# Google TV Streamer

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-tv-streamer/

14 people recommended Google TV Streamer in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 8 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 13 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an affordable way to add smart TV apps to any display, with an ad-free home screen. Critics cite slow speeds and a recent price rise.

Summary written by Claude from 27 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Ad-free, no bloatware (4 comments in the sample): "roughly half the size of a deck of cards and pre-configured with Jellyfin/ad-free home screen/etc" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48993847)) "I'll happily take that insignificant one time setup for a 100% ad-free experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50188480)) "this has no bloatware and this way I get tracked only by one company." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49119215))
- Adds smart features to any display (3 comments in the sample): "The only correct way to buy a TV imho is to hunt for a dumb but excellent display properties" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48126543)) "External Google TV box is the way to go if you want smart functionality." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49604605)) "This can be solved by using any number of 3rd-party streaming devices" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46589571))
- Easy to unlock and customize (2 comments in the sample): "has a pretty powerful processor, is pretty easy to unlock, and seems to be a common target for customizing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50163019)) "they support sideloading without time limits, alternative app stores" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49605375))
- Good enough without spending much (2 comments in the sample): "Those plus a google TV streamer is more than good enough without laying out piles of cash" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260004)) "The newer and better google tv streamer 4k is half the cost." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48677842))

## What people warn about

- Slow speeds and weak Wi-Fi (2 comments in the sample): "the Google TV Streamer is definitely not nearly close to being as fast as it should be" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48678362)) "it was 10/100 and more consistent than the built-in Wifi, but much slower top speeds" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50188640))

## Other streaming devices people recommend

- [Apple TV 4K](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-tv/): 261 recommend, 73 mixed, 198 criticize
- [Nvidia Shield TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nvidia-shield-tv/): 68 recommend, 34 mixed, 42 criticize
- [Google Chromecast](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chromecast/): 35 recommend, 7 mixed, 23 criticize
- [Roku streaming player](https://hackerapproved.com/p/roku/): 14 recommend, 6 mixed, 60 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Google TV Streamer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-tv-streamer/ (14 recommend, 4 mixed, 8 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.