Google has recently announced a new compact dongle for your TV. It provides more capabilities than a standard Chromecast dongle as it will run Android TV, with one major twist. This dongle will provide a bespoke interface (launcher) that is rumored to offer a more “content centric” interface or, to put it another way, will have less focus on apps and games.
Is this just another in a long list of widely available ‘Smart TV OS’ interfaces? Will this be the one UI to rule them all? Somehow, I doubt it. However, I do think it will be a good thing for the industry as a whole.
Let’s consider the history of video devices in the home. Years ago, we made the decision to fork out the cash to buy a shiny flat panel TV, debating whether a 42” inch with 1080p was worth missing a car payment. Or, if we could refinance the house and get that 50” HD TV that we were sure would give us a “better than reality” quality picture. It was great, for a few years until 3D TV came on the scene (remember those glasses!?). 3D never really took off while at the same time, streaming services started to become more widely available.
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