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Nest Audio will become a home theater speaker for your Chromecast
Google has revealed that Nest Audio speakers will soon integrate with the new Chromecast to create a home theater system.
Here's everything Google announced at its Pixel 5 event
We break down everything Google announced at its Launch Night event, including the Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G, Chromecast and Nest Audio
Google Chromecast (2020) hands-on: A helpful new remote and Assistant
New remote control A highlight this year is the new remote control, which Google said was “our most requested feature.”
Google’s new Chromecast has a proper OS and remote control
Google’s original Chromecast is seven years old, and despite multiple iterations since, it still runs the basic Cast interface from 2013. Today, the Chromecast is getting its biggest update, with the introduction of a built-in OS called... Google TV. Because some of Google’s retail partners accidentally sold units of the new player, we’ve already know exactly what to expect.
Google TV is back, and it runs on Android TV
A year after it launched the original Chromecast, Google debuted Android TV with the Nexus Player in 2014. Today, with the new Chromecast, the company is ready to bring back the Google TV name with a new interface built upon Android TV. Google’s Launch Night In event, is basically just confirmation of what we already saw.
Someone bought the new Chromecast and told Reddit all about it
A Redditor managed to buy a Chromecast with Google TV dongle before it was officially announced.
The old Google TV remote Apple uses as an example of design gone wild
In case you missed it yesterday, Brian X. Chen of The New York Times penned a short but sweet profile on Apple University, the internal education program at Apple where employees and executives can learn about important business decisions (and their repercussions) in Apple history. One of the more interesting tidbits centered on Apple's penchant for simplistic design. In a course titled "What Makes Apple, Apple", Chen relays how an instructor named Randy Nelson from Pixar showed his class a gargantuan Google TV remote with 78 buttons to illustrate what happens when engineers and designers aren't focused on a core idea. In contrast, of course, Apple's own remote offering consists of just three buttons. How did Apple's designers decide on three buttons? They started out with an idea, Mr. Nelson explained, and debated until they had just what was needed - a button to play and pause a video, a button to select something to watch, and another to go to the main menu. The Google TV remote serves as a counterexample; it had so many buttons, Mr. Nelson said, because the individual engineers and designers who worked on the project all got what they wanted. But, Apple's designers concluded, only three were needed. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, here's what the Sony Google TV remote in question looked like -- note this is from 2010. And in stark contrast, Apple's own Apple TV remote.
Google adds Game of Thrones and other hit HBO shows to the UK Play Store
Now that British Android users finally have access to TV shows on the Play Store, Google's finally starting to make good on its promise to deliver award-winning content. Following its deal in the US, the search giant has today made Game of Thrones and other popular HBO shows like Boardwalk Empire, True Blood and Girls, available on the UK store. While Sky and Tesco's VOD service Blinkbox beat all other UK players to the punch by offering Game of Thrones TV broadcasts and streams respectively, Google will enjoy the fact it has access to the first three seasons of the show ahead of Apple. For Game of Thrones, you'll pay £18.49 (around $30) for each season or £1.89 (around $3) for individual episodes, with other shows coming in slightly cheaper. Google says classic HBO series like The Wire and The Sopranos will soon be available, letting Android smartphone, tablet and set-top box owners access episodes from early next year.
YouTube for Google TV updated with streamlined UI, support for paid subscriptions
Google TV is getting a refreshed YouTube app to go along with its update to the latest versions of Android and Chrome. The video-streaming service now features a sleeker UI, complete with playlists displayed under the video discovery and subscription tabs and larger thumbnails for previewing content. The update also lets you subscribe to a channel with just one click, and it's now easier to share a clip via Google + as well. Other additions include more in-depth playback controls and support for paid subscriptions. Google TV owners can download the update now -- just hit up the source link below.
