Google’s 4K TV Streamer Doubles as a Smart Home Hub

Google’s streaming platforms from the HDMI port and now you hope to live prominently in your TV cabinet. The upcoming Google TV Streamer (yes, that name) still sticks to that Chromecast tablet design, but ditches the dongle form factor for a bigger, more powerful streamer with better specs. It also doubles as your smart home hub for even smarter home tech like the newly redesigned Nest Thermostat.

Effectively, Google is ditching dongles in favor of these giant pill-shaped streaming boxes. The $100 TV Streamer boasts a faster CPU, 4 GB of RAM (double that of the Chromecast), and 32 GB of storage compared to 8 GB for the dongle.

Why would you need that information on a streaming device? Google says this device will be better at handling multiple streams at once, such as live sports on YouTube for more views. Certainly the beefier option, though disappointingly there’s no cheaper, HD configuration as there is with Chromecast. However, everything else should just make it quick to launch and load your various streaming apps.

Google TV Streamer supports 4K HDR with the full gamut of Dolby Vision, as well as HDR10, and HDR10+—something the Chromecast didn’t. It also costs $50 more than the 4K Chromecast, so while you’re not paying the price Apple TV 4K box you’ll spend more money than ever on the latest Google TV features. The company told Gizmodo that it plans to sell the Chromecast for now, but the dongle will eventually die out in favor of the TV Streamer.

I dongle it may not be completely done—not yet—though the new box will have a few special UI features that may or may not come to previous devices. Streamer gets exclusive access to a big screen version of the Google Home panel that will let you access your home’s cameras or smart lights. The device too The story is coherentwhich should mean a highly connected smart home suite.

The TV Streamer, however, does not come with any mounts. It is intended to be placed on the floor of your TV console and blend in with your surrounding decor, as long as you enjoy the white porcelain color (the hazel color is exclusive to those who buy from the Google Store). Just know that there are only three ports, USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet. You really shouldn’t hide the box, especially since it’s 6 inches tall and it’s supposed to be your smart home hub.

Perhaps the most important feature for us scattered folk is the ability to use Google Assistant to find your lost remote. There’s a dedicated button on both the Google Home and the TV Streamer itself to ring your remote, then ring it loud enough to find it stuck between the couch cushions. You’ll find the remote has been redesigned to add a more prominent Assistant button and a dedicated volume rocker right on the front face.

If you’re playing a Google AI drinking game, it’s time to take a shot. The Mountain View tech giant is putting Gemini AI to work on its streamer. For one, users can expect AI-generated summaries and segmentation of content when accessing it through Google TV. Google’s UI will also summarize reviews for each game or movie. You can also change your ambient mode using voice prompts.

There is certainly a market for 4K live streaming, but for people like me who only stream in HD the price on this updated box is too big a bone to chew. At the very least, Google will support older Chromecasts to some extent, but it hasn’t made any promises in that regard.

The $100 TV Streamer will go up for pre-order starting Tuesday and will begin shipping on September 24.