What even is Google TV? Time to answer your comments

As my colleague Jan Johannsen put it nicely: instead of a big event with guests and live demonstrations, Google's «Launch Night In» included a half-hour online product presentation that had something of a premium teleshopping experience.

The 5G Pixel models definitely weren't the centre of the show. Google also debuted a new Chromecast component; a dongle connects to your TV using HDMI, allowing practically everything to be streamed directly from your smartphone to the screen. Netflix, Youtube vids or photos stored on mobile phone. The list goes on.

But here's an innovation: Google Chromecast will feature an operating system. Google TV. Chromecast doesn't want to remain restricted as a TV extension for your smartphone. Sounds cryptic. At least according to user paraDice – cool nickname, by the way. They commented on Jan's article:

Let's go check it out.

Google TV to replace Google Play movies and series

The good news: Google TV isn't a streaming service akin to Netflix, Apple TV+ or Disney+. Not yet at least. I mean, who knows? One day, perhaps? But for now, Google TV is an operating system based on Android TV.

Android TV, in turn, is the operating system designed for smart TVs, which – as the name suggests – is based on Android. You may know it from Sony or TCLTVs. Or from the Nvidia Shield console. Here's how Android TV typically works. We'll get to Google TV in a minute.

Google TV is similar. First and foremost, the operating system lets you access apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and the Play Store from one place. The difference lies in the basic idea with which both systems have been designed.

Android TV is an open source software for smart TVs. Google TV is, as far as we can deduce from the «Launch Night In» event, Google's own custom ROM, placed above Android TV in importance. Google TV is planned to run on as many smart devices as possible. Android TV only applies to TVs, on the other hand. Google TV is starting it all off with the newest Chromecast model, fittingly christened «Google Chromecast with Google TV».

After Chromecast, Google TV shall follow on Android smartphones as an app, replacing «Google Play Movies & Series».

What equipment will follow? We don't know. TV manufacturers already using Android TV might be interested in any case. Especially since Google TV has some curious new features. Device settings as well as picture and sound settings/calibrations can still be done via Android TV where already included. However, this would only be conceivable starting 2021. At the earliest.

Google TV's key features

Okay, so: Google TV is an Android TV based operating system running on Google's new Chromecast for the time being. It provides quite the range of features. On Android smartphones, on the other hand, it's an app that replaces Google Play Movies & Series and offers essentially the same new tools.

What features you ask?

Google wants one thing above all else: to simplify how dedicated content reaches you. That's nice. The search for content often takes longer than consuming it. The «For You» screen serves as an overview of all the streaming services you have subscribed to.

If you scroll down the «For You» page, you'll find all the content that you've started and not yet finished. Kind of like a «Continue Watching» section. The trick is that it contains all content, regardless of which streaming app you're currently using.

Google's search function isn't bad either. At least in English, you don't even need to know the exact movie or series title to receive content. An example: «Batman movies» shows you all Batman films on offer – no matter which streaming service.

Last but not least, there's your collections. They're called watchlists. As you might have guessed, they're also independent of your streaming service. Here's another cool feature: when googling a series in your PC browser, you can put content from your search results directly on the watchlist for later viewing via Google TV.

Google TV can also be used as a smart home hub. If you've got a nest camera, you can have the TV display who's ringing your doorbell. Great. Americans love all that surveillance stuff.

Google TV on Google Chromecast

Finally a few words about the new Chromecast. To control Google TV properly even without a smartphone, the TV dongle gets a remote control for the first time.

Minimalist, but practical. Of course Chromecast can still stream your smartphone content to your TV. But that's not its only ability anymore. Thanks to Google TV. The strategy is apparent: Google wants to compete with similar dongles such as Amazon's Fire TV Stick.

Regarding the Specs:

• Maximum resolution: UHD / 60 frames per second.
• Supported HDR formats: HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
• Supported audio formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos.

One last question: when will this stuff be released?

Chromecast with Google TV has already been released in the USA. The new Chromecast is to be released in three colours in Germany for about 70 euros as early as mid-October. Unfortunately, we don't know when Switzerland will be able to benefit from the Google dongle.

So, dear paraDice, I hope your question has been sufficiently answered. Otherwise, drop me another comment. I'll do my best to answer any.

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