Sony is working on a Chromecast-style TV dongle of its own. Known only by model number NSZ-GU1, the device surfaced in an FCC filing earlier this month that was recently updated with more information and photos.
Specifications include a low power Marvell DE3108 SoC, 8GB of flash memory and 1GB of RAM. The device sports an HDMI pass through and an IR blaster but it appears to be limited to 720p video output. Diagrams of the remote control reveal it looks similar to the one included with the Sony NSZ-GS7 and GS8.
A brief instruction manual included in the filing notes the dongle will receive power from a television's USB connection, meaning it won't need an extra cable like Chromecast. One of the diagrams in the filing shows it plugged into the side of a television much like Chromecast or Roku's Streaming Stick.
It's unclear at this time whether or not the dongle will behave similarly to Chromecast or if it will mirror the standard Google TV experience. At least one publication believes the Sony dongle will be similar to Chromecast but with Google TV features.
Unfortunately that's all we have to go on for now as no release date or finalized hardware specs have been published. It's entirely possible, however, that we could see the dongle show up at next week's IFA trade show in Berlin. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if Sony can produce something as useful (and more importantly, as inexpensive) as Chromecast to bolster smart televisions.