I totally agree on the “look” and function of the google tv. I just returned my firestick for this reason. Google is just a more pleasant and user friendly layout. Not so crowded.
I'm curious...with Google tv, what apps do you use that are comparable to firestick for free movies/tv shows. I can't find anything an Google TV that's as good as CinemaHD, for example
I've had both and wanting to streamline to one only on various TVs, I went with Google TV. Even bought 2 Sony Bravia TVs with Android TV. Also use 2 Nvidia Shields and 1 Google Chromecast with Google TV for the outdoor TV/projector.
I currently have a Bauhn 4k TV it works fine but it's IOS is horrible and only contains netflix no disney+, stan, hulu ect ect... So im looking at a Google Chromecast With Google TV, I've also seen the navidia systems tho in your opinion are the worth the extra money? I dont plan to use it for gaming all I really need is Access to Netflix, Stan, Disney+, UA-cam, & Freeview (Live Australian TV) But the one thing that had caught my eye in Nivida vs Chromecast is I would like to be able to play media straight from a USB without having to change my TV's source I just feel like the opinion from somone who owns both is probably best lol
Amazon Prime app, works differently on both OS. on my Nvidia Shield it gives me an option to skip the intro, during some TV series. But on my 4K Firestick it doesn't.
i have most devices but if your a prime member than 4k firestick is and should be your device and O S. i think that any company selling a streaming device should make the best product at any cost then make cheaper products for anyone to afford. and build a better product over time. for the consumer not just there bottom line. we want and need better products for users that just works.
You didn't compare performance. How long does it take to load content. My FireTV has slowed down a lot. It takes forever to load apps. That's why I'm considering switching to GoogleTV.
@@scdude29 Do you experience problems with the gTV remote? It feels really cheap and the wheel sticks (if I'm trying to scroll, it just keeps scrolling). I may have a defective one. I don't know but it's super annoying. Otherwise, I'm happy with the UI and the performance.
Sorry but you are wrong about Play/Pause buttons. Have you ever used IPTV, you cannot play/pause or forward on Google TV with that round button. But on Fire TV, you can.
What did you do to add more storage? My experience has shown that the cost of everything needed to add more storage, (USB Hub, Power Delivery, USB Drive) adds enough to the cost to put it about the same price as buying an NVIDIA Shield, which already has more storage and expansion ability.
The buttons for Play, Rewind, and Fast Forward definitely aren't redundant. Some people prefer them, and they actually provide shortcuts to those functions in certain apps that use on-screen controls. Nice review.
I have both and honestly the Google Dongle is sooooo much better than that FireStick, the interface is much better and you get an android app store natively (you can basically install any app from the app store natively). Love or Hate it, youtube is a main thing, Google and Amazon are always crossing lines. Many times Google have pulled the official youtube app from FireStick. The only and I mean probably the ONLY thing the the firestick has going for it is its price. The only thing that I would have loved for the google stick is more storage. yeah yeah I know you can get a USB-C Hub with pass thru and add all kinds of peripherals to the google dongle (including a camera, external hd, microsd, ...) but then the price is up by like another 50$ so not a fair comparison.
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick has 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
@@pluvse think it started with the last few Fire TV updates. Not sure why because I’m quite sure the Google coders aren’t any smarter than the Fire TV coders, so I’m guessing it’s a passive way of discouraging sideloads. Of course, this is purely speculation on my part.
Great to see your comments as i am hesitant on buying a new gaming tv because of the worry I wouldn’t be able to side load apps. What do you think. What tv should i buy , or just a streaming device ?
Yup. Im also with you on this one too. It looks like Google TV and Android TV should be killing the streaming wars. But it all comes down to the prices again for Fire TVs vs Android TVs too and people always wanna sideload stuff. lol Fo Free. Well Android TV and Google TV has the Fo Free too!
Chromecast 4 is already over 2 years old, on Android 10. I think I'll wait for a newer device. Currently I'm using Chromecast 3, where I just press the Cast button on any video on my phone.
That bought content edge does not go to FireTv, they also do the same, if you have bought content on Google, FireTv will not find it for you, they'll also direct you to buy it from them as well. That's a tie as well.
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick has 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
I have an Alexa and one of my big things is Alexa compatibility not gonna lie. I'm just really captivated by Google TV overall which makes it a huge problem because of the Alexa thing. Plus I like the remote for Google TV better because of the UA-cam button (99% of my video hours are on UA-cam lol). I guess it's not a big deal but it would suck to have to switch from Alexa to Google Home over a TV.
