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When installing Google TV, this menu will appear in the future. Here the Google TV option enables apps, the Google Assistant and recommendations.
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In standard TV mode, all functions are turned off, except for the essentials.
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This is what the Google TV interface normally looks like.
Google
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And here is the basic mode. Other than the banner at the bottom, it’s a lot easier.
The new Google TV is a fine smart TV interface, but when it gets integrated into some TV sets later this year, the best feature might be shut it downA report from 9to5Google describes an upcoming “Basic TV” mode that will be built into Google TV, disabling just about all smart TV features. At the moment, Google TV is only available in the new Chromecast, but Google TV is being built into upcoming TVs from Sony and TCL. Basic mode means we get smart TVs with a “dumb TV” mode.
The rise of smart TVs has led to the extinction of dumb TVs – these days basically every TV has some sort of computer and operating system built in. If you really expect to live with a TV for several years, the problem with smart TVs is that the dirt-cheap computers in these TVs don’t last as long as the screen. If your smart TV is a few years old, you may still have a great display, but you’ll have to interact with it through a slow, old, possibly abandoned integrated computer. Businesses should sell dumb TVs without this nonsense permanently integrated into them, but if they refuse, the next best thing is to let the consumer turn off the software.
When the new feature rolls out, you will be prompted to choose between ‘Basic TV’ or ‘Google TV’ during installation. 9to5Google says Basic Mode “strips almost everything, leaving users with HDMI inputs and live TV only if they have an antenna connected directly to the TV. Cast support is also gone.” The UI notes that you are going to disable all apps, the Google Assistant, and personalized recommendations.
9to5 found this feature through the ADT-3 developer set-top box and the Android 12 developer preview, so it’s not entirely clear how it works when running on a real TV. It seems that basic mode only shows a minimal set of icons for things like switching between inputs and settings. There’s also a big banner promoting Google TV mode, which you should probably just learn to ignore. A Google spokesperson told the site that this feature is for TVs sold with integrated Google TV in the future.
If you are wondering what the difference is between “Android TV” and “Google TV”: Google TV is similar to the next version of Android TV. Google TV is just Android TV’s codebase with a new interface, offering things like a unified search query. The upgrade path for existing Android TV devices is Google TV, assuming your device manufacturer actually sends updates. In 2022, Google says that TV manufacturers will not be allowed to ship Android TV, but Google TV instead. There are some product lines that Google likes to rename every few years, and Android TV / Google TV is one of them.
Google TV will be part of Sony’s full Bravia XR 2021 series and select TCL TVs later this year.