In those years when the concept of Smart TV began to take shape, there were many companies trying to develop their own software for televisions. Again, It took us a long time to find a universal operating system. and that any manufacturer can adopt, as with Google TV/Android TV today. Although there are those who decide to take advantage of its interest in other industries, as with Canonical with its version of Ubuntu for televisions.

Ubuntu TV was introduced during the 2012 CES as an alternative to the operating systems for then-existing Smart TVs. was to propose a clean and connected experience through open source softwareand very similar to that of Ubuntu for computers, but with an air optimized for TVs.

The OS we never thought we’d need

The operating system was able to be tested at CES and its developers showed several times what the operating system is capable of. a clean interface focused on playing content and enjoy apps like YouTube or browsers.

The idea was quite attractive, especially if the project continues, we can now count on it. an operating system where we are not constantly bombarded with advertisements or aggressively collecting our information.

While it has all the components to deliver an attractive user experience optimized for stable performance, Ubuntu is the foundation partners who want to install the operating system on their televisions were not found. At the time, the brands that made the most bets on Smart TV already had a roadmap with their own ecosystem and decided to go their separate ways when it comes to smart TV software. Of those who did this trick, only Sony released Google TV in 2010 (the previous operating system as we know it today), but it didn’t quite materialize.

Another factor that makes Ubuntu TV irrelevant is hundreds of TV Boxes and HDMI dongle outputs It makes it possible for anyone to have a Smart TV experience without breaking the bank for a TV with a pre-installed operating system, such as Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, among others.

Many people wonder if Ubuntu TV would have done better if they had chosen to distribute their operating system on their own hardware via a TV Box rather than having to distribute their operating system pre-installed on the television. At the time, the idea of ​​Ubuntu for mobile phones was also resonating, and the ambition to expand into other areas eventually began to fade and fade. keep improving what they’ve always known to do: your own distribution for computers.

Today, if we want to prefer a similar experience on televisions, we can always use a Raspberry Pi with Kodi or Linux distribution installed and connected to the television.