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Google TV is officially dead. Long live Android TV.
The writing has been on the wall for Google TV for a long time. It was not a successful venture for Google, but it did teach them a lot. They used those lesson to create Android TV, a much more refined and simplistic approach to set-top boxes. Earlier today Google finally announced the inevitable: most Google TV devices will not be updated again.
A small subset of Google TV devices will be updated to Android TV, but most Google TV devices won’t support the new platform.
Google did not name the specific Google TV devices that will be updated to Android TV. Our hunch is that it will be some of the Hisense devices that launched last year with “Android TV v4” software. If you’re still rocking a Google TV device all of the features and apps should continue to function.
Do you still have a Google TV device? Will you be replacing it with an Android TV device? Perhaps Sony’s new Bravia 900 TV?
I’ve got a Vizio Co-star. It could probably run ATV but I’m probably looking at jumping to the Razor box when its available.
I’m just sad that none of the ATV boxes so far have interactive channel guides like the co-star has with its HDMI pass thru and programmable remote. Its so nice to be able to use that interface to find shows on than the cablebox’s crappy guide interface.
Happy that I decided to stay away from that train wreck. I do have an ADT-1 though… So I hope ATV is the way of the future…. “If it’s Google it’s Got to be Good”.
I have 3 of the Sony Google TV units (NSZGS7) in my home. The optical audio out is a big plus but not as big as the universal remote feature. The unit itself acts as an IR blaster and it is easy to program meaning I can use the single bluetooth controller to control everything. I’d love to upgrade to a faster more powerful Android TV box when they come out with one that does what my Google TV currently does.
Also have one of the Sony GTVs. Love it. Still works fine for my use. What it doesn’t do, I can throw my Chromecast on and do.
“If you’re still rocking a Google TV device all of the features and apps should continue to function.”
Not all things…even some google apps are becoming unstable, display poorly, or even flag errors over and over (now that the latest version of the Google Play Services is not supported on many boxes).
Plex works…Netflix on my two boxes has a horrible UI that doesn’t even give me the profiles (Asus Cube and Sony’s last box).
I’m too looking at the Razor…but I’m going to miss the simplicity (especially for my wife) of not having to change inputs or even pick up a different remote to play something from Plex or Netflix.
I hope to god that new ATV boxes begin to incorporate HDMI passthrus. Its the single biggest feature that I’ll miss (combined with the primetime app) from my Co-star.
A good handful of the Google Play Music functions don’t work either.
Netflix sucks on other platforms as wellsuch as some WDTV products. They don’t seem to support much on the software end.
Netflix is awesome on Xbox 360; the interface is beautiful and the buffering is better. I actually use my xbox for video streaming ever since Google TV dropped the HBO Go website portal (when flash support was lost, they never made an app for it).
My Asus Cube hates this. It is in desperate need of an uopdate
I hope the cube makes it in to the “few devices” category and receives the update. If not, it sure would be nice if someone made an ATV ROM for the cube. Which, after saying it doesn’t sound that feasible. I know you can root it but that’s only step one of many that don’t exist (nor will?). I smell a bounty…
Hope the co-star gets updated. I really like it. It works like a charm. Don’t want to go out and replace the device if it still works good.
I think I learned my lesson when it comes to buying Google TV built into the TV itself. I bought one of the Sony TV’s with Google TV built in. It only received a handful of updates and as Google continues to update other apps (services, Play Music etc), more apps become unreliable and buggy, not to mention that hardly any decent apps ever became available for it. To be honest I almost think it’s cheaper buying a good TV with less features and just adding a STB or even hooking a computer up to it.
I have a Revue, lol. Would love that Sony 4k Android TV
I got burned once, not getting burned again. When my Co-Star worked it WAS great. But now it’s a paperweight.
I’m not buying into andoid TV any time soon. I was burned with the Logitech and the co star (2 of them)… I will stick with chrome cast for my bedroom and PC/OUYA for my living room when i want to watch a movie with DTS.
Have the Revue but it not connect to anything any more. Waiting for ATV with passthru.
So long as the Chromecast stays strong, I think I can sit back and wait to see where this one goes. It was that logic that lead to me getting the Chromecast in the first place. Waiting on Google TV to see if it would sink or swim. I’m reasonably confident that Android will be far superior in every way to Google TV if for no other reason than the fact that Android itself is an established platform. All that said, it’s still a good idea to see how it catches on and how it’s implemented.
I like my Nexus Player but I miss HDMI pass-through on my retired NSZ-GS8.
I don’t know why anyone would or should be surprised.
It’s sad though, there aren’t yet any Android TV boxes with HDMI pass through and Android TV doesn’t sport the Chrome browser.
I’ll stick with my old Google TV box for now.
I picked up the Nexus Player a month ago even though the Revue is still kicking. The result I am keeping both as Android TV does not at this time have volume control nor the ability to turn the TV on/off over HDMI nor had IR blasters to control the speakers I am using. I still call the Nexus Player half baked and Android TV needs updates to fix a few bugs. The lack of apps and Netflix taking advantage of most of the search, keyboard, and voice features and no Amazon Prime leaves much to be desired with Android TV.
I have the latest sony offering and the revue… no surprise here. I’ll be getting the razer device for shi!s.
I’m beginning to dislike Google Apps/products and hope that others like CM will continue to create their own apps. Ahhh the old love hate relationship.
My revue is still rocking (and my wife and son prefer it to the Nexus Player).
Android TV will have to include features that GoogleTV had, cable pass through, universal remote, keyboard… and more.
How can you stand how sluggishly slow the revue is? We retired ours to the attic the day the Chromecast was plugged in.
I keep hoping to replace my Revue. I was hoping to see Android TV this Christmas season. I want to stick with Android in the living room. But if Google doesn’t get this together I will be switching to something else.
The one thing that has kept me with the Revue is it’s fantastic remote. A full keyboard with trackpad. If an Android TV device has that, I’m sold!
I since moved on from my Revue to an Intel Nuc. I loved the machine but it was a little bit limiting (no DTS support).
You can pair the Revue keyboard with any Logitech Unifying Receiver usb dongle though. I had a spare one from an old mouse, and have been using it for my couch keyboard ever since!
I got the sony bluray google tv. the universal remote and that app that lets you search for shows/movies based on type I’ve found to be indispensable. Much easier way to find what I want to watch than the clunky guide on my DVR.
Hanging on to my HDMI pass through sony for as long as i can lol. Its a bit slow but it works quite well still.
RIP to my LG 3D 47 inch …. smdh. This pisses me off. I didn’t have a
$99 set top box, I have a $1000 television. This is F’d up!