The Google TV Streamer is the following large improve to the Chromecast line

Up till now, Google’s Chromecast line has been largely targeted on making it straightforward to look at exhibits and films in your favourite large display screen. 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 residence 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 system 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 provides higher reception for its included distant and different good residence units (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 % sooner CPU, double the RAM (4GB as a substitute of 2GB) and 4 occasions extra storage (32GB complete). That may not sound like a ton, however contemplating that the earlier mannequin usually ran out of house 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 residence management heart. And similar to earlier than, there’s a built-in microphone and a button for summoning the Google Assistant.

Good residence: Changing into a correct system hub

This brings me to the Google Streamer’s improved good residence capabilities. Not solely does it help Matter, it additionally incorporates a built-in Thread border router for simply speaking with the opposite units in your home. On high of that, the TV Streamer is getting its personal model of the Google Home 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 system with out some new AI options. Due to Gemini, the TV Streamer can create customized suggestions based mostly on the sort of content material you watch and generate summaries, critiques and even season-by-season breakdowns for stuff you haven’t. There’s additionally an ambient TV mode that means that you can pull screensavers or recollections out of your Google Images library. Nonetheless, if you need one thing a bit extra distinctive, you can too use AI to generate one thing fantastical. In the meantime, if you happen to lose the distant, you’ll be able to ask the Google Assistant (not Gemini) that will help you discover it or you’ll be able to merely press the devoted button on the again of the field.

So whereas I haven’t had a lot probability to dive into its options, with the brand new TV Streamer, ultimately it appears like Google has a considerably extra succesful good residence hub that’s additionally a real rival to the Apple TV 4K and different Android-based bins just like the NVIDIA Defend TV. The Google TV Streamer prices $100 and is out there for pre-order right now with official gross sales starting September 24. Will probably be obtainable in two colours: porcelain white and hazel, the latter of which shall be obtainable solely from the Google Retailer.