There always some something about Chromecast with Google TV that just did n’t quite feel right . Underpowered . Awkward outside control . Wi - Fi - only . That ’s not to say it was n’t tolerable as a pour twist . It was . Capable , even .
But with the new ( if funnily named)Google TV Streamer , it really feels as if Google has rectified the sinning of the yesteryear in a twist that costs twice as much as its predecessor . What it did before it now does better . And it has unexampled characteristic that should soften the C to your wallet , even if it still comes in at a price beneath Apple TV 4 K , which we still consider to be the adept streaming gimmick you may buy .
Some of those unexampled features feel bare , however . Others feel like a solution in search of a job . And that only worsen my continued complaint about Google TV as a platform — it just has too darn much kick the bucket on at any one metre .
So what ’s new in this Google TV Streamer review ? Is it deserving an rise ? And does it stand up against the surprise 2024 hit that wasWalmart ’s Onn 4 G Pro ? ( Spoiler : Pretty well , and we ’ve gravel a full face atGoogle TV Streamer versus Onn 4 K Pro . )
rent ’s dig in .
About this Google TV Streamer review
As we issue this review , I ’ve only had the Google TV Streamer for about five days . That ’s admittedly not a set of time for a review . I ’m no unknown to Google TV , however . Or Android TV before that . ( Go all the mode back to the Logitech Revue Google TV box , if we must . ) And I ’m certainly no alien to all the services we use with this kind of thing . While there ’s a good morsel raw around the edge of the Google TV Streamer , the core experience continue the same .
Google had us load three beta translation of apps for pre - release examination : the Google TV Ambient Mode app , Google TV Home app , and the Google app for Android TV .
If something unexpected soda pop up in our further examination , we ’ll update this review .
Google TV Streamer specs
None of the canonical specs for the Google TV Streamer should be surprising , save for the processor , maybe , which has switched to MediaTek . Here are the encompassing strokes :
The new look and feel
Perhaps the biggest change with the Google TV Streamer is that this no longer is a dongle that will dangle behind your tv . It ’s meant to be out in the open air . That potentially could be problematic depending on how you have things go up , I suppose . But it ’s also likely nothing you could n’t fix with some Command Strips if it comes to that .
The change has as much to do with two new characteristic as it does any other account , such as giving engineers more blank in which to work . The Google TV Streamer now has Ethernet — that requires a bigger body — and it now plump for Matter and Thread for smart - home feature of speech . I ’ll get to those bits in a mo .
There ’s really not a whole plenty to expect at here . The design language does n’t really set off fromChromecast With Google TV . Still somewhat flat . Still pretty thin , even though the surfboard - shaped top ( maybe more skateboard - corresponding ? ) misrepresent the actual heaviness of the gadget .
Any veridical business enterprise is being down in the back . There ’s a USB - C port for might ( and whatever uncanny dongle / adapter situation you might want to judge out , should you call for outside storage or anything ) , the Gb Ethernet port , HDMI porthole ( Google say to utilize a HDMI 2.1 cable , which you ’ll have to cater yourself ) , and a lowly button that very nicely select us to …
The new remote control
The other obvious — though I would n’t call it massive — change is the removed command . It ’s a short bigger , for a better feeling in the mitt , Google says . I hold . It still has the same sort of lustrelessness credit card that the Chromecast distant sports , and this new remote control has already picked up a few odd streak and eyeglasses from basic use . It ’s still powered by a distich of AAA batteries . And while I do n’t think I ’d call it my favorite outside controller out of the dozen or so I have at base ( I really should do something about that ) , it ’s definitely better .
The most authoritative change is that the volume buttons have move from their ill-chosen location on the side to a properly sized two - button layout on the face of the remote . And the Home button is now where the Google Assistant push once experience . Whether you concord the remote in your leftover script or your rightfulness , that puts the Home button in a better place , and makes the volume buttons more accessible . Good change , both .
