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Comment by dougmwne | Hacker News Reader

Oh Google. So this is a reskin and rebrand of Android TV, launching for the first time on the new "Chromecast with Google TV". Not to be confused with a different Google TV from 10 years ago. It's unclear if they are sunsetting Android TV or supporting 2 branches of Android based TV interfaces. Side note, I have a TV with Android TV and it is chock-full-o-bugs. Only in the Google-verse.

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Ars Article:

Google merges Chromecast and Android TV with the “Chromecast with Google TV”

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/google-merges-chrome...

right, but that headline doesnt answer the underlying question. This chromecast runs Android TV, so what is Google TV? Is it an interface on top of Android TV, or the successor to Android TV as we know it? It says its coming to future TV's, so what about the Sony TV I just bought? There's so many questions about what this software even is.

The new Android TV interface premieres on the Chromecast with Google TV. It’s coming to third-party set-top boxes and TVs as well, although you’ll have to wait until 2021 before it reaches non-Google hardware. This doesn’t replace Android TV, to be clear — it sits on top. Google is just separating the ‘skin’ for Android TV from its underlying platform. https://www.androidauthority.com/google-tv-android-tv-116260...

So Google TV is a skin that sits on top of Android TV which has a separate skin called Android TV which isn't being used in new products but will continue to be supported in current products. And my Android TV I have right now is an Android TV with Chromecast, but the launch product for Google TV was Chromecast with Google TV, which I can plug into my Android TV when Android TV running Android TV is EOL but Android TV running Google TV is still supported so that I don't need to buy a new TV with Google TV. That clears it up, thanks!

I suspect that people with older Android TV's who cant upgrade the os or play services, will be able to install the Google TV app to circumvent the lack of updates, similar to Play Services separating from Android.

My phone app (Movies & TV) updated to Google TV automatically.

I'm just kidding myself, theres no way itll work that cleanly.

When not even a site full of techies can tell what you’re tech-product is after studying its product-page intensely... You know you’re in for a hell of a marketing phase later on.

I think the techies are trying to backward-track the product development roadmap.

For customers, it's essentially a chromecast + remote + new interface to choose apps (which is pretty generic)

Putting on my consumer hat, I really don't know why I need this over Android TV. Is it an upgrade? Does it have new features? Unclear. My Android TV already had Google Assistant on the remote and could "Hey Google, Play Tiger King."

"Android TV" isn't really a thing for consumers. You buy a media box or TV which is powered by it. If you like that device, great. If not, buy a Chromecast.

Android TV is definitely a thing for TV customers. My TV was sold to me as an "Android TV with Chrome cast built in". Now I'm worried this is going to turn into the usual Google abandon ware.

It appears that Google TV is a centralized chromecast database. Normally with chromecast if you want to stream HBO, you need the HBO app which supports chromecast. If you want to stream netflix, you need the netflix app which supports chromecast. With Google TV, you link your account into it and then you just go to one app to find all of your streams.

> Not to be confused with a different Google TV from 10 years ago

The Google TV 10 years ago was rebranded as Android TV, so the Android TV reskin and slowmo rebrand is literally the linear successor.

(Of course, they are also rebranding Play Movies & TV on Android as Google TV, which makes me wonder what the Google Play Movies & TV app on Android TV is going to become Google TV on Google TV?)

But at 50$, it's a really decent price point for getting a smart tv + controller experience.

I go back and forth. It is a good price for a little computer you attach to your tv that can sideload apps and do a lot of the same audio/video things your phone can do. But then, the beauty of the original Chromecast was that it was a wireless external display for your phone, so you didn't need to manage apps and logins on yet another device, just hit the cast button to play music, video, pictures or games on your tv. It was incredibly versatile and really had all capabilities of your phone, with zero setup or fuss. I know you could just use the new Chromecast like the old chromecast by Chromecasting, but sometimes more is not more. I also really hope that little chromecast icon isn't going away in media apps anytime soon.

I agree that for us the old one was perfect, but for less tech savvy people, using their phone to control the TV never worked. For my parents this is perfect.

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