2021 Android TV Unified Set-Top-Boxes

[314carpenter]

First of all, on AV1. It is a must have right now. AV1 is the open and royalty-free video codec that Google is backing, along with Amazon, Apple, ARM, Facebook, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Hulu, Nvidia, Samsung, and others, as part of the Alliance for Open Media. It’s an attempt to shift the industry from using the H265 HEVC video codec, which is a proprietary format that requires the payment of royalties to its patent holders. Read more here...
https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.ph...&id=1613043929

Several major Over-The-Top (OTT) content providers are now making a unified effort to force the Set-Top-Box (STB) streaming platform companies to accept a universal streaming device, or potentially not receive the licenses to officially carry the content providers app. For example, Netflix has branded this program Hailstorm, and the Netflix Scaling Program. Hailstorm has been around for a few years, but what has changed now is how the accreditation process works, who can get it, and what it takes. Read more here...

https://netflixtechblog.medium.com/h...v-fd169366f828

The new Walmart ONN streamer is the first to go to mainstream markets with this new universal device. MECOOL KM2 is another example of this device. These devices are all OEM designs and are manufactured by just four companies. The Google Unified Remote Control is the giveaway here. There are only two remote designs, and all of the platforms are required to share those. Upscale models with a port added, a faster chip, etc. Just add the sticker of your favorite company. Here are your choices from this day forward...

https://en.sdmctech.com/products/android-tv.html

https://en.skyworthdigital.com/products/CateId/5/

https://seirobotics.net/hd-android-t...-p00078p1.html

https://www.askey.com.tw/products/set-top-box/

Here are your current purchasing choices, as of 6/19/2021, for Both Netflix & Prime Video Certified Android TV Streaming Players in their consumer packaging disguises. Nvidia and Xiaomi are the only non OEM independents in this category

https://www.androidtv-guide.com/stre...-atv-certified

[314carpenter]

Reserved for organization and expansion of the OP, for the sake of thread prosperity. I expect that this will eventually become grow in popularity and there will be a large amount of information to provide. There will inevitably be many questions as well. This post will serve as the future location for FAQ's, just so we don't need to answer the same questions, or provide the same information repetitiously.

My hope is that this thread can maintain a focused discussion on the unified android TV STB devices that are beginning to become available June 2021. We may wish to discuss these devices in terms of their...

Hardware
Software
Firmware
Sales
Availability
Licensing

and how those topics both address and affect the needs and wishes of the end users in this forum, who access their content through these devices and their content providers apps, whether those services are paid for or are free.

This is my first thread that I have created here. There will be some growing pains. I did not create this thread so I could spend my time offering free technical support. If you have questions, please ask the community to help, as my time to maintain this thread will be very limited. My main function will be to maintain the OP, edit the FAQ's, add additional relevant pieces of information, and provide links to outside information, as those become available, time permitting of course. There is not much more information available out there at this time, but this market segment is growing quickly, and with these new products coming into more homes soon, this could be a very popular place to gather and share a large portion of that information pool.

[314carpenter]

Opinion piece:
I believe the main goal here is to weaken contract the negotiation leverage of platform companies like Roku. Reason being, companies like Roku demand a percentage of return from revenue created from certain information gathered from the user base. This is advertising revenue, but also personal information you agree to share by using the devices and their accompanying apps.
Here is a good article on that...

https://www.vox.com/recode/21686514/...g-wonder-woman

A unified product with full licensing that is available to any corporate entity willing pay to have their logo put on the device will receive a much smaller portion of those revenues. This effectively dilutes the revenue stream available to all streaming device platforms, like Roku, outside of this unified network of licensees, like ONN or Mecool have working for them. Without official licensing from any one of the major content providers, the user base of independents will likely shrink over time, further reducing their negotiating leverage. I am not setting Roku out on an island here, but it is true that Roku is the rocket ship of STB's and they have been for a while now. They are also very aggressive in their negotiating, which has been repeatedly been reported on. What we are seeing here is a direct response from OTT's in an ultimate battle over your streaming dollars revenue shares accessed through your STB's.

[tjritter79]

All the Android TV devices WILL be unified going forward....under the Google TV name.

https://thestreamable.com/news/googl...l-to-google-tv

"Govil-Pai did say that Google’s objective is to have all of its third-party Android TV partners eventually shift all devices sold at retail to Google TV and to have its entire OS centralized under the Google TV brand. That means expect devices from Xiaomi and NVIDIA, like the NVIDIA SHIELD, to shift over to Google TV."

[314carpenter]

The Android TV platform has been growing pretty rapidly over the past few years, but a lack of the company’s own hardware made many wonder what its future had in store. Today, that question has been answered. The new Chromecast has arrived with a new platform, Google TV, and it’s going to replace Android TV over the next two years.

Google TV, technically speaking, is still Android TV. In fact, it’s built on top of Android TV 10. However, this is not just a new variation designed for Google’s own hardware; it will be the TV platform the company uses on its devices and makes available to partners for third-party devices as well.

Starting in 2021, Google TV will start showing up on set-top boxes, dongles, and full smart TVs from Google’s current Android TV partners while regular Android TV devices can also hit the market. By 2022, all Android TV retail devices will be using the new platform. Currently available Android TV devices will also either be updated to the new experience or adopt some of its features over time.

For a while, these two experiences will co-exist. That may take the form of both current and new hardware, depending on what manufacturers have in mind. Right now, we’re not aware of any plans from companies such as Nvidia, Xiaomi, TCL, and others as to how they plan to adopt Google TV. Google does mention, however, that Sony will be among the first to adopt it.

https://9to5google.com/2020/09/30/an...gle-tv-update/

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by 314carpenter

.....
For a while, these two experiences will co-exist. That may take the form of both current and new hardware, depending on what manufacturers have in mind. Right now, we’re not aware of any plans from companies such as Nvidia, Xiaomi, TCL, and others as to how they plan to adopt Google TV. Google does mention, however, that Sony will be among the first to adopt it.

Yes, on May 27th I got my Sony A90J 65" TV which includes the Google TV interface. This leaves me with yet another option if Apple, Roku or Fire continue to monetize their platforms by insisting on concessions from the apps they carry. On a technological standpoint, the Sony TV's include BRAVIA CORE as an app on Google TV which delivers UHD-class programming up to 80 mbps.