What we as soon as known as the Google Chromecast (after which the Chromecast with Google TV) is now the Google TV Streamer. I received’t fake to know the reasoning behind any product’s rebrand, however at the very least this one makes a little bit of sense. Casting content material from elsewhere was an enormous cause TV dongles existed. At this time, streaming gadgets primarily present the brains required to look at content material from Netflix, Disney+ and different streaming companies on virtually any display screen, and casting is a little bit of an afterthought. A reputation that focuses on Google TV’s interface as a substitute of casting appears proper in 2024.
That is Google’s first true set-top field, becoming a member of the non-dongle ranks of the Roku Extremely, the Apple TV 4K and Amazon’s Fireplace TV Dice. The Google TV Streamer is just out there in a 4K configuration and, as soon as the backstock of Chromecast models promote out, it’ll be Google’s solely streamer, interval. Whereas that makes the lineup far easier than, say Amazon’s bloated Fireplace TV system catalog, it additionally means it’s important to pay the 4K premium even when you solely have an HD TV.
That stated, the streamer is a full-featured, competent system with an interface that’s higher than most at pulling collectively all of the disparate threads of a streaming expertise. Add in perks like helpful good dwelling integration and a few fun-to-have AI smarts and the $100 streamer pretty earns its price ticket.
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Now that Google’s system sits subsequent to your TV as a substitute of hiding behind it, appears are vital. Fortunately, the comfortable, oblong-wedge form is unobtrusive, although the darker hazel coloration in all probability does a greater job of fading into the background than my shiny white evaluation unit. The again has room for the supplied USB-C energy cable, plus an HDMI port and an Ethernet jack (notice that neither of the latter cables come within the field). Ethernet is optionally available, however with out the video cable the system is ineffective, so it’s important to issue that into your price evaluation when you don’t have already got an additional twine useful.
Inside, there’s a processor that Google will solely say is “22 percent faster” than the earlier era, together with 32GB of storage (up from a skimpy 8GB on the Chromecast) and double the reminiscence at 4GB. It helps as much as 4K/60fps video with HDR, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient. Audio codecs embody Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos together with spatial audio when you’re carrying the Pixel Buds Professional. It solely helps Wi-Fi 5, which looks as if a miss — a bump as much as the Wi-Fi 6E customary can be extra futureproof. Heck, even the $50 Fireplace TV Stick 4K helps Wi-Fi 6.
The distant appears lots like that of the earlier era, with two vital enhancements: The amount controls are simpler to succeed in now that they’re on the face as a substitute of the facet, and there’s a programmable star button that you need to use to launch an app, or, extra excitingly, pull up your good dwelling management panel.
Presumably my favourite factor in regards to the distant isn’t on the distant itself — it’s the find-it button on the again of the streamer. It rings your distant, and fairly loudly. You too can do that through the Google House app in your cellphone or pill by tapping the Google TV Streamer tile and hitting the settings icon (tapping Distant turns your cellphone into the controller). Regardless of dwelling in a tiny house with (you’d suppose) fewer locations for the distant to get misplaced, I used the finder perform no fewer than ten occasions over the course of my testing.
The distant nonetheless doesn’t have a devoted play/pause button and as a substitute depends on the button within the heart of the D-pad as the principle management. After I examined the Chromecast with Google TV, that led to frustration when the middle button stored performing actions aside from pause, however this appears to be one thing Google has addressed as I had no points this time. The controller is small and hefty, but it’s so easy it might come out of my hand when typing an extended search entry. However actually, you must simply use the voice button; the voice recognition by no means as soon as misinterpreted what I stated.
Setup and streaming expertise
Of all of the good dwelling platforms I’ve examined, I discover Google’s to be the best to make use of. Nearly all of the setup for the streamer occurs by way of the Google House app, and when you’ve already been utilizing the app, your complete course of is painless — the toughest half is clicking by way of all the varied permissions and authorized phrases. Configuring the controls for energy and sound went by way of on the primary attempt, one thing that hasn’t at all times been the case with different gadgets I’ve examined. I additionally like that I used to be prompted to create a child profile from the soar (so I didn’t have to recollect to do it later), together with a pin that’s straightforward to enter on the distant.
Earlier than touchdown you within the dwelling web page, Google asks for each streaming service you subscribe to or, within the case of free apps, those you want to look at. So from the primary time you utilize the streamer, your homepage is populated not solely with these apps, but additionally with TV and film suggestions pulled from every.
Navigation will likely be acquainted for a lot of, because the Google TV interface comes customary on a variety of TV units. However relying on which good TV you’ve gotten, the expertise may very well be lots zippier with the Google TV Streamer employed. I’m presently working with a dirt-cheap Hisense 4K set with Google TV built-in, and speeds had been noticeably improved after I used the exterior system. Apps loaded rapidly and even with the zero-attention-span method during which I used to be flitting between exhibits, apps, stay content material and settings, the streamer stored up with barely perceptible lag. The Apple TV 4K remains to be sooner (unsurprisingly), so this isn’t category-topping but it surely’s lots speedy.
Should you’re not acquainted, I’ll simply say that of all of the good TV interfaces I’ve examined, Google TV does the most effective job of integrating content material from all of the completely different streaming apps into one helpful and intuitive hub. And, no matter different monopolistic points the corporate might have, it’s essentially the most egalitarian in the case of suggestions versus, say, Apple, Amazon or Roku, all of which favor their very own content material (YouTube is definitely represented right here, but it surely’s not dominant).
