- Google announced the next-generation of Google TV at CES 2025.
- It's getting a hefty infusion of Gemini to up its smarts and make it better at conversational quieres.
- Plus with proximity sensors it has a unique take on 'Ambient Mode.'
The Google TV platform powers not only the Google TV Streamer box, but also countless TVs that opt for it to be the native operating system of choice. As the successor to Android TV, it ushered in a cleaner interface with better recommendations for major streaming services – as well as support for more of them – and a hefty dose of voice control courtesy of ‘Hey Google.’
Now, though, much like many of the other announcements at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show, Google’s giving us a peak at the next generation of Google TV and it, of course, has an AI tie-in. Just like the latest Pixel phones, next-gen Google TV will feature Gemini, and quite critically here, enables much more natural conversation requests. It's essentially adding Gemini, its models, and enhancements to the existing Google Assistant, but it still makes for a big upgrade.
Further, when next-generation Google TV devices are expected to arrive by the end of 2025, it will be a mix of software and some hardware to enable an ambient experience that almost feels self-aware. Thanks to proximity sensors in forthcoming TVs, it can automatically turn the TV on a photo gallery slideshow as you enter the room, but then switch to a dashboard of sorts as you get closer. Pretty cool, right?
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This is Google TV’s take on the ambient experience for sure, one that mimics the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max or even the latest Nest Thermostat as it adjusts the content being shown based on where you will be in the space. The photo gallery aspect, including an opt-in for images created through Generative AI, is reminiscent of both the Chromecast static pages and art TVs like Samsung’s Frame or Hisense’s Canvas TV.
So the requirement for this ambient will be a proximity sensor seemingly on the TVs, but I imagine as we get closer to seeing these, there might be away to trigger this dashboard via remote – that ultimately remains to be seen. But much like a smart speaker or smart display, these next-generation Google TVs will have far-field microphones built-in to let you ask Gemini or ‘Hey Google’ for really limitless queries.
Since it’s a big screen, though, Google’s optimizing and tweaking the Gemini LLM a bit in that along with answering a question like how big our galaxy is or asking to plan a trip, it can suggest YouTube videos to jump into to learn more about the answers (or answers). As we’ve seen with other AI-powered assistants, it’s sort of customizing that power to the device you’re receiving it on.
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Of course, since it’s Google TV and works with plenty of Google services, you’ll also be able to control smart home devices with it and even run automation. Unlike the current Google Assistant, you’ll be able to speak more like a human and with more conversational terms rather than the more rigid voice requests of the past.
This also applies when you’re asking for help finding something to watch; you can be as specific as an animated movie appropriate for all ages from Disney or something much more wide-reaching to get suggestions. As we saw with the Google TV Streamer, Gemini will summarize key reviews and sentiments about the selected title when you open up a film.
From an early look, it’s a pretty AI glow-up for Google TV as a platform, but of course, it all comes down to hardware partners. While we already have an idea of what TV makers have already opted for Google, it remains to be seen where this next-generation experience will be found, but it is announced that we’ll see these arrive on future hardware by the end of 2025.
It’s also worth noting that since there is an additional requirement for far-field microphones and proximity sensors, this likely won’t be arriving on the current Google TV Streamer. Who knows, Google might be cooking up a hardware pack.
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