There’s been a lot of Android news today, covering Android N, Android Wear, and even the new Android VR. And now Android TV is getting its time in the spotlight.
Google has announced that new Android TV televisions and set-top boxes are coming soon. Sony and Sharp are both adopting Android TV in their 2016 Bravia and Net Player lineups, respectively, while Beko, Grundig, and Vestel will start supporting Android TV in June. RCA is coming out with its first Android TV in the near future, and Xiaomi is getting in on the Android TV action with a new 4K set-top box that you can see below.
There’s some exciting Android TV software news today, too. Google says that with the update to Android N, Android TV will support features like picture-in-picture, recording functionality for live TV, and high dynamic range. Meanwhile, Google says that new Android TV apps from companies like CNN, Comedy Central, Spotify, ESPN, Nickelodeon, and more are on the way.
This is big news for Android TV. Sony, Sharp, RCA, and Xiaomi are all big names when it comes to hardware, and the news that these major manufacturers are prepping new Android TV is big for the platform and for consumers, who will have more choices when it comes to selecting an Android TV or set-top box. Meanwhile, features like picture-in-picture and live recording make Android TV more appealing to newcomers and give existing users new goodies to play with.
Google also said today that new televisions from Magnavox, Philips, Polaroid, Toshiba, Westinghouse, and others are coming to market with Google Cast.