Google TV Unveils Major Update with Enhanced Smart Home Controls and AI Features

You Can Now Control All Your Smart Home Devices on Google TV

Google TV also has a new dedicated sports panel to see scores in realtime. Google's much-anticipated TV Streamer finally launched Tuesday, and the Mountain View company synced its release with a bunch of updates to Google TV. These updates are mainly in three areas: controlling smart home devices, leveraging AI to create customized screensavers, and having your content better organized. Thanks to a brand-new home panel on Google TV, you can now remotely control your smart home devices, such as lights, thermostats, and security cameras. The panel is shown in the top-right corner of the screen, which the user can navigate to get a fully-fledged view of all the smart tech in their house. They can then go into each option and tweak its settings. There's now a 'Pet Cam,' which leads to a full-screen view of their furry friend's activity in real-time. Google also added a new doorbell notifications feature to its TV. As the name suggests, this shows you who is at the door. The best part is that it does all this without pausing the content being played. It adds that you can use your voice to control all your devices using Google Assistant voice commands in case you can't find your remote. This is a popular feature these days. In fact, we have entire products based on this concept. You can think of an idea for a personalized screensaver and have Google TV bring your vision to life using generative AI. If you're having trouble describing your idea, you can go through a list of prompts suggested by Google TV. I recently got hands-on experience with the same feature on Panasonic's new OLED Z95A line. The same feature also lets you display your Google Photos on the TV. Companies are trying to avoid having a big, black canvas in the middle of the room. LG took the same approach with its transparent TV launched at CES this year and tried doing the same on its easel-looking Pose TV. The For You section on your Google TV is getting a dedicated sports page so you can stay acquainted using just one tab. Google claims this will include "live and upcoming games, sports commentary, YouTube highlights, and personalized recommendations." It's also leveraging its LLM, Gemini, to enhance your feed's content overviews. These overviews include "full summaries, audience reviews and season-by-season breakdowns."

Google TV Gains New Smart Home Integrations and a Sports Page

Google is adding a new sports center to Google TV, along with new ways to interact with smart home tech, better movie and TV overviews, and a new channel guide. The changes are currently rolling out and will be available on all Google TV devices, including the newly released Google TV Streamer. Google TV now has a new home panel which connects with smart devices around your home. You can access it by clicking the new "Google Home" tile in the notification shade and use it to control the lights, smart speakers, the security cameras, and more. Also, you can set it to interrupt playback and show you a notification when someone's ringing the doorbell. Google has also upgraded the Google Assistant voice control, allowing you to control the TV with just your voice. There's also a new way to create screensavers with Google TV. You can give it prompts for the kind of landscapes you want to see, and it'll use generative AI to create a unique new screensaver. You can also set it to run a slideshow of your chosen media from Google Photos. Google is also using generative AI to create AI overviews on the title pages. You can expect "full summaries, audience reviews and season-by-season breakdowns" on carousel cards under the movie or TV show title. The other big update is the new sports page where you can watch highlights and live sports. "The new sports page in the For You tab brings all of your sports content into one place. Quickly find live and upcoming games, catch sports commentary, browse YouTube highlights and get personalized recommendations to stay in the loop," Google explained. Freeplay is a list of free TV channels that you get with Google TV and Google just released a new channel guide for it, so you can "browse by genre and topic and quickly access free channels, including new additions like Heartland, The FBI Files and ION Plus." Source: Google

