Android Based ARM Powered TV Platform Coming Soon

We have heard through the digital grapevine that an Android based, ARM powered, Google TV platform is coming soon.The Android/Google TV will be powered by anywhere from an ARM9 to ARM11 CPU, and be highly customizable. No word on what version of Android we can expect to see on there, but it will have the following features:

Wifi a/b/g/n for streaming from computer or DLNA device
Video playback up to 1080p resolution via HDMI
Eventually all ARM platforms and setups should be compatible

ARM President Tudor Brown has publicly stated that “If Google TV is to be mainstream, it must be built on a lower power system…on lower cost technology.” This much is undoubtedly true.

Most recently, an unofficial and confirmed jailbreak on Google TV was achieved. TV Networks are not happy with Google trying to steal their tightly controlled show. TV Networks blocked Google TV because the Flash Plugin officially announced itself in the browser to be a Google TV user agent. Jailbreaking allowed a hacked Flash Plugin that cannot be detected by websites. What’s the big deal?

Considering that Google doesn’t want to cannibalize the sales of the existing Intel powered Google TV boxes such as the Logitech Revue, the stuff from Sony and the upcoming Google TV solutions from Vizio, Toshiba, Samsung, Sharp, LG and others, some of which are allegedly ARM Powered. We expect the official announcement to be made in a relatively short time.

That being said, we won’t hold our breath. Judging from the pace of development and mass implementation of Gingerbread right now, it could take some time before we see a product in our hands. Additionally, we don’t anticipate it will be as beautiful or as seamless an experience as Apple TV.

Google TV had the potential to be great, but that’s really all it is – potential. Allegedly, there have been serious framerate and audio issues as well. Furthermore, Google hasn’t exactly demonstrated the most beautiful UX (user experience) design in its current offerings of Android.

A sub-$100 ARM Powered Google TV Set-top-box could be one of the greatest things to happen to TV since it was introduced over eight decades ago. The revolution will happen in the form of bringing an affordable sub-$100 box that provides a simplistic, yet beautiful User Interface (UX). Every user wants to have one click access to all of the wonderful and abundant streaming content that exists on the internet. Is it really too much to ask for? We all want instant access every video ever made. It would provide a great platform for any video maker to instantly broadcast on a platform where people can find exactly the type of content they are looking for. It’s hard to believe, but the average person watches nearly five hours of TV per day. Even better is the idea that people will be able to easily rate the quality of content they have just watched, further allowing the good quality stuff to rise to the top for the viewing pleasure of everyone involved.

Despite some recent hacking on the Google TV platform, the modified version of Android has remained a fairly closed system since its release last fall. Part of this is due to it being one of the only versions of Android designed to run on x86 CPU architecture with Intel chips powering the current lineup of GTV devices. The big news is that we now have word from inside Google that a version of the software is in the works that would be compatible with ARM-based processors, much like the rest of the Android world.

We absolutely love the idea, and have contacted one of the first manufacturers to be dabbling in releasing them. More Android, more innovation, on more devices is a very good thing in our eyes.

Stay tuned for the latest and greatest on everything related to Android here at AndroidAuthority.com

Microsoft Xbox One vs Google TV: The war for the living room

by Andrew Grush, 4 hours ago

For the last several decades your living room has largely been controlled by one powerful force: your cable (or satellite) company. This is slowly changing as companies like Apple, Roku and Google work to steal…

Comments

Alejandro Rodriguez Mann

I wrote about desktop features in my blog: check it out!

http://androidwishlistkeylimepie.blogspot.com/2013/05/do-you-want-to-see-desktop-features-in.html
Alu Zeros

I dont see the point of top boxes that are android when you can just hook up a mini computer to it and do more. Google should build it straight into tvs
APai

android notebooks would be perfect to a lot of people who dont do much more than browsing, watch movies and lightweight general purpose computing – all of which can be done easily with android
- http://twitter.com/piyushr21 Piyush
  
  but whats wrong with nexus 7 why go netbook
  - APai
    
    that’s a perfect argument, have a keyboard cover as an attachment.
    
    but if I have an extended 64gb/ 128gb flashdisk, or if they manage a spinning drive all the better (although unlikely).
    
    better battery life – 6400mah or more ? why not if people are ready for the heft that a notebook carries! better heat management, no need to miniaturize and hence cost effective. that is what intel is hinting at.
    - http://twitter.com/piyushr21 Piyush
      
      everything you said except for storage space can be upgradable in future nexus 7 2 or 3.
      - APai
        
        who knows what the OEMs bring to the table ? better graphics ? expansion slot + SSD, spinning drives (the linux kernel supports DVD – so why not), I’m talking about possibilities of a regular laptop with android 5 addressing all those concerns. whatever the aims of chromebook where, I’m pretty darn sure, the cash strapped PC OEM makers would love a shot at a market that would give them additional revenue. guys like asus/ acer/ would be eager for such an offering. I’d imagine the general populace would love that too – have google play store on it and you never know how much you could push android to. if microsoft has done it – why not google ?
        
