For a little while, we’ve been covering news about this odd-looking Google streaming device that bucks the trend established by the Chromecast devices. Well, it’s no longer a rumor. Google officially announced the new Google TV Streamer.
Over the past decade, Google’s streaming device has been the Chromecast dongle. You’d simply plug the attached HDMI cord into the port on the back or side of your TV, and BOOM! You’re using a smart TV. This led other companies to follow suit. Now, there are a plethora of different streaming dongles on the market to choose from.
However, looking at this new device, it seems that the company wanted to shake things up and rewrite the DNA of its streaming devices. The Google TV Streamer is very different from the streaming dongles in several ways.
Google announces the Google TV Streamer
One main difference between this device and the previous streamers is the fact that Google dropped the Chromecast branding with this device. Unfortunately, Google is killing the brand altogether in lieu of the Streamer series. The company will sell off the remainder of its Chromecast devices.
This is a major change of form compared to the Chromecast devices. Firstly, this is a set-top box, not a dongle. It’s meant to sit in front of your TV while the dongles are meant to hang directly from the port. Being a set-top box, the Google TV streamer doesn’t have any attached cords. There are ports on the back for the power, HDMI, and Ethernet.
The addition of Ethernet is great for people who want a more reliable connection. It should ensure more stable connectivity when streaming high-definition content and less buffering.
Specs
Moving onto the specs, this device is notably more powerful than the latest Chromecast dongle. While Google didn’t mention what CPU it’s using, it claims that it’s actually 22% faster than the one in the latest Chromecast dongle. Along with that, it has 4GB of RAM, which is an improvement over the 2GB of RAM in the Chromecast dongle.
The biggest improvement is in the storage. Streaming devices don’t need a ton of storage, but there are people who use their streamers as entertainment centers. So, they download several streaming apps along with games from the Google Play Store. The Google TV Streamer comes with an impressive 32GB of storage. That’s enough to download all of your favorite streaming apps and then some.
Smart home capabilities
One of the main selling points of this new device is its ability to be your smart home hub. When you’re using it, you can access a panel in the UI that allows you to control your smart home devices.
In the panel, you’ll see what devices are connected to your smart home setup and control them individually. Not only that but you can also see the live feeds from your cameras.
It’s no surprise that this device is great at controlling your Google Home devices. However, if you’re not into the Google Home ecosystem, you can still use this device seamlessly. The Google TV Streamer comes with a thread radio, which makes it compatible with Matter, the smart home standard. So, if you have other Matter-supported devices, you’ll be able to control them.
Other features
The Google TV Streamer comes with AI in tow, as the company has implemented a Gemini-powered AI search feature. This will allow users to more easily search for content. You’ll most likely just have to describe what you’re wanting to watch rather than search for specific keywords. Along with that, Gemini will also give you descriptions of shows and movies along with reviews and season-by-season breakdowns.
There’s also a generative tool that lets you generate wallpapers to show in ambient mode. That might be a lot of fun to use.
A new “star” button on the top right of the remote can be assigned a function. You can assign it to either open a specific app, bring up the smart home panel, or display the inputs.
Lastly, if the remote gets lost, there’s a way to locate it. On the back of the Google TV Streamer, there’s a little button. When you press it, the remote will beep for 30 seconds.
Price and availability
The Google TV Streamer costs $99, which is not too much more than the most expensive Chromecast 4K device which is $69.99. It’s definitely worth the extra money. It has a more powerful processor, more RAM, more storage, smart home capabilities, Matter support, Ethernet support, and more features. It’s a great device to get if you want more from your Chromecast.
As for the availability, you can pre-order the device, but you won’t be able to get your hands on it until late next month. They start shipping on September 24th, so you’ll have a while to wait. You can pre-order the Google TV Streamer right from the Google Store page.
2024-08-06 15:04:20