I have had a Google TV Streamer 4k for almost a year now, and it is driving me absolutely bonkers; the audio loses synchronization all the time. No live sent events ever works, I'll have to stream hockey and footy games to my Chromecast, they are unwatchable on the TV streamer due to sound sync issues. Now content that are not live have begun to show this issue as well, sometimes it works by restarting the machine but then the problems comes back in a day or two. Is there something that can be done about this?

I have no fancy set up, I am using the TV:s internal speaker. The problem does not appear when using a Chromecast at all.

Hopefully this helps other owners, and I'd be interested to hear what settings work best for everyone else. Let me know if I must test something specific?

I've recently started testing the new RockTek G2 Next and wanted to share my experience with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, audio passthrough, and different streaming apps as several people have requested more information about this device.

The device works very smoothly and is easy to navigate if you are familiar with the Google TV platform.

MY SETUP

• Device: RockTek G2 Next (2026 model)
• OS: Google TV (based on Android TV OS 14)
• TV: Hisense 65U8K (4K TV with Dolby Vision + Atmos + eARC)
• Audio: Sony HT-G700 (Soundbar with HDMI eARC)
• Connection: RockTek → Hisense TV → Sony soundbar (eARC)
• Network: Wired Ethernet
• Media Server: Plex
• Apps tested: Plex (Latest), Plezy 2.22 (MPV), Netflix and Prime Video

AUDIO SETTINGS (MANUAL WORKS BETTER)

Initially, Audio Format selection was set to Automatic.

My Sony soundbar mostly displayed LPCM on Automatic.

After changing Audio Format selection to manual and enabling the supported Dolby formats, I noticed a definite improvement as noted below:

Plezy 2.22 (MPV): Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos working perfectly in my tests. Best player so far!

Plex 2026.20.0: Dolby TrueHD not working and Dolby Atmos works inconsistently not as well as Plezy.

Netflix and Prime Video: Outputs Dolby Digital Plus (DD+).

VIDEO SETTINGS – NO DIFFERENCE

I tested Video Format Selection on both Automatic and Manual.

Unlike audio, changing video to Manual made no noticeable difference to HDR or Dolby Vision playback.

I also tested Dolby Vision Source-led versus Device-led, without noticing a difference.

My preference is therefore to leave Video Format Selection on Automatic.

Plezy 2.22 (MPV): Dolby Vision works perfectly on all videos I tested on it.

Plex 2026.20.0: Dolby Vision works inconsistently not as well as Plezy.

Netflix and Prime Video: Dolby Vision not working. HDR10 and HDR10+ only.

These results are based on the content I've tested, not every possible format.

Important Plezy discovery:

I noticed that during camera panning, the video would sometimes freeze briefly and jump forward every couple of seconds.

After testing different settings, I discovered that enabling Normalize Loudness in Plezy was causing this problem. Disabling Normalize Loudness resolved the stuttering.

Quite surprising that an audio setting could affect video smoothness!

My Conclusion

The new RockTek G2 Next looks promising, particularly when it comes to Dolby Vision and TrueHD Atmos playback.

Overall, Plezy with MPV performs considerably better than the official Plex app. I've successfully played Dolby Vision with TrueHD Atmos without any issues using Plezy, whereas Plex remains inconsistent.

I'm no expert, but if Plezy can handle these formats perfectly on the same device, wouldn't that suggest that at least some of the problems are related to the apps and their playback engines rather than limitations of the RockTek hardware itself?

I'd be interested to hear what other RockTek G2 Next owners have experienced, whether you've encountered similar issues, and if you've found any better settings or fixes.

I'm using the latest version of TiviMate on both devices.

I have a Chromecast with Google TV 4K, which plays some channels at 60 FPS. However, I also have a Xiaomi TV Box (3rd Gen), and the same channels only play at 50 FPS on that device. The playback also seems less smooth compared to the Chromecast 4K.

Does anyone know why this is happening or how I can fix it?

Thanks in advance!

On a Samsung S26U, I am now being asked to authenticate two Google IDs to Google TV. I don't use Google TV, never have. Why am I getting this?

