Google's Launch Night In event has begun with the debut of Google TV and a new Chromecast.
The new Chromecast with Google TV is launching today in the US for $49.99 and it'll make its way to more countries by the end of the year. Google is also running a special offer that'll get you the new Chromecast plus 6 months of Netflix for $89.99. This deal is available to both new and existing subscriber.
The device itself is a small pebble-shaped piece of kit that plugs directly into your TV over HDMI. The remote that's included with the new Chromecast has Google Assistant built in, letting you control with your voice if you'd like. A d-pad offers another way to navigate the Google TV software, and there are dedicated buttons for Netflix and YouTube as well.
Other features of the new Chromecast include support for up to 4K HDR video at 60 frames per second, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, HDR10, and HDR10+. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11ac are included as well.
The software powering the new Chromecast is Google TV. Google says that the Chromecast's operating system is "Android TV OS", so it looks like Google TV may be a special interface running on top of Android TV.
Google TV offers several tabs at the top of your screen, letting you quickly jump into a "For you" section with recommendations of what to watch plus your apps as well as "Live", "Movies", "Shows", "Apps", and "Library" tabs.
One of the highlight features of Google TV is Watchlist. Most services have a watchlist that lets you bookmark shows to watch later, but Google TV will let you bookmark shows and movies from across apps and services and show them to you all in one place. You can also add shows to your watchlist from your phone and laptop.
Google TV also features an Ambient Mode that'll turn your TV into a giant digital photo frame. If you've got Nest security cameras or doorbells, you can watch them here, too.