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TL;DR
- More information has come to light about the supposed “Google TV Streamer” we first heard about last week.
- It looks like the streaming box could have an Ethernet port as well as Thread support.
- Both features would make the Google TV Streamer much more robust and powerful than any of its predecessors.
For years now, Google’s media streaming hardware has been made up of small, dongle-like devices, making them easy to install and hide behind your television. However, these simple form factors prohibited those devices from being as powerful as some competitor devices, such as the Roku Ultra, NVIDIA Shield TV, Apple TV 4K, and Amazon Fire TV Cube. Last week, though, we heard about a new rumored streamer from Google that would go up against these higher-end devices.
Tentatively known as the “Google TV Streamer,” this new device takes the set-top box approach, abandoning the tiny dongle form factor of Google’s past streamers. Because of this increase in size, Google is able to offer a lot more processing power as well as new ports and features.
Today, via 9to5Google (the same source as the original leak), we learn that two new features for the Google TV Streamer could be Ethernet support and a Thread radio. These would be very welcome additions to Google’s line.
First, the Ethernet port would allow for faster, more stable streams when compared to Wi-Fi. Ethernet support would also allow for better in-network streaming, so folks with home servers (such as one running Plex or Jellyfin) could more reliably stream 4K content. Additionally, Ethernet support would mean the Google TV Streamer would not be yet another Wi-Fi device your router needs to make room for.
Likewise, the Thread radio would also be a huge boon. This would allow the streamer to directly connect to Thread-supported smart home devices. Using the voice control button on the remote, you could issue smart home commands to the Google TV Streamer and see faster, more reliable responses. The built-in Thread radio could also allow you to better control the streamer itself in your smart home. For example, it could allow you to turn on the streamer more reliably and go to a specific app as part of Google Home automation.
Considering how much we already know about this new device, we can only imagine it is coming very soon. Google has a Made by Google event scheduled for August 13, at which we expect to see the Pixel 9 series. It’s possible this could also launch at that event, although that would seem like many announcements all at once. Stay tuned, as we’re sure to hear more about this soon.
