Confirming reports from earlier this year Google has officially announced Android TV at its annual Google I/O conference, revealing a new interface built on the upcoming Anrdoid L version of the popular light weight operating system, geared for use on television displays.

Tech blog The Verge was present at the event, and describes the announcement thusly:

Android TV is like a Google Chromecast combined with an Apple TV. You can broadcast content to your TV, but also see a grid of popular content, apps, and games. Android TV is of course tied in closely with voice search and Google Knowledge Graph, meaning a voice search for "who played Katniss in The Hunger Games" or "Oscar-nominated movies from 2002" yield instant responses. There’s now one Android software-development kit for all the company’s Android form factors, so expect to see lots of Android TV apps soon. Apps work across Android platforms, too, so you can battle friends in NBA Jam from your TV even if they’re using an Android phone. Sony and Sharp are producing Android-powered TVs and set-top boxes for launch in 2015.

PC hardware manufacturers Razer and Asus were also revealed to be working on their own Android TV-powered set top box devices, with small form factors drawing comparison to Amazon's recently announced Fire TV.