Android TV versus AOSP – Which one should you choose?

With the fast-paced proliferation of OTT/streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and the like, in urban market, there is surge in demand for devices like smart boxes or HDMI sticks in the market. The common thing in most of these devices is Android provided by Google.

This Android is different from the Android that runs on mobile devices. This is tailor made for big screens like TV. The code base is modified to make it compatible.

Most of the people do not know that Google is providing two flavors of Android for running on TV screen – Android TV and Android open source project software (popularly known as AOSP).

The most logical question is why two software from the same company?
Android was originally a mobile operating system, which was tweaked to work on the big screen. The base software that came up after changing the mobile OS is AOSP. Also, as the name indicates, AOSP is open source software and is available for anyone who is interested to develop OTT devices.

Android TV is a more mature software and is regularly developed and maintained by Google team. It includes multiple proprietary components like:

• First time install wizard
• GMS (Google Mobile Services) like Playstore, YouTube, and the like
• PlayReady DRM support
• Google Play services
• Google Assistant integrated
• Android TV launcher

You must be wondering that Android TV appears to be a better bet. But hold on!

Android TV requires one to adhere to some requirement guidelines for hardware, software, and branding. One also needs to take Google’s certification before launching their product that involves passing test suites.

On the other hand, AOSP does not require any of the above and gives you more control!

Confused?

It is not that difficult. Here is a side-by-side comparison of Android TV versus AOSP for quick reference.

The bottom line is both the solutions have their own pros and cons. Many companies have successfully enhanced the AOSP stack to a full-fledged independent OS. Amazon’s Fire OS in its OTT devices like Firestick uses AOSP stack in the bottom. However, the current trends are very positive toward Android TV.

The simple reason for the growing trends is the ready-made feature set available in the software stack. Also, google is putting efforts to make the Android TV popular with the device manufactures and vendors, leading to faster development and time to market.

As per reports from Google, Android TV activations have more than doubled in the last 12 months.

One of the major benefits is the operator tier UI. This basically means the operator can customize the user interface of product to improve the customer experience and matching the brand.

The growing ecosystem for Android TV with Playstore (carrying 5000+ apps) and integrated Google Assistant entices the operator for future business opportunities like voice search and control along with smart home devices integration. Integrated Google Assistant helps to seamlessly connect with smart devices that reads Works with Google Assistant on their packaging.

Conclusion
While there is no clear winner between the two software, both are capable of achieving most of what the other can do. The decision to go with either of them depends on the vision and strategy of the organization. Both the software stacks are scalable to provide innovative feature sets that can revolutionize this space!