Google offers services in many lucrative areas, including affordable entertainment. One such service is Google TV, a platform that has thrived in the entertainment space for over a decade. Google TV is also an OS built into various hardware, like dedicated streaming devices such as Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, and popular smart TVs.
Many popular TV manufacturers, like Sony and TCL, use Google TV. And great news for those looking to purchase brand-new hardware for this service: Google unveiled at CES 2025 that upcoming TVs with Google TV would get some spicy new features, ones powered by Google Gemini. This is excellent news for those wanting to finally dabble with Gemini using their TVs. Our list explores the announced Gemini features we can expect going forward.
There’s no need for formalities
Instead of using your remote with a voice command, you can use a Gemini-powered voice assistant to search for movies and TV more naturally. Google plans to achieve this by using far-field microphones built into the TVs that connect to Google TV. It captures audio at a distance, allowing anyone nearby to talk to the TV’s voice assistant without using the remote. Users can start talking to the Gemini-powered voice assistant using the “Hey Google” voice command.
You can ask it to play a trailer, pull up a preview, or ask anything relevant to the mentioned movie or TV show. You can also ask it to search for movies/TV with your favorite themes or age-appropriate movies so you don’t have to sift through all the ratings to find a family-friendly film.
It’s not exclusive to movies and TV; you can talk to the voice assistant to navigate your home screen and even ask for a weather update for the week. You can also use it to ask general questions, as you would if using Gemini on your smartphone. If you’re trying to get your family to lessen the time spent on their smartphones, this could be a good way to do it.
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Search Google Photos using conversationalist queries
Leave it to Gemini to sort through your gallery
Ask Photos had limited functionality when it was first released last year. The feature uses conversational search using Gemini in Google Photos. You can do a contextual search, like asking to search your library to pull up images showing one of your holidays, outdoor excursions, or even pictures of a memorable location. It’s very nifty and can go beyond just conversational search; it can organize your photos and memories. It’s a handy tool, and we hope Google TV will embrace it with its upcoming Google Photos search feature.
We still don’t know if Google Photos will have all the Ask Photos features available on the TV or if it will take a more natural integration approach by embedding this option elsewhere (in another tab). But the potential is there.
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Create custom artwork with your family
Add some pizzazz inside the living room
Source: Pixabay
Google mentioned at CES 2025 that Gemini can help “create customized artwork with the family.” If it is anything like the AI screensaver option that rolled out to Google TV devices and old Chromecasts last year, there should be a dedicated section with custom AI artwork, and you can use this on your TV’s ambient mode display. The AI screensaver option allowed AI image generation and had templates to choose from — the custom artwork could have similar options. But who knows how this feature pans out and if it proves to be helpful — all we know is that this might be a fun activity to get those creative juices flowing.
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Customize your TV’s ambient mode
You can make your screensaver be less boring
Source: Samsung
Google TVs have an ambient mode that occurs after ten minutes of user inactivity. Ambient mode uses a screensaver instead of static images to avoid burning out the screen. The mode is less about entertainment and more about protecting your OLED’s lifespan. However, that’s not all this mode has to offer; you can still use ambient mode to add fun and practical options like custom artwork, pictures, and weather information, enabling you to personalize. And if you don’t want to do the work to add a bit of flair to your screen, Gemini can do the heavy lifting. Currently, we only know that Google plans to leverage Gemini to display personalized news summaries, calendar events, or other relevant content based on your preferences.
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Receive overviews for your daily news
Read the news on a bigger screen
Whether you use Google TV for your entertainment center or you’re trying to replace cable TV, you can have the option to pull up news headlines from YouTube and Google News. It’s not glamorous, but it can help you catch up on the news without opening your phone or tablet. It’s promising to see that the option is there if you need it, and Gemini can make sure the news is relevant to you — the only thing we ask for is that this becomes optional, since not everyone wants their Google TV crammed with the experimental News Brief feature.
Google rolled out an experimental News Brief feature that you can find on the For You page on Google TV. The feature provides a dedicated news section containing curated news and clips from YouTube, powered by Gemini.
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Controlling compatible smart devices from your TV
Set up automations to match the activity
Google plans to add compatible smart device control using Gemini and Google TV. The option works with your TV’s ambient mode but also functions while using the TV. For example, you can set up an automation connected to your smart lights. Then, call up Gemini to use that automation to dim the lights while watching your movies; you can customize it so that the AI re-adjusts the TV’s brightness to the surrounding lights. Or, if you find the room a bit chilly, you can adjust the thermostat by talking to the AI assistant. It’s great for setting the theatrical mood without leaving the couch.
Preparing for a remote-less future
So far, Hisense and TCL are the first launch partners for these new Google TV features. It’s nothing unexpected, as we have also seen Samsung and LG making moves to integrate Microsoft Copilot into its TV lineup. Soon, we will be able to talk to our TVs without lifting a finger (literally) and get all the information we want without needing to check it elsewhere. AI for multi-device integration is the future, and hopefully, these features work out as promised.