TV boxes —
The rebranded device appears better in every way but the price.
This is Google's new streaming box, the Google TV Streamer. It's meant to sit on your media console instead of hanging from your TV's USB port like the Chromecast.
The remote comes with a lot of the standard features you'd expect from this kind of device now: a button to trigger voice control, a remote finder system, and so on.
As you can see in this screenshot of the interface, you can get summaries or reviews of TV episodes using Google Gemini.
Google is discontinuing the Chromecast brand and pulling its Chromecast hardware off the market after 11 years, but it's not leaving the streaming device business.
Rather, it's launching a new product called the Google TV Streamer that competes with high-end streaming boxes like the Apple TV or the Roku Ultra.
The new device is not a direct replacement for the Chromecast dongles, though, as it has a different design and is substantially more expensive. Google is replacing 2020's $50 4K Chromecast with Google TV USB dongle with an HDMI set-top box that costs $100.
Google is also discontinuing the HD-only Chromecast variant that launched at a lower $30 price point in 2022. It remains a possibility that Google will introduce a cheaper, HD-only version of this new set-top box, but we haven't heard anything about that just yet.
The adage that you get what you pay for rings true, though, as the Google TV Streamer is superior to the Chomecast with Google TV in almost every way that matters.
The new device includes a processor that claims to be up to 22 percent faster than before, with twice as much RAM (4GB) and four times the storage (32GB).
It supports 4K streaming at 60 fps with an HDMI 2.1a port. There's HDR support (Dolby Vision) and spatial audio (Dolby Atmos). The device adds several amenities that weren't available in the dongles, like an Ethernet port.
However, it's important to note that it does not ship with an HDMI cable in the box, so you might need to buy one in addition to the $100 sticker price. (Many folks already have HDMI cables lying around, though, so that won't be a problem for everyone.)
As you might expect, the new device is loaded with Google Gemini AI features. Google claims in a blog post that the Streamer can summarize or review TV episodes or even whole seasons for you on command and that it can build customized watchlists from recommendations for every member of your household. Google's AI powers content suggestions across the device's software.
Announced alongside a new Nest Learning Thermostat, the Streamer is part of Google's initiative to revitalize interest in the Nest line of smart home products. As such, it works not just as a video streaming device but as a smart home hub, with Thread and Matter integration; you can use the Streamer to control either Google Home or Matter-compliant devices, such as cameras or thermostats.
As for the Thread support, the Streamer includes a built-in Thread border router to improve connectivity.
The Google TV Streamer began preorders today and starts shipping to buyers on September 26.
Listing image by Google