Just like Android powers most smartphones in the world, gradually Android TV OS has started becoming standard software for the smart TVs. The OnePlus TV, which will be launched in India in late September, too will run on the Android TV OS. But OnePlus CEO Pete Lau tells India Today Tech that there will be some differences in the Android TV OS that we have seen so far and the one that will be inside the OnePlus TV.
Lau says that TV companies don’t focus on features, smoothness and premium software experience the way phone companies like OnePlus do. This he wants to change with the OnePlus TV. “Features and smoothness have been ignored by traditional TV makers. But with OnePlus TV, we want to focus on this and to ensure that the our TV is feature rich and works like a fast and smooth premium TV we are using Android TV system,” says Lau.
Lau says that philosophy behind the Oxygen OS — it’s a neat, clean, fast and feature-rich take on Android — in the OnePlus phones is one big reason behind their popularity. He wants software for the OnePlus TV that is on the same lines. But there are fundamental differences between what companies can do with Android and what they are allowed to do with the Android TV OS.
Lau concedes that modifying Android TV OS to improve it is more challenging. But it is not proving impossible because “OnePlus is partnering with Google for a long time.”
“We have been able to work with Google on Android TV OS for the OnePlus TV and we have made improvements and optimisations that we believe are going to be part of the core of the software,” says Lau.
In other words, OnePlus CEO is that the work his engineers have done with Google teams for Android OS have improved the software at the core level and that this work will be part of Android TV OS, available to all smart TV companies.
These core improvements will likely enable OnePlus TV to offer smoother and faster experience. Currently, Android TV OS can be a bit clunky and slow to respond.
At the same time, it is entirely possible that OnePlus will be able to offers some additional features to OnePlus TV users, even if Android TV OS doesn’t allow too many customisations. This the company may do with the help of custom user interface, similar to the methods used by some other smart TV makers. One custom feature that Lau has highlighted for now is seamless integration of OnePlus TV with the latest OnePlus phones. “A OnePlus phone and OnePlus TV will connect seamlessly. For example, you will be able to type on your OnePlus phone to do searches on the OnePlus TV,” says Lau.
[“source=indiatoday”]
