Google TV Streamer - Chromecast Grows Up

The other day, a work colleague was complaining about his TV.

"There's nothing really wrong with it," he said. "It's just getting a bit out of date."

I suggested he try one of the latest streaming devices. After all, if there's nothing wrong with the TV's display, it's a lot cheaper to buy a dongle or a box than to replace the whole TV.

He didn't really know what I was talking about.

So this review is especially for him.

The Google TV Streamer is quite the departure from what preceded it, the Chromecast with Google TV.

As I've discussed at length in previous articles, right from its very first iteration, Google's Chromecast dongle worked so well, was so cheap and was so easy to use, it quickly became one of those products you use as a verb - like Rollerblading or Hoovering.

While it wasn't the only way to transmit (or cast) content from your phone, tablet or computer to your TV screen, it was certainly the most widely adopted and soon that little TV icon with the lines in the corner started appearing on all sorts of apps.

This was happening just as the viewing public began to shun conventional broadcast TV in favour of on-demand streaming - an evolution that became complete in my household years ago now.

Thanks to the Chromecast, all the TV had to do was turn on and off. The content could now be provided by another device with the Chromecast linking the two.

Google eventually streamlined this process even further. The Chromecast with Google TV pretty much eliminated the need for another source device altogether. It was still a dongle, hanging from an HDMI port at the back of your telly, but now you could install and log into Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and the rest, directly on the Chromecast itself.

As more 4K content arrived, so did a 4K Chromecast with Google TV, not to mention all the high-definition, cinema-style sound options as well.

Each Chromecast upgrade came at a very reasonable price and you could have conceivably kept using the same TV through every step in its development. (Although obviously you need a 4K panel to display 4K content)

Now Google has sacrificed some of the Chromecast's extreme portability and wirelessness in favour of a faster, more reliable connection and more powerful performance all round.

As a user interface, Google TV is everywhere, including on my TV of the year, the Sony BRAVIA 9. It's easy to navigate, it's familiar - especially for Android phone users - and it now comes in its own box. Essentially, the Google TV Streamer means you can have the very latest version of Google TV on your telly, regardless of what brand that telly is.

About twice the size of the Chromecast with Google TV dongle, the Google TV Streamer is technically a set-top box... although this small, flat slab is anything but box-like.

The rear of the device is just tall enough to accommodate a full-size HDMI socket and an ethernet port so you can connect directly to your home network via landline. This should guarantee both a faster and more stable internet connection, eliminating any pesky buffering pauses that dodgy Wi-Fi might be prone to. I have to say, given the change of form factor, I was a little disappointed to find there were no ethernet or HDMI cables in the box. Maybe that's how they keep the price down.

The Google TV Streamer has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which apparently makes it 22% faster than Chromecast with Google TV. I've certainly been impressed with how snappy and fluid everything is. This alone might be a compelling reason to plug one into your television - especially if you're finding your apps are taking a long time to load or video takes a long time to start when you push play.

Another reason might be the remote control. The Streamer's remote is a little longer than last time, primarily to accomodate a full-sized volume rocker. Previously this was a much smaller control tucked away on the right-hand side and wasn't always the easiest to find with my fumbling digits. There's still not much else there though; it's fairly minimalist - still no play/pause button which means a double press of the control wheel for some apps.

However, you can access Google Assistant via the mic button, there are shortcuts for YouTube and Netflix and there's a programmable shortcut button too. This can be customised to launch your favourite app, switch inputs or even access IoT devices through Google Home. Yep, because the TV Streamer also acts as a Thread border router, you can set up and control other smart home devices like Nest security cameras and video doorbells.

As remotes go, it's still fairly wee. However, if you happen to lose it down the couch cushions or under a magazine, you can push a little button at the back of the set-top box to sound a find-me alarm. Or just ask Google.

Most importantly, you have access to the biggest TV app store around. Every app I wanted was available; from Plex to TVNZ Plus. You might need to have a little play with the settings to get the exact video and audio performance you want though. I found because of the TV and sound system I was using, choosing options like "Match content frame rate" and "Match content Dynamic Range" could prove problematic, affecting the brightness on some apps and even causing sound dropouts. After a bit of trial and error, I sorted these minor bugs out.

Oh, and I guess it goes without saying you can still cast to the TV Streamer from phone, tablet or computer, just like before. Except now you can use the remote to control the content when you do.

As you can see, if your TV just doesn't seem to be as smart as it used to be, for around NZ$175.00 you can now give it a brain transplant. And if previous devices are anything to go by, the Google TV Streamer will receive security and performance updates a lot more regularly and for a lot longer than any television I've ever used.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Google TV Streamer.