Summary
- Google discontinued Chromecast with Google TV for the new Google TV Streamer box in most countries.
- The Google TV Streamer is not available in all markets where Chromecast was sold, due to preexisting streaming capabilities.
- Google VP implies decision to not sell TV Streamer due to market saturation with existing Android TV devices.
Last month, Google officially retired the Chromecast with Google TV (both 4K and HD models) in favor of its newer Google TV Streamer set-top box. Well, it turns out Google still has plans for the older, cheaper streaming devices.
Google first announced back in August that it would end production of both the 4K and HD versions of the Chromecast with Google TV. Once existing stock ran out, they’d no longer be available. That happened a few weeks ago when the Chromecast with Google TV was listed as “no longer available” in the Google Store. That’s still the case here in the U.S. and in many other countries where it was previously available. However, it’s not the same story everywhere.
The Google TV Streamer set-top box is the replacement for the Chromecast with Google TV. It’s a higher-end device with a higher-end price tag, but it’s not available in as many places as the Chromecast with Google TV was. Currently, it’s available in 19 countries, and Google says it will not be coming to certain markets, including India, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and other parts of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
In these regions, Google says it has “no immediate plans to discontinue” the Chromecast with Google TV. It’s not exactly clear why Google has decided not to sell the TV Streamer box in these countries. Google’s VP of Devices and Services for APAC Mike Abary had this to say:
“We evaluate the market and look at what are the opportunities, like, how big is the market, how proliferated have built-in streaming capabilities in actual televisions has become.”
His comment seems to hint at the idea that these areas already have a plethora of low-cost TVs with streaming apps built-in. And as 9to5Google points out, the Android TV OS is already dominating these regions, with over 50% of the market share as of 2022. Google simply doesn’t have much incentive to make a push with a new device.
The Chromecast with Google TV marked a big shift in Google’s streaming device lineup. It was initially launched in 2020, and later, Google released a slightly cheaper HD version in 2022. The CCGTV differed substantially from previous Chromecast models by integrating the Google TV OS directly into the device, providing a full on-screen user interface rather than solely relying on casting from a phone.
While it may not have been as crazy popular as the original dirt-cheap Chromecast dongles, people liked the Chromecast with Google TV. The inclusion of a dedicated remote control, along with Google Assistant voice control, greatly improved navigation and content discovery. Also, Google TV did a better job of pulling in content from various streaming services. Plus, they were still affordable, coming in at $50 and $30.
Then, last summer, Google shook up its streaming device lineup again with the Google TV Streamer set-up box. The Streamer supports 4K, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision output, as well as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus audio. It has 32GB of internal storage and 4GB RAM, which is a much-needed upgrade from the 8GB storage on the Chromecast with Google TV. But all these extras come at a price: $100. That’s double the CCGTV.
Unless you live in one of the countries that isn’t getting the Google TV Streamer, that will be your only option. Until, of course, Google releases another cheaper version, as it often does.
Source: Android Authority
