Google TV Streamer: A New Era of Streaming and Smart Home Integration

Google has announced its latest TV streamer with new features and competitive pricing. The device also supports Matter Thread, a new technology standard for smart home devices.

Google has unveiled its latest innovation, the Google TV Streamer, a $99.99 set-top box that promises to enhance your entertainment experience. This new device is not just an upgrade to the Chromecast with Google TV, but it also brings in a host of new features and integrations.

The Google TV Streamer is designed to be a central hub for your entertainment and smart home devices, offering improved performance, Thread and Matter integration, and a remote finder feature. The device is designed to be placed in plain sight, unlike its predecessor, the Chromecast, which was often hidden behind the TV. It comes in two colors: porcelain (white) and hazel (dark gray).

One of the key features of the Google TV Streamer is the Google Home panel. With a single button press on the remote, you can pull up this panel on the right side of your TV screen, allowing you to easily control your smart home devices and cameras from the comfort of your couch. The device also includes a Thread border router and connectivity support for Matter, making it a future-proof addition to your home.

The Google TV Streamer is not just about smart home integration, it's also a powerful entertainment device. It boasts a processor that's 22 percent faster, double the RAM, and 32GB of integrated storage compared to its predecessor. While it may not outperform the Nvidia Shield TV and Apple TV 4K, it's a significant improvement over the previous Chromecast with Google TV. The device supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and allows you to cast content as before. It's also one of the first streaming devices to be powered over USB-C, and includes HDMI 2.1a, Wi-Fi 5, gigabit ethernet, and Bluetooth 5.1.]

I'm curious why they have chosen to opt in for HDMI 2.1, what benefit will this bring to the Google TV streamer? HDMI 2.1 is ofcourse an upgrade to HDMI 2.0 since it supports 4K at 120Hz but how will the Google Streamer take advantage of this feature?

Did Google try to ensure that the streamer is future proof by including this hardware or do we anticipate some sort of high refresh rate gaming.

The bundled remote has also seen some design improvements. The volume buttons are now on the face of the remote, and there's a new customizable button that you can set to open the Google Home panel, launch your favorite streaming app, or switch HDMI inputs. One of the best new features is a remote finder button on the back of the Google TV Streamer. If you lose your remote in the couch cushions, just press this button and the remote will emit a beeping sound to help you find it.

On the software side, Google has integrated Gemini to provide viewers with detailed summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns of content. The interface remains largely the same as before, with personalized recommendations and helpful context like Rotten Tomatoes scores for movies. There are also new AI features, including generative AI screensavers for when the device is in ambient mode. You can also display your Google Photos albums in this mode.

The Google TV Streamer is set to be available from September 24th. It's clear that Google has put a lot of thought into this device, balancing performance, price, and smart home features. We're excited to see how it stacks up against competitors like the Apple TV 4K. Stay tuned for our full review.