How to create TV app using Flutter

In this blog, we will learn how to create TV app using Flutter. TV apps use the same architecture as those for phones and tablets. This approach means you can build new TV apps based on what you already know about building apps for Android, or extend your existing apps to also run on TV devices.

However, the interaction model for TV is substantially different. To make your app successful on TV devices you need to make some additional changes apart from phones and tablets.

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Below Are the things we need to set for the TV app.

Add Leanback Support In the Manifest file

<manifest>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.software.leanback"
        android:required="false" />
    ...
</manifest>
 <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
        <category  android:name="android.intent.category.LEANBACK_LAUNCHER"/>
         <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
 </intent-filter>

<uses-feature android:name="android.software.leanback"

android:required="false" />

...

</manifest>

<intent-filter>

</intent-filter>

Set Touch screen False

<manifest>
    <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen"
              android:required="false" />
    ...
</manifest>

<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen"

android:required="false" />

...

</manifest>

TV Banner

Android TV app used a Banner instead of a launcher icon.
We need to create a banner with a pixel size of 320×180.
Add to your drawable folder and add to your manifest file as shown below.

<application
  ...
    android:banner="@drawable/banner"
   >
   ...
</application>

<application

...

android:banner="@drawable/banner"

...

</application>

Sample App

In this sample App, we will make a video player app.
We will use some static sample video URL to show the list of videos and play a video.

Add the Below dependencies to your pubspec.yaml

 video_player: ^2.7.0
 cached_network_image: ^3.2.3

video_player: ^2.7.0

cached_network_image: ^3.2.3

main. dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:flutter/services.dart';

import 'homescreen.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {

    return Shortcuts(
      shortcuts: <LogicalKeySet, Intent>{
        LogicalKeySet(LogicalKeyboardKey.select): const ActivateIntent(),
      },
      child: MaterialApp(
        title: 'Webkul Tv App',
        debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
        theme: ThemeData(
          primarySwatch: Colors.blue,
        ),
        home: const HomeScreen(),
      ),
    );

  }
}

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'package:flutter/services.dart';

import 'homescreen.dart';

void main() {

runApp(const MyApp());

}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {

const MyApp({super.key});

@override

Widget build(BuildContext context) {

return Shortcuts(

shortcuts: <LogicalKeySet, Intent>{

LogicalKeySet(LogicalKeyboardKey.select): const ActivateIntent(),

child: MaterialApp(

title: 'Webkul Tv App',

debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,

theme: ThemeData(

primarySwatch: Colors.blue,

home: const HomeScreen(),

);

}

HomScreen.dart




import 'package:flutter/cupertino.dart';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:webkul_tv_app/rawdata.dart';
import 'package:webkul_tv_app/videoplayerscreen.dart';



class HomeScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  const HomeScreen({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  State<HomeScreen> createState() => _HomeScreen();
}

class _HomeScreen extends State<HomeScreen>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {


@override
  void initState() {
    
    super.initState();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(  title: const Text('Webkul Tv App'),),
        body :SingleChildScrollView(
          child:sampleVideoGrid()),
      )  
    );
  }

  Widget sampleVideoGrid() {
    return SingleChildScrollView(
      child: Column(
        children: [
        
          GridView(
            shrinkWrap: true,
            gridDelegate: const SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
              crossAxisCount: 3,
            ),
            children: images
                .map((url) => InkWell(
                      onTap: () {
                        Navigator.push(
                          context,
                          CupertinoPageRoute(
                            builder: (context) => VideoPlayerScreen(
                              url: links[images.indexOf(url)],
                            ),
                          ),
                        );
                      },
                      child: Padding(
                        padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
                        child: Image.network(
                          url,
                          height: 150,
                          width: 150,
                        ),
                      ),
                    ))
                .toList(),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

import 'package:flutter/cupertino.dart';

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'package:webkul_tv_app/rawdata.dart';

import 'package:webkul_tv_app/videoplayerscreen.dart';

class HomeScreen extends StatefulWidget {

const HomeScreen({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

@override

State<HomeScreen> createState() => _HomeScreen();

}

class _HomeScreen extends State<HomeScreen>

with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {

@override

void initState() {

super.initState();

}

@override

Widget build(BuildContext context) {

return MaterialApp(

home: Scaffold(

appBar: AppBar( title: const Text('Webkul Tv App'),),

body :SingleChildScrollView(

child:sampleVideoGrid()),

)

);

