With nearly four years having passed since Google debuted its last major streaming device upgrade, Chromecast with Google TV, images and specifications have leaked for the tech giant's soon-to-be-released "Google TV Streamer."
Last week, 9to5google wowed the tech press with images of the new wedge-shaped device. The tech blog has followed that up by obtaining and publishing FCC spec filings, revealing the inclusion of an Ethernet port, for serious high-bitrate streaming without Wi-Fi problems, as well as support for Thread radio, which enables the device to communicate with other smart home gadgets.
According to Next TV sibling pub TechRadar, it's believed the device will debut at an event on August 13, where new Pixel-branded mobile devices are expected to be introduced, as well.
Beyond the retrograde, set-top form factor and revised remote control, not a ton is known about the Google TV Streamer.
We do know that the FCC docs were filed by Quanta, which has previously made Google hardware including the Pixel Slate, the PixelBook Go and the Pixelbook.
And TechRadar suggests that support for legacy Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac — and not the newer Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) or Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standards — indicates the gadget will compete at the lower end of the OTT device market,
Chromecast with Google TV was introduced with a $50 MSRP, but it routinely sold for less than that.
Also read: For Fast-Aging Streaming Devices, 8GB Is Not Enough
With the legacy Chromecast device including only 8 gigabytes of memory — too low to support today's flora and fauna of streaming apps — it’s expected that the Streamer will come with more storage.
It's also expected that the device will include a processor upgrade over Chromcast's Amlogic S905X3 CPU.
