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This week on TechHive: Oreo isn’t enough to redeem Android TV
Here’s another column for my fellow Android TV nerds. For months, I’ve wondered if Android TV might step out of Chromecast’s shadow. The software has been popping up on new devices, such as AirTV and Nvidia’s second-generation Shield TV, and enabling novel over-the-air DVR solutions like Tablo Engine and Plex. Even Google seemed to be giving more love to its lesser-known living-room platform, announcing plans to integrate Google Assistant and overhaul the Android TV interface.

But after installing Android 8.0 Oreo on a Nexus Player this week, I’m not sure an Android TV comeback is imminent. The new software is a mess on Google’s three-year-old streaming box, and it’s missing several features that Google showed off at its I/O developers conference in May. Meanwhile, there’s been little evidence of new streaming boxes to carry the platform forward, and it’s unclear if existing ones like the Shield will get upgraded to Oreo anytime soon.

Perhaps I’m expressing these concerns prematurely, and some big reveal is forthcoming with new Android TV hardware and improved software. Still, it’s hard to see how that happens with the state Android TV is in now. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

Tablo Engine review: Speaking of Android TV, I recently reviewed Tablo Engine, an over-the-air DVR service that runs on the Android-based Nvidia Shield TV box. Just plug a USB antenna tuner (Tablo sells one for $70) and hard drive into the box, and the Tablo Engine app lets you watch and record broadcast TV channels. (The DVR service itself costs $4 per month, or $40 per year.)

Tablo Engine is simple to set up, preserves the full video quality of over-the-air broadcasts, and supports 5.1 Surround Sound. And by running on the Android TV platform, Tablo Engine has potential to be a better single-television DVR than TiVo Roamio OTA, whose own box has a far more limited selection of streaming apps. Still, Tablo’s app is bare-bones at the moment, with none of the rich recording and scheduling options you get from Tablo’s networked DVR (though you can at least use the Tablo website more more advanced scheduling). Read the full review here.

Apple’s battle for cheaper 4K HDR movies: According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is asking Hollywood studios to allow 4K HDR movie sales on iTunes for $20 apiece, presumably ahead of a new Apple TV that supports the format. Other stores currently charge $20 for HD purchases, and $25 to $30 for 4K, so Apple is effectively asking studios to stop earning a premium on high-quality videos.

That’s unlikely to happen. Recode’s Peter Kafka points out that Apple has little leverage in this situation, with Apple TV ranking far behind Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast in streaming device sales. And as I’ve reported at TechHive, Hollywood is still sore about having subsidized the transition to HD while watching TV vendors reap the profits.

At the same time, the TV and tech industries shot themselves in the foot by building hype around 4K, which on its own is not a huge improvement over 1080p video, but is four to five times pricier to produce by one estimate. HDR is more noticeable and cheaper to produce in 1080p, but because 4K is more marketable, the two technologies will be tied together for the foreseeable future. That means higher prices, at least in on-demand stores like iTunes where Hollywood calls the shots.

More Catch-Up

Save More Money
The Roku Premiere+ is still my pick for best 4K HDR streaming player, and a refurbished model is currently selling on Amazon for $60. That’s $30 cheaper than the regular price for a new unit. Just keep in mind that Amazon and Apple will likely have new 4K HDR players on the market before too long.

Thanks for reading!

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Until next week,
Jared