Google TV gets a big free update with cool new AI and smart home skills

The new Google TV update is rolling out now with some significant new features The Google TV Streamer is on its way to early adopters, and Google has started to roll out a big Google TV update for it and for other Google TV devices, including many of the best TVs. And it's a big one, with a host of new features and smart home controls. And of course, there's AI in there too. The most obvious new feature is the new Home panel, which enables you to check the status of, and to control, compatible smart home devices such as thermostats, lights and cameras. You can see who's at the front door courtesy of your video doorbell, and you can use your voice and Google Assistant to control those devices without having to mess around with the remote. The Ambient screensaver has been given an upgrade, enabling you to use prompts to create your own screensaver designs. You can also get Google Assistant to create a screensaver based on your Google Photos. There's a new Sports page in the For You tab, making it easier to find live and upcoming games, catch YouTube highlights and get personalized recommendations. And there's an updated channel guide for Google TV Freeplay to make it easier to find things among the 150 channels of Freeplay. You can see the new features in action on the official Google blog, which also notes that the range of Google TV devices is expanding: it highlights new art TVs from Hisense and TCL as well as smart projectors from Vankyo, Epson and XGIMI. Google TV is also expanding its geographical reach, with new countries supported including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The rollout began yesterday, September 23, and will be coming to all Google TV devices imminently.

Google TV receives a major update ahead of the launch of its new streaming box

Ahead of the launch of Google TV Streamer, the company's new set-top streaming box, the tech giant is also bringing new updates to all Google TV devices. This includes a home panel that can control smart home devices, AI-powered screensavers, a new sports page, and more. The company announced on Monday a host of new features to enhance its Google TV platform, starting with a new home panel that acts as a control center for compatible smart home gadgets, such as lights, thermostats, and security cameras. Users can also access new doorbell notifications to see who's at the front door without pausing what they're watching. Additionally, if the remote is nowhere to be found, Google Assistant voice commands allow users to control their devices hands-free. The home panel is located in Quick Settings and opens as a feed on the right side of the screen. The new sports page in the For You tab is where fans can go to get all the sports content in one place, including live and upcoming games, sports commentary, YouTube highlights, as well as personalized recommendations tailored to their interests. Google TV is also gaining several AI capabilities, including the ability to generate custom screensaver artwork based on a provided prompt. Initially introduced for the Google TV Streamer, Google is using Gemini to power its "Overviews" feature for listings, providing concise summaries of top shows and movies, season-by-season breakdowns, along with audience reviews. Google Freeplay, the dedicated app with 150 free channels to choose from, is getting an update too. Its revamped channel guide allows viewers to quickly browse by genre and topic. Google TV is also expanding to include more Art TVs, including Hisense and TCL, as well as projectors like Epson, Vankyo, and XGIMI. Plus, it's launching in more countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. These updates coincide with tomorrow's release of the Google TV Streamer, which will mark the end of Google's lineup of Chromecast devices. Google touts over 270 million monthly active Google TV and Android TV devices.

Google is bringing its smart home panel to all Google TV devices

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Google announced today that it's extending all the software features of its new Google TV Streamer to every Google TV device. This includes its smart home control panel, a new sports page, and new Gemini-powered features. According to Google, the updates will come to all devices, including Google TVs, Chromecasts with Google TV, and third-party Google TV streamers (like the Onn available at Walmart), in the coming weeks. The biggest upgrade for smart home users is the new Home panel. This smart home control panel is accessed via a tile in the quick settings panel and lets you control devices connected to Google Home. You can do things like turn lights on or off or dim / brighten, trigger a Movie Time automation, and adjust your thermostat, all from the remote. The panel also enables live streaming of connected cameras to your TV, including pulling up a picture-in-picture notification when someone rings your video doorbell. (Only Google Nest doorbells show PIP, but Google says other compatible buzzers will send a notification). You can read more about the panel in my review of the Google TV Streamer. A new Sports Page in Google TV's 'For You' tab will be a welcome addition this football season. It attempts to collate all your sports content across all your services, including YouTube highlights, and present you with personalized recommendations. (The feature is US only) Several Gemini-powered AI features announced with the Google TV Streamer are coming to the Google TV ecosystem. This includes summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns of shows to help you choose what to watch. Ambient mode received an upgrade, adding the ability to create screensaver art with generative AI. Google says that there are now 150 free channels available with Google TV Freeplay, its US-only FAST option built into the Google TV OS, and an updated channel guide that enables browsing by genre and topic. Google also revealed that with over 270 million monthly active devices, Google TV is the number one streaming platform globally. It's expanding the platform to more countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and working with more brands to add the platform to more hardware. This will include Asus smart monitors, projectors from Epson, XGIMI, and Vankyo, and Hisense and TCL art TVs.

