Google’s new TV Streamer is the smart home hub I’ve been waiting for

Pour one out for Google Chromecast: the long-running streaming stick series has officially been retired – but you won’t have to wait long for its successor. Google has pulled back the curtain on an all-new streaming set-top box, which turns your TV into a smart home hub as well as a one-stop shop for entertainment.

Rather than debut as a footnote during the Pixel 9 series smartphone launch, Google announced the The Google TV Streamer a week earlier, alongside a cleverer Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s a sleek-looking set-top box in porcelain and hazel colour options, which should let your other furniture remain in the spotlight.

Why not do another dongle? Because there’s a Thread border router inside, along with support for Matter smart home gadgets. That means you’ll have to supply your own HDMI cable, but being able to control your smart gadgets from your TV screen should more than make up for it. The Google Home panel pops up at the side of whatever you’re watching, rather than taking over the entire screen.

There’s also Gemini AI on board, for show summaries and user reviews that’ll stop you from wasting your precious downtime on a dud streaming series. Generative ambient mode screensavers are an option, too, if you’re not a fan of Google Photos surfacing embarrassing moments from your past every time you go to make a cuppa.

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A chipset with 22% more processing oomph and twice as much RAM as a Chromecast with Google TV should guarantee the new model feels speedy when scrolling through the Google TV UI – though an Apple TV 4K will likely still have the edge on gaming grunt.

There’s HDMI 2.1a at the rear, along with gigabit Ethernet for buffer-free streaming, and USB-C power delivery. Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 feel a little behind the times, but will cope just fine with Chromecast streaming from your other Android gadgets.

Google has overhauled the remote control, moving the volume buttons to the front rather than hidden away at the side, and adding a user-customisable button. It’ll default to opening the Google Home panel for controlling your smart home, but can be swapped to launch a specific streaming app if you’re still reaching for a physical switch to turn your lights off. A button on the back of the streamer also makes the remote beep, in case you ever misplace it.

The Google TV Streamer is set to go on sale in the US on 24 September for $100. There’s no word yet on a more worldwide release.

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