I just tried an Android TV ant it just seems like a very bad deal to me. It provides only a few apps in the app store and for the rest you have to sideload apps just to see that they are rotated or just not working properly. I would like a way to have my android apps "just working" from an official app store, no problem if I would need a mouse for that. But I guess I am asking too much.
Get a cheap "Android Box" and it will run regular Android instead of Android TV.
There's pros and cons though. A lot of people find Android TV better for TV's.
You're just using the wrong apps for what you want to do, mate. You said you "tried", meaning you didn't spend enough time on it
Which device was it?
Contact the app developer.
To wrap this up: I'll just use the Android TV with the few apps it has and the Chromecast support and patiently wait until some more app developers start developing some apps :)
It’s the app developers, not the platform. Android apps are made for phones. If developers want you to have their content on a television, they make a version for android tv.