Below is the Top picks for you column, which is another recommended list of content, followed by Your apps. Google TV uses Knowledge Graph and machine learning to boost the discoverability of content aimed at the viewer.
This allows Google to answer or present users with accurate information about movies, TV shows, historical facts, and more.
The interface is divided into multiple tabs allowing users to browse by movies, shows, apps, and purchased content. Parental controls are also built in to the interface, allowing parents to create separate profiles for kids. Stadia is available as a downloadable app on Google TV. With Stadia, users can play some of their favorite games without the need for a console — just a controller and a Stadia subscription is all you need.
There are a lot of games available for Google TV. The only downfall is that in comparison to Android TV, Google TV does not have direct access to the Play Store ; searching for some games has to be done through voice or word search.
What you ask the Google Assistant is predicated on the apps that you are logged in to. However, Google TV does offer universal commands, such as:. If you are intertwined with the Google ecosystem, then the Google TV interface is perfect for you. In addition, having a Google Assistant on your TV helps make the experience more seamless and intuitive. Galaxy Buds 2. In addition to the new name, Google has given Android TV an interface overhaul.
At first glance, it's more like the menus on Amazon's Fire TV, with prominent rows of shows and movies, rather than the app-centric home pages of Roku and Apple TV. Below are tiles filled with content that changes depending on which tab you're in.
The For You section is the default home page, and I found it did a nice job, quickly allowing me to see what's on now from the channels I watch, resuming shows I was watching on a number of different services, and displaying movies and TV shows I might like. The interface at times did hiccup when switching apps and returning to the main menu, sometimes displaying a blank bluish screen as it appeared to be refreshing content.
In general, I found that the software wasn't quite as snappy as Amazon's platform, but it largely did its job fine. I liked it a lot better than the old Android TV interface found on the TiVo Stream 4K, Nvidia Shield and Sony televisions, which grouped content by app provider and required a lot of vertical scrolling to get to the apps or shows you wanted. I also could never get picture-in-picture to work, despite it at one point being listed in settings as being available for Sling TV.
The best part of the Chromecast with Google TV isn't the remote or interface, but the way it ties in Google's Assistant. In my few days of using the new Chromecast, I really enjoyed having access to the Assistant, which can be summoned by holding down the button on the remote.
Google's digital helper was much more responsive than Alexa, Siri and the Roku remote's still-unnamed assistant. I was able to get Alexa to go right to a channel if I said the station's name, but Assistant could go to the game with me saying only the subject -- a much simpler and easier viewing experience.
There were some quirks, however, which seemed to vary by what I asked to watch. Once again, I'd prefer to just watch the Disney Plus version which is part of my subscription and not see any of the others. The Google Play listing was also confusing because it doesn't show which option would play in 4K, and its pricing for renting and buying were off.
That may have been the total price with tax it did not say either way , but it's odd the interface wouldn't just display the total price up front. The Assistant also lagged at times when completing requests. Asking to watch the Yankee game took over 10 seconds before the game appeared on my TV. When watching live TV, that delay is too long. Asking questions of Assistant, like the weather or sports scores, also took up the bulk of the display, which impedes what you're watching.
Google did not provide a list when asked, though I can confirm both are present on Netflix. Picture quality was sharp and crisp when watching on my LG TV, and while I couldn't fully test Atmos my Sonos Beam lacks support for the platform , the audio sounded fine on both the Beam and when playing with Atmos through the TV.
Social Media. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Dave Johnson. The software combines all content from multiple streaming channels into one searchable interface, and makes viewing recommendations based on your history and searches. It's currently available in just a few devices, like the new Chromecast with Google TV and Android phones via the Google TV app, but will grow over time.
Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. What is Google TV? Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning.
He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts.
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