It’s been exactly 365 days since Google TV was first revealed at the search giant’s I/O 2010 event – and we’ve still no clue as to when we’ll see Android TV in the UK. But in the meantime, we’re starting to see the first Android set top boxes making it to market, from the likes of Eminent, Kogan, Geniatech and even Swedish gadgeteers People of Lava.
The trickle will soon become a flood: read on to find out how and why Android will end up on your telly – with or without Google’s help.
1. Flash fantastic
HTML5 may be the future for internet video (that actually runs on your iPad), but right now, Flash is still the dominant way to stream video on the web – and the web, of course, is where more and more TV is these days. Even Google, which owns YouTube, insists Flash is here to stay for the foreseeable future. “While HTML5’s video support enables us to bring most of the content and features of YouTube to computers and other devices that don’t support Flash Player, it does not yet meet all of our needs,” wrote John Harding, a software engineer at the company, in a blog post last year.
Adobe and Google teamed up last year to bring Flash support to Android devices and while it’s still not always smooth, it’s getting better and better, with the latest release, 10.3, pointing the way to a future where you’ll stop noticing how video is conveyed anymore. Which, perversely, is what Steve Jobs wants too.
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2. Hollywood’s finest
This month, Google launched a premium movie rental and streaming service for Android devices. It’s US-only for now, but the service, along with HTC’s own Watch app points the way to a future where you’ll be able to buy or rent the latest blockbusters and TV episodes – just as you already can through various music apps on Android. You can expect more of these – and you can bet Lovefilm is looking on enviously at US equivalent Netflix’s new Android streaming app.
Having these available through Android removes the issue of different services on different brands, as Samsung, Sony and the like negotiate for different IPTV services. One for all, and all that.
3. It’s on your phone too
In some countries, Android is already the dominant smartphone operating system, and in other developed countries things are rapidly heading the same way. As such it makes perfect sense to have Android on your other most-used gadget, your TV. It allows for all sorts of integration, such as moving what you’re watching from your flatscreen to your phone as you go into the kitchen to make a brew – something Samsung is already experimenting with, as you can see in the clip below. The possibilities are endless, and crucially it won’t just be the TV manufacturers who have to realise them.
“We’re unique in that we’re the only phone manufacturer with a home division within its business,” Andrew Morley, Motorola vice-president of international marketing told us this month. “We’re looking at convergence,” he said, hinting at a future where “we can start to pull all those [phones and set top box] together.”
4. It can play everything
Many TVs and Blu-ray players now allow you to play files off a USB stick. However, they won’t play all formats – it varies between each device. Samsung and Archos Android devices can already play everything you throw at them, while free Android apps like RockPlayer can crack open any codec you like. With universal support, format wars such as Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD will be obsolete as the losing technology.
5. Super search
The problem with so many TV channels is that you simply don’t know what’s on. Search is something Virgin Media has made a decent stab at with its new Tivo box, but it could be even better – it’s a big focus for Google TV and of course it’s the lynchpin of Android. With Android on your TV, you’ll actually be able to say what you want to watch, and marvel as your programme of choice is found, either on an obscure channel – or any on-demand service.
6. Google doesn’t matter any more
We can sit around all day arguing whether Android is open or not, but as the recent intrusion of Amazon‘s Android app store shows, Google’s input into Android is becoming less and less relevant. As such, anyone can have a stab at making a set top box that plays nicely with millions of phones and tablets – which is why we’re seeing new Android media streamers arriving, while Google sits on Google TV and ums and ahs.
7. It’s a games console too
There are tons of great games available for Android, but they could be even better in full HD on your TV screen – your phone could even act as a controller.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t just have to be Android games. In the US, the HTC Flyer tablet is debuting with game streaming service OnLive’s Android app. Server-side computers do all the graphical crunching, meaning you can play stunning looking console games anywhere you have an internet connection. OnLive is coming to the UK too, courtesy of BT – just imagine being able to play the new Assassin’s Creed on your telly through a tiny set top box.
8. Cheap as chips
One of the reasons Apple’s new Apple TV is so cheap is simply because it uses the same internals as the iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G. That same lure will help giants like Samsung and LG make the jump, when they realise the innards of a Samsung Galaxy S 3 or 4 could power a TV too.
9. Press the red button on your touchscreen
Sure, right now you can press the red button and maybe watch a tennis match of slightly poorer quality. With Android on your TV though, interactivity steps up a gear. Imagine ask the audience and phone a friend on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with webcams, or Jon Snow’s swingometer moving in realtime – that’s where we could be headed.
10. Your phone is already your TV
Got a Samsung Galaxy S 2, a Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc or a Motorola Atrix? Congratulations, you already own device with more power than your DVD player that can be plugged into your telly. With the right HDMI adaptor, a Samsung Galaxy S 2 can play every video file format and Flash video on your TV, while Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc can even be controlled with your remote, if your telly’s HDMI-CEC compatible.
