Google TV is getting Gemini features that actually make sense

Google TV is finally getting some of the Gemini features we’ve been hearing about for months. The update brings two new tools—Nano Banana and Veo—along with improvements to search and recommendations. I’ve been poking around the beta, and I have thoughts.

Let’s start with Nano Banana. This is Google’s lightweight AI image editor that runs locally on the device. You can tweak photos—adjust lighting, remove objects, apply filters—without sending anything to the cloud. On a TV, this feels odd at first. Why edit photos on a screen you’re not touching? But after using it, I get it. If you’re hosting a family slideshow or showing off vacation pics, it’s handy to make quick adjustments without pulling out your phone. The latency is surprisingly low, and the UI is clean enough for a remote control. My main gripe: the tool selection is limited compared to the phone version. No generative fill, no advanced masking. It’s basic, but it works.

Then there’s Veo, Google’s video generation model. This one is cloud-based, so you need a decent internet connection. You feed it a short clip or a series of photos, and it can extend the video, change the style, or even generate new scenes based on a text prompt. I tried it with a 10-second clip of my dog running in the park. I typed “make it look like a painting from the 1800s” and waited about 30 seconds. The result was… okay. The style transfer was decent, but the motion looked slightly jittery, especially at the edges. It’s not going to replace dedicated video editors anytime soon, but for quick, fun edits on your TV, it’s a neat party trick. The bigger question: who’s going to use this regularly? I suspect it’ll be a novelty for most people, but Google is betting on it becoming a staple for casual creators.

The update also improves Gemini-powered search. You can now ask things like “show me action movies from the 90s with a female lead” and get accurate results. In my testing, it handled complex queries better than before, though it still struggles with obscure titles. The recommendation engine now considers your viewing history across YouTube and Google TV more holistically. I noticed it started surfacing shows I’d watched on YouTube but never searched for on TV. That’s a nice touch, though it also means I’m getting more ads for stuff I’ve already seen.

Now, the elephant in the room: privacy. Nano Banana runs locally, which is good. But Veo sends your clips to Google’s servers. The company says data is encrypted and not used for training, but I’m always skeptical until I see an independent audit. If you’re paranoid, you can disable Veo in settings, but that defeats the purpose of the feature.

Is this a game-changer? No. But it’s a step in the right direction. Google TV has always been a competent streaming platform, but it lacked the creative tools that make a smart TV feel smart. Nano Banana and Veo add a layer of fun that might justify the upgrade for some users. Just don’t expect professional-grade output. The tools are clearly aimed at casual use, and that’s fine.

I’d like to see Google expand the local processing capabilities so more features work offline. Also, the remote control is still a pain for fine-grained editing. Voice commands help, but they’re not precise enough for pixel-level adjustments. Maybe a future update will support phone-as-controller better.

Overall, this is a solid update that brings Gemini’s capabilities to a screen that’s been starved for innovative features. It’s not perfect, but it’s more than I expected from a TV platform. If you have a compatible Google TV device, give it a shot. Just keep your expectations in check.