I’ve been using a Chromecast with Google TV for two years and will continue to do so, with or without the new Google TV Streamer that replaced the traditional one. Google HDMI Key. Since then, the interface of this “vitaminized” Android TV has adapted to my preferences, with an algorithm that measures each of my steps on streaming platforms.
Google TV offers fairly accurate video-on-demand recommendations, although it will all depend on our viewing history. However, I learned to tame it to make it work no matter what: these are the keys to doing it yourself, whether you have a TV with Google TV or one of the latest models of the defunct Chromecast.
First, tell Google TV which platforms you watch…and pay.
The upward trend in the price of subscriptions does not make it easier for us to pay for a streaming platform. However, I still have a few, the ones I watch the most, and that is why it seems fundamental to tell our television system which ones we have.
Therefore, we must follow this path to associate them: “Settings” > “Accounts and connection”. Afterwards, you will need to click on our account and then on “Your services”. Complete the list with the platforms on which you have a payment account. You can uncheck them even if you are subscribed to receive fewer recommendations for a specific recommendation.
Train the algorithm
The Google TV algorithm monitors us, without pause, every movement we make with the TV remote control. So I decided to learn how to train it: as in other services like Tinder or TikTok itself, “likes” count a lot. Thus, it will determine the recommendations it puts us on the screen, so it will understand our tastes and preferences better and better.
I recommend visiting the “Content Preferences”, a section present in “Settings” > “Accounts and connection”. Google will present you with different programs, series and movies. The only thing you have to do is press the left and right arrows of the controller to say “this one yes, this one no”.
Repeat the process As many times as you want, the more personalized the recommendations that appear in the “For You” section of our TV’s home screen will be.
Some recommendations full of shortcuts
While we may not like Google TV recommendations, which you can avoid with the “training” I suggested earlier, they are very important because they go beyond their initial purpose: they offer some shortcuts interesting of the order.
If you simply press the central button on the controller, you will access the content tab in question. If, on the contrary, you hold the button down, some options will appear and you will be able to benefit from many advantages:
- “Watch the trailer”: Needless to say, it allows direct access to the promotional video of the content.
- “Add to my list”: so you can bookmark this title to view later or simply save it.
- “Have you ever seen it?”: allows you to mark the content as viewed and thus no longer have associated recommendations.
- “I like it and I don’t like it”: important for the recommendation algorithm, because if you give a “like” it will suggest more similar content to you and will stop doing so if you have indicated that you don’t like it.
- “See details”: same action as with a simple press, leads to information on the content.
Better managed lists
Finally, to finish controlling our TV with Google TV, I must mention the personal lists. It doesn’t need much explanation: it’s a list in which we save the content that interests us, in order to have quick access to it. I use these lists both to manage what I want to see at another time and as a “chest of memories”.
To play with the lists, you have to go to the section Google TV “Library”. From this corner, you will be able to see all the content saved and organized into lists, as well as access their information. To add content to lists, I choose two methods:
- Hold controller button: While hovering over a content item on the main screen, a long press opens options, including adding it to the list.
- Via “Search”: by pressing the magnifying glass icon, that is, in “Search” mode, I enter the content displayed on the screen, access the file and from there I add them.
This way, our device or TV with Google TV will offer better recommendations, and if it fails to enlighten us, we will access our lists.
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