I’ve been using a Chromecast with Google TV for two years now and will continue to do so, with or without the permission of the new Google TV Streamer that has replaced the traditional one. Google HDMI dongleSince then, the interface of this “vitaminized” Android TV adapts to my preferences, with an algorithm that measures each step I take on streaming platforms.
Google TV offers fairly accurate video-on-demand recommendations, although it all depends on our history. However, I have learned to tame it so that you get it right no matter what else: these are the keys to doing it yourself, whether you have a television with Google TV or one of the latest models of the extinct Chromecast.
First, tell Google TV which platforms you watch… and pay for
The upward trend in subscription prices does not make it easy for us to pay for more than one streaming platform. However, I still have a few, the ones I watch the most, and that is why it seems essential to tell the system on our television which ones we have.
Therefore, we must follow this route to associate them: “Settings” > “Accounts and login”. Then, you will have to click on your account and then on “Your services”. Complete the list with the platforms on which you have a paid account. You can uncheck them even if you are subscribed to receive fewer recommendations from a particular one.
Train the algorithm
Google TV’s algorithm constantly watches every move we make with the TV remote. That’s why I decided to learn how to train it: as happens in other services such as Tinder or TikTok itself, “likes” matter a lot. Thus, it will determine the Recommendations that is displayed on the screen, so it will understand, increasingly better, our tastes and preferences.
I recommend visiting the “Content Preferences” section, which is located under “Settings” > “Accounts & login”. Google will present you with different programs, series and movies. All you have to do is press the left and right arrows on the remote to tell it “this one, no this one”.
Repeat the process as many times as you want, the more personalized the recommendations that appear in the “For you” section of the home screen of our television will be.
Some recommendations coated with shortcuts
Even though we may not like Google TV recommendations, something you can avoid with the “training” I proposed above, they are very important because they go beyond their original purpose: they offer certain shortcuts interesting from the command.
If you simply press the central button on the controller, you will access the content tab in question. If, on the other hand, you hold down the button, a number of options will be displayed that can be very useful:
- «Watch trailer»: no need to explain, it serves to directly access the promotional video of the content.
- «Add to my list»: this way you can add this title to watch it later or simply save it.
- “Have you seen it yet?”: allows you to mark the content as viewed and thus not have related recommendations again.
- «I like and I don’t like»: important for the recommendation algorithm, since if you give a ‘like’ it will offer you more similar content and will stop doing so if you have indicated that you do not like it.
- «See details»: same action as a single press, leads to information about the content.
Lists, better managed
Finally, to finish controlling our TV with Google TV, I must mention the function of personal listsIt doesn’t need much explanation: it’s a list where you can save the content that interests you, so you can have quick access to it. I use these lists both to manage what I want to watch at another time and as a “chest of memories.”
To play with the lists, we must go to the section Google TV “Library”From this corner, you can see all the saved content organized in lists, as well as access information about them. To add content to the lists, I choose two methods:
- Holding the remote button: While you have the cursor over a piece of content on the main screen, a long press will open options, including adding it to the list.
- Through “Search”: by clicking on the magnifying glass icon, that is, in “Search” mode, I enter the contents displayed on the screen, access the tab and add them from there.
This way, our device or television with Google TV will offer better recommendations, and when it fails to shed any light, we will access our lists.
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