The Android Television Input Framework (TIF) simplifies the delivery of live content to Android Television devices. TIF provides a standard API to create input modules that control Android Television devices. Android Television device implementations MUST support TV Input Framework.
Device implementations that support TIF MUST declare the platform feature android.software.live_tv.
Any device implementation that declares support for Live TV MUST have an installed TV application (TV App). The Android Open Source Project provides an implementation of the TV App.
The TV App MUST provide facilities to install and use TV Channels and meet the following requirements:
Android Television device implementations MUST show an informational and interactive overlay, which MUST include an electronic program guide (EPG) generated from the values in the TvContract.Programs fields. The EPG MUST meet the following requirements:
The TV App MUST allow navigation for the following functions via the D-pad, Back, and Home keys on the Android Television device’s input device(s) (i.e. remote control, remote control application, or game controller):
The TV App SHOULD pass key events to HDMI inputs through CEC.
Android Television device implementations MUST support TV input app linking, which allows all inputs to provide activity links from the current activity to another activity (i.e. a link from live programming to related content). The TV App MUST show TV input app linking when it is provided.
Android Television device implementations are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to support time shifting, which allows the user to pause and resume live content. Device implementations SHOULD provide the user a way to pause and resume the currently playing program, if time shifting for that program is available.
Android Television device implementations are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to support TV recording. If the TV input supports recording, the EPG MAY provide a way to record a program if the recording of such a program is not prohibited. Device implementations SHOULD provide a user interface to play recorded programs.