Android TV 16 Welcomes Eclipsa Audio and MediaQualityManager

The innovative sound platform, based on the IAMF spatial audio format, serves as a robust underpinning for creators looking to invest in multidimensional audio without proprietary restrictions. Furthermore, for developers seeking backward compatibility, ExoPlayer now includes module support for IAMF decoding on prior Android platform versions.

Moving beyond sound, Android TV 16 incorporates MediaQualityManager—a new framework dedicated to optimizing the intersection of content and hardware. This capability empowers apps to dynamically adjust both audio and picture settings. For instance, streaming platforms will now have the functionality to harmonize media quality with your TV’s hardware profiles, ensuring viewers experience content precisely as intended by creators. Features resembling automatic mode switching for calibrated picture profiles—similar to Filmmaker Mode—become accessible across applications.

Aside from audio and video enhancements, Google has focused on developer tools and user experience tweaks. With Jetpack Compose exiting beta, developers can streamline app designs following Google TV’s refined design language. Meanwhile, on the consumer-facing side, apps can now seamlessly present rating prompts via the new In-App Ratings and Reviews API, ensuring smoother interaction between users and application feedback systems.

Further updates include newly added support for UltraHDR images in the HEIC format and underlying optimizations targeted at playback efficiency, HDMI-CEC reliability, and 64-bit kernel performance. Support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11az) also prepares devices for cutting-edge networking capabilities.

Google's Gemini AI assistant further rounds out the feature set, with rollouts expected across Google TVs beginning later this year. Additionally, Google TV apps are officially set to expand to Android XR—the tech giant's VR/AR platform—bringing popular streaming services to headsets without requiring specialized app versions.

The broader rollout for Android TV 16 will depend on device manufacturers, but brands like Sony, TCL, and Hisense are anticipated to provide updates in alignment with their timelines. With such a comprehensive array of upgrades, Android TV 16 signals steady progress toward a more flexible and dynamic ecosystem for both developers and end-users.