A Android TV version for x86 processors opens the door for anyone to turn an old PC into a practical Smart TV. With Google services and applications included, although without the possibility of having the Chromecast integrated, at least for now.
Android is developed for the ARM architecture, although Google created versions for x86 processors of this operating system (there is even a project that adapts it to PCs, Android x86). What we didn’t have was a Android TV version for CISC-type processors, a stumbling block that has been saved by independent developers. In this way, it is possible to install the Google operating system for televisions on a PC, with all the possibilities that this entails. Now, it still has too many bugs to be 100% functional.
Remarkable possibilities, although limited in time
The x86 version is an adaptation for PC processors developed by AmznUser444 Dev and posted on the popular XDA Developers forum. The version is fully functional and allows its installation on a PC. Requires a 64-bit dual-core processor with at least 1.2 GHz speed, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 64 MB of video memory and a minimum resolution of 1,280 x 720. It is also recommended that you can connect to the TV if you want the Android TV x86 to be the player, but a computer monitor also works.
Since development is experimental, and evolution still has a lot of room for improvement, this version of Android TV for x86 SoCs has several problems. One of the main ones is that Chromecast built-in does not work, one of the notable hardware advantages with Android TV. There are also problems with video playback since there are native apps for that operating system that do not finish working, such as Netflix. Although, according to those who have tried it, the version of Netflix for mobile phones can be installed, that does seem to work.
This type of development allows you to take advantage of a somewhat old PC, although surely Windows offers more playback options than an adapted Android TV (and a Google TV is so cheap that it is probably not worth fighting with an old PC). Even so, it is still an important advance that should be tracked: you can download the latest ISO with Android TV 9 Pie from the project page.
