Google TV Streamer tips to make it the best it can be

The Google TV Streamer was one of many extra shocking new merchandise we noticed from Google in 2024. Google had been absolutely invested within the small, dongle-like Chromecast for a decade, so it wasn’t completely anticipated that it could launch a extra conventional streaming field. Regardless, because of its distinctive options, stable efficiency, and honest worth, it was certainly one of my favourite new Google gadgets of the yr.

In the event you simply received your self a Google TV Streamer, you may surprise what you are able to do with it. Fortunately, Google’s onboarding course of, which you undergo when establishing the streamer for the primary time, provides you a terrific overview of its capabilities. You’ll be able to see instructed content material, create a watchlist, generate AI screensavers, flip your TV into a large digital photograph body, and extra. Nonetheless, there are some issues you are able to do with the Google TV Streamer that the onboarding sequence doesn’t hit on (or doesn’t clarify simply how a lot you are able to do).

With that in thoughts, listed here are some Google TV Streamer suggestions and methods! When you’ve received the streamer up and operating, discover these to maximise the capabilities of your new machine. Nonetheless don’t have a Google TV Streamer? Hit the button within the field beneath to seize the most effective 2024 tech gadgets!

This is likely one of the most important issues that just about everybody ought to do with the Google TV Streamer as a result of it is going to have an effect on so many different issues on this checklist. The suitable setting is often energetic by default, however typically it’s not or could have been by chance turned off.

For these of you unaware, HDMI-CEC (which stands for “Shopper Electronics Management”) permits one machine to transmit directions to a different machine over an HDMI cable connecting them. Within the case of the Google TV Streamer, this permits it to inform your TV to activate or off, swap inputs, improve/decrease the quantity, and far more. In different phrases, with this energetic, you should use your Google TV Streamer distant to manage each the streamer and the TV, which is definitely handy.

To activate HDMI-CEC, maintain down the Residence button in your distant after which click on the All Settings icon subsequent to your profile image. Then, navigate to Show & Sound > HDMI-CEC and guarantee it’s enabled.

Throughout onboarding, the Google TV software program will inform you easy methods to customise the “star” button on the brand new distant that comes with the streamer, which Google formally calls the customizable button. That is a kind of screens many individuals will skip by, but it surely’s one of many extra essential settings to tweak.

By default, Google has this button set to launch your Google Residence panel, which we’ll contact on extra in a later part. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to very simply launch the Google Residence panel with out utilizing the customizable button: maintain down the Residence button on the distant after which navigate to the Google Residence tile. It’s not as simple/quick as simply hitting the customizable button, however until you utilize the Google Residence panel loads, there are higher issues you are able to do with the customizable button as a substitute.

I like to recommend utilizing it as what it was on the Chromecast with Google TV: an enter switcher. With HDMI-CEC enabled, you should use your Google TV Streamer distant to swap to totally different TV inputs, permitting you to leap to your gaming console, Blu-Ray participant, and many others., while not having to make use of your TV’s native distant. In my home, we don’t even have the TV distant out anymore — we solely use the Google TV distant. It’s nice!

Alternatively, you’ll be able to set it as much as launch a favourite app, conserving in thoughts that there are already devoted YouTube and Netflix buttons. However you probably have a distinct streaming platform you wish to get to rapidly, you’ll be able to set the customizable button to try this.

In both case, to set this up, maintain down the Residence button and navigate to the All Settings icon subsequent to your profile photograph. Scroll all the way down to Remotes & Equipment after which all the way down to Arrange distant buttons. Right here, you’ll be able to change the customizable button to do no matter you assume is greatest.

Google solely formally permits you to do these three issues with the customizable button, however because of Android TV’s semi-open nature, you are able to do far more unofficially. Take a look at the Button Mapper app, which helps you to make your distant buttons do many unbelievable issues. Sadly, the app’s free model is kind of restricted, however so long as you’ll be able to deal with a couple of dollars to unlock all its options, it’s a strong software for the Google TV Streamer. In the event you’re at a loss on easy methods to get the Button Mapper app on the streamer, hold studying!

