Google TV is set to officially become Android TV complete with a brand new interface, a leaked document has revealed, however it is not known what elements will be launched in Australia or when howevewr it is tipped to put Foxtel and free to air TV stations who are set to launch new IPTV apps under pressure.
According to sources Google is preparing to launch Android TV shortly, screenshots of a new Android TV interface have already surfaced to show an interface that takes after the Google “card” system now available on the Google search browser. The service will be available via a TV, tablet PC and smartphone.
Documents obtained by The Verge, claims Android TV is an “entertainment interface, not a computing platform,” claiming “it’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount,” and that it is “cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast.”
The new Android TV requires developers to create basic apps for individual services, and to combine with Google’s card motif.
Movies, TV shows, and apps will appear as cards, with a four-way remote being used to scroll throughout the collection.
The remote is said to have not only the directional control, along with Enter, Home, and Back buttons, with game controllers also touted. Voice input is mentioned with content able to be controlled via a voice command from a smartphone or tablet.
Google is apparently dissuading developers from using voice commands except in specific cases.
In a similar way to Google Play, Android TV will offer recommendations on its home screen, pointing to content within specific apps rather than the apps themselves. “Access to content should be simple and magical,” states one document, adding that content should not take more than three clicks or gestures to access from the home screen.
As for what apps could be offered on the service, one screenshot appears to show the typical Google services, such as the Play store, Play Music, YouTube and Hangouts, alongside other developers.
Apps for Hulu, Netflix, Songza, Pandora, and Vevo are included in the interface, as well as Plants vs Zombies 2, Temple Run, and other games, though it is unclear if the apps are confirmed as available on the software platform.
The timing of the document leak comes just days after Amazon launched its own Android-based set-top box, the Fire TV, which offers a relatively similar set of features to Android TV. It is also unclear how the plans will affect app development for Google’s other living room device, the Chromecast.
