How to turn your Raspberry Pi into an Android TV. But is it worth it?

Pablinux

4 minutes

Android TV on your raspberry pi

It's no secret that we can do just about anything with a Raspberry Pi. Although it is not the only one, this small board allows us to have a small desktop computer, a video game emulator, a set-top box or carry out all kinds of projects. Among the operating systems that we can install we have Chromium OS, for which we have to use the Etcher software that will also help us to install Android TV on the same plate.

In this article we will explain the process to convert our Raspberry Pi on an Android TV, but we will also give our opinion on it. Worth? Why? And we have to take everything into account, starting with the price and, why not?, Ending with the design. Because we also have to remember that the RP4 is more powerful than previous versions, but it also heats up more than its sisters. And, speaking of the latest version of the board, support is not guaranteed.

Worth?

La quick answer would be to say no. The reason is the price: to put Android TV in a Raspberry Pi we have to buy a board, the power supply, the cable to connect it to the monitor and a microSD card. That's at the very least, because we can also buy you a case, in addition to the heat sinks. There are packages that even include a fan. Taking into account that our intention would be to limit its use to Android TV and that there are devices that include it by default for a lower price, it is not worth it.

But yes may deserve it in one of these cases:

  • We already have one and we don't know what to do with it. If we have a Raspberry Pi standing next to everything necessary to make it work and we do not know what to do with it, we have already done it. Converting it into a set-top box with Android TV is just one more option.
  • We will use it from time to time. I say this because changing from one use to another can be as simple as taking one card and inserting the other. It is clear that if we do this many times a day, in the end a card can break, but the idea would be to put in a microSD with Android TV and use that card when we want to use our Raspberry as Android TV.
  • Do it simply because we can.

How to install Android TV on your Raspberry Pi

We have already explained when talking about the price that the Rasbperry Pi is a plate, nothing more, and that to do anything we have to add components to it. I do not recommend buying a Raspberry Pi to use it with Android TV, but it must be said that at least we need the board, the power supply, the HDMI cable to connect it to the monitor and something that serves as a command, which can be a mouse or a Bluetooth controller. If we have everything, the process to install Android TV on a Raspberry Pi would be the following:

  1. We downloaded a version of LineageOS for our Raspberry Pi from this link. As you can see, it says "Raspberry Pi 3", which means that support is only guaranteed with that version of the board.
  2. We install the operating system with Whale Etcher:
    1. We put the card in the reader.
    2. We started Balena Etcher.
    3. We select the image that we have downloaded in step 1.
    4. We choose the target unit (our card).
    5. And we click on «Flash».
    6. We wait until the process is finished.
  3. Next, we put the card in our Raspberry Pi. What we will see after starting LineageOS is a little different than what an original Android TV offers.
  4. The next step is to download Open GApps. We will do it from the Raspberry Pi by accessing this link, choosing our platform (ARM in the case of RP3), the version of Android that we are using and, finally, the Open GApps package that we want. The recommended thing is tvstock.
  5. To install the Open GApps we have to go to the developer option (or Developer, depending on the language in which it is displayed) Settings / phone information / Build number / developer options. We activate them.
  6. Now we go to Root Access and activate the Apps and ADB option.
  7. In the next step, we open the operating system terminal and first type "su" and then "rpi3-recovery.sh", all without the quotes, to enter recovery mode.
  8. We restart for the script to run.
  9. If there were no problems, the Recovery Console (TWR) will appear. We have to select "Install".
  10. Next, we look for the path where we have downloaded the ZIP of the Open GApps and select it. You do not have to unzip it, but select the option "Restart after installing" and choose the option "Install ZIP".
  11. After the next start, what we will see will be the Android TV version of LineageOS with Open GApps, so we only have to enjoy.

Have you turned your Raspberry Pi into an Android TV? Out of curiosity: why have you decided to do it in your case?