What if, AVR (or) Hi-fi system had Android OS inbuilt?..

[elangoas]

Hi All,

Just a weird thought.. What if the AVR (or) hi-fi system had Android OS inbuilt?.. Assuming we have playstore access, there is lot of benefits to the user..

- First, access to media-player thru the AVR's USB port, that would play any audio & video format.. A source device for digital playback is not reqd..
- Accees to music streaming applications comes handy..
- Assuming AVR will have 3- 4 USB ports, it can handle optional wireless keyboard & mouse..
- At present most AVR support only FAT32 format thru USB port.. But support for NTFS upto 3 TB, will be a great benefit..
- A 21:9 (or) atleast 18:9 aspect ration, 6/7 inch LCD display panel which can show host of information to the user.. From file codec, to bitrate & vol than the sober looking present displays..

Share your thoughts on this / any other feature that will make great user experience..

 

[dr_rocket]

Time to change profession. AV R&D

 

[elangoas]

Time to change profession. AV R&D

Ha ha.. Good one. Would love to..

We as users, for most part use digital files these days.. Be it audio, video and connect standalone devices to the hub & enjoy the same.. At times 2 ~ 3 devices to AVR..

Assuming digital media will be the way forward, why not have an integrated system that is capable of any format playback, simplified but great user experience..

 

[Ravindra Desai]

Would a desktop computer that comes in a tiffin box format help?
It has upto 7.1CH output. You will still need a 6/8 CH amplifier and a speaker system. But that can be managed easily.....

Regards,

Ravindra.

 

[elangoas]

Would a desktop computer that comes in a tiffin box format help?

Yes.. Should be good.. More ppl have acquaintance with android..

It has upto 7.1CH output. You will still need a 6/8 CH amplifier and a speaker system. But that can be managed easily.....

If the Android OS is in the AVR/ hi-fi system, then 2/6/8 CH amplifier is integrated with it..

 

[z@m]

Hi All,

Just a weird thought.. What if the AVR (or) hi-fi system had Android OS inbuilt?.. Assuming we have playstore access, there is lot of benefits to the user..

- First, access to media-player thru the AVR's USB port, that would play any audio & video format.. A source device for digital playback is not reqd..
- Accees to music streaming applications comes handy..
- Assuming AVR will have 3- 4 USB ports, it can handle optional wireless keyboard & mouse..
- At present most AVR support only FAT32 format thru USB port.. But support for NTFS upto 3 TB, will be a great benefit..
- A 21:9 (or) atleast 18:9 aspect ration, 6/7 inch LCD display panel which can show host of information to the user.. From file codec, to bitrate & vol than the sober looking present displays..

Share your thoughts on this / any other feature that will make great user experience..

Good thought I say - not weird.

Aside from limited compatibility with Android, the Raspberry Pi covers all of the above and more (not to mention being conducive to DIY integration). Features include:
- I2S DACs
- Ethernet/WiFi/Bluetooth
- USB (storage + peripherals)
- NAS
- Display (Serial + HDMI)
- Remote control via mobile device

Check out Volumio and Plex to see how capable such a setup can be.

Of course, if all this came built-in from manufacturers you'd end up paying a whole lot more than the sum of the parts.

 

[tuff]

If going by the way CD's are disappearing from the retail market, and more music streaming services come into use, same could happen with the video end,as they seem to be with Netflix and Amazon just to name a couple, I think there will be a time soon enough when you may not get Bluray disks and everyone would be streaming movies instead of having "collections". In today's fast moving technology,The source seems to be changing the fastest in the AV world. Cheap CD players are nowhere to be seen. So i am guessing, storage will not be an issue because there shall be nothing to store. personal pictures and videos are being stored in the cloud. For an old fart who started working with computers since 1988 from floppy disks, CDROMs, Laser disks,DVD,s they all seem to have disappeared into thin air. As the Internet speed gets faster and it has gotten faster over the years,Streaming will be the choice for everyone just as Television was the only source of entertainment just a few years ago. And last not the least, devices such as chromecast can virtually turn any system into a Android device, controllable with smart phone.
The trouble for manufacturers is the speed of development that Android is going with, which is a big headache for them. Just look at mobile phones as an example, the updates to next gen Android system is rarely available, say after 2 years of its launch. AVR's on the other hand are expected to last much more than 2 years and to expect AVR manufacturers to keep sending updates would be a horrifying nightmare.

 

[RajithKumar]

Elangoas u have put a forward thinking /future market for AV manufacturers ...LOL..

 

[sanjivnayak]

That is a suicidal proposal for a huge AV industry.

 

[elangoas]

When checking Android TV box, came across this product - Sound bar with Android built in..


Mecool KS2 DVB T / T2 Amlogic S905 Soundbar TV Box

Product link - https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_1174387.html

Aliexpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KS2...-T-T2-STB-S905-Android-5-1-1/32842521882.html

Review of the product - http://www.wirelesshack.org/review-mecool-ks1-smart-soundbar-android-tv-box-combo.html

 

[elangoas]

Found one more - Xiaomi Mi TV Bar.. Product link - https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_597313.html

A sound bar, Android Tv box, 3 HDMI inputs, USB ports for media player..I think, it is a brilliant fusion of products.. Can't ask for more..

