Google has unveiled its latest streaming television device that offers a host of new features at a premium cost.
The “Google TV Streamer” is the company’s fourth attempt at grabbing more share of the streaming TV market for itself, following the failed Nexus Q (which was discontinued less than a year after it was introduced) and the modestly-successful Chromecast with Google TV models.
Unlike the Chromecast with Google TV devices — which were priced at a reasonable $30 (for the HD version) and $50 (4K), and were often available on sale — the new Google TV Streamer moves away from the idea of casting video content from a phone or tablet, and intends to serve as a centralized hub for all streaming apps and smart home devices.
To that end, the Google TV Streamer offers better internal specs — it comes with 4 Gigabytes (GBs) of RAM and 32 GBs of on-board storage, plenty of hardware to run intensive games and storage for streaming video apps and utilities — along with “artificial intelligence” features that aim to personalize content discovery and recommendations (which all streaming devices on the market — whether they’re made by Google or not — typically offer, except for the Apple TV).
The Google TV Streamer also supports ultra-high definition (UHD/4K) video resolution, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, with spatial audio functions available for those who use Google Pixel Buds.
The device was already well-known after images and details of the Google TV Streamer were leaked by 9to5Google, which apparently leaned on documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a starting point for information about the gadget.
Ahead of the official announcement, Google offered interviews with one of its executives, Shalini Govil-Pai, to several industry trade publications in an effort to drum up positive publicity for the device. (The same invitation was not extended to The Desk; a communications specialist who helped arrange the interviews later affirmed that the choice was deliberate because of the executive’s demanding schedule.) In one of the interviews, Govil-Pai suggested the company was allowing Walmart to sell lower-cost streaming TV devices powered by Android TV with the Google TV interface, while attempting to capitalize on streamers who wanted a Google-branded device and were willing to pay a premium for it.
“We’re trying to take the market up a notch,” Govil-Pai told TechHive on Tuesday.
That could be a tough sell for consumers who already have a number of cheaper Android TV options to choose from. The TiVo Stream 4K, for instance, has long offered personalized content recommendations and free streaming channels in a device that has never been sold for more than $50 (and is often discounted to as low as $25 at places like Best Buy and Amazon).
Several months ago, Walmart introduced a revamped version of its Onn Android TV streamer that offers the same storage, RAM, personalized recommendations and smart hub features as the Google TV Streamer. It costs less than $50, and includes a number of features that are lacking on the Google TV Streamer, including a built-in smart speaker that functions like a Google Nest Mini and a backlit remote control.
The Google TV Streamer is also debuting at a time when most Americans have already purchased a streaming TV device or smart TV. New data released by Parks Associates over the weekend revealed 68 percent of American homes have at least one smart TV, with 56 percent using it as their daily driver for streaming-related needs. Another 46 percent of Americans use a dedicated streaming TV gadget like a Roku puck or Amazon Fire TV stick to watch streaming video. All told, 90 percent of Americans have access to streaming services through a smart TV or streaming device, according to the report.
So, who is the Google TV Streamer for? It is hard to tell. The device has an advantage over the first iteration of the Chromecast with Google TV in that it supports the AV1 video codec, which offers high-quality video streams at lower bitrates compared to MPEG. But, as of Tuesday, Google has not announced a program that allows Chromecast with Google TV 4K owners to trade in their device for a discount on the Google TV Streamer, which creates less of an incentive for early adopters of the Chromecast with Google TV to upgrade.
Portability is also an issue: The Chromecast with Google TV has a relatively small form-factor that allows it to be easily disconnected from a TV and tossed into a suitcase — remote, power adapter and all — for traveling. The Google TV Streamer, on the other hand, is designed to be installed on just one TV and remain there for good, which makes it a less-than-ideal device for people who frequently travel and who like bringing along their streaming device and apps.
At $100, the Google TV Streamer also faces tough competition from simiarly-positioned, high-end streaming TV devices. For the same $100, streamers can pick up the Roku Ultra (which occasionally goes on sale for as little as $70), which includes a rechargeable, voice-powered remote control with dedicated shortcut buttons, expandable USB storage and a lost remote button on the device itself. For just $30 more, streamers can buy the base model Apple TV, which works seamlessly with iPhones and iPads, and which offers the same high-resolution video and audio formats. Or they can buy the Amazon Fire TV 4K, which sports an on-board smart speaker powered by the Alexa assistant, for $130 (on sale right now for $110).
It will be interesting to see over the coming months whether consumers are receptive to a high-end, Google-built streaming TV device, given that there are better options on the marketplace for the price, and comparable streaming hardware that costs substantially less.
