Google Retires Chromecast for New AI-powered Streaming Experience: Here’s Everything You Need To Know
Google TV Streamer will retain the familiar Chromecast remote. Image: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
- After 11 years, Google has retired its Chromecast smart TV devices.
- Google TV Streamer will take its place in the firm’s home entertainment lineup.
- The new media hub features enhanced connectivity and a suite of AI features.
After an 11-year run, Google has ended the production of its Chromecast smart TV devices.
In its place, the firm is launching Google TV Streamer, the latest in its range of smart home devices that package streaming apps and AI features into a new connected entertainment system.
Introducing Google TV Streamer
The first thing to note about Google’s latest TV offering is that it has done away with the plug-in dongle format in favor of a set-top box. The larger casing is needed to house an ethernet port and built-in Thread Border router to enhance connectivity with other devices.
“This allows your smart home devices to work as a team with faster response times and improved reliability,” the company said in a release.
Whereas Chromecast was first and foremost a means of running apps on a regular television, Google TV Streamer is envisaged as a media hub to connect screens, consoles, speakers, and mobile devices for more seamless home entertainment control.
Google’s Vision for the Connected Home
The new TV Streamer, which will be launched in September, is the latest in a line of smart home devices from Google.
Users can also adjust their Nest thermostat, control smart speakers, cast media from their phone, and view a live feed from their smart doorbell on their television.
Meanwhile, the new platform integrates Google Assistant and the power of Gemini to make the user experience more intuitive.
Boosted by AI
With more and more home devices collecting and producing data, the opportunity for AI enhancement is growing daily.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Aug. 6, Google Home Product Manager Anish Kattukaran outlined how Gemini’s multimodal capabilities are being integrated into Google Nest cameras so they can identify what’s going on in a scene:
“Over time, your Nest cameras will go from understanding a narrow set of specific things (i.e., motion, people, packages, etc.) to being able to more broadly understand what it sees and hears, and then surface what’s most important.”
A new Nest feature called Activity Search lets users ask questions like “Did the kids leave their bikes in the driveway?” and have Google Home search through their camera history to provide the necessary information.
Google TV Streamer is also equipped with new AI capabilities. By processing streaming data, the new platform will be able to curate and organize content suggestions, build watch lists and recommendations for different home residents, and generate full summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns.
In the Chromecast era, a smart TV was simply connected to the internet. But thanks to AI, the new generation of intelligent entertainment takes the concept further.
