Android TV Support for Ensemble Framework

[TheNoumanDev]

Summary

Ensemble's touch-first interaction model makes the app non-functional on Android TV. The framework needs D-pad focus navigation, key event handling, and TV-aware UI adjustments.

Blockers (App Non-Functional)

• TV remote select/center button dead — no Shortcuts mapping LogicalKeyboardKey.select → ActivateIntent
• No autofocus on any widget — screens load with no focus, D-pad has no starting point
• Zero key event handling — no KeyboardListener, onKeyEvent, or LogicalKeyboardKey usage
• No focus-based scrolling — ListView/GridView won't scroll to keep focused item visible
• GestureDetector-wrapped widgets unreachable — touch-only, cannot receive focus

Major Gaps (Broken Interactions)

• Carousel — touch swipe only, no D-pad left/right support
• Dropdown/TabBar — overlays and tabs not D-pad navigable
• No TV device detection — no isTV() method, cannot adapt UI conditionally
• No per-screen back button control — no PopScope usage
• Missing TV banner icon — no android:banner or 320x180 drawable

Experience Gaps (Unpolished)

• Focus visuals not configurable from YAML — only hardcoded blue border
• No focus order control for YAML authors
• No overscan safe area padding (48dp/27dp)
• No key repeat throttling on D-pad long-press
• No directional traversal policy for grid layouts
• No TV-specific text scaling (10-foot UI needs 18-32sp min)

Acceptance Criteria

1. TV remote select button activates focused widgets
2. First focusable widget per screen receives autofocus
3. D-pad navigates all interactive widgets; scrollable lists follow focus
4. Carousel navigable with D-pad; back button exits properly
5. Visible focus indicators on all interactive elements
6. 60fps on mid-range TV hardware (MiBox, Fire TV Stick)