Android 11 TV is arriving on the Android TV platform, enabling many features showcased during Google’s #11weeksofsummer virtual event.
The update to Android TV closely follows the release of Android 11 for phones and tablets. It includes the same core enhancements to performance and privacy, such as how the platform now supports allowing application permissions just once. Android’s developers are also introducing a new, more efficient way to manage device memory with the algorithm based on memory pressure, which should speed up many devices. There’s support for Auto Low Latency Mode, a feature included in display panels using HDMI 2.1 that can improve performance by preventing post-processing features – a handy option for games or video conferencing applications, where performance is more important than visual quality.
Writing of games, there are improvements to the controller or gamepad support, which should be good news. There’s a new TV tuner framework with some technical improvements under the skin – such as improvements to the HDMI-CEC Control Service (High-Definition Multimedia Interface Consumer Electronics Control). This is a standard for multimedia devices to communicate with one another and enables various features, such as One Touch Play. One Touch Play is the technology that allows a product such as a Blue-ray player to turn on the TV and tune in to watch the movie. Google has provided a framework for developers and manufacturers to communicate via the HDMI-CEC Control Service.
Google’s blog explains that manufacturers will be releasing Android 11 for Android TV in the coming months, as well as updating existing devices. The exception to this is the ADT-3 Developer Kit, an Android TV device designed for developers. This is receiving the update immediately.
Source: Android Developers Blog
