Up till now, Google’s Chromecast line has been largely targeted on making it simple to look at reveals and flicks in your favourite huge display. However with the brand new Google TV Streamer, Google lastly has a correct set-top field for binging content material that additionally helps a wider vary of good dwelling controls.
Design: From dongle to wedge
Coming only a week forward of Google’s upcoming Made By occasion, maybe the most important change for the TV Streamer is switching from being a easy dongle that hangs off your TV to a very standalone gadget that lives in your media console. Google says its wedge-shaped design is supposed to mix in simply along with your decor when sitting in entrance of your TV in order that it affords higher reception for its included distant and different good dwelling gadgets (extra on that later).
Google has additionally given the Streamer TV an enormous {hardware} improve in comparison with the Chromecast with Google TV from 2020, together with a 22 p.c sooner CPU, double the RAM (4GB as a substitute of 2GB) and 4 occasions extra storage (32GB whole). That may not sound like a ton, however contemplating that the earlier mannequin typically ran out of area for downloading primary streaming apps, that’s a much-needed enchancment. Streaming decision caps out at 4K/60fps, although you do get help for HDR, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, Dolby Atmos and spatial audio (when paired with Google Pixel Buds).
Moreover, there’s an HDMI 1.1 jack, a powered USB-C port and a devoted Ethernet slot for individuals who need peak bandwidth for streaming. Google additionally made the distant a contact longer whereas transferring the quantity rocker to the highest and including a customizable button that may be set to launch your favourite app, swap inputs or summon the brand new good dwelling management middle. And similar to earlier than, there’s a built-in microphone and a button for summoning the Google Assistant.
Sensible dwelling: Turning into a correct gadget hub
This brings me to the Google Streamer’s improved good dwelling capabilities. Not solely does it help Matter, it additionally contains a built-in Thread border router for simply speaking with the opposite gadgets in your own home. On high of that, the TV Streamer is getting its personal model of the Google House panel (which we’ve seen on earlier Pixel telephones and Nest Hubs) in order that it is simpler to regulate issues like good lights whereas additionally providing you with the power to view feeds out of your safety cameras and video doorbells.
New AI options
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a 2024 Google gadget with out some new AI options. Because of Gemini, the TV Streamer can create customized suggestions primarily based on the type of content material you watch and generate summaries, evaluations and even season-by-season breakdowns for stuff you haven’t. There’s additionally an ambient TV mode that lets you pull screensavers or reminiscences out of your Google Photographs library. Nonetheless, in order for you one thing a bit extra distinctive, you can too use AI to generate one thing fantastical. In the meantime, should you lose the distant, you may ask the Google Assistant (not Gemini) that will help you discover it or you may merely press the devoted button on the again of the field.
So whereas I haven’t had a lot likelihood to dive into its options, with the brand new TV Streamer, eventually it appears like Google has a considerably extra succesful good dwelling hub that’s additionally a real rival to the Apple TV 4K and different Android-based bins just like the NVIDIA Protect TV. The Google TV Streamer prices $100 and is offered for pre-order at present with official gross sales starting September 24. It will likely be accessible in two colours: porcelain white and hazel, the latter of which can be accessible solely from the Google Retailer.