The distant that comes with the Google TV Streamer is absolutely good, but it surely’s lacking one thing: a full keyboard. Clearly, that will be ridiculous for it to have, however when trying to find content material or typing in passwords, having one certain can be good. Fortunately, you should use your cellphone for this.

Within the Google Residence app in your cellphone or pill, head to the Gadgets part after which discover the Google TV Streamer tile and faucet it. Hit the Open Distant button you discover there. If it’s your first time utilizing this, you’ll have to hyperlink your cellphone to the streamer by inputting a six-character code that seems in your TV. When you do, you’ll have the core options of the {hardware} distant proper there in your cellphone.

With this digital distant, you are able to do the fundamentals: navigate round, choose issues, flip the quantity up/down, set off Google Assistant, and many others. On the high of the distant interface in your cellphone, you’ll see a keyboard icon. Faucet that anytime you don’t have the endurance to make use of the {hardware} distant’s directional pad.

You can too use your cellphone to put in apps. The Google Play Retailer app on Google TV is, in a phrase, abysmal. Discovering what you need is tough, and navigating round is gradual and clunky. For instance, if you wish to set up the Button Mapper app talked about within the earlier part, good luck with that on the TV itself. As a substitute, I like to recommend discovering the app utilizing the Google Play Retailer put in in your cellphone. Assuming the Google account in your cellphone is identical because the one on the streamer, you’ll be able to faucet the drop-down arrow subsequent to the Set up button on an app’s web page after which push the set up to your streamer. That is manner sooner and far more handy. Simply remember that apps that don’t help Android TV gained’t be capable to be put in with this technique.

Whereas the primary Google TV interface is just not horrible, it’s stuffed with adverts. Even among the issues that aren’t blatant adverts are nonetheless adverts, reminiscent of the assorted bits of instructed content material that subtly push you to subscribe to yet one more streaming service.

If, like me, you don’t recognize this, there are two issues you are able to do. The primary is easy and can take away many of the adverts, whereas the second is extra sophisticated, however will take away actually each advert. We’ll go away it to you which ones one you favor.

The primary technique is to activate the built-in “apps-only mode.” Do that by holding down the Residence button in your distant and navigating to the All Settings icon subsequent to your profile photograph. As soon as there, navigate to Accounts & Signal-in > (Your Profile) after which scroll all the way down to allow “apps-only mode.” Now, instructed content material gained’t be practically as outstanding all through the Google TV interface.

Sadly, this doesn’t solely cease adverts from showing. To go nuclear on adverts, I like to recommend utilizing an app known as Dispatch. This app was designed to make Plex servers the main target of the Android TV interface, however you don’t should be a Plex consumer to benefit from its capabilities. Whenever you set up it, you’ll see directions on easy methods to flip off the default Google TV interface and change it with Dispatch. When you do, each time you flip in your Google TV Streamer, it is going to bypass the default interface and go to Dispatch, which has zero ads. What’s extra, you’ll be able to nonetheless instruct Dispatch to ship instructed content material from the streaming companies you already subscribe to, so for those who don’t like adverts however do nonetheless need the occasional suggestion, that’s nonetheless potential.

Dispatch comes with a free two-week trial. After that, you’ll have to pay a one-time payment to unlock a lifetime license, which is presently set at $9.99. I did this and don’t remorse it one bit.

As with all different Google TV gadgets, the underlying software program on the Google TV Streamer is simply Android TV, which is, in fact, primarily based on Android. Meaning many Android apps and video games that work on telephones and tablets also can work in your TV. This may make you assume that the Google TV Streamer may very well be an unbelievable gaming machine, permitting you to play mobile-first video games, emulated console video games, and extra in your big TV.

Nonetheless, this isn’t so simple as it could appear. First, not each app/recreation on the Play Retailer is optimized for TVs. As such, Google solely permits for a small variety of apps/video games to be put in on Android TV, so your favourite titles may not work.