ASUS Cube Google TV review
The past year has been a busy one for Google TV -- in fact, with the big I/O conference right around the corner, we're sitting down to review our fifth such device in the past 12 months. The ASUS Cube naturally does everything one would expect from a Google TV set-top box, but it also has a few tricks of its own, like a mic for voice search and a unique "Cube" main menu interface. At $139, it's priced just above the Vizio Co-Star and far below the Sony NSZ-G57. So how does it stack up? Let's see.%Gallery-186508%
Diamond Multimedia intros AMP2000 Android set-top box, availability coming later this year
It's been quite a few months since Diamond Multimedia announced it's AMP1000 set-top box, so the company likely figured there was no better better time and place than CES 2013 to release its latest Android-based media offering. With the AMP2000, the multifarious company joins the likes of Hisense and FAVI in the powered-by-Google streaming race -- in which it'll give potential users the ability to wirelessly view files on any HDMI-ready TV set, as well as offering support for applications like Hulu Plus and Netflix. Diamond Multimedia notes the AMP2000 comes "with Google TV," though it doesn't go into much more detail, and thus it's quite unclear whether this means you get the actual Google TV experience -- you know, the one found on devices such as that Vizio Co-Star -- or if it's something a bit more like Always Innovating's HDMI Android dongle. Speaking of the lack of details, mum's the word on how much the AMP2000 will run you when it ships "sometime in March or April," but we can only imagine it to be around the same price as other similar offerings.
Amazon Instant Video app now available on (some) Google TV devices
Hot on the heels of making it available on the iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon's now bringing a native app for its Instant Video service to Mountain View's TV platform. It's always been accessible via the web browser, although navigating the site via remote was painful and the Flash video quality suffered. Granted, the on-demand application doesn't appear to be compatible with some devices at the moment, with a few folks pointing out that they are not seeing it be friendly with their particular Google TV-powered set-top box -- including ones such as the Logitech Revue and the (much) newer Vizio Co-Star. Here's to hoping the giant e-tailer makes Instant Video friendly with more Google TVs pretty soon -- according to Google, it's only available on LG TVs so far, since they've received the latest v3 updates already.
Google working on AirPlay competitor
According to a report in GigaOM, Google is working on a wireless media streaming solution that'll rival Apple's AirPlay. Google recently launched the current iteration of the technology, which lets Android phone or tablet owners stream YouTube videos to their Google TV devices. It's in the early stages of development, but Google product manager Timbo Drayson told GigaOm that the company wants "to move the whole industry forward." Google's been moving slowly into the consumer TV space with its acquisition of SageTV and its release of set-top boxes like the Google TV and Nexus Q. Its hardware and software efforts have not caught on, and the company has struggled to break into the field. Though far from the market leader, Apple has done better than Google in the set-top box market. The company sold 5 million Apple TV devices in FY2012, which is good for a product that's considered a hobby. Rumors suggest Apple may roll out a bigger and better version of the AppleTV that will be embedded into a full-size TV set. In a research note released this week, analyst Gene Munster claims Apple will unveil this new Apple TV late next year.
Open webOS-powered HDTVs said to be on the way from... LG?
If you were wondering what was next for webOS now that it's gone all open source on us, webOS Nation chimes in with word that Gram is working with LG to bring it to connected HDTVs. Several names from the HP / Gram team are dropped as being involved in the effort, which reportedly was under way even before HP revealed it would spin the project off as an independent. Of course, when we actually saw Open webOS 1.0 it was already stretching to fill the space of an HP TouchSmart computer screen (project architect Steve Winston specifically mentioned hotel kiosks as a possibility, a market LG is all over) so it makes sense that larger displays have been a target. With LG supposedly both looking to replace its existing NetCast smart TV platform and unhappy with Google TV based on its rate of adoption and Google's terms, engineers have been working to port the software to its dual-core L9 chipset. In the past LG has pursued voice and motion control, the aforementioned Google TV integration and even Plex support to make its smart TVs more appealing, and has founded the Smart TV Alliance for cross platform apps. We only have to wait until CES 2013 to see if webOS is next up to power its efforts, stay tuned.
Korean IPTV service LG Uplus launches a Google TV-powered set-top box
While we've seen the Google TV platform spread to additional manufacturers and some new lower-priced form factors, LG Uplus (not the same as LG Electronics) is the first we've seen offering a set-top box for its IPTV service based on it. new and existing customers alike can opt for the U+TV G, which will blend live TV streams, video on-demand and Google TV apps. Rapper Psy will be playing a large part in a national campaign to promote the offering, and after making Korea the tenth country Google TV is available in, Google says it will continue to work with providers around the world. Jumping inside the cable box is a notable move for the project, however at home hasn't significantly improved integration beyond that originally offered by Dish Network, and it's not even built into the Google Fiber set-top box. Check out a few (oddly silent?) demo videos embedded after the break.