Google TV rolling out Home Panel, AI screensaver, Sports page, and more to all devices

With the launch of its Chromecast successor this week, Google is starting to roll out a number of new Google TV features for the entire ecosystem, like Home Panel. Home Panel is a new Tile in Quick Settings that opens as a feed on the right side of your screen. Mirroring your Favorites tab in the Google Home app, it shows lights, cameras (with live feeds), speakers, thermostats, and other smart home devices, as well as Routines. To see everything else, use the Cameras, Lighting, Climate, and Wifi pages up top. This launch also includes doorbell notifications. Like on phones, tablets, and watches, Home Panel will soon be available on all Google TV devices. Similarly, the Google TV ecosystem is picking up a number of AI features that were first announced for the Streamer. This includes Gemini-powered Overviews in listings that summarize what a show or movie is about along with season-by-season breakdowns, what people and critics are saying, and what else to know (content advisories). This rollout is starting today. Google is also using generative AI to let you create custom screensaver art by providing a prompt: Meanwhile, there is a new Sports page accessible from the "For You" tab that shows live and upcoming games from your favorite teams, as well as other personalized recommendations. YouTube highlights and commentary will also appear. Also new for US users is the updated Freeplay experience. As we detailed, it has 150 free channels with a revamped guide to browse by genre and topic. Finally, the company shared today that Google TV and Android TV have over 270 million monthly active devices and is the top streaming platform globally. Google is working to bring Google TV to more form factors, like projectors (Epson, Vankyo, and XGIMI), smart monitors (Asus), and Art TVs (Hisense and TCL), as well as countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Your Google TV is Getting 5 Big New Features

We may earn a commission when you click links to retailers and purchase goods. More info. To celebrate the launch of the Google TV Streamer this week, Google is pushing out a handful of big features to the Google TV ecosystem. Previously announced AI wallpapers and the Google Home panel will land on all Google TV devices, plus an ew Sports page is here to give you, well, sports. When Google first showed off the Google TV Streamer back in early August, they revealed a new Google Home panel that would be accessible to users, giving them the power to turn on/off lights, control thermostats, see camera feeds, and more. This new panel showcases favorites that are setup in the Google Home app, plus you can dive into almost all of your other smart home devices through this new Google TV area. With a device like the Google TV streamer, which has a new remote and a customizable button, you can set this button to open up the Google Home panel from wherever. Otherwise, you'll hold down the Home button for a couple of seconds to open the Google TV settings panel where you can then choose Google Home. For AI wallpapers, you'll simply find a new screensaver option called Custom AI Art that lets you describe how you might like a wallpaper on your TV to look or you can let it inspire you with something it creates on its own. It's similar to the AI wallpaper generator on Pixel phones, only now on your TV. Now that football season (both college and the NFL) in full swing, Google TV is getting a Sports page in the For You tab. This section "brings all of your sports content into one place," with shortcuts to live and upcoming games, YouTube highlights, that sort of thing. Two other notes - Google says that all of this stuff will start to rollout as early as today, and yes, this is coming to "all" Google TV devices.

