Nexus Player is the first Android TV box

Only instance I ever encountered this was with little kids who didn't have a phone. They knew how to use chromecast with an ease, but they just didn't' have phones.

Then they couldn't use the Chromecast. As much as I like my Chromecast, I know its limitations. It always relies on an additional device for casting/fetching instructions. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad for a $30 device. But the Nexus Player offers far more built-in functionality while including the Chromecast protocol.

So.... you'd rather just have a chromecast with a remote?

If you dont like it, dont buy it. Why is someone elses OPINION wrong and your OPINION is right. Its not for you. Great. Enjoy your chromecast.

You're explaining Roku. They already have 3 or 4 different devices that do exactly this. I know folks around here get real touchy when you question anything Google does, but I believe a lot of us are asking, "aside from being Google for the sake of google, what will this $100 device do that isn't already offered in similarly priced or cheaper devices?"

This device has more potential than a Roku device does simply because the company behind it is Google. There are hundreds of devices that can stream content available but yet Apple TV sold insanely well, why is that? My opinion is due to the power of Apple and their ability to get what they want which offers the consumer a lot of potential. The potential for this device is in the same arena as the Apple TV. Now whether or not Google actually keeps the device up to date is another story.

We shall see. Roku has sold over 10 million devices and to date has by far the largest overall offering from the most content partners. They aren't going out of business overnight. Also, yes google is big, but they have shown that they are not afraid to cut bait and run on products in this market segment. Nexus Q anyone?

I agree they aren't going anywhere but they aren't doing anything innovative either. The device from Google has the potential to connect into many other aspects of your life, not just stream media. we all know "potential" isn't the driving factor behind a product but when presented with two products with similar capabilities, the potential factor definitely comes into play.
The Nexus Q, much like the the Google TV boxes were stop gap products. They were losing sales by not having something out there in that market. They quickly released both of those products way before they were ready, hence why both are no longer around.

The device from google has the potential to connect to many other aspects of your life? I think you overestimate the longevity of a $100 device. Something that does what you are envisioning will be 3 to 8 devices down the road. Honestly, each company tries to "figure out" the secret to being the king of the livingroom. Secret is though, the vast majority of people just want to watch shows, maybe play a few games. Dan

Who cares? Even if Google abandons this thing, you still have a device which runs Android and has access to all Android apps. That's not bad for $100. Personally, I didn't buy a Roku because I find them limiting. You can only access apps from companies they partner with, most of which require you to pay. There are no Roku apps for managing the applications that run on my media server. Until now, my options were to use my Android phone to do it, or build a dedicated Linux box attached to my TV, both of which I did. The Linux box cost me about $400 to set up, and is running XBMC which relies on third party add-ons for interacting with services like Pandora, rather than being able to offer actual apps made by providers like Pandora. Apple TV has great apps but has the same limitations Roku has in terms of interacting with the rest of my stuff. This device promises to fill a need I previously had to pay $400 for, for $100, and gives me not only the media apps Roku provides but access to all the other apps I use on my Android devices. Whether you see a value in it or not, i LOVE the idea of having a Chrome browser on my TV, the same File browsing app I use on my phone to browse my media server, the same SSH client I use on my phone for command line access to my server, the same games I have on my phones can be played on my TV, the same notification center for hangouts and whatever else I want notifications for can be right on my screen with no laptop or phone nearby. Google Play will be available to me without a phone or laptop nearby, etc. etc. I know not everyone has the same use case I do, but everyone uses Android differently. I don't own an Apple TV or a Chromecast, or a Roku, and it's because none of them met my needs. This does. Will people leave Roku in droves to buy this? Probably not. But does this have the potential to offer some serious competition to things like Roku when people are choosing their next device of this type? I certainly think so. Even if you don't buy it, do you really think Google's making a mistake in offering it? I'm pre-ordering now. Not because I'm a Google fanboy, but because there's finally a $100 streaming device that does enough of what I want that I'm compelled to buy it.

You apparently replied to the wrong post because I didn't say it was mistake for Google to release this box nor do I care about how much your home Linux box cost or the reasons why you love Chrome.

And I wasn't talking to you.

