Google TV Gets Performance Improvements and Live TV Updates

Google highlighted yesterday some new updates and performance improvements that are now rolling out to Google TV devices. That includes Google’s own Chromecast with Google TV HDMI sticks, as well as smart TVs and set-top boxes running the new entertainment platform.

First of all, Google said that it has continued to optimize memory usage across the OS. Users should also notice that the Google TV interface now preloads rows of movies and shows on the home screen before scrolling, and tabs and apps should also load faster.

On the storage front, Google also made changes to reduce the size of preinstalled apps that aren’t used often. This should really help on devices like the Chromecast with Google TV which comes with just 8GB of storage.

Lastly, the new Live TV tab that provides access to over 800 free TV channels in the US is being updated with two new categories: The “Recents” category will provide quick access to recently watched channels, and the “Local news” category will highlight free news channel available in your area. During the holiday season, users can also check out the “Holidays” category on the Live tab to access a selection of free holiday movie and music channels.

“We’ll keep improving your Google TV experience and can’t wait to share what updates we have in store for 2024,” Google said this week. It’s probably time for the company to release new hardware as the Chromecast with Google TV 4K, which was released in 2020, is starting to show its age.