These Google TV Streamer features are coming to older devices

The updated FreePlay experience is also getting a wider rollout. Google TV is getting a massive update just a day before the Google TV Streamer goes on sale. The update brings a couple of new features that Google announced alongside its latest streaming device, a new page for sports content, and wider availability of the upgraded FreePlay experience. Google announced three key software features with the new Google TV Streamer, including a new home panel for smart home device controls, Gemini-powered content overviews, and custom AI-generated screensavers. These features are making it to all Google TV devices starting today. The new home panel will convert your Google TV device into a smart home hub, letting you control connected lights, thermostats, and cameras. It will also show doorbell notifications, so you won't have to reach for your phone to see who's at the door while watching a movie or binging on your favorite series. The improved Ambient screensaver will let you create custom screensavers using AI to give your TV a unique look when it's on standby. The Gemini-powered content overviews, on the other hand, will help you find new content to watch by providing summaries, audience reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns. The update also adds a new sports hub to the For You tab that will collate live and upcoming games, sports commentary, YouTube highlights, and personalized sports recommendations in one place. This new hub is rolling out to viewers in the US alongside a wider release of the updated FreePlay experience that first surfaced for some users last week.

Google Home panel, AI art are coming to all Google TV devices | Digital Trends

Good news, everyone. If you read our Google TV Streamer review and looked longingly at the new smart home panel -- also called the Google Home panel -- or the new AI-generated ambient art, they're on the way to other Google TV devices. That pretty much was a given, because there's no way Google would have kept it solely for its latest streaming hardware. But it's always nice to have confirmation. Here's the deal: If a smart device is supported in Google Home, you should be able to access it through the Google Home panel in Google TV. Here at my house, I have a smattering of Nest cameras, a Nest doorbell, and a whole bunch of Philips Hue and Govee lights. And they all appear in the Google Home Panel, with favorites getting priority. Recommended Videos It's all fairly straightforward, though there are a few little hiccups. If a camera is turned off, for instance, you'll just see a blank camera. That's not especially useful (though at least it lets you know the camera is off) because you can't turn it on from Google TV. You'll need a phone or tablet, or the Google Home web interface, to turn the camera on. Doorbell notifications are optional -- you'll choose this option when you first set up the Home panel on Google TV, and my initial experience on the Google TV Streamer saw a fairly significant delay between when someone rings the bell and the notification appears onscreen. The image was squeezed into a different aspect ratio, too. Lights and climate control worked exactly how I'd expect, though. It's easy enough to toggle things off and on, or raise or lower the AC using the remote control. All in all, it's definitely a good addition, and something anyone with a Google TV device and other smart accessories should look forward to. The AI-generated ambient art is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of plucking your perfect pics from Google Photos, you can prompt Google's AI to generate its own art, pretty much like what Amazon Fire TV has done on its top-tier devices. The custom art can be created entirely by your own ideas, or Google can get you started with a sort of Mad Libs-style prompt, where you fill in the blanks with the sort of thing you might want to see. It's fun to play around with, but its usefulness really just depends on how much time you enjoy creating this sort of thing.

Google TV Streamer goes on sale today with home panel, sports page and more

The new features will also be available on Google TVs from Hisense and others. Last month the Google TV Streamer was announced as a replacement for the Chromecast line and it's arriving in stores today for $100. As part of that, Google is bringing TV Streamer features like the the smart home panel and AI to Google TVs from Hisense and others. A key feature is the previously announced home panel that's now coming to Google TVs as well. You can see and control all compatible smart home devices (lights, thermostats, cameras, etc.) directly on your TV either with your voice or the Google Assistant. New doorbell notifications also show you who's at the front door without pausing your program. Google also announced a few new features we haven't seen yet. If you want to use your TV as a picture frame, the Ambient screensaver displays Google photos and even lets you create AI-generated designs through a series of prompts. The latter is a pretty novel feature, if you don't mind looking at soulless machine-created art. Speaking of AI, Google is adding "enhanced" Gemini-created AI overviews (above) for popular movies and series on streaming services like HBO. "These overviews include full summaries, audience reviews and season-by-season breakdowns" to help you choose a show, Google said. Other new features include a new sports page in the For You tab that puts games, YouTube highlights, commentary and more in one place. Google also added a guide for its live TV Freeplay service (previously soft-launched) so you can better keep track of its 150 or so free channels. The new features are set to roll out today on the Google TV Streamer and smart Google TVs from Hisense and TCL, or projectors from Epson and XGIMI.