They never even released Nexus Q to the public. Anyone that pre-ordered it got a refund.

How is Google TV going? Lol. Posted via Android Central App

Google TV was poorly implemented but it was a great concept. If Google was smart they would be perfecting it behind the scenes. I doubt it will happen though, it was one of those products that benefited the consumer too much and didn't deliver enough cash back into Google's pockets.

Come on! More Features ALWAYS means "Better"!!!! ;) Personally I am not a big fan of Chromecast...I think they need to offer a wifi network analyzer.
Everything else in my house is fine. I can stream a Netflix movie un-buffered on my Nexus 7 but if I try the Chromecast...Its spotty enough that I prefer not to rely on it.

Well the Nexus Player isnt pro-idiot! :)

Simple and easy to use isn't the same as pro-idiot... Posted via Android Central App

Nothing wrong with that it's a straight to the point product Posted via Nexus 7 2013 or verizon Galaxy S5 or maybe one day through my moto 360

Not everyone is an idiot though

I have the ADT-1, the Android TV developer box, and I think you're missing the point. A $99 box plus free and minimally-priced games are significantly cheaper than a PS4 ($400 + $50 titles). I've sideloaded games like Asphalt 6, and I can say that it *might* be able to compete with consoles for laid-back and non-hardcore gamers. Quite casual.

You say you can side-load? Is it the same as with phones where you can just go to Security and check the "Enable downloads from Unknown Sources" and voila! Amazon App Store? Or do you have to do something else entirely?

Kinda. You can enable downloads from unknown sources, but it's kinda difficult to access APKs on the device. I was able to push ES File Explorer to it from the online Play Store and then access APKs from Dropbox. APKs can also be sideloaded via adb and a developer USB cable.

its not difficult at all, the adt-1 has adb over tcp/ip a couple of simple commands from your computer does the job adb connect youradtIP:4321
adb install yourAPK.apk

No. Not difficult at all. So simple my grandma could do that.

Have you tried installing any emulators?

Negative, but I've seen others who have. I think they were fairly successful with them.

My guess is this works without needing a phone or other device to control it. I still wouldn't buy one. Chromecast all the way

"How is this better than a chromecast? If I wanted games, I'd just get a PS4" That's like saying, I already have a scooter, why do i need to buy a Toyota Prius? If I wanted to buy a car, i'd just buy a Porsche. A $99 console is way cheaper than a $400 console. And games on Android are way cheaper than games on PS Network for casual games. Regardless, this is about putting the UI on the TV and with a dedicated remote as opposed to having the UI on your phone. I'm guessing you don't have kids, do you? Not all kids have cellphones, and they may want to change what they're watching. Are you going to let them just use your phone all the time to change the TV program?? Could you imagine as a kid needing to borrow your mom/dads cellphone or get their help everytime you wanted to change what movie/tv show you were watching. It would be awful. Families need a dedicated device.

This will be useful in my household. All of our Google Play movie purchases live on my account, so if my wife wants to cast something she needs to borrow one of my devices. And as my son gets a little older, he'll be able to play his own stuff. Posted via Android Central App

I love my Chromecast but in an idea world I'd prefer a device I don't need to wake up and unlock like my phone in order to operate it so enter the Nexus Player :)

+1
Also, this brings the Chromecast to be moved to one of my other TVs.

+2 Posted via Android Central App on The Nexus 5

This might replace the PS3 as my set-top box. Playing Mage Gauntlet on my big TV (without hassle) will be nice. It's been a good day for Android fans! Posted via the Android Central App

This has been a terrible day for Android fans. Posted via the Android Central App

Why is that?

Because he's an idiot.

specs seem a little low to take it too seriously

Nah, they're fine for a set top media box like this. A lot of people worry about Intel's hardware but it's perfectly fine.

How're the specs on your Chromecast? It's a chromecast on steroids. It lets you play mobile games (how much trouble do you think that will give a quad-core processor) - and it looks purty. It'll be nice to not have to have my phone or tablet out and the GUI is very nice.

how does this replace my roku??? I dont need gaming.

If you don't need gaming then this doesn't replace your roku, simply put.

Though it does come with the Chromecast streaming protocol which currently works better than the device streaming offered by Roku.

