[مراجعة]Try Google TV Streamer for super-fast online streaming. Convenient but not a “travel companion” – AV Watch

Google has released a new media player model, the “Google TV Streamer” (16,000 yen). This product uses Google TV as its operating system and allows you to enjoy YouTube, Netflix, etc. by connecting it to your TV, but it not only has improved processing speed, but also has a fixed shell that is different from previous media players. It's a little different product from other “Chromecast with Google TV”.

Since I'm borrowing the product, I'll report on its features while actually using it.

Google TV Streamer bundle

An attractive move you can try

It's easy to set up using your smartphone

Google TV home screen

There aren't much differences in ease of setup using a smartphone and the Google TV home screen, which has apps like Netflix and YouTube.

The main hardware difference is a 22% increase in processor processing speed.

It doesn't make sense to me to put it into numbers, but when I actually compared the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) and Google TV Streamer, it was clear that Google TV Streamer was faster.

For example, when you try to launch the YouTube or Netflix app from the Google TV home screen, on Chromecast with Google TV (4K), after tapping the app icon, a black screen appears for a moment, then YouTube appears and the Netflix logo appears. From there, the black screen will be displayed for a moment, and then the main screen containing movies and other items will be displayed.

However, when I tap the Google TV Streamer app icon, the YouTube and Netflix logos appear immediately after a black screen is displayed. From there, you will be taken to the home screen where the videos are arranged.

Google TV Streamer is also much faster at selecting and playing content. When you finish operating and return to the menu screen, the screen remains clear, so you don't have to worry about the operation.

You can enjoy YouTube without any stress thanks to its smooth playback.

The Google TV home screen also features a different animation. When scrolling up and down on a screen displaying multiple thumbnails and icons for video content, Chromecast with Google TV (4K) stutters a bit, and the content display can't keep up with the speed of the screen scrolling, causing screen after screen to flash. Content may suddenly appear.

On the other hand, Google TV Streamer's scrolling is smooth and stress-free. The 22% increase in processing speed may seem a bit shocking, but once you experience it, you'll never go back.

Base internal storage has also been increased significantly from 8GB for the Chromecast with Google TV (4K) to 32GB for the Google TV Streamer. This is a welcome development for people who like to install a lot of apps.

The remote control is larger and easier to use

In terms of ease of use, the development of remote controls cannot be overlooked.

The remote control is included with Google TV Streamer

At first glance, they have similar designs, but when you compare them, the remote that comes with the Google TV Streamer is longer.

On the left is the remote for Chromecast with Google TV (4K), and on the right is the remote for Google TV Streamer

This is due to the addition of a new volume button. The buttons are elongated vertically, allowing for more intuitive volume control.

Moreover, the place where the “Enter Device” button was located has been changed to a Customize button. You can now assign calls to any Google Home app or function here.

Equipped with customization buttons

The remote has separate shortcut buttons for YouTube and Netflix, but for example, if you assign “U-NEXT” to the customization button, the U-NEXT app will launch as soon as you press the customization button.

Choose an application to assign to the customization button

When you click the customize button…

“U-NEXT” application starts now

Additionally, when you can't find the remote, you can press the button on the back of the Google TV Streamer and the remote will beep, letting you know where you are.

Equipped with LAN terminal to play 4K videos stably

Video display specifications are the same as Chromecast with Google TV (4K), which supports up to 4K, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision.

The difference is in the audio part. With Chromecast with Google TV (4K), audio encoded with Dolby Atmos had to be decoded using an AV amplifier through an HDMI pass-through, but the Google TV Streamer is now able to decode Dolby Atmos.

However, during this experiment, I couldn't find any settings for this feature, so I wasn't able to try it out. Similar to Chromecast with Google TV (4K), we confirmed that it can be connected to an Atmos-compatible AV amplifier and transmit Atmos audio to the AV amplifier. We are currently inquiring with Google regarding the Atmos decoding functionality. We will add more information once we receive an answer.

Connect to the AV amplifier via HDMI. I was able to output a Netflix Atmos audio movie and perform Atmos decoding on the A/V side.

Another important thing in terms of picture and sound quality is that it is equipped with a LAN terminal as mentioned above. Both Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV (4K) have built-in Wi-Fi, but Google TV Streamer, which also has a LAN station, provides more stable playback when playing 4K videos. It can also be said that this is one of the advantages of Google TV Streamer as a stable player.

Google TV Streamer also has the ability to control smart home devices like the Matter and works with Google Home devices.

In other words, while enjoying a movie on TV, you can control the lights in the opposite room to make it darker and create a movie theater atmosphere.

More capable than Chromecast with Google TV, but not a replacement

In this way, Google TV Streamer is a product that should be looked at from a different perspective, not as a top model with faster processing speed than Chromecast with Google TV, but as a stable model with a LAN station and more functions.

Even people who use Chromecast with Google TV say that “Chromecast with Google TV is for carrying when traveling etc”, and they add Google TV Streamer to enjoy video, music and app distribution more conveniently at home Be Ant.

On the other hand, if you've tried Google TV's Google TV Streamer and liked it enough to enjoy it every day, purchasing a Chromecast with Google TV for travel… might be a good idea.