}

Widget sampleVideoGrid() {

return SingleChildScrollView(

child: Column(

children: [

GridView(

shrinkWrap: true,

gridDelegate: const SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(

crossAxisCount: 3,

children: images

.map((url) => InkWell(

onTap: () {

Navigator.push(

context,

CupertinoPageRoute(

builder: (context) => VideoPlayerScreen(

url: links[images.indexOf(url)],

);

child: Padding(

padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),

child: Image.network(

url,

height: 150,

width: 150,

))

.toList(),

);

}

Video Player screen



import 'package:flutter/cupertino.dart';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:webkul_tv_app/rawdata.dart';
import 'package:webkul_tv_app/videoplayerscreen.dart';



class HomeScreen extends StatefulWidget {
  const HomeScreen({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  State<HomeScreen> createState() => _HomeScreen();
}

class _HomeScreen extends State<HomeScreen>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {


@override
  void initState() {
    
    super.initState();
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        appBar: AppBar(  title: const Text('Webkul Tv App'),),
        body :SingleChildScrollView(
          child:sampleVideoGrid()),
      )  
    );
  }

  Widget sampleVideoGrid() {
    return SingleChildScrollView(
      child: Column(
        children: [
        
          GridView(
            shrinkWrap: true,
            gridDelegate: const SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
              crossAxisCount: 3,
            ),
            children: images
                .map((url) => InkWell(
                      onTap: () {
                        Navigator.push(
                          context,
                          CupertinoPageRoute(
                            builder: (context) => VideoPlayerScreen(
                              url: links[images.indexOf(url)],
                            ),
                          ),
                        );
                      },
                      child: Padding(
                        padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
                        child: Image.network(
                          url,
                          height: 150,
                          width: 150,
                        ),
                      ),
                    ))
                .toList(),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

import 'package:flutter/cupertino.dart';

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

import 'package:webkul_tv_app/rawdata.dart';

import 'package:webkul_tv_app/videoplayerscreen.dart';

class HomeScreen extends StatefulWidget {

const HomeScreen({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

@override

State<HomeScreen> createState() => _HomeScreen();

}

class _HomeScreen extends State<HomeScreen>

with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {

@override

void initState() {

super.initState();

}

@override

Widget build(BuildContext context) {

return MaterialApp(

home: Scaffold(

appBar: AppBar( title: const Text('Webkul Tv App'),),

body :SingleChildScrollView(

child:sampleVideoGrid()),

)

);

}

Widget sampleVideoGrid() {

return SingleChildScrollView(

child: Column(

children: [

GridView(

shrinkWrap: true,

gridDelegate: const SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(

crossAxisCount: 3,

children: images

.map((url) => InkWell(

onTap: () {

Navigator.push(

context,

CupertinoPageRoute(

builder: (context) => VideoPlayerScreen(

url: links[images.indexOf(url)],

);

child: Padding(

padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),

child: Image.network(

url,

height: 150,

width: 150,

))

.toList(),

);

}

Rawdata.dart

List<String> images = [
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/BigBuckBunny.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ElephantsDream.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerBlazes.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerEscapes.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerFun.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerJoyrides.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerMeltdowns.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/Sintel.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/SubaruOutbackOnStreetAndDirt.jpg",
  "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/TearsOfSteel.jpg"
];
    
    List<String> links = [
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ElephantsDream.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerBlazes.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerEscapes.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerFun.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerJoyrides.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerMeltdowns.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/Sintel.jpg",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/SubaruOutbackOnStreetAndDirt.mp4",
      "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/TearsOfSteel.mp4"
    ];

List<String> images = [

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/BigBuckBunny.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ElephantsDream.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerBlazes.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerEscapes.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerFun.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerJoyrides.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/ForBiggerMeltdowns.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/Sintel.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/SubaruOutbackOnStreetAndDirt.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/images/TearsOfSteel.jpg"

];

List<String> links = [

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ElephantsDream.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerBlazes.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerEscapes.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerFun.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerJoyrides.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerMeltdowns.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/Sintel.jpg",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/SubaruOutbackOnStreetAndDirt.mp4",

"https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/TearsOfSteel.mp4"

];

Now our sample app is ready to run.

Conclusion :

Finally, Let’s check the app output.

Thanks for reading this Article. Feel free to share your ideas or any feedback.

Pankaj Tyagi 8 September 2023

. . .

Discuss on Helpdesk

How to create TV app using Flutter

Below Are the things we need to set for the TV app.

Add Leanback Support In the Manifest file

Set Touch screen False

TV Banner

Sample App

Add the Below dependencies to your pubspec.yaml

main. dart

HomScreen.dart

Video Player screen

Rawdata.dart

Conclusion :

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