Zoom, the communication solutions platform that became popular at the worst moment of the coronavirus pandemic, will finally launch its own native application for Android TV and Google TV, although it will be a launch focused exclusively on Sony Bravia televisions compatible with Bravia Cam , the webcam accessory released last year for the Bravia line of TVs also from last year.
Users will be able to obtain the Zoom for TV application directly from the Google Play Store to be able to use the company’s services, whether it is to stay in touch with family and friends from a distance, collaborate with coworkers, and more.
Zoom for TV will launch on compatible Bravia TVs
As they point out in the press release: “Sony’s BRAVIA is the first brand of televisions compatible with the Zoom for TV application in the Google Play Store”, which may indicate that after a period of exclusivity, Zoom for TV may be reaching a greater number of users of Android TV and Google TV devices, although this is something that we will see over time.
For now, we have to wait for the launch of the “Zoom for TV” application to take place shortly, where they only indicate that it will be at the beginning of this summer, without for now there being a specific date for it, and it could already be next week or over the next few weeks.
Combining Zoom services with advanced Bravia Cam features
In addition to Zoom services, Sony places special emphasis on the advanced features of BRAVIA CAM, such as Ambient Optimization Pro, which allows the camera to recognize where the user is in the room and their distance from the television to perform the adjustments both at the level of image and sound.
Advanced features also include Gesture Control, which prevents you from using the remote control, plus Sleep Mode, which dims the screen when no one is looking, and even detection when children are too close to the screen.
To Shusuke Tomonaga, Director of Product Design for BRAVIA TVs, Product Technology Center, Sony Corporation:
We’re excited to partner with Zoom to bring video conferencing to our BRAVIA TVs, making Zoom services available on the Android TV platform. This partnership will make it possible for our customers to enjoy more realistic video communication on a large TV screen in the living room, allowing them to stay more connected with the people they care about, whether they’re working from home, learning from remotely or just catching up with friends and family
The trick so far to have Zoom on televisions under Android TV
Until now, the only possibility to enjoy Zoom on televisions and devices with Android TV/Google TV has been through the installation of the Zoom apk manually, taking into account that its experience is not optimized for use on televisions.
It will be a matter of the exclusivity coming to an end at some point so that “Zoom for TV” continues to scale to more users.
In addition, it is also expected that Zoom can also be natively present in tvOS 17, the new version of Apple’s operating system for Apple TV devices, allowing the webcam of a linked iPhone to be used as a webcam for the TV.
More information: Sony
