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Google TV and Chromecast offer incredible value. streaming device for 4K HDR.
While the Chromecast with Google TV doesn’t invent the streaming device wheel, it does provide a practical, user-friendly, and fully featured alternative for those who don’t want to spend more money on the newest streaming hardware than they have to.
Chromecast Review
A streaming stick with a remote is not all that Chromecast with Google TV is. One of the best streaming devices available, Google’s newest home entertainment system has a logical user interface, access to almost all streaming services, and Google Assistant at your disposal.
New Android TV updates should prove to be a formidable rival to Roku and Apple TV. Using your phone as a remote control is yet another fantastic new feature of Android TV.
The price of the Chromecast with Google TV is comparable to that of the Roku and Amazon Fire TV Sticks currently available, but as this review of the Chromecast with Google TV shows, it’s the features that only Google can offer that set it apart as one of the best smart streaming devices.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Reasonable design
- Numerous streaming options
- a remote control
- Features of smart homes
Cons
- Unformatted general Google searches
- Bug in the Continue Watching list
Chromecast’s Specs
- Size: 4.8 x 1.5 x 0.7 inches; 6.4 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches (dongle) (remote)
- 5,000+ channels available
- ports: USB-C and HDMI
- Maximum video resolution: 4K/60 fps
- HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision have supported HDR formats.
- Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos are supported audio formats.
Price and availability
Chromecast with Google TV usually costs $49.99 but is currently on sale at the Google Store for $39.99. Major retailers like Best Buy also sell it. If you don’t want to purchase a Chromecast to connect to your TV in its entirety? To cast your TV without one, we’ve ranked the top TVs with built-in Chromecast.
Design
The Chromecast with Google TV is a dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV, similar to most streaming devices. It also comes with a small remote control. Are you curious how it stacks up to the Chromecast without a remote? View the contest between Chromecast with Google TV and Chromecast.
The oval shape of the dongle, which will fit easily in your palm, gives the impression that it would be ideal for skipping across a lake.
Chromecast is a fairly straightforward and well-known device, but if you’d like to learn more, we have a comprehensive “what is Google Chromecast?” guide that should help.
A USB cable and plug are included because the Chromecast with Google TV requires more power than your TV’s HDMI port can supply. One end of the device has an HDMI output, and the other has a USB-C port.
The devices included remote falls somewhere between the Apple TV and Roku remotes. The Google TV remote has a rounded rear and curved top and bottom like the Roku, but the curve is not as noticeable. The Google TV remote is a single color, except for the Google Assistant button, though it is not as simple as the Apple TV remote.
Interface
The Google TV interface isn’t particularly innovative, but it functions. There are tabs for Search, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library at the top, and below those are thumbnails of the appropriate menu-related content.
If you sign up for YouTube TV, a Live tab will show up in the top menu, which lists the shows that are currently broadcast on that platform.
Top Picks for You, Trending on Google, and Recommended Videos based on what you’ve watched on YouTube are just a few of the subcategories available. These are all based on your viewing history from the streaming services you’ve linked.
The Library tab will show any Google rentals or purchases you’ve made as well as YouTube TV DVR recordings.
When you long-press on a thumbnail, you can see the streaming services it is available on, watch a trailer (if available), add it to your Watchlist, give it a rating, and view more information.
I like that you can add multiple Google accounts to the device because my viewing preferences are very different from those of my wife. She won’t see the Fast & Furious movies on her screen, and I won’t get Gilmore Girls recommendations.
Streaming services
There are plenty of streaming options available: YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN, Sling, HBO Max, CBS All Access, Starz, Peacock, Peloton, Tubi, PBS, and more are all available on Chromecast with Google TV.
The Apple TV app will be added to Chromecast with Google TV in early 2021, so add one more to the list. 50 free live TV channels will add to Google TV as well.
Either go to Google Play on your phone and remotely send new software to Google TV, or you can install apps and services directly from the device.
The device supports HDR, including HDR10 and HDR10+, and recently added support for Dolby Vision. It can stream content at resolutions up to 4K/60 fps. It is compatible with Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos audio systems.
It’s always better to use a VPN whenever you are doing something online.
Performance
I used Chromecast with Google TV to test it out, and I discovered that it delivered excellent video quality while being quick and responsive. It was plugged into a Vizio M60-C3 4K HDTV and was Wi-Fi connected to a Netgear Orbi satellite that was about five feet away.
When watching videos from YouTube, Disney Plus’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and other sources, I was astonished by the details and hues. Almost always, the stream began in high definition; on the rare occasions when it didn’t, the problem had fixed, usually in under a minute.
Smart home features
You can ask Google Assistant to display a feed from a compatible home security camera, such as a Nest Cam or Nest Hello video doorbell, on your TV.
The feature offered by Amazon with its Fire TV devices is the same as this one. Unsurprisingly, Amazon-owned Ring and Blink do not function with Chromecast and Google TV.
To control other smart home appliances, like smart lights and smart thermostats, use Google Assistant on Chromecast and Google TV. The ability to turn things on and off with a voice command is useful, but I’ve discovered that Alexa’s Routines make for a much better smart home assistant.
Verdict
While using your phone to cast content to your TV has a certain minimalist appeal, To use the remote that comes with the Chromecast with Google TV, I can see many people giving up their old Chromecast devices.
This device has a few advantages over other streaming sticks, as this Chromecast with Google TV review has demonstrated. In addition to being a Chromecast device, which makes it simple to cast pretty much anything you want to your TV, it also has Google Assistant built-in, which makes use of the power of Google’s search engine.
Surprisingly, Google waited so long to release a product like this. The Continue Watching row will fix soon.