Yeah I'm a bit confused here also by the branding "Nexus TV".. My immediate reaction was this was an Android based competitor for Apple TV and Roku which if I understand correctly, it's not. Being a long time Roku advocate and not into games, I don't see the value personally. Content is king so if Google doesn't have over 1000 channels of content like Roku it's not for me.

I guess if people have a lot of content bought/stored through Google play It Could Make sense. However, I would be inclined to say that this does not presently offer a compelling enough reason to replace a Roku, unless a person wants to game casually.

Or use other Android apps, like web browsers, SSH/FTP/SMB clients, media server management apps like MediaDog, etc. I gave my Roku to my mom the day I got it, because it didn't offer me enough. Do people who are happy with Roku need this? Probably not, but it sure is attractive if you are a heavy Android user already and found Roku limiting.

It's "Nexus Player" not "Nexus TV". Think of it this way: the Nexus 7 is an Android phone. The Nexus Player is an Android TV. It is a competitor for Apple TV and Roku. It does streaming of movies, TV shows, etc, plus games without needing another device for controlling it. Currently Netflix, TED, Google Play Movies, and more. Lots of Android games in Google Play Games are compatible with it. And as someone above mentioned, you can side load other Android games on it using adb.

"How does this Chevy replace my bike??? I don't drive."

Who said it replaced your Roku?

I've always wanted to try Roku. What are your favorite things about Roku?
What brings my attention to the Nexus Android TV box is XBMC. I read a while back that during Android TV preview, XBMC was able to port it. I'm not familiar with Roku and XBMC. I read there are ways to cast XBMC to Chromecast, but this is built in and with a physical remote.

I really wanna test one of these out and see how the different types of users in my family respond to it.

My body is ready for Android TV

Mine too Posted via the Android Central App

Wonder how powerful this will be and if you can run games high-def like Dead Trigger 2 and Modern Combat 5. 1gb of memory seems kinda low. Would be awesome though since My TV is a stupid HDTV, pulling up Plex and my many, many games from Google/Amazon/Humble Bundle would be nice. Just need to know if you can install apps/games from Unknown Sources like Amazon App Store and Humble Bundle...

I've been able to sideload APKs onto my ADT-1 dev box, so I believe so.

If this somehow has Amazon Prime i'm sold.

hope so. since android finally got prime video, i have hope that someday it'll come to android tv

Must have missed the Fire TV announcement. This isn't a first of its kind.

I didn't realize that the Fire TV was the first Android TV box.

Fire OS is Android... just no Google Play access, only Amazon's ecosystem.

It is Android underneath but it has been skinned to death by Amazon. Saying the Amazon Fire TV is the first Google TV is incorrect. This device really is the first of it's kind as nothing before it has run Android TV. Sure, there were some iterations of Google TV, there's a bunch of no-name Chinese devices running Android, etc. but this is the first to actually run Android TV.

TAKE MY MONEY! Posted via the Android Central App

And mine Posted via the Android Central App

Is this powerful enough? I'm not familiar with how the Intel stuff stacks up...

It's fine. A lot of people squirm at the thought of Intel's Atom CPUs but they have come a long way from the days of netbooks. The first line of Atom CPUs used in Android devices were rather dull but the Bay Trail CPUs closed that performance gap and the newer Moorefield ones are even better. I wouldn't worry about it for something like this.

I wonder if it'll be like android wear in which most of the watches have generally the same specs. I'm hoping that some of the the other manufacturers will put out a powerful of a box.

You can freaking kick ass in Angry Birds on this puppy.

I'm still holding on to my Logitech Review because of the IR blaster & HDMI in. Love being able to control my STB and other components from the app and do it from any room in my house. This just got rid of the best parts of my Google TV to do a bit more than my chromecast. No thanks. So bummed because I really really want an updated Revue...I liked the concept, it just needed a 2.0 and a $99-$150 price

Revue fully supports HDMI-CEC. I can turn my TV on/off, change volume, etc. I don't have a good remote for it, and can't sell it for $20!

