Android TV

[7up]

Now if Jeff would finally release SageTV extender app for Android he's been secretly developing we will finally have the HD400


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2458807,00.asp

[tchapin]

Interesting.

I wonder how this will be really that different from AppleTV, Roku, FireTV, WD boxes, etc...

[nycjoe]

"Card-based interface" - sounds promising. The one thing that's always been missing in SageTV, roku, appletv, etc - is a card based interface. </sarcasm>

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by tchapin

... I wonder how this will be really that different from AppleTV, Roku, FireTV, WD boxes, etc...

The real question is, how different will it be from the existing GoogleTv boxes and what new functionality will it bring ...

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by nycjoe

"Card-based interface" - sounds promising. The one thing that's always been missing in SageTV, roku, appletv, etc - is a card based interface. </sarcasm>

Yeah, I'm looking forward to plugging my DirecTV card into one of these. It'll work, right? Hello?

[nycjoe]

Originally Posted by Skybolt

The real question is, how different will it be from the existing GoogleTv boxes and what new functionality will it bring ...

It doesn't matter how different it is, it's redesigned!

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by Skirge01

Yeah, I'm looking forward to plugging my DirecTV card into one of these. It'll work, right? Hello?

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by nycjoe

It doesn't matter how different it is, it's redesigned!

Actually it does matter, the old interface was limited and had a pass through as well, I doubt this one will by the looks of it. Since it is Android based, will it have a fully functional PlayStore or a dumbed down version etc ...

I mean, a few friends I know that used an AppleTv and then tried the Amazon Fire, were blown away by it. As stupid as that sounds, it was only because of the 1080p support which is lacking in most versions of AppleTv.

Most of us here are wanting HBR MkV support as well.

[7up]

in terms of atv or roku type stb, i think androidtv has a good chance of success depending upon its capabilities. firetv has some limitations (no vc1, mpeg2 +/-) but it does run xbmc well. if android tv hardware and supported formats up firetv, supports the major streaming services (netflix, amazon, hbogo, etc), access play store and can do xbmc, i think it will be a winner. big ? to me is will it have support for amazon prime?

[7up]

Originally Posted by Wayneb

I would want to see 4K/UHD supported, I already have an Android box that does 4K and would not. Want to go backwards.

i don't have any 4k/uhd content nor method for receiving it so 4k/uhd support isn't a major issue yet but it sounds like an interesting box, which one? does it support vc1, mpeg2 and amazon prime, hbogo?

[7up]

very cool indeed. can generic android boxes load netflix, amazon prime and/or hbogo apps? at the risk of admitting I still have both c/ku available, which receiver can decode them or are you using PCI card? my old azbox can do many things but doubt 4k. i haven't popped in to satguys or ricks for a while, maybe I should do some reading. i read there was new android based fta receiver on the horizon although admit to not knowing the details.

[nycjoe]

Is there any real reason google can't just sell their google/android tv with a cable card tuner + dvr and call it a day? They already have the SageTV software. Is it difficult to integrate with tuning adapters?

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by nycjoe

Is there any real reason google can't just sell their google/android tv with a cable card tuner + dvr and call it a day? They already have the SageTV software. Is it difficult to integrate with tuning adapters?

Could they? Sure. I don't see why the would, though. What would that get them? Their primary business is advertising, which isn't something that cable/satellite providers care about. Google also tends to think further ahead than most companies, so they probably have a multi-tiered plan for their TV solution, which will happen over the next several years. Besides, they tried a simpler approach with GoogleTV and it failed miserably.

What Google seems to be doing is building an advertising platform for every content provider out there, big or small, and putting it behind a single, unified interface; it's essentially Google-search for media. Here's my take: Like their search engine, Android TV doesn't care where the media "results" come from; rather, they just want you to be able to get to the media you're searching for. You search for a show or movie and your "results" will show you whether or not you can watch. If your paid-for and integrated Netflix subscription (or HuluPlus, Prime, etc) has it available already, it will just start playing it back. Otherwise, your results will show you the cost to watch it from various sources.

I'm thinking that the ultimate end-game is that the providers of the media will pay for access to Android TV subscribers (the exact opposite of the current--struggling--TV model, but exactly how Google's search results work) and it could even spur some competitive pricing if something is available from multiple sources. I'm also guessing Google will sell advertising space to companies and force that upon subscribers before and/or during their media playback, just like Youtube already does.

