LG: Don't Expect to See Android on Our Connected TVs
Android is huge in smartphones and tablets, but will it make a splash with connected TVs? LG doesn't think so. At the recent Streaming Media East conference in New York City, Matthew Durgin, director of smart TV content for LG Electronics, was asked if Android would ever find a home on LG sets.
"Not that I can see, to be frank with you, Durgin said. "I think that LG's TV platform has evolved to the point where it's become a very strong differentiator for us in the market. We do have a motion remote which actually has a better experience than most smart TVs out there. Also, we've recently made an investment in WebOS. We purchased WebOS from HP. Now we have a development team in Silicon Valley who's developing for the 2014 platform using WebOS."
Durgin was speaking on a panel about over-the-top app development for connected devices. When the moderator asked about Flash versus HTML5 for user interface (UI) development, Durgin explained how he would make the call:
"You'd pick the technology that would cover the most platforms. You'd want to have some kind of scale in that decision. I'm not an engineer so I'm not going to be able to explain the technical differences between them, but what I've seen from a business perspective is I have seen overwhelmingly people choosing HTML5 -- so much that it is unclear if Flash is going to continue to be supported for UI development in the future," Durgin noted. "If it were my business, I would probably be looking at HTML5; I wouldn't be looking at Flash for UI development.
For more on creating OTT apps, watch the full video below.
Creating OTT Apps For Connected Devices
Today's content services must contend with a playback environment comprised of hundreds of different device platforms, many of which require different technology frameworks and development approaches. This session will outline what is happening with various UI technologies including Flash, HTML5, and Webkit, and detail what silicon vendors are doing to aid support for premium content services. Attendees will also learn about platform SDKs and what is required for content owners to deliver their services to connected devices.
Moderator: Mark Donnigan, GM, Dune HD
Speaker: Maxwell Da Silva, Senior Video Software Engineer, New York Times
Speaker: Joe Inzerillo, SVP, MLB.com
Speaker: Matthew Durgin, Director, Smart TV Content, LG Electronics
Speaker: Christopher Ince, Sales Director, Strategic Accounts, Sigma Designs
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