After several weeks of leaked product shots and FCC schematic filings by the broader tech press, Google has officially released key details about its new streaming gadget, the Google TV Streamer.
Also read: The Chromecast Brand and the Dongle Form Factor Get Left Behind With New ‘Google TV Streamer’
It’s Google’s first product refresh since it debuted its $50 Chromecast with Google TV four years ago. And it’s a major one.
The device will not only feature a wedge-shaped box form factor vs. the legacy HDMI dongle, it will also pack a more ambitious range of features into a package priced twice as high ($99.99) and starting Sept. 24 (with preorders starting Tuesday).
The Google TV Streamer will feature a more robust CPU, running 22% faster than the one in Chromecast with Google TV, as well as 32 gigabytes of storage, four times as much as the legacy gadget.
There will be support for 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, in addition to Dolby Atmos sound.
Notable is the inclusion of a voice remote and Gemini AI tech in the gadget, giving the Google TV Streamer a leg up in the race to make search and recommendation more effective.
For a decade, streaming services and gadget makers have been pledging to cut down on the time users spend looking for something to watch. As one of the elite tech makers in the fast-developing — and scary! — world of artificial intelligence, Google would seem to have a leg up on what could ultimately be a Holy Grail tech feature when someone finally gets it solved.
Speaking to Next TV last week, Shalini Govil-Pai, VP and GM of Google TV, acknowledged that no one in the technology business has fully “gotten it right” yet in terms of search and recommendation.
For its part, the Streamer will blend algorithmic science with "Gemini overviews," AI-fueled scourings of the internet that deliver essential programming info like plot synopsis, reviews aggregations, thematic appropriateness for kids, etc.
The AI tech also has other uses. For example, lots of connected TV devices make use of the modern low-power LED smart TV display to function as "always on" curators of family photos, classic paintings and other renderings.
The Streamer lets users make suggestions into their voice remotes — on mashups of artistic classics, say — to come up with all sorts of crazy AI-based digital imagery.
Also factoring into the Streamer’s agenda is integration into Google’s smart-home universe via inclusion of Threads radio hardware.
The gadget can function as a central part of a smart-home environment, dimming lights and responding to smart doorbells.