        PS: I know that all of this is ifs and buts, that said – why would google not want to crack take a shot at the desktop. or will the OEMs force google like they did it with the tablet market ? the first wave of android tablets were poorly implemented because android was foisted on to the tablet before it was optimized.
http://www.facebook.com/johnphillip.saayman John-Phillip Saayman

Hopefully they don’t reduce the Android experience by doing desktop with Key Lime Pie. I want key Lime Pie to be cool for smartphones too. But im not against a laptop running Android
- Ivan Myring
  
  Maybe (like ICS was different on tablets and phones) there would be a similar, though slightly altered version for laptops a and desktops.
  And it would all fit in with the feature i most hope they introduce:
  Multi window
  - http://www.facebook.com/johnphillip.saayman John-Phillip Saayman
    
    Well I have multi Window on s3. But I’d like it to be on android with more apps
    - Ivan Myring
      
      I know, that’s what prompted the comment. It is possible to get multi window, yet there is no integration in aosp
http://www.facebook.com/johnphillip.saayman John-Phillip Saayman

Also I’m pretty keen on having a smart watch. Be it Samsung or Nexus.
- V-Phuc
  
  Jeez, having a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and probably something else already don’t weight you down enough? LOL. As I said many times before, the idea of a smartwatch is just dumb. We as smart consumers should know better!
  - http://www.facebook.com/johnphillip.saayman John-Phillip Saayman
    
    Lol. Well, I don’t have a laptop or tablet at the moment, maybe that’s why. But yes, we’ll have to see if it is worth having a smart watch. Otherwise I won’t get it either.
Magnetic1

Android should be the mother of all apps. What I mean by that is… I think Android as an app should run on Win7 and Mac OSX so as to allow android apps to run on desktops and laptops. I can see WIN8 putting up resistance to this and until WIN8 gets more respectable apps I think microsoft should do what sony did during the beta and vhs competition. If you can’t win then join them.
tBs_Battousai

I’ve got the Sony Google TV box and the hardware is solid and the platform stable its just missing some killer apps, crunchyroll and plex are great but xbmc would help along with other apps…
vampyren

All i know is Chrome OS (as well as Firefox OS) will be a big flop!

Android on the other hand could be a good alternative for netbooks. On the other hand it would be more practical to use the existing phone and attach a desktop to it. I remember seeing such laptop on kickstarted recently where you just dock your phone to the laptop and you get 10h battery + 720p dispaly (later 1080p).
- ARMdevices.net
  
  Which is why the Samsung ARM Chromebook has been the best selling laptop on Amazon.com every single day for the past 6 months.
  - vampyren
    
    First of all i dont trust the numbers , for all i know it can be “fake” for luring customers.
    Second considering the prize it could be a good choice for some people but as a serious contender it cant survive in the long run.
    Also the people buying it might now know what they are getting (most people i know have no clue what is cpu, cloud etc…). The question is will they come back for more or get
    dissapointed when their internet goes down or work poorly. We will see …..
    - ARMdevices.net
      
      Chrome OS works offline, as HTML5 webapps can be made to work offline, not just to work offline but to behave instantly like native apps would do (click compose email and don’t need to wait, it loads the Javascripts/native/webgl stuff locally because the Gmail web app is loaded to your machine to work offline, synchronizing emails “Send and Receive” when it detects a connection. Interest for ARM Chromebooks is gigantic, it’s huge. Whole corporations and whole schools are purchasing Chrome OS machines right now because those are faster, simpler, safer, which is a huge deal, and the consumer satisfaction rating on that $249 ARM Chromebook is absolutely huge, consumers love it. And Chrome OS is only going to get better, merging somewhat with Android (certain subset of Android apps working within a Chrome Extension on Chromebooks), just wait for it at I/O in a few days, Chrome OS is huge. In fact Chrome OS has already overtaken Mac sales, Chrome OS can easily overtake Windows PC sales before the end of the year as it’s rumored all the other Laptop makers are preparing ARM Chromebooks, all getting better at the sub $249 price point.
      - vampyren
        
        Ok I did not know that but from your explanation or sound more like fragmentation. Why not evolve android and have the same eco system? Is like Google need to re invent the wheel again.
Roberto Tomás

” Supposedly, Google has decided to change from a Nvidia Tegra-powered chipset to Texas Instrument’s OMAP”
I don’t buy this .. Texas Instruments announced it was stopping all ARM work a while ago.. many of the top people have migrated on to be scooped up by other fabs. The only way they could be using TI is to use last-gen parts just sitting around… and that wouldn’t make for a compelling experience.
TODD JACOB

I’m confused. I’ve had google TV for over a year now. It is much better than apple tv. What am I missing?
lupusxp

wew…….mantap