I was just buying the Google tv but I have an Alexa and I really with to have the integration between devices, however I would prefer Google TV in general specially because of the design so I just cancel the order and I’m here looking for reviews again to convince myself buying the fire tv
I wish I could use my Chromecast with Google tv . I love the interface. But every time I go to watch a movie that is in 4k hdr from my library and it just stalls like it's trying to catch up. I play the same movie from my Roku and it plays very smooth no issues .
If Google TV is better than Android TV, then I'm curious as to why my Sony 85X800H TV came with Google TV, and after a firmware update it now has Android TV. Any insight on this? Thanks!
@@kimjongun1777 My TV certainly updated from Google TV to Android TV. I've not let it do any updates since then since I only use it as a monitor. I don't need the tuner, speakers or any "smart" functions. Just a single HDMI in from my Denon receiver, that's it. All other components are external, such as 3 DVRs, 2 blu ray players, a Roku Ultra and Pioneer DVD recorder. My TV has started periodically shown a message in the upper right corner with the Google "G" to "finish setting up my TV", which goes away after about 5 seconds. TV works great, I'm not trusting any further updates on it.
I would lean towards getting the Google TV if when searching for content it surfaced the free options over their rentals. If what I'm looking for is on HBO Max, and I already have HBO Max, then show me that instead of pushing me to rent it.
Google TV OS is about 10 times better than Firetv and 5 times better than Roku, and 1000 times better than Vizio. I got a TCL - 75" Class Q7 Q-Class QLED 4K HDR Smart TV with Google TV (2023) and taken my TV experience to another level. The first 2 months during the day when I was at work, I often thought about going home and just enjoying my TV. It's that good. I paid around $900 but you can probably get for couple of hundred cheaper during chrismas sale.
I hate the remotes on both. There are no numbers, for people who actually flip to live TV! You definitely can't enter channel numbers, you must scroll til you find the station you prefer.
I noticed on my samsung TV remote that it has a button to open a virtual number pad. It's still more complicated than with the numbers on the remote but a lot more convenient than having to scroll from channel to channel. I also got lucky that my old Samsung remote with numbers works for my newer Samsung.
@@cyberbud i tried that but it wouldn't read my usb storage at all and i tried multiple storage usb storage options. Google must of did a update to block that
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick had 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
How can you miss the most important point: You will not be able to chromecast anything from your phone to a Fire TV.. If you have to cast any major apps from your phone (netflix, youtube... and duh.. even Prime video uses chromecast)... then that does NOT work on fireTV... This is horrible and it sucks that Amazon doesn't want to support Chromecast on Fire TV.. I will NEVER buy a FIRE TV because of this horrible experience.. I do not want to buy and plugin an additional chromecast hdmi on FireTV.. it's horrible if I need to keep changing input on ..
None of this devices is supposed to charge you monthly, only some apps but not the device. If Roku is charging you monthly something is wrong, I’ll investigate more
Fire is better, because it gives moving talking previews on the home page to advertise shows and movies, it looks good, makes more lively and is helpful if you need guidance on what to watch; google just uses a flat low quality still photo to advertise content, boring and the overall look is sad
the google home app is junk , i used to use google in my house , the google app lagged and sometimes lost connection ..dumped all my google devices and went Alexa ....perfect , my wifi eco bee thermostat and my smart speakers and smart switches and plugs all run through the Alexa app and of course my fire stick 4k max as well .... all my points go to Alexa and the Amazon app , the fire stick is great .
@@howeljak000 just checked and #Craigisalwaysright. The first thing I checked was Google which was wrong the first time. Than I checked HBO and it was there
Google tv , does not support multiple profile switching, In firestick youtube app I can add multiple google accounts and switch between them easily, which I do not find on google tv. Google tv signing typing experience is very bad compared to fire stick, we can use remote buttons on fire tv to toggle between capslock, next etc.. dont even see anything close on google tv. I have multiple google assistant speakers, can only use them in groups on google tv for playing music and not for anything else.
I totally agree on the “look” and function of the google tv. I just returned my firestick for this reason. Google is just a more pleasant and user friendly layout. Not so crowded.
I'm curious...with Google tv, what apps do you use that are comparable to firestick for free movies/tv shows. I can't find anything an Google TV that's as good as CinemaHD, for example
I've had both and wanting to streamline to one only on various TVs, I went with Google TV. Even bought 2 Sony Bravia TVs with Android TV. Also use 2 Nvidia Shields and 1 Google Chromecast with Google TV for the outdoor TV/projector.
