Why Google decided now is the time to move on from Chromecast

Chromecast is disappearing after more than a decade in Google’s hardware portfolio, with the company phasing it out to make way for the new Google TV Streamer. In 2013, the timing was perfect for Chromecast’s success. Most TVs back then had rudimentary entertainment apps that were often slow, so casting content from your phone to a TV made a lot of sense.

But times have changed. With Chromecast with Google TV in 2020. Google moved in the opposite direction with a much more traditional and relaxed entertainment experience. Broadcasting has taken a backseat to content recommendation carousels and native apps have returned.

Google TV Streamer is designed to build on this strategy by infusing Gemini AI intelligence into the software. It will place smart home controls directly on your TV screen. And yes, it will be faster than Chromecast, which tends to be slow. “It’s extremely fast, so it’s a more premium model than what we’ve launched before,” says Shalini Govil-Pai, vice president and general manager of Google TV. I spoke to her last week to learn more about the thinking behind Google’s $99 device, which goes on sale at the end of September.

“Google TV Streamer was our answer to a lot of our users who said ‘hey, Chromecast is great and really cheap. But now we can get cheap devices from many players,” said Govil-Pai. (Walmart’s Onn brand is filling the sub-$50 zone nicely with several Google TV streamers, and Amazon and Roku sell devices priced in the same impulse-buy territory.)

So Google decided to focus on a high-end device and saw the Nvidia Shield – long touted as the best-performing Android TV streamer – as something to strive for. “Nvidia Shield was our gold level price point as well as gold level performance, and that’s really what will happen with our Google TV Streamer. That’s why we’re really excited about it.”

And yet, even shortly after the announcement, some of our commenters were frustrated that Google had settled for just a 22% increase in CPU speed. There’s a good chance this thing is still valued under the rather old shield. Why not put a Tensor chip in it?

It all comes down to cost and maintaining the Streamer at a price acceptable to the average consumer. “We don’t know if there’s a feature that would actually convince people to buy more expensive prices than this, but the market generally tells us that right now people probably aren’t ready for that,” Govil-Pai said.

And even if there is It is eventually a more expensive living room device from Google, it looks like power won’t be the main justification. “Over time, will we have enough functionality, let’s say from a Gemini perspective, that it really makes it worth spending even more money? So we’re definitely going to take a look at that,” she said. “But right now, I think this is the competitive price we want to play with.”

Google has doubled the amount of RAM in the Google TV Streamer, which could play just as important a role as the CPU boost when it comes to ensuring smoother day-to-day performance – and keeping it that way after a year or two. Chromecast with Google TV had a reputation for working well out of the box, but gradually slowing down over time. Google’s decision to use Wi-Fi 5 in a streaming device is unfortunate, but at least there’s a built-in gigabit Ethernet connector.

The Google TV Streamer is also relatively future-proofed as a smart home centerpiece. The Google Home panel will allow you to quickly dim lights, view cameras, trigger automations, and so on. There’s support for Matter and a built-in Thread edge router too.

As for new software features, Govil-Pai said Google is trying to address modern trends. You can use Gemini to create generative AI screensavers that show when the Google TV Streamer is in ambient mode – like a Frame TV – or ask it to pull photos from a recent trip. On a related note, I asked Govil-Pai why there isn’t yet a Google Photos app suitable for the company’s TV platform. “What we found in our user studies is that most people don’t want to open the app on their TV. They just want to get to things really quickly, which is why we believe voice-based interactions – like ‘hey, show me my memories from last year’ – are the most relevant experience.”

On Google TV Streamer, Gemini will also display show and movie summaries when you click on their detail pages. The outgoing Chromecast already shows Rotten tomatoes IMDB scores and ratings, but this will aggregate feedback from more places. “You can see a summary on the web of what people are saying about this program,” Govil-Pai said. “Like, is it amazing? It’s not that amazing, but it’s very good for those who like science fiction? This will all be summarized for you.” Google believes that LLMs can also produce more refined recommendations compared to the rather generic categories that Google TV currently presents.

Despite all these advanced features, one of Govil-Pai’s favorite new features is among the simplest: the Google TV Streamer has a remote location button on the back of the unit. When you press it, the remote beeps, making it easier to find on movie night. Your turn, Apple, and no… using my phone to find a remote is not the answer.

Photography by Chris Welch/The Verge