Google TV Streamer Review: Your Home’s New ‘Big Hub’ [Video]

Four years after Google TV debuted on a less-powerful but still acceptable 4K Chromecast, we finally have the sequel we’ve been waiting for: our Google TV Streamer review.

Designed for the home

There’s a limit to what renders and press photos can tell you about a product. It’s only when you pick it up and use it yourself that you can truly ascertain what it’s all about. I say this because the Google TV Streamer, while appealing for its simplicity, actually looks a lot cheaper than I’d initially expected.

The chassis is very plasticky, and I was kind of expecting it to mimic the rubbery feel of the Pixel Stand or the Pixel Tablet docking station. While it does have a smooth plastic feel, it’s very dense and feels super sturdy. Thankfully, the base is rubberized, so it should stick to a surface once you’ve found the perfect spot under your TV. I say “under your TV” because Google also suggests that’s the sweet spot for this new hardware. A heavy HDMI cable could cause a bit of an imbalance, for what it’s worth, so choose your cables wisely.

I am in the UK, where we only have one colour option to choose from: porcelain.

It’s an off-white, almost creamy color, which is a far cry from the bright white of the Chromecast with Google TV. However, toning down the color makes a lot of sense for the Google TV Streamer, since it’s clearly designed to blend in with your home decor. A bright white box might pop a little more, and the rounded wedge shape feels more like a little ornament than a brand-new piece of technology.

My colleague Ben has the “Hazel” color, a gray option with just a hint of green that’s even less noticeable in a warm-lit room than the renderings suggest. His wife says it’s not actually green at all. But that might help it blend in with some decor or next to a soundbar. It’s a shame it’s not sold more widely: Even in the U.S., it’s a Google Store exclusive.

My only frustration is that this new design is a far cry from the tried-and-true Chromecast, which plugs into the back of your TV and only shows up when you need to fix a problem or, in this case, get an update. The Google TV Streamer is harder to hide, which likely contributed to the understated design choices to try to better integrate it into different environments. While the Nest Hub or Home Hub are useful on a counter or other surface, a blob-shaped box looks more out of place on its own.

Initially, for the setup process, I left it on my TV stand and held it next to an old Home Hub in a thinly veiled attempt to “hide” it from view. Then I haphazardly threw it behind my TV in a space between it and the wall. I still believe that a TV streaming stick or box should be out of sight and out of mind. Credit where credit is due, the Google TV Streamer looks better than the boxy, overly “techy” looking alternatives, but it will do the same thing: stream my TV shows and movies.

While I’m seemingly cynical about the size and shape of the Google TV Streamer, I really like the styling. It’s in line with the rest of Google’s product portfolio. In fact, it looks like an obvious evolution of the more recent Chromecast.

For anyone wondering about heat dissipation, so far I haven’t noticed the Google TV Streamer getting unusually warm or hot to the touch when streaming for hours a day. It could degrade, but so far the thermals seem solid. It’s likely due to the larger footprint.

A bigger and better remote control

The other big change is the updated remote. As soon as I took it out of the box, I knew this was the best hardware change yet. There’s the obvious size increase, but Google has made some major changes over the first-generation Google TV remote.

If you have large hands like me, the improvements are immediately noticeable. On the back, the dimple over the battery compartment now has a slightly deeper groove where you can rest your index finger for a little extra comfort and stability. It was such a small change that I didn’t even anticipate, but I love the attention to detail.

Some of the new buttons will take some getting used to. The “Home” button moving into the Google Assistant slot has destroyed my muscle memory, but having the “Back” and “Home” options just below the main navigation buttons makes sense.

The same goes for the volume controls. Now that they’re on the front of the Google TV Streamer remote, I’m not making as many incorrect volume changes or incremental adjustments. It feels like a classic remote in the best sense of the word.

The changes in button material have also changed the experience of using the new physical remote. Each button has less travel and a bit more of a “click” when you press it. However, I’m comparing this to a four-year-old Chromecast with Google TV remote that’s been put through its paces. The material on each of the buttons is noticeably less rubbery this time around. I’d compare it to a softer plastic, but it’s still a rubber composite.

Adding a dedicated button to help you find the remote is nice, but I prefer asking Assistant to “find my remote” and then hearing it beep. It’s much easier to locate the control when you’re away from the TV, and away from the likely lost spot, the couch.

One last note on the remote: the appropriately colored AAA batteries are back. Again, with the unnecessary but excellent attention to detail that I can’t help but love.

Doors and power

The larger form factor means more ports on the back of the Google TV Streamer. We’re getting a dedicated HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet cable slot, to go along with the USB-C power and expansion ports.

In the box, you get a USB-A to C cable and a USB-A power supply. I thought we’d be past USB-A by now, but this is a low-power device, so it doesn’t really matter. In fact, it only draws about 2W of power. That means you should theoretically be able to power the Google TV Streamer through a compatible USB 2.0 port on your TV. It’s worth a try before committing to fewer cables.

