Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Disconnected downloads on a TV sound pretty much like a stupid request, right? I know that. The biggest screen in our homes, the one we spend the most time ahead, is certainly connected to the internet in one way or another. Whether we are streaming directly on the TV or via a box connected to it, whether we use an online subscription or look at something from our local NAS collection, the odds are that we have a Wi-Fi connection of any kind to enjoy us over that content. So offline downloads don’t really make sense there.
Yet I find myself watching Google’s TV platform And wanted it to support offline downloads – as a platform and as individual apps. Why? One word: portability.
Want to see support for downfield downloads on Google TV and the apps?
2 votes
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Many of us know Google TVs as big, heavy, desktops living in our homes. No one lugs it around. But in recent years I have seen and used several laptops Google TV devices. Small Google TV projectors that I can throw in a backpack for a weekend away, a small Chromecast with Google TV Dongle I can take on a long trip to connect to the hotel or Airbnbs TV, or even even Tiny smart glasses running on Google TV And give me a huge TV in front of my eyes on any flight or train ride-there is no shortage of excellent, compact, lightweight and travel-friendly Google TV devices.
There are many excellent laptops, perfect for flights, train trips, trips and weekend trips. But they need a constant connection.
The problem? They need a 24/7 connection to be usable (unless you make an effort to “find” some MP4 content and use VLC player or MX player to see it). However, travel is by definition when I do not have a good connection. I can be offline for hours during a flight, I may have a stained connection on a train ride for several hours, and I might be in a hotel without free Wi-Fi.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
It is under these circumstances that I just look at my Android phones And tablet and sigh of frustration. Plex, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, PocketCasts, Spotify, etc. – I can easily download content for offline viewing from all these apps and more on the phones and tablets. In fact, it is one of the most basic and important features any streaming app has on mobile devices.
The same apps that let me download offline content on my phone and tablet, don’t let me do this on my projector or smart glasses.
However, on Google TV projectors, dongles and smart glasses, the same apps allow some offline downloads. I either stream my content from a live connection, or I’m stuck with a useless paper weight. It’s stupid. It’s frustrating. There is any limitation.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
I just want to take some offline YouTube videos to watch my glasses during a train ride. Or download a movie to capture on my XGIMI projector during a weekend trip. I will be able to take the Chromecast dongel home to Lebanon, connect it to the TV and watch some TV shows even though I no longer have an active internet subscription there. Why do I have to go the piracy path to see content on one of the most practical big screens I can carry with me?
And yes, I realize it’s a storage problem with many Google TV devices. Several of them, including Google’s own Chromecast, have become alarming underpowered from Get-Go, with a met 8 GB or 16 GB of storage aboard, most are taken by the system and the few apps you install on them. However, several of these Google TV devices, especially the projectors and smart glasses, come out with more storage out of the box (at least 32 GB) and offer MicroSD tracks or USB tracks to connect to external storage. Just let’s use these please, Google? An official API for Google TV that all streaming apps can easily use would be ace.