IDEAS and Practices for building Smart TV app

Technological advancement over the years has brought a major improvement in how viewers watch TV content. The concept of the Smart TV is not new but the improvement in technology and strengthening of internet connectivity all across the globe has increased the sales of Smart TV units. By 2025, it is estimated that more than 266 million Smart TV sets will be sold all around the globe. Given the increasing demand for Smart TVs, developing apps for Smart TVs can be profitable and scalable. However, you have to comply with the best practices related to Smart TV app development to ensure high quality.

If you are thinking that I am talking about the development procedures. Smart TV app practices are completely different from the building methods. To provide more clarity, let's discuss both TV app development and TV app building practices in detail.

• Firstly, you need to select a specific platform. It can be tvOS, Android TV, Roku TV, WebOS, and others.
• Secondly, you have to design the UI of your app.
• Thirdly, you have to use relevant SDKs and tools for TV app development. Note that the SDKs are platform or Operating system specific.
• Fourthly, you have to test the build applications
• Finally, publish the application on the app store.

These are the sequential processes to develop or build apps for Smart TV platforms. However, the practices include the inclusion of features, the use of web technologies, and others. So, now let's learn about some of the prime practices that you, as a developer, must consider.

Learning about the Practices of the Smart TV app development

• The Program Architecture for Smart TV apps should be considered.

This includes the entire structure, along with the source code. You also have to be specific about the programming languages you need to work on based on the OS you choose.

Cluttering the source code together will make it difficult for developers to maintain the app in case any glitch occurs. So, you have to build separate modules by segregating the codebase into segments. Keep in mind that once the users start downloading the app from the store, it will need to hold a massive volume of user data. So, design the storage unit in such a manner ensuring its high capacity to hold user’s data.

• The right selection of SDKs

You have to learn about the APIs related to the OS you are choosing. Every Operating System of Smart TV has different documentation, libraries, and sample code. SDKs comprise all the tools and resources required for developing, testing, deploying, and debugging apps. Here, you need to ensure that the application is updated with the newest SDK versions. It will, in hand, establish the compatibility of the apps with the latest model of the chosen Smart TV platform.

• Developer’s skill sets

Yes, while you are into developing Smart TV apps, you have to be familiar with the skill sets that are commonly demanded from a developer. With the ‘developer’, I mean to imply a TV app developer and not a mobile app developer. You may use a similar language for both mobile app development and TV app development but when a TV device and a mobile device is compared, it is completely different. The former has a large screen and other features that you have to consider. This needs a different approach to program execution when developing apps for Smart TV.

The most common web technologies that are used for TV app development include CSS, JS, and HTML5. Also, ensure that CSS codes are framed in a way to make a visually appealing UI for the TV screen. The main part of the UI for a TV app includes the menu, channel list, button for the settings, and other preferences. It also includes a recommendation segment and search function. Ensure that all the sections and design of the app’s UI are consistent, a developer should not skip the testing of the app after the source code is developed.

• Designing apps for the TV screen

Think of if a mobile display is rendered on the TV screen with the exact same font size and color contrast. Will the user be able to watch the TV content sitting on their couch from a 5 ft distance or more? No. right? So, you have to build the UI and the overall layout of the app keeping the distance between viewers and the TV screen in mind. As a recommendation, the text should be larger, should have a dynamic layout, consistent navigation buttons, and a simple dashboard with organized channel recommendations.

Also, you cannot miss the context of the Angular resolution of the TV screen. It is the clarity of the application’s User Interface. A smart TV app with a greater angular resolution will have a more engaging and simpler interface, while a weaker resolution will display a picture of low clarity. Although these TV applications may be designed to be compatible with a variety of screen resolutions, the resolution must be chosen depending on the smart TVs you are developing for.

• Parameters for App navigation

As users need to access their favorite channels or shows from a distance, developers should pay attention to the navigation and remote control unit. You may be familiar that an app of Smart TV platform can be operated through voice control, touch sensors, and button option on the remote control device. However, not all Smart TV platforms support all three control options. So, again, the design of the remote control unit is based on the platform and OS you are choosing.

Ensure that your app does not comprise complex navigation. Also, the apps must be fast and highly responsive to the voice common and remote control commands.

• Additional practices to consider

Provided the versatility of the screen resolution and screen size of the smart TV, it is necessary to build the app based on the context of adaptive layout. Icon scaling, dynamic layout, elements repositioning, and easy-to-understand navigation panels are some of the functionalities that you need to embed in your Smart TV app.

The practices related to app development are incomplete without its testing. So, you have to eat the app on the basis of its video and audio quality, UI, screen resolutions, and others.

To wrap things up

As you learned that steps and practices of app development are completely different. Steps to building a smart TV app are the methodologies that are executed sequentially; however, practices are all about adding features and functionalities to make the app stand out. Considering this, you should streamline the workflow while developing a smart TV app.