I think we see almost one a day, someone confusing a Chinese Android box with the official Android TV OS. At this point I think Google has dropped the ball with marketing this device. It also doesn't help that these devices predate Android TV, heck even I had one. I think it comes down to name recognition as Android TV is too generic. Especially with YouTube TV streaming service. I hope something changes in the future.
Part of the problem is Google. They are treating it similar to how when Android first game out. Then they left it up to the manufactures to promote the product, often without even mentioning the OS. You would never see commercials promoting Android over IOS. Just the phone itself.
The other issue is it being completely open sourced. They could it call it Google TV or Nexus TV (or anything, you get the idea) and you would still have people putting the mobile Android OS on these boxes and selling them as Google TV boxes or Nexus TV boxes. There isn't a really simple solution to that problem. Even if Google did market it better you would have plenty of people confused (or not caring)
I don't think it's confusion. I think some of them are intentionally plugging the things and/or trying to create confusion. We know the makers of these boxes intentionally try to confuse things my referring to these boxes as "Android TV." It wouldn't surprise me that their marketing efforts include social media plants.
I think this sub has been too kind in the way we handle those posts. Usually it's other users replying trying to state the difference, which sometimes leads to OP getting defensive that their 'Android box' connects to the TV so it is an Android TV box...
The only rule on this sub is that it's discussion of the five Android TV devices. I think those posts should just get reported/pruned with a canned response from a mod.
Google never marketed it at all. They left it up to the partners. Both of them. One has a device that nobody can afford the other is underpowered with a goofy name, and there is nothing in the middle. Yeah, they dropped the ball.
Nobody I know has one but they all have either roku, chromecast, fire, or apple tv. Heck I've owned them all at some point and still have two roku and a cheap chinese box along with my Mibox. All on different tv of course.
What is the difference between the Xiaomi Mi Box and a cheap Chinese Kodi box running Android OS?
Google has treated TV interfaces as a side project, never really putting their full weight behind any solution for very long; Google TV, Nexus Q, Android TV. They definitely dropped the ball but they don't really show any signs of picking it back up. They've chosen to put their money into Chromecast, (Google Cast?) for better or worse. Probably since it requires less investment and fewer resources.
They've at least updated the launcher interface for Android O, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about them really marketing it or making it be an industry-leader in 10-foot interfaces.