ARRIS UHD HDR Android TV Could Be Your Next Cable Box

Android might be big in the smartphone, and maybe even smartwatch, market, but it has not exactly taken other markets by storm. Despite an almost perfect fit, Android TV is still in a niche that's growing smaller and smaller. The tides, however, might be changing and Android TV might soon be in every house. Or at least every house with a set-top box from cable, telco, and other operators. All thanks to ARRIS' new range of UHD HDR set-top boxes with Android TV inside.

ARRIS' name might not ring a bell because it mostly works behind the scenes. It doesn't sell boxes directly to consumers but instead provides these devices to service providers and operators who then install them in consumers' homes.

The problem with those boxes is that they often come with custom software from operators, each of them different and each of them requiring users to operate them differently. But by giving operators a common ground to build on, ARRIS is practically making Android TV a universal feature, no matter where you got your set-top box from.

The new UHD HDR boxes leverage Android TV's standard user interface and feature set. That means they're all capable of streaming content from smartphones via Chromecast built-in. Users will also have access too popular multimedia apps like YouTube as well as any other TV-compatible app from the Google Play Store.

Android TV also benefits from this integration, as it will be able to deliver content in UHD resolution and HDR format. But more importantly, it gives Android TV a much needed boost in presence in the market by making it a built-in feature in almost all operator-provided set-top boxes.