Ever since Android TV made its debut in mid-2014, many have been wondering when Google TV would bite the dust. It looks like that time is now.
Google has announced that “most” Google TV devices won’t be updated to Android TV. Apparently “a small subset” will be updated to Android 5.0 and Android TV, but the good news is that those that aren’t will continue to work as expected, including apps that’ve been developed for the platform. Now that Android TV is here, Google encourages its Google TV developers to transition their apps to the new platform.
While Google TV is dying, Android TV is getting a lot of love at CES 2015. Many manufacturers are showing off Android TV hardware and announcing their support for the platform, including Sharp, TP Vision (Philips TVs), and Sony, the last of which has crafted an ultra-thin television set. A number of chip makers have announced support for Android TV as well, including ARM, Broadcom, Intel, MediaTek, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.
When it comes to non-TV hardware, the folks at Razer have crafted a device known as the Forge TV that runs Android TV and will let you stream your PC games to your TV. Google also says that Huawei is prepping an Android TV-powered streaming media player that’ll launch later in 2015.
Because Google TV never really caught on with consumers and Android TV looks like a superior offering with more support, it’s no surprise to hear that Google TV is going the way of the dodo. Google says that it’s making it easy for Google TV developers to port their apps to Android TV with similar tools and Leaseback support libraries, so the good news is that if you did create a Google TV app or two, it may not be too difficult to make the move to Google’s new television platform.
Have you ever used Google TV? Are you excited for Android TV?