Following months of hints and rumors, Nvidia has made it official: Android TV 11 will come to its Defend TV streamers—sure, all of them—together with a slew of recent options, together with an up to date Gboard and assist for aptX Bluetooth headsets.
Based mostly on Android TV 11, Defend Expertise 9.0 will start rolling out as we speak to Defend TV streaming bins, together with the present tube-shaped TV and Pro models from 2019, the 2017 Defend TV from 2017, and even 2015’s authentic TV and Professional units.
Among the many options Defend TV customers can count on embody an up to date model of Gboard, which can now enable customers to carry out searches by way of voice and Google Assistant inside any search field, no developer assist wanted.
Additionally coming to Defend TV units is assist for Bluetooth headsets that assist the aptX codec, permitting for higher-quality audio streaming with extra headphones. Beforehand, Defend TV bins supported higher-resolution Bluetooth audio streaming solely by way of Sony’s LDAC codec.
One other incoming function is a brand new “solely this time” permissions choice that grants “non permanent, one-time” permissions to Defend TV apps.
The Android 11-based Defend Expertise 9.0 comes 5 months after Nvidia announced that it would skip the Android TV 10 update for its Defend TV units, leaving them on Android TV 9.
However the Defend TV grapevine started buzzing final month after recovery images for Shield Experience 9.0 based on Android TV 11 were discovered by eagle-eyed customers, suggesting that an Android TV 11 replace was imminent.
Whereas it’s no shock that the Defend TV and Defend TV Professional from 2019 are getting Defend Expertise 9.0, it’s marvelous that the unique, six-year-old Defend TV units will even be getting the replace. Most streaming gadget producers have a tendency to go away their gamers behind after just a few years, so it’s heartening that Nvidia took the time to prep the Android TV 10 replace for its getting old Defend TV bins from 2015.
In addition to streaming movies, Defend TV customers also can stream video games by way of GeForce Now, including 4K HDR support for GeForce Now’s new RTX 3080 tier.
Alongside the Defend Expertise 9.0 information, Nvidia introduced that Google is providing six months of Peacock Premium without cost to new U.S.-based Defend TV customers.
Simply register to your Google account (or create a brand new one), subscribe to Peacock Premium by way of the banner on the “For You” or “Apps” tab. You’ll want to offer a legitimate bank card quantity or different type of fee to redeem the deal.