Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Android 13 is now available for Android TV

By

Google today announced that Android 13 is now available for the Android TV operating system. It “brings further improvements in performance and accessibility to help our developers build engaging apps for the next generation of TVs.” So there’s that.

The Android TV interface on a TV.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

As is always the case with OS updates, it’s all about the APIs. Those generally are for the developers to care about, but they’re also what bring new features for the end user.

Those will include things like:

  • The ability to change the resolution and default refresh rate on supported devices with HDMI, “for a more reliable playback experience.”
  • Apps will be able to choose the optimal audio format without having to first start playback.
  • Different keyboard layouts will be better supported and allow game developers to reference keys by their physical location.

And that’s just the start of things, of course.

Recommended Videos

As for when your favorite Android TV device will get that Android 13 update? That’ll depend on the manufacturer. If we had to guess, we’d expect Chromecast with Google TV to get it early, and maybe Nvidia Shield, too. In the meantime, it’s available on the ADT-3 test platform, as well as the Android TV emulator. And developers have had months to play with the beta versions, too, which should help speed things along.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus gets Dolby Atmos, but still no Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

Amazon is getting serious about home theater sound with its first Dolby Atmos soundbar. Following the company's release of the $100 2.0-channel Amazon Fire TV Soundbar in 2023, it has a new addition to the family: the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which supports a 3.1-channel layout with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, for $250. You can also buy it with a companion wireless subwoofer for $375 or add a set of wireless surround speakers for a 5.1-channel setup for $490. However, you'll need to think carefully before you buy. Unlike other soundbars that have optional wireless accessories, you can't buy the subwoofer and surrounds separately.

Just like the first Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus doesn't actually contain Fire TV streaming hardware. To watch Fire TV content, you'll still need a Fire TV, like the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series that was announced at the same time, or one of Amazon's other Fire TV streaming devices. It's also not an Alexa device and isn't compatible with Amazon Alexa.

Read more
Amazon Fire TV Omni gets mini-LED backlighting and interactive ambient experiences
Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series.

The Amazon-developed Fire TV Omni is now available with mini-LED backlighting, with up to 1,400 nits of peak brightness and up to 960 dimming zones, depending on the screen size. Known as the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, the models also offer Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive and, for the first time, built-in Dolby Atmos. Amazon is also promising that a future software update will enable a new version of its Ambient Experience that uses onboard sensors to react in real time to movement in the room.

The Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series are available starting November 14 in four screen sizes: 55-inch ($820), 65-inch ($1,090), 75-inch ($1,500), and 85-inch ($2,100).

Read more
Is a Xumo TV worth it?
A TV hanging on a wall displaying the Xumo TV UI.

Last week, Xumo announced that it’s bringing a 55- and 65-inch TV to Target for $250 and $360, respectively, both from manufacturer Hisense. While neither of these TVs are new to the world (Hisense Xumo TVs have been exclusively available at Best Buy for a little while alongside Pioneer-branded TVs), the addition of another big-box retailer carrying the sets means more eyes — and presumably more questions — are cropping up about what exactly a Xumo TV is. Maybe more importantly based on how inexpensive they are: Is it worth considering a Hisense Xumo TV?
What is Xumo?
The name Xumo might not be as prevalent in the TV space as Google or Roku, but the company has been around for over a decade. Originally, Xumo was an over-the-internet TV service, delivering hundreds of free channels on Vizio and Panasonic TVs starting in 2015, and then adding LG and Funai to the list. After eventually being acquired by Comcast, and then a part of a joint venture with Charter, we got Xumo Play, the Xumo Stream Box, and Xumo TV, with the latter being the streaming OS interface.

So really, the name Xumo encompasses three different products or services. Xumo Play is a free advertising-based streaming television (FAST) service with over 350 live channels and a large selection of movies available to watch at any time. You can add Xumo Play through the Google Store or Apple App Store, or watch on the web through Xumo’s site. While it’s free, there are ads you’ll have to sit through.

Read more