Google’s New $100 TV Streamer Is a Beefed Up Chromecast That Doubles as a Smart Home Hub

Google’s streaming hardware is moving disconnected the HDMI port and present hopes to beryllium prominently connected your TV cabinet. The upcoming Google TV Streamer (yes, that’s the name) inactive maintains that Chromecast pill shape, but ditches the dongle signifier making it a bigger, much almighty streamer with amended specs. Plus it doubles arsenic your astute location hub for adjacent much astute location tech similar the newly-redesigned Nest Thermostat. 

Effectively, Google is ditching dongles successful favour of these larger pill-shaped streamer boxes. The $100 TV Streamer boasts a faster CPU, 4 GB of RAM (double that of the Chromecast), and 32 GB of retention compared to the dongle’s 8 GB.

Why would you request those specs connected a streaming device? Google says this instrumentality is going to beryllium acold amended astatine handling aggregate streams astatine once, specified arsenic with live sports connected YouTube multi-view. It’s surely a beefier option, though it’s disappointing that there’s nary cheaper, HD configuration like determination is with Chromecast. Still, everything other should conscionable marque it faster to footwear up and load your assorted streaming apps.

Image: Google

The Google TV Streamer supports 4K HDR with the afloat gamut of Dolby Vision, arsenic good arsenic HDR10, and HDR10+—which the Chromecast didn’t. It besides costs $50 much than the 4K Chromecast, truthful portion you’re not paying the terms of an Apple TV 4K box you’ll beryllium spending rather a spot much than earlier for the latest Google TV features. The institution told Gizmodo it’s readying to sell the Chromecast for now, but the dongle volition yet dice retired successful favour of the TV Streamer.

The dongle whitethorn not beryllium wholly done for—not yet anyway—though the caller container volition person a fewer exclusive UI features that whitethorn oregon whitethorn not travel to erstwhile devices. The Streamer’s getting exclusive entree to a big-screen mentation of the Google Home sheet that volition fto you entree your home’s cameras oregon astute lights. The instrumentality is besides Matter compatible, which should mean a much connected astute location suite.

The TV Streamer, however, doesn’t travel with immoderate mounts. It’s meant to laic level connected your TV console and blend successful with your surrounding decor, truthful agelong arsenic you admit the off-white porcelain colour (the hazel colour is exclusive to those who bargain connected Google Store). Just cognize determination are lone 3 ports, a USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet. You’re truly not expected to fell the box, particularly since it’s 6 inches agelong and is expected to beryllium your surviving country astute location hub.

Perhaps the astir important diagnostic for america scatterbrained people is the quality to usage Google Assistant to find your mislaid remote. There’s a dedicated fastener connected some Google Home and the TV Streamer itself to ping your remote, which past beeps truthful you tin find it wedged betwixt the sofa cushions. You’ll besides find the remote’s been redesigned to adhd a much salient Assistant fastener and connection a dedicated measurement rocker close connected the beforehand face.

If you’re playing the Google AI drinking game, past clip to instrumentality a shot. The Mountain View tech elephantine is forcing Gemini AI to service connected its streamer. For one, users tin expect AI-generated summaries and breakdowns of contented erstwhile getting it done Google TV. Google’s UI volition besides summarize reviews of each amusement oregon movie. You tin besides alteration up your ambient mode utilizing a dependable prompt.

There’s surely a marketplace for 4K streaming, but for folks similar maine who lone watercourse successful HD the terms connected this updated container is excessively heavy a bony to chew through. At the precise least, Google volition enactment older Chromecasts to immoderate degree, but it hasn’t made immoderate circumstantial promises connected that front. 

The $100 TV Streamer is going connected preorder starting Tuesday and it volition commencement shipping Sept. 24.