Google Chromecast replacement announced, Google TV Streamer

[popej]

On current Chromecast there is no problem to disable Google assistant or other apps, that you don't like. As opposite to Amazon Fire TV, where you have to live with all that spam.
Hope new streamer won't change this approach.
I wish it had additional USB port. Probably OTG hub will work, but it is a complication.

 

[MaxBuck]

apple as a company isn't a rent-seeking zombie corporation like google is.

Whatever you say.

 

[win]

Whatever you say.

k

 

[ZolaIII]

k

There never who's and probably never will be a more greedy corporation in the worlds history and it all started with we will set you free (commercial).

 

[Petrushka]

The price of the Roku Ultra, but no USB port or media player.

 

[Oso Polar]

Android apps don't work differently on different tv models, and having just the one tv I wouldn't care if they did.

It is a very strange assumption that all smart TVs run current Android TV platform, most of them don't. Even if some do, they will not be supported for long. IMHO choosing TV based on its "smart" abilities is actually not very smart - I'd rather get a TV with the best image quality and as dumb as it gets. Our main TV in home is still Panasonic plasma from 2009 and until LG OLED TVs appeared a few years ago there was simply nothing on the market it can be potentially replaced with. Half of its own apps stopped working around 2011 or so.

new device is about 20% of the price I paid for my tv

I agree that it seems to be overpriced compared to other similar devices, including Google's own previous Chromecast with Google TV. Not much though if you are buying something like 77" OLED and not a disposable Amazon Fire TV for $120.

 

[jhwalker]

It is a very strange assumption that all smart TVs run current Android TV platform, most of them don't. Even if some do, they will not be supported for long. IMHO choosing TV based on its "smart" abilities is actually not very smart - I'd rather get a TV with the best image quality and as dumb as it gets. Our main TV in home is still Panasonic plasma from 2009 and until LG OLED TVs appeared a few years ago there was simply nothing on the market it can be potentially replaced with. Half of its own apps stopped working around 2011 or so.

Same - I want my TV to be "dumb" but with the very best video quality available. I have a full home theater audio system, so don't even care if it has audio LOL!

 

[Oso Polar]

I have a full home theater audio system, so don't even care if it has audio

Right. One more useless thing in a TV.

 

[bullshoy55]

It’s a beauty.

I take it the microphones can’t be physically switched off? This would be something that would worry me. At least initially. Until realizing there’s around ten iDevices in the house that don’t offer this either.

Who is still buying these CIA boxes?

 

[Petrushka]

Who is still buying these CIA boxes?

You haven’t lived til you get ads for products you mentioned in the bedroom.

 

[617]

You haven’t lived til you get ads for products you mentioned in the bedroom.

It's honestly sad and I go to some lengths to avoid it. I don't mind the tracking on my browser or phone, that territory is lost, but I'm not buying new devices for them to use to manipulate me into spending money.

This technology ecosystem that we exist steals and manipulates consciousness, which is all we have.

Apple may be better than Google but the Amazon devices are truly insidious. I got an Alexa soundbar briefly and it had no way to disable the Alexa stuff, no normal audio connections, and the price was heavily subsided by Amazon's desire to be in my living room.

I got a dumber soundbar which is adequate for TV, but it makes me thankful that we still have cd players and local streamers and speakers with wires.

 

[Petrushka]

It's honestly sad and I go to some lengths to avoid it. I don't mind the tracking on my browser or phone, that territory is lost, but I'm not buying new devices for them to use to manipulate me into spending money.

This technology ecosystem that we exist steals and manipulates consciousness, which is all we have.

Apple may be better than Google but the Amazon devices are truly insidious. I got an Alexa soundbar briefly and it had no way to disable the Alexa stuff, no normal audio connections, and the price was heavily subsided by Amazon's desire to be in my living room.

I got a dumber soundbar which is adequate for TV, but it makes me thankful that we still have cd players and local streamers and speakers with wires.

I have no idea if any precautions actually work, but my Roku remote has a physical switch to disable the microphone. I don’t use the TV remote (Roku), my old Echo has been unplugged for years. I can’t imagine talking to an internet connected device, other than the phone. That boat sailed.

 

[Rafaille]

Has anyone tried plugging a usb dac into it? Is it stable? What sample rate and bit depth does it output, typical android 48kHz/16bit? Is there a way to avoid upsampling from 44.1 to 48kHz?