> "This device will not support X service after Y date" has happened.
Again, that's a symptom of shitty manufacturer firmware, it's a burden on streaming services to support these devices because they are the ones that have to maintain software packages for hundreds of different TV models.
In contrast, Fire/GoogleTV OS are built on Android, so streaming networks don't need to support individual TV models, they just have to target supported versions of Fire/GoogleTV OS. Android has APIs to handle Smart TV functionality.
> That's more a criticism of "crappy Android boxes" rather than a praise of builtin TV applications. The latter are still barely usable and quickly become obsolete (with updates stopping 1-2 years down the line), compare that to a good Android box like Nvidia Shield.
Sorry, but this is just no longer the case. Even my neighbour doesn't turn on his Nvidia shield anymore because his Samsung TV OS is good enough and the Youtube/Netflix apps are fantastic. Samsungs OS is where the dominant marketshare is so the apps are great.
> The situation on Android might be different; at one point I certainly could cast from Netflix to Chromecast on my Kindle Fire (even though no Google Play Services existed) although from looking around on Google a bit that appears to no longer be the case.
Correct. Google removed that ability, and Amazon won’t support Chromecast until Google adds it back.
> Not all Android TV devices support all the streaming services. Mine works fine with Disney+, Amazon, and Apple TV+, but Netflix won't support the device for some reason.
That must be... an extremely niche device. With some considerable knowledge of the space, I cannot think of an Android TV device that supports Apple TV but not Netflix ever.
> You can make them smart by attaching the external box
The problem is that if the box is Android TV, it's now displaying ads.
Android TV (Shield) is now the last remaining Android device in my household. I've transitioned to Apple devices over the last couple of years as my frustration with the google "ecosystem" grew. I guess I'll give Apple TV a go next.
Correct. That SDK requires proprietary Google Play Services to be present on a device to allow Chromecast to work.
As the same Prime Video app has to work on Kindle devices, LineageOS/CopperheadOS/other third party ROMs, and on Google Play Android devices, it can’t require Google Play Services.
Regarding Roku:
Roku can not receive Chromecast streams, instead Roku, Twitch and several other companies have cooperated to work on a protocol competing with Chromecast, and Roku can receive those (as can a few of Amazon’s devices, and Amazon’s apps can send those streams as well).
> I'm sorry - is amazon prime available on my chromecast now and I've missed it?
It used to be (well, Amazon Prime itself not, but they were working on it, and the Netflix app on Kindles did support it), until Google started constantly changing the (proprietary) protocol to prevent anyone else from implementing it.
Currently, the only way to stream to Chromecast is with Google’s proprietary library, which they only license under the Android OEM terms (meaning you have to ship ALL Google apps, set them as defaults, and can’t run your own App Store).
This has also completely killed all open source projects that tried to support the Chromecast protocol.
Yes, that's the essence of the problem. Android TV devices have to use Google's launcher as the default, or they have to go fully on their own, without Google services, like a FireTV device.
> So you can buy used or refurbished phones from some third party retailer, great, but you cannot buy a Pixel or Chromecast or Google Home.
New nexus devices are still for sale.
> Also, is it Google preventing Amazon from getting Prime onto their devices? I've always been under the impression this was Amazon's choice, as it helps them move more Fire sticks.
Correct, Google requires Play Services nowadays for Chromecast. Amazon Prime Video and Netflix both used to support Chromecast on Kindle devices and elsewhere, Google disabled that functionality, and Amazon removed it elsewhere. Fire sticks are sold at a loss.
Which unsurprisingly, doesn't support media from the Google Play Store. The only acceptable streaming device is one from a neutral third party (Roku, Tivo, etc.) who will support all providers.
> Good on Amazon for continuing to improve! FireTV launched April 2014 New FireTV to ship October 2015
Sure, a year and a half later they release a more featureful, more expensive, variant on the product they initially released. Good for them, but...
> versus Google Chromecast which was amazing when launched in July 2013. But absolutely ZERO improvements in OVER 2 years. :(
Chromecast launched July 2013, true; it was (and is) a ~$35 media stick. And November 2014 -- a little under a year and a half later -- Google released a more featureful product that subsumed the basic functions of the Chromecast, had more onboard capability for apps, etc., and included a game controller, the $99 (now $79), Android TV based Nexus Player.
So, I don't think its really fair to say Google hasn't done anything here. Amazon's path isn't all that different from Google's.
> Can I run Google TV on any capable android device?
The promo talks about Google TV on mobile Android, but I gather that’s a reskin of the Play Movies and TV app, not the Chromecast/SmartTV launcher experience.
Again, that's a symptom of shitty manufacturer firmware, it's a burden on streaming services to support these devices because they are the ones that have to maintain software packages for hundreds of different TV models.
In contrast, Fire/GoogleTV OS are built on Android, so streaming networks don't need to support individual TV models, they just have to target supported versions of Fire/GoogleTV OS. Android has APIs to handle Smart TV functionality.
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