Android TV support

Android TV is getting popular. Currently, I use local network share option to access my files in Ubuntu through VLC on Android TV. I was wondering whether Ubuntu has any plans to link Android TV.

Android TV I think can be said to be very common because Sony ships it in their TVs. As for Android TV boxes, there are very few of those (only Xiaomi, Nvidia Shield, Vodafone?).

Regardless, I’m not sure what you’re asking for that Ubuntu doesn’t already have?

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@willcooke mentioned something about an interface for a media server in Ubuntu. Possible some library access from Ubuntu PC and Android TV ? We store our media on Ubuntu and play them from Android TV over the WiFi network.

That is all I can think about right now. But as someone who understands the power of Ubuntu better, people here can come up with great features connecting Android TV and Ubuntu.

We have talked about improving Ubuntu’s support for UPnP/DLNA media sharing in 19.04. DLNA is the protocol you might be using already.

Although the above link mentions gupnp and rygel, those are not the only options. You might want to try gerbera (formerly known as MediaTomb) as a media server from Ubuntu.

But none of that is directly related to Android TV. It’s just a common protocol used for media sharing. At the TV end you might use VLC or some DLNA-compliant device for playback like a PlayStation or Xbox.

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Windows 10 allows casting media to Android TV. End user just have to right click and select the cast device.

Ooh, you are talking about Chromecast, not specifically Android TV. But Chromecast is supported by Android TV. OK.

You might want to change the topic title to mention “Chromecast” and not “Android TV”.

Last I checked, Google Chrome in Ubuntu can already do that.

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And chromium can do that too.

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To add to the confusion,

VLC on Android/Android TV can play from DLNA shares exported by an Ubuntu machine. That’s what I thought you meant at first.

VLC (3.0+) on Ubuntu can also cast to a Chromecast device, which includes Android TV devices.

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Thanks. My intention was the same as the title indicates. To discuss possible plans Ubuntu has for Android TV integration. I was supplying ideas what an OS can do to connect with Android TV. That is why I mention Chromecast support, which come built-in in Android TV these days.

In the end, I hope to see a library listing in Ubuntu, which can appear on Android TV as well.

I am really happy that you guys consider this something useful :slight_smile:

No problem. Just remember Android TV is an operating system only. Any possible connection to Ubuntu would be provided by features or apps of that operating system.

The feature you are requesting is Chromecast support, which is built into Android TV. So I think you are just asking for better Chromecast support in Ubuntu. That’s how it should be labelled, to avoid confusion by future readers.

When I started this thread, I was hoping that someone will make an app which will replicate the media server library which Ubuntu will have in future. ie, I open that particular app on Android TV and have a library duplicate of what I have on Ubuntu which is accessible through the same WiFi network.

I think that app already exists. Try installing VLC on Android TV (as a client), instead of VLC on Ubuntu (as a server).

When using VLC on Android/Android TV you will need to configure your Ubuntu server with a DLNA server as mentioned above. You can do it with some effort using gerbera, or wait until we’ve made it more seamless in future with these enhancements.

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