I currently have a Bauhn 4k TV it works fine but it's IOS is horrible and only contains netflix no disney+, stan, hulu ect ect... So im looking at a Google Chromecast With Google TV, I've also seen the navidia systems tho in your opinion are the worth the extra money? I dont plan to use it for gaming all I really need is
Access to Netflix, Stan, Disney+, UA-cam, & Freeview (Live Australian TV)
But the one thing that had caught my eye in Nivida vs Chromecast is I would like to be able to play media straight from a USB without having to change my TV's source
I just feel like the opinion from somone who owns both is probably best lol
@@TPH-jq4gp The Nvidia is the best as it has more processing power and more outlets to add media. You don't have to look at it for gaming.
Amazon Prime app, works differently on both OS. on my Nvidia Shield it gives me an option to skip the intro, during some TV series. But on my 4K Firestick it doesn't.
On Roku it has that option and the Android TV version of discovery plus is better than the Roku version.
i have most devices but if your a prime member than 4k firestick is and should be your device and O S. i think that any company selling a streaming device should make the best product at any cost then make cheaper products for anyone to afford. and build a better product over time. for the consumer not just there bottom line. we want and need better products for users that just works.
You didn't compare performance. How long does it take to load content. My FireTV has slowed down a lot. It takes forever to load apps. That's why I'm considering switching to GoogleTV.
Same I switched to google and satisfied with it.
@@scdude29 Do you experience problems with the gTV remote? It feels really cheap and the wheel sticks (if I'm trying to scroll, it just keeps scrolling). I may have a defective one. I don't know but it's super annoying. Otherwise, I'm happy with the UI and the performance.
I wanted to see if you talk about the “live” feature. I use it on my Firestick but I don’t know if is also available on Google TV?
It has many options for live tv
Why do they call it live TV when it's not live except for the News, sports and award shows like the Oscars
Fire TV works connecting speakers ie. Echo speakers or bluetooth. Google has bluetooth however latency issues. Big win for Fire TV
Sorry but you are wrong about Play/Pause buttons. Have you ever used IPTV, you cannot play/pause or forward on Google TV with that round button. But on Fire TV, you can.
i have both devices.. chromecast with google tv takes the cake for me especially after adding more storage to it. 👍🏼
What did you do to add more storage? My experience has shown that the cost of everything needed to add more storage, (USB Hub, Power Delivery, USB Drive) adds enough to the cost to put it about the same price as buying an NVIDIA Shield, which already has more storage and expansion ability.
This was the exact k8nd of review i was looking. Thank you!
The buttons for Play, Rewind, and Fast Forward definitely aren't redundant. Some people prefer them, and they actually provide shortcuts to those functions in certain apps that use on-screen controls. Nice review.
I have both and honestly the Google Dongle is sooooo much better than that FireStick, the interface is much better and you get an android app store natively (you can basically install any app from the app store natively). Love or Hate it, youtube is a main thing, Google and Amazon are always crossing lines. Many times Google have pulled the official youtube app from FireStick.
The only and I mean probably the ONLY thing the the firestick has going for it is its price.
The only thing that I would have loved for the google stick is more storage. yeah yeah I know you can get a USB-C Hub with pass thru and add all kinds of peripherals to the google dongle (including a camera, external hd, microsd, ...) but then the price is up by like another 50$ so not a fair comparison.
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick has 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
Something I love about Google TV and hate about Fire TV, is that Google does not gray out sideloaded apps!!!
I agree, I just recently seen the gray icons on sideloaded apps how long has this issue been happening?
@@pluvse think it started with the last few Fire TV updates. Not sure why because I’m quite sure the Google coders aren’t any smarter than the Fire TV coders, so I’m guessing it’s a passive way of discouraging sideloads. Of course, this is purely speculation on my part.
Great to see your comments as i am hesitant on buying a new gaming tv because of the worry I wouldn’t be able to side load apps. What do you think. What tv should i buy , or just a streaming device ?
@@3rdtwirl494 my comments were for streaming devices, however I’m curious if the same phenomenon occurs on Smart TVS.
Agreed 100%
Yup. Im also with you on this one too. It looks like Google TV and Android TV should be killing the streaming wars. But it all comes down to the prices again for Fire TVs vs Android TVs too and people always wanna sideload stuff. lol Fo Free. Well Android TV and Google TV has the Fo Free too!
