Google has just unveiled the latest evolution of its dongle chromecast to watch streaming content on all TVs, even non-smart TVs and even without Android TV. It is a new but not revolutionary device, at least from the hardware point of view, and that does not cost very little: 69,99 euros (in America it costs less: 49,99 dollars).
Known before its launch under the code name of “Sabrina“, it now arrives on the market under the name of “Chromecast with Google TV“. A name that made many turn up their noses, because "Google TV" is a brand that dates back to 2010 and was replaced, in 2014, with "Android TV". confusing a lot of users, who don't know what the differences between Android TV and Google TV. And if they don't know, they can't understand why Google TV is important to Google's strategy and to all of us. Let's try to clarify what Google TV really is and why everyone should care about this move by Google.
Differences between Android TV and Google TV
Android TV is a operating system, just like Android for smartphones o Android Automotive (which just arrived on the first car: the Polestar 2). The task of Android TV is to manage the television hardware and make all the apps developed for Android TV work on all TVs with Android TV.
Google TV, on the other hand, is one graphic interface and an app that run on a device (the new Chromecast, but perhaps in the future also other third-party ones) with Android TV installed. Google TV, to understand, does not have the task of managing the WiFi of the TV or making apps work. But, then, what is it for?
What is Google TV for
Google launched Google TV calling it "a shortcut to streaming". Streaming the Google content (YouTube and YouTube Music free and their paid premium versions) and those of others (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney +, Spotify etc. etc ..).
Defining Google TV as a content aggregator, however, is an understatement because Google TV, as the name implies, is "Google applied to TV": in fact, through its interface, the user can cercare from thousands of live or archived content and then choose what you want to see among them for which he paid.
Why Google TV is important
We said "among those for whom he paid". Google TV is not a subscription: requires one or more subscriptions otherwise the user will only be able to watch movies and TV series for free. Google TV, however, will also show the user paid content e the user will choose whether to buy them (or subscribe to the respective service) or not.
After trying several times (first with YouTube Red, then with YouTube Premium) to break through in the content sector, then, Google returns to doing what it has always been able to do better than all the others: the Search Engine. Even vocal, thanks to the remote control with microphone present in the Chromecast package with Google TV.
When the user doesn't know what to see, then, he asks Google: “Hey Google, show me an American comedy“. And Google TV responds by showing a list of films and comedy TV series produced in America. There results page on Google TV, therefore, it will be the equivalent of the Google results page in a browser.
The results will be personalized so based on our tastes and our previous research and, most likely, there will be in the YouTube's ADS, but click on them,: some sponsored contents will be shown “at the top on Google TV” while others will be found at the bottom.
Chromecast with Google TV, why it matters
