Bringing Voicy to Android TV
Choices, choices, choices…
In a previous post Bram explained the reasons behind selecting the Apple TV as a platform to develop Voicy for. Staying on the same track and following a similar thinking, we noticed Google’s latest efforts to its own platform and the path it is heading to make it big. So we decided that Android TV can become our next step for Voicy. However, while Apple gives us only one option, it’s not quite the same with Google. Finding the best and most appropriate Android TV device that would be the best fit for Voicy and our audience was a challenge.
Why Android TV?
Google’s latest attempt to the smart TV world, Android TV, was announced in June 2014 and has become a part of many people’s lives since then.
This is not the first shot Google has taken to enter our offices, meeting and living rooms through the big screen. So far, the most successful one is Chromecast. A media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. The fact though that it depends on other devices like your phone to cast content on the TV made it not suitable for Voicy. We needed a platform that is having an OS on which Voicy can run.
Apple TV has already gained in popularity, but still it does not cover the whole market. Firefox TV, Tizen OS and WebOS are other examples of smart TV OS’s that are available out there. Nevertheless, Android TV is gaining field at the moment and is going to expand even more in the future.
At CES 2016, Google announced that more TV manufacturers (Hisense, Bang & Olufsen, TCL and more) will join the Android TV team together with Sony, Philips and Sharp. The variety and the huge amount of apps will definitely make Android TV more famous. Plus, it will be connected to your Google account. Which means that it can give you smarter recommendations and improves the overall user experience. Nice!
Which device?
Android OS is available on devices made by several manufacturers, which gives you plenty of choice — especially when it comes to Android TV boxes.
This diversity results in having many options on the device style, pricing, and generally specs, but it requires a more thorough research to first figure out the pros and cons of each case and eventually make the best choice.
But first, let’s see what were the two options we decided from.
Android TV (Smart TV)
As mentioned before Google is partnering with many TV manufacturers that are already building smart TVs with Android TV implemented. However, Google’s goal is to keep the whole experience consistent, so the companies are not allowed to change the user interface. These TVs are currently based on the Lollipop version of Android, but Sony has already confirmed that Marshmallow is coming to both its 2015 and 2016 TVs.
Android TV Box
But why narrowing down the users to only the ones having Android TVs implemented, when we can get a much cheaper solution? One that can turn the TV you already own to a smart one that runs Android. This solution comes with the name Android TV box and there are plenty of them in the market.
When it comes to connectivity, hardware and software updates (already runs Android 6.0), the NVIDIA Shield is the best option out there. It is still more expensive compared to other boxes. Aaand it’s intended for a more geeky audience, but that’s not an issue for us ;) We can experiment, push it to its limits and get the best out of it.
Google’s alternative solution was the Nexus Player, but they decided last month to discontinue it and stop selling it directly. The successor will be the Mi box from Xiaomi and it will probably be released later this year. On the plus side, it will be more approachable to the regular audience and will also run Marshmallow, which comes with software and UX enhancements.
There are always several other boxes with different specs, Android versions and prices built by various companies. Most of the time those options are cheaper and more affordable for most users. Our goal with Voicy is to serve the audience and as many of their needs as possible, so we are already expecting the Mini M8S to be delivered to our office. It’s a budget box, but still, its capabilities are decent and it runs Android 5.1, so it will also be useful for testing.
Given that Google is providing a platform which is being added continuously to more and more devices (TVs, boxes), it can achieve the greatest reach. And since it’s one of the largest platforms, the services and support it will provide should be kept up-to-date for many years in the future. This makes Voicy for Android and Android TV a wise next step.
