More info appears about new Google TV Streamer, including a great smart home hub feature
Some of the first specifications have leaked from the FCC, and include strong smart home support
It’s been a long time since the Chromecast with Google TV launched: four years and counting. That means it’s starting to fall behind the best streaming devices, but Google has a plan: as we reported last week, a new Google TV streamer is imminent. Leaked images suggest that it’s going to look rather different, that it’s going to drop the Chromecast branding and it’ll be a wedge-like box rather than a dongle. And now some of its specifications have leaked to tell us more about what it can do.
The leaked specifications come via 9to5google, which reports that they include the same Thread radio support that’s coming to the Google Pixel 9 phones. That means the Google TV streamer will be able to communicate with Thread-compliant smart home kit without needing a separate hub – so for example you might be able to control your smart-home gear with voice instructions to your streamer’s remote.
Google TV streamer: specifications and features
In addition to the Thread radio, the specs include dual-band Wi-Fi with support for 802.11a/b/g/n/ac as well as Bluetooth. There also appear to be Ethernet and USB ports as well as the obligatory HDMI – or Ethernet support at the very least, which could be via adapter rather than a dedicated port, in theory. With the Wi-Fi topping out at 802.11ac rather than Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), let alone Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), that suggests that this isn’t going to be an expensive, high-end device: as it did with the Chromecast, it looks like Google is going for a relatively low price.
We don’t yet know what the other specifications may be, although a processor upgrade, memory upgrade and storage upgrade are highly likely: the 4K version of the current Chromecast with Google TV has an Amlogic S905X3 CPU, which is based on the ARM Cortex-A55, along with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. As we’ve pointed out a few times now, that 8GB really isn’t much when you start installing apps; it’s a common complaint from users of the current model.
These specifications are from filings with the FCC, the US regulator, but the filings haven’t come from Google; instead, they’ve been filed by Quanta Computer, which has previously made Google hardware including the Pixel Slate, the PixelBook Go and the Pixelbook.
There’s not been an official announcement about the new Google TV Streamer, but educated guesses are suggesting we might see it at Google’s event on 13 August. That’s when we’re expecting to see the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and the streamer might also make its debut then.
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