enlarge your screen: introducing the google tv

Enlarge your screen :-)

Matteo Bonifazi - Stefano Sanna

GDG Roma

Florence - 2012/10/19

Introducing the Google TV

Enlarge your screenMatteo Bonifazi - Stefano Sanna

Let’s talk about...• Speakers

• Android happens elsewhere• Google TV

• timeline

• how it works

• writing apps for the Google TV

• beyond the TV: second screen and Anymote

• DEMO

• Conclusion


Ladies & gentlemen...

• Matteo Bonifazi• Android Developer @ Open Reply Android Lab

• Member of GDG L-Ab Roma

• Stefano Sanna• Head of Open Reply Android Lab

• Author (with E. Di Saverio) of “Android Programmazione Avanzata” (Ed. FAG)


For most people Android is...


Android happens elsewhere

• “Beyond the product” (being an operating system), Android is a rich eco-system: open source, widely supported by manufacturers and developers...

• Its strong and stable Linux foundation makes Android an affordable alternative to “typical Linux distribution” for embedded systems

Tomorrow


Today


Google TV

• Among these “unconventional” Android devices, the Google TV is the official platform for (upcoming?) interactive services “beyond smartphones and tablets”

• Although it has still not been announced in Italy, Google TV has landed in Europe (UK) this year and it will be available in other country later in 2012


Timeline• 2007/11

• Android is announced

• 2008/09• T-Mobile G1 launched

• 2010/06• Launch of Google TV 1st gen as a “closed platform”

• 2011/02• Motorola Xoom officially brings Android into the tablet market

• 2011/08• Google TV SDK (beta) is published: the platform is now open!

• 2011/10• Google TV update includes Android Market

• 2011/11• Ice Cream Sandwich merges smartphone and tablets in a single platform

• 2012/06• Google TV 2.0 and Jelly Bean mark new Android evolution


Google TV hardware

• First generation devices• Sony NSZ-GT1 (Blu-ray Player)

• Sony NSX-40GT1 (Internet TV)

• Logitech Revue (set-top box)

• New generation devices• LG 47G2/55G2 (Internet TV)

• Sony NSZ-GS7 (set-top box)

• Vizio Co-Star (set-top box)

• More to come later this year...


How it works

HDMI OUTHDMI IN

Any TV with HDMI input

Any DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-C decoder with HDMI output

Internet connection via Ethernet or WiFi

Optional external storage via USB 2.0


Logitech Revue• First generation of Google TV device• Based on Intel ATOM CPU

• Recently updated to Honeycomb 3.2• Supports ADK, HLS and USB storage• Affordable (about €150 with keyboard)

• Unfortunately it is no longer sold... but it can be easily found used or brand-new on ebay! :-)


Sony NSZ-GS7• Second generation of Google TV• First STB launched in Europe (July 2012)!• Based on ARM CPU• Equipped with

Honeycomb 3.2• Not so cheap

(about €250) with enhanced remote controller


Google TV main features

• For end-users• Rent movies and TV episodes on demand

• Youtube

• Chrome

• 3rd party apps

• Movies, pictures, music on local storage

• For developers• Honeycomb 3.2 platform

• Rich, powerful and well-known Android multiscreen API

• Google Play Store for distributing apps


Google TV API

• The Google TV platform consist of

over the “standard” platform!• A new Content Provider and a few constants

provide the way to address channel switching and filter platform specific features

• Android SDK and Eclipse are the basic toolkit for targeting the Google TV!

0 (ZERO) NEW API


• The AndroidManifest.xml rules:

Targeting the Google TV

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" package="org.example.phototv" android:versionCode="1" android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="13" android:targetSdkVersion="15" />

<supports-screens android:anyDensity="true" android:largeScreens="true" android:normalScreens="false" android:smallScreens="false" android:xlargeScreens="false" />

<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen" android:required="false" /> <uses-feature android:name="com.google.android.tv" android:required="true"/>

<uses-permission android:name="com.google.android.tv.permission.READ_CHANNELS">

<application android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher" android:label="@string/app_name" > <activity android:screenOrientation="unspecified" android:name=".PhotoTV" android:label="@string/app_name"> <intent-filter> [...] </intent-filter> </activity> </application>

</manifest>


Test environment

• The best is to have a real set-top box

• If not available, install the Google TV Add-on• Runs on Linux 64bit with KVM Kernel

• Can’t run on virtual environments

• Does not support video streaming (as for Platform 1.0)

• The DIY way: a old-fashioned Android 1.x device (HTC Dream, HTC Magic, Samsung Galaxy) with D-PAD can be used to test navigation!


Configure the set-top box

• Run the initial configuration (language, screen size, network, Google Account...)

• Apps deployment and debugging is over the network connection. USB ports work in host mode.