You also now get a programmable clitoris , which in reality made its debut to begin with this year on the remote control for the Onn 4 K Pro . Sometimes refer to as the “ Magic Button ” — which I shall not be calling it — the Google TV Streamer let you to opt one of three function for that push button , instead of the two on the Onn 4 K Pro . you could still fructify it to set in motion a specific app , or to allow you to change inputs on your television receiver . Or you’re able to have it launch the new Google Home incision of Google TV . ( Again , you ’re function to have to wait a little more on this part . We ’re take to it , I promise . )
The two brand button — YouTube and Netflix — still work as before . The YouTube clitoris still lets you choose whether you want YouTube right , YouTube TV , or YouTube Music to be the default military action . ( If you have the app installed , that is . )
Recall that release on the back of the Google TV Streamer ? That ’s a one - sense of touch toggle switch to set off the Find My Remote feature . Hit it , and the remote set out chirping via a ( unexampled ! ) speaker on its underside . You also can activate that feature from within the Google Home app on a phone , or use your phonation with Google Assistant on any other representative - capable equipment . Hitting the button on the back of the Google TV Streamer is simple enough , though .
Smart home control
As anticipate , here comes the smart home part of the Google TV Streamer . I ’m going to fall apart it down into two parts : There ’s the clobber you could actually see and use , and the stuff that does thing in the background that you ’ll sort of never really see .
The Home panel
Google Home has come to Google TV Streamer . Not that it has n’t been in the past times . You could always habituate your voice to consider a photographic camera — “ Hey , Google , show me the pocket billiards camera , ” for case . But that was on - need stuff . Now , begin with the Google TV Streamer , Google Home has a proper , erm , home in Google TV .
The Home Panel , as it ’s also call , lives in the side card of the Google TV user interface . Google TV Streamer is the first twist on which it appears , and it ( and the AI - generate ambient art we ’ll talk about in a minute ) areheading to other Google video devices , too .
The well-fixed manner to get the Home Panel is to hold down the Home push on the remote . Or you could go as far to the right hand as you could on the place sieve . ( Just keep back down the Home button , though . ) You ’ll get across through to begin the apparatus outgrowth — I was asked to verify my account , which is a good thing — and then I sire the option to in reality start the Home venire , and whether I want doorbell notifications to seem on the screen .
Blessedly , this was all the setup I had to do . ( Smart home setup can be notoriously mussy . ) straightaway I saw options for all my cameras , twinkle , and “ climate , ” which in my case means the 4th - contemporaries Nest Thermostat and its international temperature detector . It even coiffe up favorite devices for me , with the Nest Thermostat and cameras now at the quick . It ’s all really visceral and mostly well done . I can see a alive scene of my camera , and click in if I need to see them in a larger view . I can set the temperature on the Nest Thermostat — just select it , then habituate the left or correct button on the directing inkpad on the remote . Very coolheaded . Google say all the Nest Thermostats that can be controlled from the Google Home app should appear here .
I did run into a few underage issues . If you essay to click into the thermostat like you might the camera , you get a piddling message at the bottom of the screen that interpret “ extra actions are not confirm on telecasting . ” That ’s kind of automatonlike and clumsy , but OK .
Viewing cameras is big , but that ’s all I could do . I could n’t in reality control any of them . If a camera was off , it stayed off . If it was on , I could n’t turn it off . sound out “ turn on the pool camera ” to the distant controller brings up connect television on YouTube . Not helpful in the slightest . So you ’ll still necessitate another gadget to portion out with that , if necessary . And if a camera is off , why show it at all in the darling ? Google tells me that ’s by design . Because the TV remote is a communal equipment — theoretically anyone can pick it up and do whatever with it — Google does n’t want any random somebody to be able to reverse cameras off or on . I ’d care to see that be an choice , though , given that these are typically devices that will be used in homes .
And while you may hear what ’s buy the farm on in front of the photographic camera just fine , you ca n’t react to anyone like you may from a phone . That ’d be a nice feature to have , given that the Google TV Streamer remote has a mike .
And perhaps it ’s a little thing , but the notifications for the latest - generation of Nest Doorbells struggle a turn . The latest models record video in a upright 4:3 aspect ratio , which then gets squeezed to within an inch of its now horizontal life in the telling that pops up when someone rings the bell . summate to that the seven - second or so delay I have — plus the fact that you get more of a time - lapse preview and not real - time video — and it ’s a pretty worthless experience . I ’ll just get up and take care out the window rather .
At least when you go into the Home Panel the live view from the various Nest cameras will come out in their right aspect proportion . The doorbell is a vertical 4:3 , while other photographic camera have much smaller 16:9 horizontal windows .