So it will, supposedly, do everything you want it to that Google TV did... sorta. I watched the developers video on this as i was in shock they dropped the live TV feature that my Revue did so well. That video has an entire segment on live TV. I don't know if I fully understand it, but it seems that instead of a passthrough and IR Blaster methodology, we now have a full wireless network methodology. The advantage of this is you can have multiple Virtual TV sources (cable/SAT, OTA, some mythical IP TV that exists somewhere, and internet TV stations). In the case of OTA the developer video said they were using a Silicon Dust HDHomeRun box, but modern cable/SAT boxes should have network capabilities and codes for tuner manipulation. I guess the concept being the big DVR boxes they give you for the living room that you can somehow watch stuff on using the tiny little box they install in your bedroom. My speculation is that the Nexus Player wants to be that tiny little box. What I took away from this is that every video source like this needs an app to go with it. Your cable/SAT provider (or the box manufacturer) will need an Android TV app that identifies itself as a TV providing application. If it does say it is a TV providing application, you shouldn't ever need to go into it most of the time as the TV app will control it for you. Network and tuning controls are done by the provider/box-manufacture's app. On the other hand, some providers have the TV-on-the-Go apps that may work instead (or maybe they do exactly this, I've never used one). It seems Google wants no part of content wars this time around. It would be up to us to ask the providers to supply a Android TV control app. Alternatively, the HDHomeRun Prime has a cableCard slot that may work. Your Revue replacement just went from $100 to at least $250 though MSRP. This is speculation. Unless someone with an dev box used the TV part and wants to help us out here, I guess we wait until some people get their hands on one to see. I also want to replace my Revue... I may be willing to get a HDHomeRun device to do it.

I think that this isn't the -only- kind of Android TV device we'll see. Rather, it's the one that Google decided to release now. It's basically a Google "Fire TV". I consider this to be half of the Android TV experience. It's basically streaming media consumption and gaming. The developer video you mention is something I watched as well. I also own an old Revue. I think that the added hardware to support the live TV features would have been too expensive, and it would have been confusing to the large customer base they're trying to reach. I believe we'll see the full range of features from other vendors like Sony that target users like us.

Should have included a game controller. Just including the controller would have caused people to buy games just to test it out. They might have enjoyed the experience and become regular game buyers.
Instead people who already play games will order the controller and those that don't, won't bother.

Exactly what I've been waiting for: an Android TV box.

What stores will it be in I wonder?

Google clarified that it won't be available in retail stores, just the Google Play Store for the time being.

If I can change my netflix region then I will buy this for that alone. The only annoying thing about cc

Unotelly DNS service let you change your Netflix region. For the CC to work you have to block the Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) in your router because they are hardcoded in the CC firmware, but after you block them the CC will fall to your default DNS. I have this setup working for long time.

why, oh why, did they kill the HDMI in port from the Google TVs? i feel like this (and the FireTV for that matter) makes things super awkward without it. so i search on the Nexus Player, it's coming on say, NBC in 5 minutes and then what? i have to switch all my inputs back to my sat or cable box, then tune to nbc? as crappy as GTVs were at times, they had that part right at least. ugh.

My guess is this won't have anything to do at all with cable or OTA broadcasts, you aren't gonna get search results from those sources at all. It's strictly a streaming box like every other streaming box out there, or like a Chromecast with a remote and gaming capabilities. Blame the TV industry for the failed hybrid STB concept... They pushed back at every step, only way Google could've really made it work would've been by jumping on Cablecards ands building a full fledged DVR, a TiVo basically, but even that is a pretty entrenched market and they're already selling the Moto division that has any experience with that.

If I hadn't just fought ASUS on my Nexus 7(2013) for 2 months and had a horrible experience, I would be tempted to replace my aging Vizio Co-Star Google TV. But, ASUS really isn't worth fighting if there is anything wrong. Though, for the price, may still be tempted...

Anyone else thinking reicast on my TV?!? Posted via Android Central App

I'm curious if this only supports HDMI like the newer Roku devices, or if it will still support the old Red-White-Yellow cables. I don't own an HD TV (I know I'm cheap and behind the times) but I'd still be interested in getting one.

Probably requires HDCP DRM so won't support component. The only other option is to find a HDCP stripper to remove the HDCP, but there's no guarantee that will work either.

