Google is going to launch its new TV platform Android TV at Google I/O in the end June. Android TV won’t be another device, but rather a platform that manufacturers of TVs and set-top boxes can use to bring streaming services to the television.
In that way, it is similar to Google TV, the platform the company unveiled at its 2010 Google I/O conference. But while Google TV was focused on marrying existing pay TV services with apps, Android TV will at least initially be all about online media services and Android-based video games.
Google has been talking to a number of media services about participating on Android TV in recent months, and it is expected that the usual suspects, including Netflix and Hulu Plus, all are going to be available at launch. The company is likely also going to announce a few select hardware partners, which could have devices running Android TV available in the coming months.
The company is said to be focusing on its simplicity, through a simple user interface, called Pano. The idea behind Pano is that apps can surface individual pieces of content right on the home screen in a card-like fashion so that users can browse movies, TV shows and other types of media as soon as they turn on an Android TV. Content will be presented in a series of cards that can be browsed horizontally, and each movie or TV show episode has deep links into publisher’s apps, giving users the option to start playback right away. That’s different from the traditional smart TV experience, where users generally first have to launch an app from a publisher, and then browse that apps catalog before they can play a title.
The full story will be unveiled by the end June. So, stay tuned to The Tech Portal Network.