The For You web page retains observe of what you’re presently watching throughout apps so you’ll be able to simply dive again in, and does a reasonably good job of recommending new stuff based mostly in your watching habits. I additionally love the Watchlist function (which you’ll find within the Library tab); when somebody at work recommends the trailer for the upcoming Inside Chinatown, otherwise you hear that Severance is coming again quickly, you’ll be able to add these exhibits to the Watchlist from inside your browser (supplied you’re signed in along with your Google account) and discover it in your TV the subsequent time you’re on the hunt for contemporary content material.
Whereas I want the house display screen/For You web page was customizable, the algorithm is adept at conserving issues attention-grabbing. Additionally, trying to find titles is pretty spot-on. After I stated, “Play Abbott Elementary,” the Hulu app opened and the subsequent episode in my queue began taking part in. When present titles are a bit of extra widespread, I’ll add within the platform title, like “Play Beef on Netflix” or “Play the show Poker Face on Peacock.”
You too can ask the assistant to point out you exhibits and films based mostly on a theme, like get up comedy specials, grownup animation or crime television, by prefacing your question with “Find me…” These outcomes are hit and miss, however are nonetheless pulled pretty equitably from throughout your most popular apps. It may be helpful when you’re undecided what to look at, however have a imprecise notion of the vibe you’re in search of.
Sensible dwelling management
Whereas Google has competitors from Apple TV, Roku and Fireplace TV gadgets, which additionally combine good dwelling controls, it has succeeded at making its dwelling component easy and helpful. The panel that slides out from the settings icon appears lots like what you’d see on a Google Nest Hub. From there, you’ll be able to simply management good lights or thermostats and consider stay feeds out of your linked cameras. Should you program the star button to drag up your good dwelling panel, you’ll be able to even do these items whilst you’re watching a present: the present pauses, the panel slides out after which your content material resumes when you’re completed dimming the lights, checking the doorbell feed or no matter else wants doing.
To regulate these capabilities along with your voice, you’ll want to carry down the Assistant button. Some units with Google TV in-built allow you to entry the Assistant with “Hey Google,” however not right here. That’s doubtless as a result of the one mic is on the distant, which doesn’t have the battery energy to help an always-listening mode. However you need to use the Assistant button to make your smart-home request from any display screen, together with when the TV is off (that’s one thing Amazon’s Fireplace TV Dice can do too, with no button press required, since that set-top system has an onboard mic). Now that Google’s streamer helps each the Matter customary and acts as a Thread router, many good dwelling gadgets are already appropriate, and extra are assuredly on the best way.
The streamer can do just a few further issues like present you tomorrow’s climate, but it surely falls brief on dealing with some fairly primary good dwelling assistant requests like setting a timer. And, regardless of Google’s huge search capabilities, it doesn’t appear to have the ability to reply primary questions. After I requested, “How far away is the moon?” as steered in one of many firm’s promotional how-to movies, it displayed a bunch of YouTube movies on the subject as a substitute of a straight reply. That’s considerably anticipated since it’s a video streaming system, however as a result of Google appears to border this as a kind of dwelling hub, I discovered myself wishing it was a bit extra succesful ala a Nest mini or an Amazon Echo.
Extra AI options
As a result of it’s 2024, you’ll be able to’t have a brand new gadget with out AI methods, and for the streamer, these manifest in AI summaries, plot synopses and evaluation aggregations on the title web page of a given present or film. The 2-sentence, computer-made writeups are OK — in all probability not higher than what a human may do, however not considerably worse. The opposite AI funsies occur with the screensaver. When your system is idle, you’ll be able to have it present some artwork pulled from a mixture of avenue murals, basic work, images and aerial earth photographs. Or it may well present a range out of your Google Images. Or, when you insist, it may well show AI-generated pictures.
The streamer can create these customized pictures based mostly in your prompts, and the outcomes right here had been additionally simply advantageous. I requested for bicycles in area and was introduced with the usual AI disregard for physics with two rusty bikes fused collectively to make a three-wheeled monstrosity in entrance of a Milky Manner-esque ribbon of overly shiny stars. I finally selected the non-AI artwork choice to fill my display screen. Even AI-concocted fairies tenting on the moon bored me after a bit. That’s in all probability for the most effective, contemplating the carbon price of every new picture.
When Google launched the TV Streamer, it additionally introduced Google Freeplay, a built-in choice of round 150 free live-streaming channels much like these supplied from Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel and the like. Should you add different stay TV streaming companies to your system, like Pluto TV or Sling, you’ll additionally see these present up within the Stay tab the place Freeplay sits — one more method Google TV gamely melds content material from completely different sources.
Wrap-up
At $100, the Google TV Streamer isn’t the costliest streaming system. Amazon’s Fireplace TV Dice is $140, but it surely’s additionally a speaker. Apple’s non-Ethernet set-top field is $129, however comes with twice the storage capability and an iPhone 14 chip inside that makes it ridiculously quick. Roku’s premium set-top field can also be $100, but it surely helps Wi-Fi 6 and has a fancier backlit distant. Google’s previous-generation Chromecast supported 4K video and comparable video codecs — and it was half the worth.
Sure, the additional RAM and storage is nice, however there are just a few options — like Wi-Fi 6E help, true assistant capabilities, screaming processor speeds — that Google may have packed in to make the $100 price ticket unassailable. In comparison with its competitors, and contemplating the truth that its predecessor price half as a lot, it feels just like the streamer ought to fall within the $80 vary. However I’m not going to quibble over twenty bucks. The Google TV Streamer is responsive and fast, packing the most effective streaming interface on the market with good dwelling options which can be helpful and correctly built-in. Anybody in search of a dependable streamer will likely be joyful including this wedge beside their TV.
