The Google TV Streamer is a 4K streaming device that brings all your favourite streaming services like Netflix, Disney +, Stan, and YouTube to your TV, turning any television into a smart TV. That’s not all though, you can also download music streaming apps like Spotify and YouTube Music, and even games.
It also doubles as a smart home hub, allowing you to control compatible devices using the Google Home App; from adjusting your lights, controlling your home’s temperature, to checking your cameras. Sold for A$159 AUD at JB HiFi, this device packs a punch for its price. Without further ado, let’s dive right into this review.
Contents
The box includes the Google TV Streamer, a remote, a USB-C to USB-C cable for power, a power brick, and the usual manual and warranty card. Just a heads-up though—there’s no HDMI cable included.
Design and Setup
The Streamer itself has quite a minimalist, clean design in a subtle Porcelain (beige) colour. It sits in front of the TV rather than hanging behind it like the previous Chromecast models. This should help with even better Bluetooth connectivity to your remote. Speaking of the remote, it has a similarly sleek minimalist design language, with a comfortable feel and good button tactility as well.
Setting up the streamer was really simple. Just connect the power cable (included) and an HDMI cable (not included), log in to your Google account, and follow the on-screen instructions, using your phone to complete the setup process. You can also connect an Ethernet cable to the streamer if you want a faster and more stable connection, although you’ll need your own cable for that too.
Features and Performance
The Google TV Streamer 4k comes loaded with some pretty solid features. Firstly, it supports 4k HDR streaming with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for immersive viewing and sound. If you’ve got a 4K TV and a home theatre setup, you could fully take advantage of this enhanced audiovisual experience.
The Google TV Streamer also has upgraded performance, with 32 GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, significantly higher than the older Chromecast model, which had just 8GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. Although I didn’t use the older models, the improvements on paper are clear. The larger storage capacity allows you to download more apps, and the improved processor should lead to faster streaming, less buffering, and snappier responses, even if multiple apps are running in the background. If you’re looking for a step up in performance, this is definitely it.
Voice commands via the Google Assistant also make it easier to find content without typing. You can press the voice input button on the remote to ask Google to pull up your favourite shows across multiple apps.
With the Google Home App, the Streamer also acts as a smart hub for compatible smart devices, such as lights, thermostats, cameras, and more.
Casting from your phone is seamless as well. You can play YouTube videos, stream songs on spotify or mirror your screen, just like the prior Chromecast models.
There’s also a “Find My Remote” button on the back of the streamer, which will make your remote ring to help you find it. You can also use voice commands to activate the Find My Remote feature.
My Experience
In my 2 weeks using the Google TV Streamer, I thought it felt smooth and responsive. There seems to be no lag between pressing buttons on the remote and seeing things happen on the screen. The interface is user-friendly, and everything is laid out intuitively, so even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy, navigating the system should be quite easy.
Although I don’t have a 4K TV to fully test the visual performance, the picture quality was still solid on my regular TV, and the audio sounded great through my default speakers—no issues there. From what I can see, if you have the setup for it, the 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos would likely make a noticeable difference. I was also unable to test the smart home features due to my current setup. But again, for users with a smart home system like Michael’s (check his review here on Google’s smart home products like the Nest Hub or Nest Cam Battery) , it would likely be a very useful addition.
Google TV Streamer Review – Final Thoughts
Overall, the Google TV Streamer (4K) is a great device, especially for its price. It’s responsive, easy to set up, and comes with enough features to cover all your streaming needs, plus a bit more if you’re into smart home integration. For $A159 AUD, it’s well worth it if you want to upgrade your entertainment setup. While I didn’t get to test the full 4K or smart home capabilities, everything else about it has been a solid experience.
Disclosure: Google TV Streamer (4K) review sample was supplied for reviewing
Google TV Streamer (4K) Review
Overall
Summary
Google TV Streamer (4K) is responsive, easy to set up, and comes with enough features to cover all your streaming needs, plus a bit more if you’re into smart home integration.
