Do we actually want one other Google TV streamer?

OPINION: There’s a brand new Google streaming machine and it’s known as… the Google TV Streamer. 10 out of 10 factors for creativeness there.

Snark apart, the Google TV Streamer marks the tip of the Chromecast line-up, which has been happening since 2013. Just like the Amazon Fireplace TV sticks, the Chromecast sequence was a part of the primary wave to carry streaming video and audio to the lounge.

So whereas the Chromecast units will likely be missed, my query is whether or not we actually want one other streamer from Google? And my reply can be “not likely”.

Clunky identify apart, the Chromecast with Google TV was a superbly nice streamer. We awarded it 4.5 stars and famous that it was a improbable possibility for anybody within the Google ecosystem.

The Google TV Streamer is, on the floor, an odd one as whereas it most undoubtedly is a streamer, that’s not the one purpose for its existence. As per regular from Google, it’s an try so as to add extra performance and interconnectivity inside your private home by additionally appearing as a sensible dwelling hub for Google House and Matter units.

However I don’t actually care about that stuff. If I’m searching for a streamer, I’m searching for precisely that. Whereas the home I dwell in has a component of good connectivity, I’m not the one who cares about what spin cycle the washer is doing and seems like checking it on my TV. I’ll simply look at it the subsequent time I’m within the kitchen.

However what does baffle me is that Google TV is current on a number of TVs from Sony, Philips, and TCL; so Google TV already has a rising presence within the UK market. Greater than that, TVs have develop into smarter annually. We’ve Roku TVs, TiVo, Fireplace TV, LG webOS, Samsung Tizen – they’re all very succesful and certain have all of the apps you’ll ever want or can subscribe to.

What’s a Google TV Streamer going so as to add to the dialogue?

Properly, it’d appear this streamer is placing AI on the forefront with Gemini taking centre stage. Google says it’ll use AI and “your preferences” to collect content material recommendations throughout all of your subscriptions – though that sounds precisely what streamers have been doing for years.

Nonetheless, now “now you can get full summaries, evaluations and season-by-season breakdowns of content material, so discovering your subsequent marathon-watch simply obtained simpler”, which to my ears and eyes, looks as if it’s moderately spoiling the expertise of watching a sequence for the primary time.

I can’t actually determine why we’d like a brand new Google streamer. It doesn’t really feel prefer it’s doing something significantly completely different – it’s one of many points I discovered with the latest Fireplace TV Stick Max in that apart from being quicker, the AV efficiency was successfully the identical.

The good points appear to be marginal, and from what I may inform the Google TV Streamer is emphasising adjustments that make it much less of a streamer and extra of a sensible hub (it comes beneath Google Nest class on the Google weblog) and at a costlier value.

I’d prefer to be mistaken in regards to the Google TV Streamer however up to now it sounds uninspiring, and simply one other try to combine AI into one other machine for AI’s sake.