What is Smart TV, and what is Android TV?
A Smart TV, often known as an Internet TV, is any television that can access additional programming via the internet. It is the equivalent of having a computer embedded in your television. Most Smart TVs have built-in apps that let you play games, watch videos, and stream movies, including Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, and others. However, the operating system on a Smart TV cannot be upgraded, so you cannot access the most recent apps. As a matter of fact, any TV that provides online content, no matter what operating system it runs, can be regarded as a smart TV. In this sense, Android TV is indeed a smart TV.
Smart TV and Android TV are inclusive relationships, meanwhile, Android TV has almost all the functions of smart TV but with the Android operating system powered by Google. Some TV manufacturers also have their own built-in operating system when launching smart TV. Similarly, if the operating system of a smart TV is Roku, we can call it Roku TV. TCL has cooperated with streaming media manufacturers such as Android and Roku; therefore, it is not surprising to hear about TCL Android TV and TCL Roku TV.
Differences between Smart TV and Android TV
Application program
Although Android TV and smart TV support a number of popular applications, their numbers differ. Thanks to the support of the Android App Store, which contains more than 10,000 apps, it gives Android TV an absolute advantage in the application program. The considerable application library allows Android TV users to download and use a variety of applications, just like on smartphones. For example, everything from YouTube to Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video can be used on TCL Android TV.
However, for smart TVs running other operating systems, such as Tizen OS or WebOS, the supported applications will be limited. Only a few well-known built-in apps are accessible through them.
Automatic update
As the development of Android TV is very active and the developers regularly push new updates to various applications, Android TV is superior to a smart TV in terms of updating applications and streaming media resources. In addition, connected with WiFi, Android TV offers the automatic update of applications, while it is difficult for smart TVs to get updates in this regard.
Voice assistant
The advantage of the built-in Google assistant makes Android TV so outstanding in the function that users of Android TV can switch channels and search programs easily through voice control without any input device. In contrast, users of smart TVs have to enter content with a full-size keyboard. Even though many smart TVs support voice control, they have to be paired with a device such as Alexa to achieve this function.
Screen Mirroring and Casting
Screen mirroring your favorite application directly to Android TV from an Android phone is possible due to the Google Assistant and built-in Chromecast (also known as Google cast). However, it is impossible to happen on a smart TV without other projection equipment, which means an additional cost and effort.