Yeah that's what I figured :(

Hello xbmc (kodi) for Android, goodbye Google TV. Can't wait to get this hooked up in the living room. Posted via Android Central App

Hoping to see some new uses out of this for board games. Would be nice to have a main board on the TV and other android devices could be "your hand". Would definitely be cool to play something like Game of Life, Monopoly, Catan in this way.

Interested, this could definitely replace the chrome cast in my bedroom which the wife does not love.

A device that plays games with only 8GB Memory, FAIL..
Have they not seen how big modern mobile games are getting?

I'm sure there is expandable memory.

but it's not in the specs

There is a micro usb, so why wouldn't you be able to hook up a thumb drive or external hard drive?

When was the last time a Nexus came with expandable memory? Posted via Android Central App

Guise guise! Why not have both?! I am... attach my current Chromecast to my bedroom TV, buy the Nexus Player and attach it to my living room TV! #BestOfBothWorlds

One question: will it work on a 5ghz wifi network? If so I'm in. My chromecast lags sometimes because of all the wifi traffic in my apartment building. I get almost 3 times the speed from the 5ghz band on my router but i can't use that with my chromecast. Posted from the Avengers: Age of Droid Ultra

Specs almost identical to my Ouya? that doesn't seem right. Well, since it doesn't have Ouya's crippled OS and terrible ecosystem, for $99 I guess I'm in. ...Then they'll come out with the cool sexy one a month later like they did when I bought the G watch....

I wish this had video pass-through like the old Google TV boxes. I'd prefer to not have to switch video inputs all the time. That's the one thing I dislike about my Chromecast.

What's with all the weird pro-ChromeCast hate? "ChromeCast work for me, so NO ONE should EVER want anything different!" It's cool guys, you don't have to buy one.

People just wanna pigeon hole stuff easily, and they want to know right NAO whether it's worth the extra $68... The former is easy, it's just another streaming box like the other dozens of $99 streaming boxes. The latter we probably won't know even at launch, it's all about the content. If they can get some exclusive services (Amazon Prime?) or exclusive content on Play itself, then there'll be a reason to opt for this over Roku/Fire/Apple/etc. If not it'll just be the streaming box with CAST support and native gaming, which still isn't a terrible thing to be. My guess is games will be the biggest initial differentiator... Whether it can leverage other exclusives or unique advantages like easy Plex support etc remains to be seen. It's at least as well equipped as any current box tho, a quad core Atom and 2x2 802.11AC implementation is pretty decent and better than many.

I honestly want one but no way I'll be an early adopter.

What I'd like to see is the ability to stream my PC games to this via steam in home streaming :-) Obviously thats not in google's interest but I would love to see a steam app come out to allow that.

I'd buy it in a heartbeat if that happened, it feels like this box is better equipped for that than most other streaming boxes but as you said, Valve and Google's interests are not necessarily in alignment. I think Google really ought to push the one box angle and look into partnerships like that tho... One box to rule them all = packing as much functionality as possible so that it becomes the obvious choice over the rest. Cast and Plex are a small start, they need to have every possible streaming service tho, including Amazon. And they need to look into additional exclusives whether thru new services or Play content.

How can they not include a network port? Wifi is not ideal for streaming and is the main reason I've stopped using my chromecast. It's not like it's a portable device.

No ethernet port? Then definitely not. I liked the look and everything but you take off the network port and I'm out :(

The Chromecast wasn't portable either... They did upgrade the Wi-Fi tho, 802.11ac with a 2x2 implementation should work in many more congested situations.

Does this not have HDMI pass through - meaning I can't run my cable through it and will have to change inputs? I really like the pass through feature on the XBONE. Now comes the test. I have the 360 in the play room, the XBONE in the family room and will get the Google device for the bedroom. Doubt I'll play any games on it though as nothing is going to compare to games on the XBONE (Alien Isolation is keeping me up at night).

So, exactly why should I get this after I just got a Chromecast like 2 weeks ago? It sounds like it is just Chromecast but runs a full version of Android that is skinned for TV and comes with a controller.