If they have DTS / Dolby decoders built in then it would be awesome..

 

[drkrack]

Hi All,

Just a weird thought.. What if the AVR (or) hi-fi system had Android OS inbuilt?.. Assuming we have playstore access, there is lot of benefits to the user..

- First, access to media-player thru the AVR's USB port, that would play any audio & video format.. A source device for digital playback is not reqd..
- Accees to music streaming applications comes handy..
- Assuming AVR will have 3- 4 USB ports, it can handle optional wireless keyboard & mouse..
- At present most AVR support only FAT32 format thru USB port.. But support for NTFS upto 3 TB, will be a great benefit..
- A 21:9 (or) atleast 18:9 aspect ration, 6/7 inch LCD display panel which can show host of information to the user.. From file codec, to bitrate & vol than the sober looking present displays..

Share your thoughts on this / any other feature that will make great user experience..

When I bought my AVR with USB port, That is the First thing that came to mind. Over the years I have realized that, AVR is already a busy device, it is doing preprocessing, amplifying, DAC, room correction, upscaling , streaming etc . Fitting another Computational Job inside will degrade its performance in my opinion. Not impossible feature to incorporate, and probably like we have Android in built Projectors, we May have AVRs as well. Who knows, AVR can have a hub for controlling smart home automation in future?

Instead, I think the R&D should focus on making everything Wireless (RIP Cables, Even Power Cables !), any Hometheater Room is Wired mess , a problem that needs to be tackled on priority basis. Many of the New enthusiasts are offset by the Idea of beefy devices with a mess of cablework. A small range, dedicated high freq wireless band or a new protocol , can be developed to cater to these needs. The Solution should be economical, Within Safe limit of radiation with Power Saving, So that Audiophiles can be Eco friendly at the same time.

 

[elangoas]

Not impossible feature to incorporate, and probably like we have Android in built Projectors, we May have AVRs as well. Who knows, AVR can have a hub for controlling smart home automation in future?

Streaming movies, might become the future.. In that regard, if an AVR has android TV built in, it eliminates playback devices {PC, Android TV Box, Blu-ray player (or) DVD player, chromecast too}.. So essentially it brings down the devices connected to AVR, which in turn reduces wires & the clutter..

Sure, AVR does lot more things these days..

 

[kmathan88]

Streaming movies, might become the future.. In that regard, if an AVR has android TV built in, it eliminates playback devices {PC, Android TV Box, Blu-ray player (or) DVD player, chromecast too}.. So essentially it brings down the devices connected to AVR, which in turn reduces wires & the clutter..

Sure, AVR does lot more things these days..

Good idea, but the problem with getting a device which does everything is "updates". It will be like smart tv's and we might end up not receiving updates for OS / App after a year. Instead stick with a AVR + android box (media player) ?

I have seen my friends getting Smart / Internet TV's and after a while they are limited only to Youtube, Netflix, Prime and Plex with no guarantee on future updates.

 

[elangoas]

Good idea, but the problem with getting a device which does everything is "updates". It will be like smart tv's and we might end up not receiving updates for OS / App after a year. Instead stick with a AVR + android box (media player) ?

Ok.. The idea is to get multi-channel out from streaming applications built in to AVR.. I think it would still be fine, even if we don't get OS updates.. The application is always up-to date..

I have seen my friends getting Smart / Internet TV's and after a while they are limited only to Youtube, Netflix, Prime and Plex with no guarantee on future updates..

True..A Smart / internet TV's important feature is streaming, which would work as long as the TV works.. What does a user loose by not receiving updates?..

 

[kmathan88]

True..A Smart / internet TV's important feature is streaming, which would work as long as the TV works.. What does a user loose by not receiving updates?..

Youtube / Netflix may stuck in 1080, no 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, anything that comes after, .. support.
Netflix Atmos is available only for few models.
New interface - experience
Performance hit

 

[elangoas]

Youtube / Netflix may stuck in 1080, no 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, anything that comes after, .. support.
Netflix Atmos is available only for few models.
New interface - experience
Performance hit

Got it.. Yes..So application updates is important too w.r.t video features..

 

[kane]

Got it.. Yes..So application updates is important too w.r.t video features..

yes that's one of the reasons I stopped buying smart tv's I brought Apple tv/ Amazon fire stick etc as and that has kept me more updated without actually waiting for the Tv software updates to follow. Dedicated Streaming devices are likely to get more updates as well as for a longer period of time compared to tv manufacturers with built in customised os

 

[elangoas]

yes that's one of the reasons I stopped buying smart tv's I brought Apple tv/ Amazon fire stick etc as and that has kept me more updated without actually waiting for the Tv software updates to follow. Dedicated Streaming devices are likely to get more updates as well as for a longer period of time compared to tv manufacturers with built in customised os

To start with, if we get 1080p streaming with multi-channel-out in AVR itself, it would be great..If the additional features are rolled out as an update, would make it even better.. Lets just hope..

 

[kane]

To start with, if we get 1080p streaming with multi-channel-out in AVR itself, it would be great..If the additional features are rolled out as an update, would make it even better.. Lets just hope..

If you ask me and if manufacturers are listening, The best way to do it would be modular, where the Processing unit for this feature is an upgradeable option more like a RPI thats part of the system and docked as and when new hardware comes you just change that module.