I recently switched to Projectivy Launcher on both my Google TV Streamer and Nvidia Shield, and honestly, I wish I'd done it sooner.

The default Google TV launcher has become so ridiculously bloated that it's almost unbelievable. Performance has absolutely tanked, and the entire interface feels like one giant advert, constantly trying to steer you towards other content and services rather than simply letting you access the apps you've actually installed and want to use.

Why has Google gone down this route? It's not as though these devices are particularly cheap anymore, unlike the old Chromecasts. Until I discovered you could replace the launcher, I was genuinely considering selling my Google TV Streamer and buying an Apple TV instead.

I just don't understand why companies insist on enshittifying their products like this. Surely there's a point where squeezing every last bit of advertising revenue out of customers starts driving them away?

And it's not just Google. Pretty much every modern "smart" TV seems to be heading in the same direction, which is precisely why I bought a dedicated streaming device in the first place!

Am I just becoming a boring old man who wants a clean, responsive interface that does what I tell it to, or is anyone else getting increasingly fed up with this nonsense?

So we finally replaced out old Chromecast with the Onn 4K Pro, and I was eager to run some basic emulation on it, but no matter the file explorer app that I try, will all access permissions granted, when I try to set the pathway from inside the emulator app, I get the error message of "You don't have an app that can do this". I've tried combinations of different emulators, and tried half a dozen of the highest rated file browser apps, and have given all of them carte blanche as far as system access and permissions, but nothing works. Am I missing some setting, or has Google locked Android TV down this hard?

Hi, looking to potentially get a box and wondering what the current recommended boxes are that support both HDR10+ and audio passthrough?

I know in the past it was usually the homatics box r 4k plus and the Xiaomi TV Box S 3. I tried the Xiaomi back near the beginning of this year and found the UI to be slow and laggy compared to the Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen that I’m used to. So I ended up returning it.

So now I’m considering trying that Homatics box R 4K Plus. But I wanted to check if there are any other recommendations or newer boxes that may be better since I know the Homatics uses the older Amlogic S905X4 chip.

TIA!

Okay I successfully been able to download straight onto my Android TV streamer and also to my phone but I can't get it to install because I can't get any of these buttons to change to turn on to install any suggestions please help

Is there a way to lock my 100” tcl GoogleTV to a specific input and keeps someone from opening other apps etc? What’s best route to make this even happen?
Thanks

Or is upgrading to Streamer the only way to support WPA3-SAE?

Thanks in advance.

My new TCL QM6k (running Google TV, android 14) is just recently having issues with passthrough audio to my Denon AVR. I get stereo audio for everything, no DD or DTS. I have done everything to try and fix it: different media, toggled every setting, power cycle, unplugged everything, and nothing works. The issue doesn’t happen on other apps, so I’m pretty sure it’s the Peacock app.

I saw some forum posts from a year ago about Peacock disabling dolby vision and atmos on certain TV because of stability issues. Is this also happening now?

Anyone know how to fix this issue? Or do I just have to wait for another OTA update🙄. It’s BS that we pay $200/yr and still can even get Dolby Digital to my AVR.

I tried resetting the remote, changing the refresh rate to 59hz. I really want to avoid factory resetting the streamer, but that might be the next step.

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some help with a very irritating issue with my Google TV streamer.
If I've got something playing on my phone (usually Spotify), pressing the power button on my Google TV remote will pause the music on my phone.
There's also other interactions. For example, when I press play on my phone while something completely unrelated is playing on the TV, the thing on the TV will be paused, and vice versa.
This is really annoying as I often have music on my phone when giving my son a bath, for example, and my wife is downstairs watching TV. We end up in "pause battles" from across the house!
Does anyone know what's causing this and how to stop it?
This wasn't an issue before we moved house but nothing has changed in the setup, I literally just moved everything over and plugged it in how it was at the old house. Nothing new, no new settings that I know of.
So far I've only tried clearing spotify cache on both devices, and disabling HDMI-CEC (which didn't work so I've enabled it again).
Thanks in advance for any help!

EDIT: I just disabled Settings > Spotify > Local Network and it seems to have fixed it. I'll come back and report if it hasn't.

Any way to watch Free Tv channels or Free IPTV in india on Google tv ?

