Google has now officially announced its new ‘Google TV Streamer.’ As the previous rumors suggested, the streaming player sports a new design, making it more similar to a traditional set-top box than a Chromecast device.
As the rumors also suggested, the price of the Google TV Streamer is now confirmed to be $99.99 in the United States, making it twice as expensive as the Chromecast with Google TV 4K. The Google TV Streamer is available to pre-order beginning today, and will be available to purchase in Porcelain from the Google Store and other third-party retailers beginning September 24, 2024.
Google is also making a Hazel version available as well, although this colorway will only be available to purchase through the Google Store in the United States.
Part of the reason for the new design and shape is the Google TV Streamer’s focus on not just being a streaming player but also a smart home hub. In Google’s words, the Google TV Streamer “replaces Chromecast, bringing its best features to our next-generation 4K TV streaming device — but as a faster, more premium version.”
With support for both Matter and Thread, the Google TV Streamer is designed to connect and work with a wide variety of smart home devices, including locks and motion sensors. With support for the Google Home panel as well, users will be able to more easily check cameras, adjust lights and thermostats, close blinds and more.
Google TV Gets A Gemini AI Upgrade
In terms of content, users shouldn’t notice too much of a change, with the Google TV Streamer unlocking access to a typical Google TV experience that includes access to all the usual streaming app and more than 800 free channels.
Where some users may notice a difference, however, is the greater use of AI for content discovery. Thanks to the use of Gemini, users will get access to more information about titles, including full summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns.
When also coupled with user preferences, Google TV Streamer’s AI is also now better at curating content suggestions across all of the device user’s subscriptions.
Users should also notice a boost in streaming performance in general, thanks to the use of an improved processor, double the memory, and access to 32GB of storage.
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