Matter and Thread
I hate talking about smart house protocol . They ’re the sort of thing that normal consumers — a fine human being such as yourself — really should n’t take to know . Either a product works with something , or it doesn’t . affair is a protocolthat allows gimmick from vie companies actually play nicely together . And Google TV Streamer supports Matter .
That means an appurtenance — say , a light or a lock or a tv camera — that plunk for Matter will definitely exploit with Google TV Streamer and can use it as a way to become a part of Google Home . Very cool . Most of my smart home accessories already worked just alright with Google Home , but it ’s nice to acknowledge supporting is finally becoming more universal .
But Matter support goes both ways . It mean Google TV Streamer will be visible to other devices that hold Matter . That ’s where thing get a piffling mussy , though I ’ll caveat this next bit by saying if you ’re only in the Google ecosystem there ’s a undecomposed opportunity none of this will apply , and you’re able to skip on down to the next section . If you ’re a chic home ( fool ) buff and love the mussy variety of nature of the business , though , say on .
I have a bunch of Apple clobber at home , in accession to all my Google gear . That includesApple tv set 4 K , which also supports thing . ( I imagine this sort of scenario would apply toSamsung ’s Smart Things , too . ) As I was doing the initial setup of Google TV Streamer , I was asked if I wanted to “ Add machine to iOS meshwork . ” To be clear , this was an option in the Google Home app setup process . I allege “ yes , ” and now Google TV Streamer shows up as aHomeKitaccessory . Intriguing .
I was really curious what I could possibly control on the Google TV Streamer via HomeKit . turn out it identifies as some sort of toggle switch , with power , dramatic play / pause , gambol / stop , and mute list as actions . Only , none of them actually seemed to bring . They show up as switches . I can toggle them . And they do nothing .
Was this at all utilitarian ? No . Was it interesting ? Slightly .
One big question I do have is how well it work with things like non - Google camera . Since I do n’t have any here , I do n’t roll in the hay . But if the integrating with my Philips Hue light is any indication , it should be fine .
By the way of life , I have n’t mentioned Thread , which Google TV Streamer also support . It ’s even more of an invisible communications protocol ( on which Matter is build up ) and fundamentally lets gadget that use it let the cat out of the bag to each other right away , on the far compass of your habitation Wi - Fi web and without some other hub . That ’s all you need to know .
Ambient mode and screensavers
Screensavers stay a fairly important lineament on this form of machine , as they give you a direction to wrench a magnanimous , otherwise unused TV ( when you ’re not look out anything ) into a way to showcase artwork of various sort .
Google ’s has gotten pretty upright over the years . If you ’re using Google Photos , it ’s simple to have it display a specific album , or you may have it curate exposure for you . And , as always , there ’s a pre - pick out Art Gallery option , which is also nice . But new this time around is tradition AI artwork , very much in the same venous blood vessel aswhat Amazon is doing on Fire television receiver .
You ’ll recover this in the Ambient Display options . Google has a few sampling AI image that you may go ahead and habituate if you need , but it ’s really hoping you ’ll make your own via a voice prompt .
Some of the preinstalled samples bet more real than others . The New York - style street scene could befool folks . Same for the flowers . The forest houri or underwater scenes ? Probably not .
It was fun for a few minutes to attempt to create my own . But it also started to find like work . Maybe I ’m just not unspoiled at coming up with prompts . perchance my mind just is n’t originative like that . But I just did n’t feel like anyone needed my custom prompting to occur up with a fairly generic beach scenery . But Google has an resolution for that , too , with suggest prompt like “ airbrushed , ” “ semitransparent , ” “ landscape , ” and “ fanciful ” — as if this was n’t all imaginary . You go through a kind of Mad Libs workflow and end up with something that looks pretty cool . Or looks like generic AI - generated art . Or you’re able to just hit “ invigorate me ” and it ’ll just make something random .
I ’ve also been accused of not being fun , though . If you ’re into AI art , this should be fun .
What it’s like to use
get ’s go back to the beginning . I have n’t talked about the setup process or Google TV itself because other than the Google Home panel and AI - generated ambient fine art , there ’s really nothing new in the magisterial scheme of thing . It ’s essentially exactly like you ’ve come in to know and love ( or brook ) on Chromecast with Google TV , or the Onn 4 K Pro , or any of the numerous TVs that employ Google TV as their operating arrangement .
Once you have everything up and running ( and I still extremely recommend using a speech sound to set it all up ) , there are a few things deserving observe .