A lifesaver is that Google includes a high-quality 1.8 meter (~6 foot) USB-AC cable. Reaching a wall outlet shouldn’t be a problem.

If you don’t have a spare HDMI cable, you’ll need to go and get onebecause Google doesn’t ship one in the box. So while we do have more ports and more power, I’m a little bummed that the new streaming device doesn’t have the ease of simply plugging in a Chromecast with its built-in HDMI connection design.

The “new” Google TV

Google TV Streamer is yet another iteration of the impressive but not yet fully realized Google TV system. For the first time since we moved away from “Android TV,” I can confidently say that this is the best experience a first-party system has ever offered.

Right out of the box I was amazed at how much smoother the TV Streamer was to use than the Chromecast or even the Nvidia Shield TV. There’s not a millisecond of processing time when you tap or press a button.

It’s not completely lag-free, but it is Almost there is none. There is no pause or freeze when you open a movie or TV suggestion. I’ll stop short of calling it snappy, but it’s a huge improvement.

One thing that is a little frustrating, but not a big deal in general use, is the move from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6. I don’t know if the processing power helps here or if it’s just a better wireless chip, as the hangs when loading previously played YouTube videos seem to have been eliminated.

While Google hasn’t confirmed the new chipset, we do know that it’s powered by the MediaTek 8696. That’s not a particularly powerful processor. In terms of raw performance, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro remains undefeated as a “known” streaming product. Let’s put it this way: You won’t be doing much gaming with the Google TV Streamer.

While the performance increase may only be 22%, the 4GB of onboard RAM really ensures that you won’t experience slowdowns that often.

Another notable upgrade is that the Google TV Streamer comes with a whopping 23GB of usable storage right out of the box. You should be able to expand that if you really need more space, but that upgrade alone makes my USB-C hub a bit redundant. I’m glad I don’t have to suffer through shuffling apps around on external storage just to get things working as they should.

Google TV is visually identical, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s picked up a few new tricks that help tie things together more than ever before. We know the first step was to bring all your services together in one place. Now, it looks like Google is integrating your other accounts and smart home tech into the most obvious focal point of your home.

I love the Google Home integration. Checking camera feeds or controlling lights from the TV with the remote is perfect. The ability to get doorbell notifications on the TV is expertly implemented, although I’ve only tested it in hypothetical scenarios. Delivery drivers aren’t consistent enough to always press my Nest Doorbell when they drop things off.

By default, the system will prompt you to assign your Google Home account to the new “Shortcut” button on the remote. I was skeptical at first, but it’s actually been pretty helpful. I think I might change it to another app at some point, though, because I’ve found that using the Quick Settings sidebar is fine for making changes to my smart home.

Google Assistant is also quicker to respond, which makes me want to use it more. I’m curious to see if or how Gemini will trickle into the Google TV experience, but so far Assistant is doing a better job than before.

AI is playing a more integral role in Google TV Streamer, including new AI-generated summaries for recommended content. I actually wanted to hate this feature, but I can already see the value in it. Google TV is set up to put content right there in front of you. This can get overwhelming, and the sea of ​​similar stuff can be hard to sift through at times.

Getting a snippet of information about a show Google TV thinks you’ll like is better than just a title and the service you can watch that recommendation on. You get an overview of what the content is about, plus a brief synopsis of the plot. So far, this has been pretty spoiler-free, but I wonder if AI will ever ruin a movie by giving you a full synopsis. Sometimes, it’ll even give you some info about related content, which is nice if something is part of a larger series or lineage.

The “What People Are Saying” option pulls reviews from Google, critics, and even gives you an overview of any awards or accolades. I’m not sure how the AI ​​is powering these sections, but the extra info is helpful when you’re looking for the next thing you’ll give up.

Another much-vaunted AI feature is custom AI “art” screensavers. It’s essentially Pixel Studio for a larger screen. You create a prompt, and if allowed, you get a churned-out image. The prompts are more pronounced after the fallout from Pixel Studio’s initial launch, but the results are very impressive in my testing. I’m unlikely to use it, as even the nice-looking AI images are still AI sludge, but it could be fun for families and those with kids who want to create something to display on their home TV.

Google TV Streamer: The Update We’ve Been Waiting For?

While there are many important improvements and changes, the Google TV Streamer isn’t quite the powerful streaming box that many people were hoping for. However, it’s a substantial upgrade over the Chromecast with Google TV in the most important ways.

To me, this feels like the big hub that Google TV should be. Making the TV the main point of interaction for all other smart home services.

The biggest changes are the performance and storage increases, which have always been a concern for Chromecast. Sure, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro remains largely intact, but you get improved codec support and a significantly improved Google TV experience that feels more in line with the $99 entry-level price this time around.

If the price puts you off, then upgrade $50 Walmart Onn Streaming Box It might be a better fit, and on paper, it holds its own very well against Google’s flagship streaming system.

I think this is a significant upgrade over the Chromecast, but with some caveats. However, there are fewer and more reasons to be excited about the whole new first-party streaming box.

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