Just brought a bravia mark 3

I am trying to use my Google TV as the hub to play music around my house. When using an app that supports casting (Symfonium) I am not able to see any of my speakers or speaker groups. When I use the same app on my phone and same network, I am able to see everything. Same when using other apps or other devices. It seems to only be my TV that can't see them.

I can see my TV under the Home app and control it from there. Is there any way to be able to cast to speakers from a Google TV?

Sometimes when I open it, it's just black/blank

Then if I close and reopen it, it's back to normal

Anyone else ever get this?

I use the remote to control my Google Streamer

After searching the web and trying countless setting and resets and cables and chargers, I sent it back. They got the unit, but never “received it” until I contacted them again.

Bought an ONN streamer 4K to use while they find my return.

Received the new unit, set it up, plugged it in, and this one not only locks up when scrolling video listings, but also locks up watching Youtube.

Another hour on the phone with support, and I’m getting a refund. The ONN is working so far.

It works fine for about 30 mins but then it slows down and lags or it's playing in lower frames.

Any idea how to fix it?

It seems ESPN is the other app that does it.

It's TCL TV. 85Q51K

I have a Google TV. I have tried many times to connect to WiFi on it, but the connection failed every time. Then I tried using mobile hotspot networks, but they also failed. I have tried restarting the WiFi connection and the router, but there is no solution. Please let me know what I can do to fix this problem.

Hey everyone!
I’m having a really frustrating issue with my onn. Google TV 4K Pro, and I’m hoping someone here has experienced something similar or knows how to fix it.
My setup:
Streaming device: onn. Google TV 4K Pro (latest firmware)
TV: LG 60UM6900PUA (latest firmware)
Connection: HDMI
Google Assistant hands-free microphone enabled
Built-in speaker volume set to High (80%)
The problem:
The onn. 4K Pro has a built-in speaker that should allow Google Assistant to respond to voice commands even when the TV is turned off.
However, whenever my LG TV is connected to power, the onn. refuses to play Google Assistant responses through its built-in speaker while the TV is off.
Google Assistant still hears me and executes commands, such as turning my smart lights on and off, but I get absolutely no audible response.
When the TV is on, Google Assistant responds through the TV speakers instead.
Here’s where things get interesting:
I discovered something while troubleshooting:
If I disconnect the HDMI cable from the onn., its built-in speaker works perfectly.
If I leave HDMI connected but unplug the LG TV from the wall, the onn. also responds through its built-in speaker.
If I plug the LG TV back into power, even without turning it on, the onn. immediately stops using its built-in speaker.
I even plugged the LG back into power while Google Assistant was speaking, and the audio stopped immediately!
I tested the same onn. 4K Pro with a Samsung TV, and the built-in speaker worked correctly when that TV was off.
Things I’ve already tried:
Disabling HDMI-CEC/SIMPLINK on both devices
Disabling Auto Power Sync on the LG
Enabling and disabling Quick Start+
Switching between HDMI 1 and HDMI 2 (ARC)
Trying different HDMI cables, including the original cable supplied with the onn. 4K Pro
Disabling surround sound and using stereo/PCM
Checking the built-in speaker volume
Checking the audio output settings
Confirming both devices are running the latest firmware
Reviewing Android TV developer options
None of these fixed the issue.
My suspicion:
It seems like the LG TV maintains some sort of HDMI connection or detection signal while in standby, causing the onn. 4K Pro to keep routing Google Assistant audio through HDMI instead of switching to its built-in speaker.
I don’t think this is an HDMI-CEC issue, since disabling CEC on both devices made no difference.
Has anyone experienced this with an LG TV and the onn. 4K Pro?
Is there a hidden setting, Android TV workaround, or HDMI-related fix that could force Google Assistant to use the built-in speaker whenever the TV is off?
I’d really appreciate any suggestions. I’ve spent hours troubleshooting this and I’m running out of ideas!
Thanks in advance!

So I just got this TCL Google TV. I actually love it BUT today I finally set up all the Google TV stuff and now whenever I turn on my PS5 the TV says "game" and when I go back to the main menu it says "music" how do I turn this off? Talkback is already set to off.