Google TV Streamer review | Tom’s Guide

Google TV Streamer features

Dimension: 6.4 x 3 x 1 inch
Resolution: Up to 4K HDR, 60 FPS
Supported video: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Supported audio: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth® 5.1
Memory: 4GB
To store: 32GB
Ports: Ethernet, USB-C, HDMI 2.1

How do you differentiate yourself from the best streaming devices when, frankly, they all do pretty much the same thing? If you’re Google, that doesn’t just mean redesigning the stick itself into something else entirely, it also means redesigning the interface to make it more of a hub for all your smart home devices, and adding a bit of AI too.

The Google TV Streamer is a solid step forward, but at $99, it’s twice as expensive as the current generation and on the pricier side of most products. best streaming devicesIs it worth the premium or an upgrade over the existing Chromecast with Google TV? After using the device for a few days, I think it’s worth it, especially if you’re invested in the Google Home ecosystem.

Google TV Streamer review: Price and availability

The Google TV Streamer goes on sale tomorrow (September 24) for $99 / £99 / AU$159. It’s available in porcelain white or hazel grey. There are no other storage options, but the included 32GB is four times the price of the $49 model. Chromecast with Google TVreplaced by.

Google TV Streamer review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

The Google TV Streamer measures about 6 inches by 3 inches and is 1 inch at its thickest point. It has a sleek, wedge-like shape, but it instantly reminded me of a doorstop. There are no lights on the front (a small status light would be a nice addition for future models), but there is an Ethernet port, HDMI, and USB-C for power on the back.

There’s a small button on one side; when pressed, it will play a multi-tone chime on the remote, and I found it loud enough that I could hear it even with the remote buried in my couch cushions. The chime doesn’t stop until I press a button on the remote itself. The only other remote with a similar feature is the one found on the Roku Ultra.

(Image credit: Future)

Google has also given its remote a bit of a makeover. It has the same rounded design, but it’s a bit longer than before. The biggest improvement is that the volume controls are now on the front of the remote, rather than on the side — where they’ve always been.

Just below the circular d-pad is a Back button and a Home button; perhaps realising that not many people use voice commands, Google has moved the Assistant button to the second row and it’s no longer a different colour to the other buttons. Below that is the Mute button and Netflix and YoutubeAt the bottom, there’s a small power button and a Shortcut button. You can configure these to quickly go to the Home control panel, a favorite app, or toggle device inputs.

Google TV Streamer review: Setup

(Image credit: Future)

Since the TV Streamer is no longer a dongle like the old Chromecast, you’ll need to find some space on a table in front of your TV. It also means there will be a wire visible unless you can run an HDMI cable through your wall.

After plugging the device into your TV, you complete the setup process via the Google Home app, connect it to your account, and select the streaming services you subscribe to.

In total, the whole thing took about 15 minutes. The two longest parts were spent waiting for the device to set itself up — the progress bar moved painfully — and then I had to sign back in to all my streaming apps. It would be great if you could transfer all your data from one device to another, but I suspect most people don’t switch streaming devices as often as I do.

Google TV Streamer review: Performance and interface

(Image credit: Future)

There aren’t many changes to the revamped interface, but Google is working to offer more personalized recommendations in the For You tab. There’s also a new Sports page that shows live and upcoming games, as well as related content like sports-themed movies. Overall, I didn’t have much trouble navigating and finding what I wanted to watch, but I did tend to go to each app and browse content.

Google also uses it Gemini to create mini-reviews of movies and shows, and to summarize what critics (both professional and non-professional) thought of the show. Some plot summaries, like the one for “Lost,” are as long and confusing as the show itself. All in all, I found them to be nice to have, but after skimming through a few, I’m not sure how much of an impact they’ll have on my decision to watch or not.

I installed Google TV Streamer on the same TV that I have a Chromecast with Google TV on, and switched between the two to test their responsiveness by swiping through menus as fast as I could. I didn’t notice much difference between the two devices; both were pretty fast, with occasional lag.

Google TV Streamer review: Screen saver

(Image credit: Future)

When setting up the screensaver, you can choose from your Google Photos albums, an Art Gallery, or a gallery called Experimental, which says “Try new sources and content.” When I tested it, the only option I could select was “Low-bandwidth content,” and that was just a slideshow of very beautiful places around the world.

You can even choose how long each image is visible, and if the photo is in portrait mode, you can select the option to show two portrait photos side by side.

You can also turn on weather and time information, and choose between Celsius, Fahrenheit, or both. I really liked the photo album – it brought back a bunch of forgotten photos from when my daughter was a baby.

AI Image Generator

Also fun is the new Imagen 3-powered AI image generator, which lets you create hilarious results based on your input. I had it create images of a cat riding a unicorn with lasers shooting out of its eyes, forest creatures eating pizza, and more. I let my kid experiment, and it was hard to tear myself away from him as he came up with even more creative ideas.

It’s not perfect; when I asked him to create a hot air balloon filled with cats over Paris, many images featured the cats’ melted Dali-like faces, or the balloon itself was made of cats. And, like my wife’s request for a “zombie unicorn chased by a wolf,” it can produce real nightmare fuel.

(Image credit: Future)

However, there are limits to what it can create. I tried to make it “Hitler getting punched by Captain America” but got this error message: “No such image can be created at this time. Try rephrasing your description or creating a different image. Please note that people cannot create images that contain harmful or explicit content.”

Google TV Streamer review: Smart home controls

(Image credit: Future)

Controlling your smart home from your streaming device is nothing new—you can already do it on every major platform—but Google TV Streamer stands out with a new dashboard that lets you control all your streams. Google smart home devices without having to give voice commands.

At the top of the Google Home panel on my TV was a grouping for smart lights; below that were thumbnails for security cameras, my Ecobee thermostat, and other connected devices. If you have a home security camera connected, the side panel will show you a live image; clicking the thumbnail will expand the image to fill your TV screen. It was fairly quick to refresh — I only noticed a half-second or so of lag.

If you have smart lights connected, you can also dim them from the interface itself — my only limitation was that I could only see its status. Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premiumand don’t adjust the temperature. I suspect this will change in the future.

(Image credit: Future)

The Streamer also has a Thread Border router, so you can use it to connect compatible smart home devices to your Wi-Fi network. However, I wish it worked as a true hub like the Apple TV. 4K.

While Fire TV devices offer a similar level of access to your smart home gear (you can get a live feed of your security cameras, for example), you have to ask. Alexa There is no dashboard for each of them where you can see everything at a glance.

Roku also has its own ecosystem of small smart home devices, which you can control from its own streaming sticks, too. They’re all rebranded Wyze products, but they’re among the best cheap security cameras and video doorbells.

Google TV Streamer review: Conclusion

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If you’re trying to decide between Google TV Streamer and $139 Amazon Fire TV Cube or $149 Apple TV 4K With Thread support, one of the biggest factors should be your choice of smart home platform. If you’re fully committed to Alexa, the Fire TV Cube might make more sense, while HomeKit users should opt for the Apple TV 4K. You might also want to consider the $99 Roku UltraIt also has a lost remote finder and our favorite ad-free streaming interface.

But Google TV Streamer — and the upgrades to Google Home itself — are making the smart home ecosystem more compelling. Being able to easily browse and control your smart home devices is really useful. I think the competition will follow suit soon.

It feels like Google is being cautious about integrating Gemini into TV Streamer, but the improved summaries are nice and the ability to make your own AI-generated screensavers is a lot of fun. I wish the device was compact enough to fit behind my TV, but it’s a nice upgrade for a device that should last as long as the previous generation.