Google is Finally Fixing Google TV’s Lag

If your Chromecast with Google TV has been feeling sluggish on startup these days (mine has), there’s excellent news on the horizon. Google has made a flurry of “under the hood” adjustments to Google TV to assist it really feel quicker and extra responsive. The adjustments are comparatively minor, like dialing down the reminiscence requirement for sure interface components and bettering general cache administration. But you’ll need to verify your Google TV dongle or gadget to see if something has rolled out to it but.

In a community blog post, Google formally detailed adjustments to its TV platform. The updates are fairly easy: Google TV’s software program consists of “CPU optimization” and cache administration tweaks so that you simply aren’t feeling lag on the house display. The firm says it improved navigation in order that Google TV feels extra responsive as you progress the distant cursor by means of tabs, although that’s the extent of the outline. Google’s submit additionally heartily provides that Google TV now requires much less RAM, so “you should have a better viewing experience where everything is more stable and moves a little faster!” Given how a lot of a RAM hog Chrome is, that’s good to hear.

If you utilize youngsters’ profiles, they need to be feeling quicker, too. Google says it made picture cache optimizations to scale back the time it takes to change between the principle profile and a child’s profile. Admittedly, I didn’t arrange a profile for my child as a result of I feared this slowdown in switching. But I suppose I ought to give it one other go. This replace ought to already be obtainable in your Google TV, although the CPU optimizations are nonetheless making their strategy to some gadgets.

Finally, release storage on Google TV

The Google TV with Chromecast dongle is infamous for its onboard storage limitations. You don’t give it some thought till you encounter it, nevertheless, at which level you’re grumpily scrubbing apps from the gadget to release some area. I could or is probably not talking from expertise.

Google will assist simplify this course of with a “Free up storage” menu possibility within the Settings. This provides choices to clear your cache and make it easier to uninstall the apps you’re not utilizing, although it received’t stroll you thru it like Android’s Files by Google. You can seize this function by means of the Settings panel, below System > Storage > Free up storage. Note that that is nonetheless rolling out to some Google TV gadgets.

Lastly, Google says there are adjustments to how Google TV handles app installations, so that you’re not encountering as many storage-related errors. I haven’t handled this since I arrange my Chromecasts with Google TV, nevertheless it’s sufficient of a factor that you simply’ll discover posts on the matter. Google’s additionally introducing an “automated process” that runs within the background to assist release area in your Google TV gadget.

One might say that Google might have averted these storage issues fully if it had simply bundled in more room on the Chromecast with Google TV, which it made small and low cost sufficient to convey into any dwelling that needed to log in to their streaming providers with a easy plug and play gadget. Maybe we’ll see extra storage in a future release?

It’s good to see Google is making an attempt its hand at bettering the expertise on Google TV, because it’s nonetheless dealing with a ton of competitors from the likes of Apple, Roku, and Amazon. Like I stated earlier, I’ve been feeling the decelerate on the TV platform for some time now. I’ve principally reverted to casting immediately from my Android smartphone or utilizing Amazon’s Fire TV or Roku to stream as an alternative. The interface nonetheless feels a bit behind on my Chromecast with Google TV, so right here’s hoping these enhancements roll out quick.