• Try to have a fixed IP address for both Google TV STB and development workstation

• Enable remote debugging and assign remote debugging host IP• If using a Logitech Revue: set resolution to 720p (sigh!) to get

screenshots via ADB


Let them find each other... :-)

AndroidDev:~ gdx$ adb connect GTV_IP_ADDRESS

set-top box

host


Size and density

• The TV screen is classified as “large”

• HD Ready TV (720p) are classified as tvdpi density, 213 dpi

• Full HD TV (1080p) are classified as xhdpi density, 320 dpi

• 720p and 1080p have the same “independent” resolution: 960x540dp

Size, density and distance

30-50cm

300cm

smartphone5” - 320dpi

TV Full HD30” - 320dpi


The 10ft environment

• The UI is at 10ft (about 3m) from the user which• is in a relaxing/funny environment

• is shared with family and friends

• is in a dimmed environment

• provides (high quality) audio that is not (usually) optional

• has no keyboards and mouse/touchpads, that are (usually) replaced by compact remote controllers with simple 5-way navigation (aka D-PAD)


A closer look to the controllerD-PAD, BACK, MENU,

HOME, PiP

BACK-LIGHT QWERTY KEYBOARD

TRACKPAD with hard button (as in MBP)

An embedded accelerometer disables the QWERTY keyboard when using the trackpad, which is disabled when using

the back keyboard


Good practices• UI

• Dynamic layouts and relative sizes are encouraged

• Different screens may have different overscan areas: never rely on physical pixels!!!

• App layout should be divided in three areas: global, contextual and detail

Source:https://developers.google.com/tv/android/docs/gtv_android_patterns


Good practices• Navigation

• Every App should be implemented according to D-PAD navigability

• All the controls in each View has to be get through the D-PAD

• Controls• Avoid long typing: try, if possible, to suggest texts,

shortcuts...

• Limit use of pointing device

• False friend: “it seems abig tablet”. It is not.The user can’t swipe onit!

• BACK is your friend!Source:https://developers.google.com/tv/android/docs/gtv_android_patterns


DEMO

a photo viewer


Photo viewer “views”Album selection

Album overview

Picture browser


Main and sub navigation• The developer has to identify main navigation (on

the detail view, where the user spends more of his time) and sub navigation (contextual view, used less often)

• In the photo browser app:• Likelihood, the user will spend most of time browsing photos of an

album, instead of jumping between albums

• The main navigation is the photo browser within an album

• The sub navigation is the selection of an album

• The main navigation should performed using just the D-PAD

• The sub navigation could be accessed using secondary button (e.g., MENU and BACK)

Google will forgive us for this... ;-)

NavigationCENTER

CENTER

NAV:LEFT/RIGHT

CENTER

BACK

BACK

MENUNAV:

UP/DOWN

NAV:UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT

MENU

NAV:LEFT/RIGHT


Beyond the TV


Second Screen applications• Enhance interactions between Google TV and

others device ( smartphone,tablets,etc.)• Adding more functionality for the Google TV

itself• Huge opportunities to develop new different

kind of application

Able Remote: Transform your Android device in a custom Google TV Remote

Multiplayer Games: Android device is the joystick and the TV is the controller


Anymote• Anymote protocol is IP layer protocol

• Devices use TLS/SSL to avoid sniffing issues

• Thanks to Anymote service Google TV stb can receive and respond to Anymote messages

• In order to communicate with the Google TV, a remote app does:• Identifies Google TV

• Authenticates the device through Paring Protocol

• Sends events (connection, key, mouse, trackball...)


Conclusions

• Have fun with smartphones and tablet, but don’t forget that it is only the beginning!

• Google TV enlarges “screens and opportunities”• new entertainment machine for people not so comfortable

with computers

• second screen applications may enhance UX and encourage gaming

• Google TV could be the cornerstone of new home automation application and services: the STB is always powered, always connected, always accessible


Resources

• Google TV• http://www.google.com/tv/

• https://developers.google.com/tv/

• http://googletv.blogspot.it/

• Hardware and community• http://store.sony.com/p/NSZ-GS7/en/p/NSZGS7

• http://www.vizio.com/costar/overview

• http://www.gtvhacker.com/

http://googletv.blogspot.it

http://googletv.blogspot.it

http://store.sony.com/p/NSZ-GS7/en/p/NSZGS7

http://store.sony.com/p/NSZ-GS7/en/p/NSZGS7


Contacts

• Matteo Bonifazi• dekra06 AT gmail DOT com

• @mbonifazi

• Stefano Sanna• gerdavax AT gmail DOT com

• @gerdavax

• http://www.gerdavax.it

• http://www.androidavanzato.it

Thank you

enlarge your screen: introducing the google tv

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