GoKawiilCollabora and Google build first RDK-based Chrobalt reference platform for smart TVs
Collabora has partnered with YouTube's Cobalt and Device Partner Engineering teams to create the first RDK reference platform running Chrobalt, the next-generation version of Google's living-room web engine. Chrobalt merges the lightweight Cobalt engine, which currently powers YouTube on smart TVs and set-top boxes, with Chromium's rendering pipeline, moving beyond the classic Starboard-based architecture used since Cobalt's inception.
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Smart TVs and set-top boxes have long relied on Cobalt because full browser engines like Chromium were too resource-intensive for embedded hardware, but keeping a separate rendering engine current with the modern web has become increasingly costly for Google. By proving Chrobalt works on RDK, an open platform widely used by pay-TV operators and OEMs, Collabora and Google are giving device makers a clear migration path so future smart TVs and STBs can run YouTube with standards-compliant Chromium-based rendering rather than a bespoke engine.
- Collabora built the first RDK-based reference platform for Chrobalt, Google's Chromium-based successor to Cobalt.
- Chrobalt merges Cobalt's lightweight embedded design with Chromium's rendering pipeline for better web-standards compliance.
- This gives OEMs and SoC vendors using RDK a proven path to adopt YouTube's next-generation living room engine.
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) — RDK reference platforms are commonly brought up on Raspberry Pi hardware, making the Pi 4 Model B a great board for tinkering with embedded media stacks and browser engines yourself. With HDMI output and hardware video decode, it's a natural fit for experimenting with living-room app development at home.
See Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: collabora.com — Re-Engineering Youtube For The Living Room, 2026-09-11
Published there as: “Re-Engineering YouTube for the Living Room: Bringing "Chrobalt" to RDK”
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