Think about the amount of additional demographic data Google will be able to provide to advertisers with the above model:

* Binge watching habits
* When playback is muted
* When people watch
* How often they re-watch (multiple views in a single household)
* Multi-tasking (people from a single IP searching the internet while media is playing or talking on their Android phone)

Forget about Nielsen ratings. With the amount of information people already provide to Google through all their other services, the level of detail they'll be able to mine from this and resell is unreal. I say this only half-joking: We thought the NSA's data collection was scary?

[Skybolt]

Excellent Post ^^^

Your last line is most definitely no joking for sure ...

[7up]

I think you are correct about Google's desire to integrate advertising. While that may work with free content like youtube, crackle, etc, I don't see it being too successful for pay services, Netflix, HBOGO, etc. especially when other STB don't continuously feed you commercials. Maybe the saying will be, you can't put fancy card based interfaces on a pig? Seriously though, I think they've learned enough from their mistakes in GoogleTV and anticipate AndroidTV will be very similar to FireTV, much like Google Tablet is to Kindle Fire tablet.

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by 7up

While that may work with free content like youtube, crackle, etc, I don't see it being too successful for pay services, Netflix, HBOGO, etc. especially when other STB don't continuously feed you commercials.

That's assuming nothing ever changes on those services. Youtube didn't have ads until years after Google bought them. Netflix could turn around one day and offer a $1/month discount if subscribers are willing to watch some ads. Plus, all this skips the notion that a new provider will pop up with content people are interested in watching, as well as paying for, and has ads to subsidize itself. What's the saying? If you build it, they will come.

Also, don't think that the only way Google can monetize such a platform is through conventional advertising. As I said previously, they're arming themselves with the ability to mine tons of currently unavailable demographic data. The value of such data to advertisers is currently unknown to us.

Now, put on your tinfoil hats and throw in the story that "Nest" reportedly just bought Dropcam. I shudder to think what kind of information they'll be capable of gathering with cameras inside our homes.

Seriously though, I think they've learned enough from their mistakes in GoogleTV and anticipate AndroidTV will be very similar to FireTV, much like Google Tablet is to Kindle Fire tablet.

I just don't see it. I don't think it's forward thinking enough. Amazon has a huge marketplace and I still don't see FireTV doing much for them. Google doesn't even have a marketplace, so what is Google going to sell to AndroidTV users? Again, Google isn't in the market of selling to consumers (unlike Amazon). Google's in the advertising business, which means selling to companies.

It'll be interesting to watch how this all unfolds over the next few years.

[makko]

Hello

This sounds pretty damn promising that SageTV is still alive.

From: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/go...042409995.html

(Reuters) - Google Inc is expected to unveil at least one small set-top box that resembles products like the Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, and Apple Inc's Apple TV, the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources who have seen the device.
Google will show off the set-top box on Wednesday during its developer conference, the Journal said. (http://on.wsj.com/1lOjtiz)
The set-top box will be powered by Google's new Android TV software designed to play movies, games and other content on television. However, the device will carry another company's brand name, the newspaper said.
Representatives from Google were not immediately available for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.
Tech companies from Microsoft Corp to Apple are vying for space on the TV - the traditional family entertainment center and where people used to spend most of their leisure time before the advent of the smartphone and tablet.
Amazon unveiled a $99 video streaming device "Fire TV" video and game streaming device in April, with hopes of boosting its main online retail business over the longer term.
In December 2012, Google sold its set-top TV box maker Motorola Home to Arris Group Inc for $2.35 billion. (http://reut.rs/1phAQwh)
(Reporting by Anannya Pramanick in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Thoughts.

[gdippel]

Would that brand possibly be SageTV?

[stanger89]

SageTV is alive, it's the software running the Google Fiber DVR. This sounds like something completely different. Maybe GoogleTV part deux.

[Brent]

Google Fiber TV actually has some similarities to this new Android TV under the "Apps" menu item. My guess is a cross between SageTV and a more official version of Android TV will be the "next" version of Google Fiber TV. One of the more frequent requests from current Google Fiber TV users is to integrate Google Chrome right into the box.

Google is already doing set top boxes for Google Fiber TV customers - why wouldn't this be the non-fiber version of it? Just wondering out loud.