![]() ![]() ![]() It small shockingly small and arrived with an impulse-buy price tag, but was capable of beaming video, photos, and games from your smartphone or tablet onto the biggest screen in your home. When Google launched its first-generation Chromecast back in 2013, it was revolutionary. It's a worthwhile upgrade for anyone with a previous Chromecast model plugged into their telly and those who are heavily-invested in the Google ecosystem (or prefer Rotten Tomatoes scores to IMDb) should definitely prioritise this over Amazon's Fire TV Stick range. ![]() And if you control your smart lights, Nest thermostat, video doorbell, or other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets via the Google Home app, you'll be able to adjust all of them by talking into the TV remote.Ĭhromecast with Google TV is a triumph. Those who store their family snaps in Google Photos can set a rolling slideshow of favourite photos as a screensaver, which is a nice touch. Yes, unlike many of its closest competition, you'll still enjoy all of the features that made the Chromecast such a runaway hit in the first place, like beaming photos to the big screen with a quick tap from your phone, broadcasting a tab from your Chrome web browser to the telly, or queueing up music videos from YouTube – with friends on iOS and Android able to contribute to the playlist in real-time. Thankfully, Google has kept everything that made the original Chromecast such a hit. However, you can download a few lightweight games to enjoy on the diddy device. For some reason, All4 is completely absent from the Play Store on this Chromecast streamer, so you won't be enjoying any episodes of Gogglebox, First Dates, The Inbetweeners, or Naked Attraction anytime soon. (almost all of) the biggest brands in streaming are all present and correct on the Chromecast with Google TV. Everything is controlled with a pebble-like remote control, which arrives with built-in support for chatty AI Google Assistant and the ability to adjust volume and switch between HDMI inputs.ĭisney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX (née ITV Hub), NOW, Apple TV+, HayU, Paramount+. Google had a lot of catching up to do with its new Chromecast, but it's managed it.Ĭhromecast owners no longer have to keep reaching for their phones or tablet to beam content to the big screen, thanks to the gorgeous new user interface with high-resolution artwork, trailers, Rotten Tomato scores, and AI-powered recommendations based on your viewing history. Hopefully, Google puts out a software update that integrates live TV from other services better soon because it'll make the experience much better.Google's Chromecast brand is synonymous with lightweight streaming dongles, but the experience of watching on these best-selling gadgets had fallen far behind rivals from Amazon, Apple, and Roku. If I were on YouTube TV, these commands would work. Instead, I have to open Hulu and then choose the channel where the game is airing. I can't use commands like "Hey Google, turn on the Yankees game" with Hulu. I use Hulu with Live TV, and it's not integrated into the Live section, nor does it work with voice. It's not a deal-breaker, as the device really is designed to use with the remote anyway, but if you're a big caster, it may be something that holds you back.Īnother problem, and one that Google has said it intends to address, is how it works with live TV services that aren't YouTube TV. This didn't happen all the time, and I turned off the sleep setting, so I'm not sure what the problem was. Sometimes, the device wouldn't show up in the list of available devices, so I'd have to grab the remote and wake the Chromecast up to cast. One slight issue I had came when casting from my phone to the Chromecast with Google TV. You can sideload Stadia onto the device, and it works, but it would have been nice to see Google offer the service from day one. Speaking of imagination, you can use the Chromecast with Google TV to play games with a Bluetooth controller, though Google's own streaming service Stadia isn't officially supported at launch. ![]()
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