Google’s Android TV platform drives set-top boxes, dongles, projectors and even TVs themselves. As the move to Google TV is underway, Google is introducing a new requirement for all new Android TV devices – they must support the AV1 streaming code.
If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because rumors about this news have been swirling around for several months at this point. @AndroidTV_Rumor and Protocol both mention Google’s upcoming requirement that AV1 be supported in October last year, but today the people at XDA provided confirmation and some additional context.
Today’s report sets a specific time window for this change and states that all Android TV devices – including Google TV – must support the AV1 codec from March 31, 2021. It applies to any device running Android 10 or Using Android 11. Again, this is not really news, but the internal slide seen XDA help to confirm that this is the case. We & # 39; ve contacted Google for comments on this change, and this article will be updated if there are any replies.
What does AV1 mean for Android TV? The new streaming codec is available to everyone through the Alliance for Open Media and is designed to be more efficient at streaming videos over the internet, with very little impact on quality. Google in particular has announced that it will push AV1 forward strongly. Google has already started using AV1 on YouTube, Chrome and Duo on compatible devices and plans to extend these efforts to Google Photos, Play Movies / Google TV, Meet and even Stages over time.
As for AV1 support on Android TV today, it is already starting to expand. This codec requires newer hardware for the decoding process, so products that do not have support, including Chromecast with Google TV, can not just get a software update to bring it. In particular, Sony’s new Bravia XR series, which runs Google TV, supports AV1 decoding, as does the latest Amlogic S905X4 chip used in more streaming boxes.
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