Transform Your Raspberry Pi into a Smart Home Entertainment System with Android TV

Learn how to install Android TV on your Raspberry Pi 4 and turn it into a powerful smart home entertainment system. …


Updated October 21, 2023

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Learn how to install Android TV on your Raspberry Pi 4 and turn it into a powerful smart home entertainment system.

In this guide, we’ll be installing Android TV on a Raspberry Pi 4 to create a compact and affordable media center. Android TV is an open-source operating system designed specifically for set-top boxes, smart TVs, and other IoT devices, making it the perfect choice for a Raspberry Pi project. Follow along as we walk you through the process step-by-step.

Requirements

Before getting started, make sure you have the following:

  1. A Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB or 4GB)
  2. MicroSD card with at least 32GB capacity (8GB recommended for basic setup)
  3. MicroUSB power supply (5V, 2.5A)
  4. HDMI cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to your TV
  5. Ethernet or WiFi adapter (optional)
  6. Keyboard and mouse (for initial setup)
  7. Micro USB-to-HDMI adapter (if you don’t have a monitor)

Step 1: Download Android TV Image

The first step is to download the latest Android TV image for Raspberry Pi 4 from the official website here. Choose the “Raspberry Pi 4” option and download the .zip file containing two images: android_tv_rpi4_release.img.gz and bootloader_rpi4.img.

Step 2: Flash the MicroSD Card

Next, you’ll need to flash the downloaded image onto your MicroSD card. You can use Etcher (available for Windows, macOS, and Linux) or similar software to do this easily. Simply select the .img.gz file and the MicroSD card as the destination and click “Flash.”

Step 3: Enable SSH

Before inserting the MicroSD card into your Raspberry Pi, create an empty file named “ssh” on the root directory of the card to enable remote access via SSH. This will make it easier to configure your Android TV system later. You can use any text editor or terminal command like touch ssh to create the file.

Step 4: Boot Your Raspberry Pi

Insert the MicroSD card into your Raspberry Pi, connect an HDMI cable and power supply, and turn it on. The Android TV image will load and display a setup screen asking you to select your language, WiFi network, and other settings. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the initial setup.

Step 5: Connect to Your Raspberry Pi via SSH

Now that your Raspberry Pi is running Android TV, you can connect to it remotely using an SSH client like PuTTY (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux). Use the IP address displayed on the setup screen or find it on your network using a tool like Fing. Enter the username “pi” and password “raspberry” to log in.

Step 6: Expand File System

To make sure you have enough storage space, expand the file system by running resize2fs /dev/mmcblk0p2 in the terminal. This will allocate all available space on your MicroSD card to Android TV’s root partition.

Step 7: Install Kodi

Kodi is a popular media player that works well with Android TV and can be installed using apt-get. Run sudo apt update && sudo apt install kodi to download and install the latest version. After installation, you can launch Kodi by searching for it in the app drawer or running kodi in the terminal.

Step 8: Install Chromecast Support (Optional)

If you want to use your Raspberry Pi as a Chromecast receiver, follow these steps:

  1. Download and install the Cast Companion Library for Linux from here.
  2. Install Google’s Cast SDK following the instructions in the readme file.
  3. Build the Cast Companion Library using the included build script.
  4. Run sudo systemctl enable cast_companion to start the Chromecast service at boot.
  5. Reboot your Raspberry Pi and you should now see a Chromecast icon in the app drawer.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Android TV on your Raspberry Pi 4 and transformed it into a powerful smart home entertainment system. With Kodi and optional Chromecast support, you can enjoy movies, music, photos, games, and more from your favorite streaming services or local media library. Experiment with different apps and settings to customize Android TV to suit your needs and turn your Raspberry Pi into a versatile smart device for your home.