Google TV Streamer Announced as Chromecast Replacement and Rival to Apple TV 4K

Google has announced the Google TV Streamer, a new device that replaces the Chromecast and directly rivals the Apple TV 4K.

google tv
The discontinuation of the Chromecast marks the end of an era for Google's original streaming dongle, which has been a staple in the market since its launch in 2013. Over 100 million Chromecast devices were sold during its 11-year run. The Google TV Streamer is positioned as a high-end replacement for the Chromecast, promising to deliver a next-generation, AI-powered streaming experience while also functioning as a central hub for smart home devices.

The Google TV Streamer provides access to over 700,000 movies and shows through popular streaming apps like YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney+, and ‌Apple TV‌, as well as live TV with over 800 free channels. One of the standout features is the AI-powered content recommendation system, which uses Google's Gemini technology to curate personalized watchlists and provide detailed summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns of content.

The Google TV Streamer features a faster processor, double the memory, and 32GB of storage. It supports 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

The Google TV Streamer is available in two colors: Porcelain and Hazel, with the latter being exclusive to the U.S. Google Store. The device is intended to sit in front of the TV, rather than behind it, to improve connectivity with smart home devices. The Google TV Streamer supports Matter and includes a built-in Thread border router, which enhances the connectivity and response times of smart home devices like locks and motion sensors.

The redesigned voice remote features improved ergonomics with a textured back for better grip and an optimized button layout. It includes a customizable button that can be programmed to open a favorite app, switch inputs, or launch the Google Home panel. The remote also has a built-in "find my remote" feature, allowing users to locate it by voice command or by pressing a button on the back of the device.

The Google TV Streamer is positioned to rival high-end streaming devices such as the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K. While the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K offers similar features like 4K HDR and Dolby Vision support, the Google TV Streamer is priced more competitively at $99.99 compared to the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K's starting price of $129. The Google TV Streamer includes Ethernet connectivity as standard, but it lacks the additional storage options that the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K provides, with Apple offering both 64GB and 128GB models.

The Google TV Streamer is now available for pre-order, with shipping set to begin on September 24, 2024.

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Top Rated Comments

Skyscraperfan Avatar
9 months ago
I do not need AI to recommend me stuff. I prefer getting no recommendations at all and decide for myself what to watch.

All that AI hype starts to get annoying. If AI finds a way how to fight cancer, it becomes interesting.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
9 months ago
Haven’t even used it and I can say that I still think the Apple TV is probably worth the extra $30.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Graphikos Avatar
9 months ago
The "Google TV Streamer". They are really good at product names, eh?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
9 months ago

I do not need AI to recommend me stuff. I prefer getting no recommendations at all and decide for myself what to watch.

All that AI hype starts to get annoying. If AI finds a way how to fight cancer, it becomes interesting.
Given that what AI is good at is ingesting a very large, specific data set and then clearly answering questions about that data, it may well help find out how to fight cancer. I sure hope so.

What's serving us ads isn't AI, it's the same old crap they've always used. "Recommendations" are recommended based on who paid for the ad, they don't care what we want. Maybe vague targeting by genre but that's about it.

That's why I don't understand how Google still makes billions out of this surveillance economy. They want to know everything about us, but the ads I see are all still for junk and scams or the obvious thing I was going to do without it being advertised at me in the first place. The ads are still bad after all these years.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr_Ed Avatar
9 months ago

The "Google TV Streamer". They are really good at product names, eh?
True enough, but it’s not as if average consumers are not confused by names like “Apple TV” and “Apple TV+” ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
9 months ago

Haven’t even used it and I can say that I still think the Apple TV is probably worth the extra $30.
I can't safely make that assumption anymore. Apple TV used to have two advantages. It was clearly faster, and it had no ads.

This device will probably be about as fast, at least for a while. And Apple themselves is lowering the bar on the ads. This device will probably have worse ads, at first. But let's see how much Apple shoots themselves in the foot on that one. This last quarter's services revenue is too powerful. They're going to have to figure out how to top it three months from now.

I'm guessing I'm going to be seeing even more of Messi's face where I don't want it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)