Most people have at least one HDTV in their home and with the addition of a Hisense Pulse with Google TV, we offer the liberty of accessing not just TV, but a host of streaming content, web surfing and TV apps (such as Pandora Radio, CNNMoney, Motor Trend, and Thuuz) that are available in Google Play. Compared to other streaming devices, the Hisense Pulse with Google TV allows consumers to experience a new level of smart content discovery and viewing recommendations. Hisense delivers a low cost device that provides the outstanding performance and quality for which our brand is known.”

    The Pulse is pretty small at only 4.5 square inches and 1.5 pounds. It’s a little more interesting on the inside with a HDMI input and output, USB port, Ethernet port and built-in Wi-Fi. Just like the Co-Star, it also comes with a double sided remote with one side sporting a touch pad and dedicated Netflix button while the other side is a fully functional QWERTY keyboard.

    The Hisense Pulse will be officially unveiled later this week at IFA in Germany. We’ll get our first look at the device then.