Google TV will need more RAM for future upgrades, leaving older TVs and streaming boxes behind
- Google TV requires 2 GB of RAM in new TVs and related hardware
- Android TV is unchanged with a minimum specification of 1 GB
- It will not affect your current streamer in the short term
One of the most common criticisms of Google TV is that it doesn’t always work smoothly on cheaper televisions. That’s largely because Google’s system requirements aren’t very demanding, so a TV can meet the minimum specs with some pretty uninteresting components. That’s about to change, though, which is good news for new buyers but a potential concern for existing owners.
If Android Authority According to reports, Google has submitted a change to the Android open source project regarding the minimum requirements for Google TV. The change means that the minimum RAM must be 2 GB, which is more than the RAM in the Chromecast with Google TV.
What does this change mean for your TV or streaming device?
At this point it will have no effect at all. But it could be a problem in the future, because if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the decades of discussing hardware, it’s that when you increase hardware specs, the software becomes more demanding soon after.
That’s one reason why identical versions of iOS or Android can run so differently on different models of the same devices: the newer ones have more horsepower, and the operating system is typically optimized for the newer specs rather than the oldest devices.
For most budget devices, Android TV may be the operating system of choice as it only requires 1GB of RAM. Google’s approval process also appears to be more generous, with Android Authority pointing out that we’re only just seeing more projectors approved for Google TV. Still, there are numerous Android TV versions available.
It’s unclear if the change is already in effect or if Google will implement it at a later date, but we should see the change on televisions very soon.