Google TV v3 demo video teases better search, mini-guide overlay and tablet control (Update)
During Google I/O this summer the Google TV team promised more features were on the way -- the upgraded Google Play app just arrived -- and now it's posted a "sneak peek" video (embedded after the break) that shows us a few. As promised, there's second screen integration allowing users to browse live TV and streaming content on the app, then choose it so it starts playing on the TV. Much of the demo is focused on the big improvements it says it's made to search, with voice search that works across TV and the internet to quickly pull up specific content, content by genre or perform specific tasks like tuning in a particular channel or website like Google Maps. There's also a new mini-guide overlay based on its personalized TV & Movies app so you can get an idea of what else is on without jumping completely away from what you were watching. Getting cheaper hardware available from more manufacturers is just one part of the puzzle, we'll see if these improvements make Google TV a desired intermediary between broadcast television and internet streaming. Update: Someone may have goofed and released the vid accidentally, because it's been marked as private now. We did manage to grab a couple of snapshots though, check them out after the break. Update 2: As we suspected, this was definitely an accidental early release of the video so while these updates are certainly on the way, they may not be right around the corner. According to a Google spokesperson "We're excited to bring users the next version of Google TV's software in the months ahead, but have nothing further to announce at this time." And so the waiting game begins.
Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole
It's been one of the more conspicuous omissions in the media hub space: despite Google Play being the cornerstone of Google's content strategy, you couldn't truly use the company's music or movie services through Google TV without depending on content you'd already paid for elsewhere. As of a new upgrade, the ecosystem has come full circle. Viewers with Google TV boxes can at last buy or rent directly from Google Play Movies and Google Play Music, and the content will be indexed in the TV & Movies section alongside third-party video services and traditional TV. The upgrade also helps Google's TV front end play catch-up with its mobile counterpart by adding automatic app updates and subscriptions. While device owners may have to wait a few weeks as the upgrade rolls out, the addition signals a big step forward for a platform that has normally leaned heavily on others for help.
BBC announces YouTube original content channels for science, nature
Hot on the heels of YouTube's launch of 60 new original content channels, the BBC has announced that it will be partnering with Google's video service to present two of those. The UK broadcaster said it will introduce a nature channel, with content coming from its BBC Earth Productions unit, and a science channel featuring Top Gear presenter James May "and his crack team of scientists." The new portals will come online in 2013, and "Auntie Beeb" has also redesigned its six current YouTube stations and added new clips from Top Gear (season 18) and other original programs, too. All that comes along at the same time as the refreshed iPlayer -- another way the company's been creative with technology, lately.
YouTube advances cash for 60 more original channels in Europe and the US
Google pulls in nearly $2 billion a year in YouTube advertising revenue, but that's still a drop in the bucket compared to the $60 billion earned by broadcast networks. To rely less on viral cat videos or "Gangnam Style" breakouts, the company has announced that it's advanced funds to content producers like Jamie Oliver and Michael Cera to create 60 new original channels in France, the UK, Germany and the US. That's in addition to the 100 channels it already created last year, and Mountain View also said it would take that original launch up a notch in 2013 by providing even more funds to the most successful efforts by artists like Jay Z and Amy Poehler. The company didn't say exactly how much cash would be raining down to all those channels stateside or abroad, but considering the amount it recently spent just marketing them, you may want to pull the trigger on that new cinema camera, after all.
Vizio Co-Star review: how good a deal is this $99 Google TV box?
More Info Vizio Co-Star Google TV set-top box is up for pre-order, $100 brings it your way in August Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review And then there were two. We're talking about standalone Google TV boxes, folks, with the Vizio Co-Star recently joining Sony's NSZ-GS7. Both feature the same version of Google's software and come with a remote offering a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad. But with Vizio's model selling for just $99, it's half the price of Sony's entry, so you might be wondering how extensive the differences are. Now that we've had a chance to test both, we're ready to weigh in. Read on to find out if that 50 percent price difference makes the Co-Star worth it.%Gallery-165446%