Second, the MediaTek MT8696 SoC powering the Google TV Streamer is weak. Positive, it’s fantastic for launching motion pictures and TV exhibits, but it surely’s not good for gaming. So, even when you will get your favourite titles put in, your gameplay expertise can be tough.

Lastly, controller help is accessible, however the latency is terrible. This makes it tough to get pleasure from any fast-paced titles reminiscent of racing sims, platformers, action-adventure video games, and many others.

Actually, the one varieties of video games I can suggest one ought to play on the Google TV Streamer can be issues like old-school RPGs — video games that don’t depend on quick inputs, extremely detailed graphics, or quick framerates.

When the Google TV Streamer launched, one of many first issues we observed was that it solely had one USB-C port on the again. This port supplies energy to the streamer. With no second port for storage, in official phrases, Google doesn’t help expandable storage on the streamer. In reality, throughout our briefing on the product, we particularly requested Google for those who may use the lone USB-C port for storage, and it instructed us no — it’s just for energy.

Nonetheless, as soon as the machine landed at retail, folks began determining that you might add extra storage to the machine. Sadly, it’s not a really simple course of. First, you’ll want a powered USB dongle, reminiscent of this one from Amazon. You plug that dongle into the USB port on the again of the streamer after which present energy to the dongle utilizing the cable and adapter you’d usually use with the streamer. Subsequent, you’ll want a USB stick (like this one from Amazon). Format that USB follow exFAT (not NTFS), load no matter you need onto it, after which plug it into the USB hub. The Google TV Streamer will acknowledge this as extra storage.

Whereas this does work to broaden storage on the streamer, it doesn’t work for a lot else. Present variations of Android TV don’t help file explorers, so accessing stuff you’ve put in your USB stick can be tough, if not inconceivable. Nonetheless, for those who’re decided to toy along with your streamer and broaden what it could possibly do, you’ve got choices right here.

Truthfully, although, if expandable storage is what you really need, simply purchase an NVIDIA Defend TV ($149 at Amazon).

One of many key differentiators between the Google TV Streamer and each different streamer in the marketplace — together with all different Google TV gadgets — is how tightly it could possibly combine along with your sensible house. The beforehand talked about Google Residence panel, proven above, permits you to see digicam feeds, flip lights on or off, and alter the thermostat all out of your TV display screen. That is presently unique to the Google TV Streamer.

This is good news for folks already within the Google sensible house ecosystem. However for those who’re one of many hundreds of thousands who’ve but to begin a wise house, the Google TV Streamer is now the proper machine to get you on that path!

Listed below are some issues you are able to do with the streamer as associated to your wider sensible house:

• Thread border router: The Google TV Streamer is usually a hub on your Thread/Matter gadgets. If in case you have a Thread-supported machine (reminiscent of a lightbulb) that wants a hub to work, you don’t want a separate hub. The streamer may be the hub, saving you from shopping for yet one more factor to plug right into a wall outlet.
• Speaker teams: If in case you have different Chromecast-enabled gadgets in your house, you’ll be able to create a speaker group. For instance, you probably have a Nest Audio speaker ($99.99 at Greatest Purchase), a Nest Mini speaker ($29.99 at Greatest Purchase), and the Google TV Streamer, you’ll be able to group all of them collectively within the Google Residence app. This can assist you to play music or podcasts on all three methods concurrently. You’ll be able to then add extra audio system as you go, filling your complete house with sound.
• Google Nest doorbell alerts: If in case you have the wired Nest Doorbell ($179.99 at Google) or wi-fi Nest Doorbell ($179 at Amazon), you’ll be able to program your Google TV Streamer to routinely present your doorbell’s video feed when somebody comes knocking. This interrupts what you’re watching, clearly, but it surely’s an effective way to know who’s on the door as quickly as they ring the bell.

Do you already personal a Google TV Streamer? Did we miss any suggestions or methods for it? Tell us within the feedback!