Chromecast 4 is already over 2 years old, on Android 10. I think I'll wait for a newer device. Currently I'm using Chromecast 3, where I just press the Cast button on any video on my phone.
That bought content edge does not go to FireTv, they also do the same, if you have bought content on Google, FireTv will not find it for you, they'll also direct you to buy it from them as well. That's a tie as well.
Can you customize your app order in Google TV? I read you can’t.
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick has 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
Which has better software? My Amazon stick keeps freezing and seems clunky. Even though I have top tier internet service.
Thanks for this information. So basically this debunks the UA-camr statement concerning Google TV having lower storage space 🤔
I have an Alexa and one of my big things is Alexa compatibility not gonna lie. I'm just really captivated by Google TV overall which makes it a huge problem because of the Alexa thing. Plus I like the remote for Google TV better because of the UA-cam button (99% of my video hours are on UA-cam lol). I guess it's not a big deal but it would suck to have to switch from Alexa to Google Home over a TV.
I was just buying the Google tv but I have an Alexa and I really with to have the integration between devices, however I would prefer Google TV in general specially because of the design so I just cancel the order and I’m here looking for reviews again to convince myself buying the fire tv
Is there a mtv app
You have not mention an important feature for me in favour of google tv, you can not see HBO with the firestick, neither installing the apk.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but I have HBO Max on my firestick. From the app store.
I wish I could use my Chromecast with Google tv . I love the interface. But every time I go to watch a movie that is in 4k hdr from my library and it just stalls like it's trying to catch up. I play the same movie from my Roku and it plays very smooth no issues .
Get a nvidia shield, the device runs 4k hdr movies like no other device. Plus it has google tv interface
Same as game pass vs Google stadia didn't work on mobile 🤷
If I have fire stick can I put peacock on it or do I have to pay for something I paid for peacock already though
If Google TV is better than Android TV, then I'm curious as to why my Sony 85X800H TV came with Google TV, and after a firmware update it now has Android TV. Any insight on this? Thanks!
It can’t be cos Android TVs are being phased out they can’t update from google to Android.
@@kimjongun1777 My TV certainly updated from Google TV to Android TV. I've not let it do any updates since then since I only use it as a monitor. I don't need the tuner, speakers or any "smart" functions. Just a single HDMI in from my Denon receiver, that's it. All other components are external, such as 3 DVRs, 2 blu ray players, a Roku Ultra and Pioneer DVD recorder. My TV has started periodically shown a message in the upper right corner with the Google "G" to "finish setting up my TV", which goes away after about 5 seconds. TV works great, I'm not trusting any further updates on it.
I'm confused, I thought Google tv was Android based!🤦🏽♀️
@@mzchoizegoogle tv is the interface.
What do I need to download peacock on my LG TV
I have a fire tv an actual tv not a firestick so I'm wondering can you still use Google tv
Chuck is awesome, highly recommend it.
I would lean towards getting the Google TV if when searching for content it surfaced the free options over their rentals. If what I'm looking for is on HBO Max, and I already have HBO Max, then show me that instead of pushing me to rent it.
Are all those apps free? \
Can I use a fire stick on a Google TV?
Thanx
Yeah, they are both very similar. I used them both in separate rooms. I probably like the chromecast a bit more.
Google TV OS is about 10 times better than Firetv and 5 times better than Roku, and 1000 times better than Vizio. I got a TCL - 75" Class Q7 Q-Class QLED 4K HDR Smart TV with Google TV (2023) and taken my TV experience to another level. The first 2 months during the day when I was at work, I often thought about going home and just enjoying my TV. It's that good. I paid around $900 but you can probably get for couple of hundred cheaper during chrismas sale.
I hate the remotes on both. There are no numbers, for people who actually flip to live TV! You definitely can't enter channel numbers, you must scroll til you find the station you prefer.
Who watches satellite tv anymore?
@@cadenhumphrey Not me! But I do watch local, and I hate going thru a menu, guide or apps to get to my favorite channels!
I noticed on my samsung TV remote that it has a button to open a virtual number pad. It's still more complicated than with the numbers on the remote but a lot more convenient than having to scroll from channel to channel.
I also got lucky that my old Samsung remote with numbers works for my newer Samsung.
