Google’s newest streaming device, the hotly anticipated Google TV Streamer, has finally gone on sale, replacing the old Chromecast dongles as the company’s flagship TV device.
To coincide with the launch of the Google TV Streamer, the company also announced a significant update to the Google TV operating system, with a revamped Home interface and new AI functionality.
On the same day, Google’s biggest rival in the streaming device market, Roku, also announced a new device that’s set to go head-to-head with the Google TV Streamer.
Google first unveiled the Google TV Streamer last month, and the most notable aspect was the new design, with the company ditching its popular dongles for a sleek, stylish yet minimal streaming box.
Noticeably bigger and also more expensive, the Google TV Streamer does at least offer a few new capabilities, including 4K resolution, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. It can also double as a Thread and Matter hub for those who want a centralised portal for controlling their smart home devices.
Perhaps the biggest improvement over the Chromecast with Google TV 4K dongle is the more powerful processor. In addition, the Google TV Streamer comes with Android TV 14 preinstalled, as well as the old, built-in Chromecast function. It also has a bigger remote, featuring a new “Magic” button that can be configured by the user as a shortcut to their favourite streaming service or app.
The Google TV Streamer can be purchased via Amazon now in the U.K (priced at £99), the U.S. ($99) and Europe (€89).
The Google TV Streamer will ship with the latest version of Google TV, which provides quite a few nice updates and is also coming to other Google TV devices.
The most noticeable change is the new Home interface, which provides controls for checking the status of compatible smart home devices such as lights, thermostats and cameras, Google said. So you’ll be able to use the device to see who’s ringing the doorbell, and control all of those smart home gadgets using the voice-enabled remote control.
There’s also an upgraded ambient screensaver, enabling users to use voice prompts to create their own designs, which will appear when the TV is left on but idle. Google Assistant can also conjure up some interesting screensavers based on whatever photos you’ve uploaded onto the device.
Elsewhere, there’s a new Sports page in the For You tab, which makes it simpler to find live sports events through Google TV and watch highlights on YouTube. There’s also a new channel guide for the Google TV Freeplay interface, which makes it easier to find things to watch on the 150+ free live TV channels offered through the platform – although, this is only available to U.S. users.
Google lists the full range of new features in its latest blog post, where it also discusses the growth of the Google TV platform, coming to the new art gallery-style TVs made by Hisense and TCL, as well as smart projectors sold by the likes of Epson and XGIMI.
In an effort to shift some of the attention away from Google’s new device, Roku elected to launch its latest media player, the 2024 Roku Ultra, on the same day. Also not a dongle, it’s another stylish set-top box style device that boasts a faster chip inside, HDMI 2.1 ports, Quick-Media Switching, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
As with Google's new device, it’s the new processor that’s likely to get users most excited, with Roku claiming that its quad-core chip is 30% faster than the one found in its existing devices.
That should ensure faster streaming and more responsiveness for the latest Roku Ultra, which supports 4K content at up to 60Hz, plus all four of the main HDR formats – namely, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision on board. The device is specified as HDMI 2.1b, but the bandwidth is no greater than standard HDMI 2.0 interfaces.
The addition of QMS support is an interesting feature, as it means that the 2024 Roku Ultra is only the second media device in the world to support the ability to switch refresh rates in a seamless way, without any interruption to the picture. According to Roku, QMS provides “seamless, judder-free transitions between different refresh rates or content sources on premium TVs.”
Just like Google, Roku has also created a new remote control to go with its newest device. The Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition) features backlit buttons for improved visibility at night, and a lost remote feature that makes it simple to find it by saying “Hey Roku, where’s the remote?”. There’s also a new Quick Launch button, which is much like the new Magic Button on Google’s remote, enabling users to create a personalised shortcut for their favourite apps, or else other functions, such as switching the subtitles on and off.
Interestingly, the latest Roku Ultra media player not only matches the Google TV Streamer in terms of feature parity, but also with its pricing, with the device on sale now in the U.S. for $99.99.