Maybe you shouldn't. Wait for the reviews, if you don't think it offers anything compelling over your Chromecast, then don't bother. Running Android and having a dedicated controller is what I find interesting about this. Although I am by no means decided on buying it. Posted via Android Central App

1GB RAM? Disappointing for gaming etc. I'll stick with my Fire TV that arrives for £50 in a couple weeks. Hopefully someone will get an Android TV ROM/Launcher for it.

It's just another media STB without HDMI-PASSTHROUGH. I would have paid a premium for a solution that had HDMI-PASSTHROUGH but without I won't give them a dime. A $30 Chromecast already does what I need without HDMI-PASSTHROUGH. MAJOR failure as far as I'm concerned!

if it supports Plex and HD audio(DTS-HDMA), I'm in.

Does this stream games like it streams content of the chromecast? If not, how would you play games with only 8 Gb? Most big title games average 2 GB. Posted via Android Central App

I'm not sure I understand the usefulness of this device. Don't most people that would buy this already have a blu-ray player or tv that handles Netflix, Vudu, etc? That's the beauty of the Chromecast, it's not weighed down with the apps that you probably already have in your home.

If you don't want the extras then get a Chromecast, they'll still be available and supported. Posted via Android Central App

they should have included a qi wireless pad on top of it ,it would have been great ...

It better natively support Moga controllers...

Good luck getting Sony and MS to make an Android TV player. Lol. Posted via Android Central App

I wouldn't expect MS to anyway. And this doesn't really compete with a PlayStation, so I don't think Sony will be concerned about making their own version, but what does it matter if they don't? Sony have already promised to put Android TV on their TVs, which is what Google probably cares more about. Posted via Android Central App

Any chance of the remote control also working as an app from my phone/tablet? I've got the whole house dialed in with Harmony remotes already, and I know that the roomies aren't going to lose their phones in the couch cushions.

NBA league pass is the only reason I need to justify purchasing this. Posted via the Android Central App

This is going to be perfect for running emulators! The GPU is the PowerVR G6430, which is the same GPU in the iPad Air. This should be able to handle even Dreamcast games! I was going to buy the Nvidia Shield Tablet just for emulation, now I only have to spend $100!

+1000 The most exciting part about this box isn't the Google play games: it's running emulators. Posted via my tricked out Moto X.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of this vs. The Chromecast that we'll get a full Android experience on our TV? This means all of Google Play and not just apps that have implemented Google Cast extensions? Posted via my tricked out Moto X.

The remote sure looks like my FireTV remote.

Which sure looks a lot like Amazon took Apple's IR remote and painted it black. Small remotes like this have existed for a while, they are bound to look alike at some point.

First thing that comes to mind, how well will XBMC work with it.

The first? Hardly. Wake up, bloggers. Android TV set top boxes have been around for years. You'll find some of them here:
http://www.cnx-software.com/tag/stb

I was wondering if anybody else has noticed the multitude of Android TV boxes that have come before the nexus player, in fact I'm shocked at the poor nexus capabilities considering my MiniX neo X7 which you can find www(dot)minix.com.hk/Products/MINIX-NEOX7.html and has since been superseded by the X8 is a powerhouse in comparison.

I think Google dropped the ball by not having "HDMI in" like the GoogleTV boxes did. I was waiting for this announcement for over a year, but I didn't think they'd leave that out. Seams like a step backwards to me, what a disappointment. My money went to a UGOOS UT3 instead since it has "HDMI in".

x86 android. so, let me get this straight. it's completely incompatible with everything on google play.

No. It plays essentially every game on Google Play.

Yeah, this isn't the first Android TV Box... These have been around for years and they are starting to get really good. Retailers such as http://littlesmartbox.com have been selling them for a long time. This looks good though, the powerful CPU can only be a good thing, but the RAM and storage are pretty low.

It's not just ram and storage that are low it's the complete lack of ports and external hard rive support other devices offer, my X7 has 3 USB slots a memory card slot up to 128gig headphone jack out mic in an either new jack and supports NTSF out of the box allowing me to plug my passport directly in without any thought what so ever, or the fact it's got optical out for 7.1 surround sound support.

Just one slight clarification: it's the first consumer-available Android TV. I've had a developer-edition Google-branded Android TV device for a little over a month now. Google announced that you could request a free developer Android TV device at Google I/O this year.