I love Google TV, the only issue is the minimal storage
Exactly which is a big problem
You can use USB hub and connect USB to increase storage. Easy
@@cyberbud i tried that but it wouldn't read my usb storage at all and i tried multiple storage usb storage options. Google must of did a update to block that
I have both a fire stick and Chromecast with Google TV and both have 8 gigs of storage and I have the exact same 7 apps installed on both and the fire stick had 2.05 gigs out of 8 left and the Chromecast with Google TV still has 4.4 gigs left out of 8. Those 7 apps are HBO max, Netflix, paramount plus, Disney plus, peacock, discovery plus and Hulu.
@@Mike-t5r9q did you make sure the USB was formated properly?
fair comparison thank you
there is no 3rd party side loading on Amazon tv anymore is google tv better to use now.
There is, though? I can download apps online through Downloader.
Definitely think that google TV interface is the lesser of the two but as you say it is subjective. Secondly I prefer the fire tv remote.
What💀
I have both the 1080p models older models I like them both
I like fire tv better than google tv simply because the cromecast didnt have a controller right away but I do love google
How can you miss the most important point: You will not be able to chromecast anything from your phone to a Fire TV.. If you have to cast any major apps from your phone (netflix, youtube... and duh.. even Prime video uses chromecast)... then that does NOT work on fireTV... This is horrible and it sucks that Amazon doesn't want to support Chromecast on Fire TV.. I will NEVER buy a FIRE TV because of this horrible experience.. I do not want to buy and plugin an additional chromecast hdmi on FireTV.. it's horrible if I need to keep changing input on ..
Fire TV has Find Free content, which is most important to me. Google TV don’t.
can i install google tv on my firetv?
No
I wish
Which devices that don't have a monthly charge...Roku charges me for two devices when only one works
None of this devices is supposed to charge you monthly, only some apps but not the device. If Roku is charging you monthly something is wrong, I’ll investigate more
@@TheAlienPicture thank you
You missed the main point of casting. Which isnt an option on fire tv
Screen mirroring is available on Fire TV
Nothing beats Google TV
Google TV has 2GB and Fire TV has 1.5gb. how much of this is designated to the interface??
I have purchased a Fire TV 4K max yesterday and it has around 5 gb of free storage.
Fire is better, because it gives moving talking previews on the home page to advertise shows and movies, it looks good, makes more lively and is helpful if you need guidance on what to watch; google just uses a flat low quality still photo to advertise content, boring and the overall look is sad
I disagree. Google TV is better in my opinion, ADB isn't blocked, and I can use custom launchers.
the google home app is junk , i used to use google in my house , the google app lagged and sometimes lost connection ..dumped all my google devices and went Alexa ....perfect , my wifi eco bee thermostat and my smart speakers and smart switches and plugs all run through the Alexa app and of course my fire stick 4k max as well .... all my points go to Alexa and the Amazon app , the fire stick is great .
The live TV button on the Fire remote takes you to live TV 🙄. It has programs that’s not available otherwise.
LOTR is not on HBO max. Google was right
Yes it is lol. #CraigIsAlwaysRight
@@howeljak000 just checked and #Craigisalwaysright. The first thing I checked was Google which was wrong the first time. Than I checked HBO and it was there
"BuT iT dOeSn'T hAvE tHe LiVe Tv BuTtOn"
I love my fire stick lite because it's cool thing to have better than Roku premiere stick because it doesn't buffer.
You see 5, I see 6 but 🙄
Sorry on fire tv
Yes, MTV is on fire tv
Google tv , does not support multiple profile switching,
In firestick youtube app I can add multiple google accounts and switch between them easily, which I do not find on google tv.
Google tv signing typing experience is very bad compared to fire stick, we can use remote buttons on fire tv to toggle between capslock, next etc.. dont even see anything close on google tv.
I have multiple google assistant speakers, can only use them in groups on google tv for playing music and not for anything else.
Roku and Google. Fire TV Sucks and it malfunctions a lot and it's slow.
Google Tvs dont have Airplay
Fire TV is the best streaming device on the market
Why is that?
@@TheBman3rd Because of the ability to sideloading apps beside the Android TV devices too
@@amandadockery24I’m pretty sure you can do that on the chrome cast.
@@Tony_zr Oh okay cool
Google TV cost $65 a month. My Fire TV is free. So there’s that
Your thinking of UA-cam TV that costs monthly, which is a service. Google TV is just the interface/operating system, and is free.
@@christopherbodnarik3911 I already checked it out. UA-cam & google are so different.
don't beg for Likes.
Apple TV….
wtf why talk about roku, I don't give a fuck about roku. it's not even for sale in my country. just stick to the subject.
🤡