First is that Google TV Streamer isalready running Android 14 , with the August 1 , 2024 , security patch . Neither Chromecast nor the Onn 4 K Pro are that up to appointment yet . I did n’t see any genuine seeable deviation using the beta apps listed at the top of this review , other than to add the AI - generation Ambient Display screensavers as an option in configurations .
secondly is that while this is a gimmick with 32 GB of on - circuit board storage , I only had 23 GB available after first the boot , and that ’s out of 26 GB that are really leave behind over for any sort of consumption . That admit all the streaming apps I had it go in the lead and download as part of the setup process . For what it ’s deserving , that ’s the same as what I have with the Onn 4 K Pro . It ’s just part of the path Android - based devices work .
You might also need to decide if you desire to only use Wi - Fi , or if you ’ll use Ethernet . I have a gigabit fiber connexion at home plate , going through an . Using theAnaliti stop number test app , I was easily experience telegraph downstream speeds at at least 600Mbps to 700Mbps , and around half that ( maybe a fiddling less ) on Wi - Fi . Google TV Streamer stand Wi - Fi 5 ( which is 802.11ac , for those of us who loathe the new naming conventionalism ) . So long as you do n’t have any bottlenecks , either should be more than enough to essentially stream anything you desire . If you have the option to plug in with Ethernet , I ’d do so , just because . ( And especially if you ’re move to be watching movie file on a local waiter that you definitely acquired de jure . ) But for most folk ? So long as your ISP ’s cyberspace speed is decent and your router support it ? Wi - Fi should be enough fast .
Doing the usual Google TV - type things went just as it always has . I watched a smattering of thing , from bouncy stuff and nonsense on Google TV , to 4 K contentedness on Netflix and Disney+ , plus a levelheaded social disease of YouTube right . thing switched from SDR to HDR and HLG and Dolby Vision without my having to worry about it . Audio in Dolby Atmos was recognized by my soundbar . In other words , same as it ever was .
The competition
I mentioned before that the overall experience of using the Google TV Streamer really is n’t unlike other current twist . If you ’ve used Google TV at all over the past few years , you already cognize what to anticipate .
The difference really are at the edges . For example : The Onn 4 K Pro has an usable always - listen mike so you could holler voice command at it without need the outback control . Google TV Streamer does n’t . But it does , however , have gigabit Ethernet , whereas Onn 4 K Pro tops out at 10/100 speeds . If a faster pumped association matters to you , go with the more expensive Google TV Streamer .
Chromecast is lacking in almost every fashion , except one — it ’s lowly . I ’ve already write that I ’m going tokeep a Chromecast in my travel bagfor hotel employment because it ’s little and more portable . ( And because I already have it . ) I ’m possibly not go to defend that take quite as strongly as I thought I would . Yes , Google TV Streamer is a good second bigger than a Chromecast . But it ’s not so big that I ’d have to leave something else at home . That tell , Google has been passably clear that Google TV Streamer is replacing Chromecast . ( Even though both are usable as of this writing . )
Should you buy it?
I have dead no reasonableness to not recommend Google TV Streamer . If that maybe does n’t sound like a full - throated recommendation , it ’s not quite how you should take it . So far , in my early use , it ’s definitely been smoother and a honorable chip faster than Chromecast with Google TV . It ’s at least marginally better than theOnn 4 K Pro , which costs half as much .
For my money , I ’d buy Google TV Streamer because it ’s novel . Because it ’s belike function to keep the attention of Google longer than an older machine . I ’d buy it for Matter and Thread and the new Google Home features . ( And as a reminder , we do n’t yet jazz if they ’ll be available on other equipment anytime soon . ) And I ’d buy it because it ’s Google , and I ’m a brand snob like that .
I ’d also purchase it because it ’s the next generation of smart streaming twist for the Android crew , though it certainly is n’t only meant for them . ( I lay mine up with an iPhone . ) But I ’d also purchase it knowing that Google TV itself is still trying to do right smart too much at once , bludgeoning users with choice — that now include move your own AI - generated screenland rescuer — instead of just give them a simple way to watch the thing they want to watch , whether it ’s a movie or a show or a security camera or doorbell .
And , sure , I ’d grease one’s palms Google TV Streamer because in the busy world of rain buckets TV platform , Google TV utterly still hold its own among the four major options .
