Google's Chromecast with Google TV is Its First Real Streaming Contender

An anonymous reader shares a report: For the better part of the last decade, Google's Chromecast dongles were the company's primary homegrown solution for streaming video to your TV. But with the recent explosion in streaming services, even the most sophisticated Chromecast wasn't really cutting it anymore, which is something the new Chromecast with Google TV is hoping to change in a big way, but bringing an actual streaming device OS to a Chromecast dongle. The big change for this new $50 Chromecast is that it's not your typical Chromecast at all. Sure, it still plugs in via HDMI and you can still use it to stream videos and content to your TV from your phone. However, instead of being based around the very basic Chromecast interface, this new Chromecast runs on Android TV platform which Google has improved with an enhanced UI and a few new features, which is where the Google TV part of Chromecast with Google TV comes in.

And when you factor in the Chromecast with Google TV's new dedicated remote these upgrades could completely change how you watch and interact with content. Starting with the hardware, the Chromecast with Google TV consists of two parts: there's the dongle that plugs into your TV and Google's included remote. For the Chromecast with Google TV, Google is going with a simple ovular puck that comes in three different colors (Snow, Sunrise, and Sky) and features an attached HDMI cable that plugs into your TV along with a USB-C port and bundled cable that you'll need to plug in for power. The Chromecast with Google TV comes with support for 4K video at 60 fps with HDR via Dolby Vision, which ticks all the major boxes when it comes to streaming video quality.

It's basically a TiVo Stream 4K

[MDMurphy]

The TiVo Stream came out months ago and looks awfully close to the new Chromecast. Runs Android TV, supports adding additional apps. The Tivo device has more buttons. While there isn't often a need for a full numeric keypad, with a 3rd party app you can re-map any of the buttons to directly launch an app, get a screen snap or other function. Since I don't have TiVo service I just disabled that app and remapped that button.

Terrible Slashvertisement

[jittles]

Features: 1) Google tracks all of your watching 2) uses wifi so you'll saturate your wifi connections with 4k video 3) have to trust Android app store and Google in general. Why would anyone want any of these things? Google already knows way too much about all of us and this device is not going to do anything that you can't do with a Roku or other device.

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[sixsixtysix]

Try watching HBO Max on your Roku, bud.

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[AmiMoJo]

I wonder if this will support Kodi and sideloading. Can't see why not. Might be a decent alternative to the rather expensive Nvidia Shield, at least for media.

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[fred911]

I was wondering the same thing. But it does support the Play Store (and play services) so one wouldn't have to "side load". Just install it from the play store. It will be nice to have a cheap device that supports Chromecast, therefore visual displays from any Google Assistant.

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[AmiMoJo]

Unfortunately there are a few apps I want that are not available on the Play Store, like alternative YouTube clients that block ads and automatically skip over sponsor sections.

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[fred911]

''Unfortunately there are a few apps I want that are not available on the Play Store''

Agreed. But you don't have to side-load them. Just install them and hope there's not a dependency issue, or assure you're feeding them the proper and friendly dependencies.

Google TV is Its First Real Streaming Contender

[darkain]

"Google TV is Its First Real Streaming Contender"

Google TV was a streaming OS released a DECADE ago. That was a serious contender that Google killed, and renamed Android TV. Now they're rebranding Android TV back to Google TV, and calling it "new", all the while it is still just an evolution of the same service for the entire past decade.

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[DontBeAMoran]

So what you're saying is, the real name is actually "Google TV: Zombie Edition".

It's all about the remote

[OpinOnion]

Google hasn't done shit for Android TV really. Roku, Nvidia and Amazon have carried the platform because Google was too stupid to make a bundled remote and actually focus on the platform.

$49 in the US, $75 in the UK

[shibbie]

Why is the UK getting taken from behind on the pricing? I can afford it, and really wanted one, but I won't be getting this on principle. If they get away with ripping people off now they'll do it again in future.

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[DontBeAMoran]

You do know European prices have to include the tax in the advertised price, right?

In Canada and the USA, each province/state has a different tax percentage so companies can't really advertise prices with taxes included.

Re: $49 in the US, $75 in the UK

[shibbie]

In the UK without 20% sales tax it's £50 (£49.9916), so $64.72 using Google's own currency converter. That's still (64.72-49)/49 = 0.32 (32%) higher.

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[DontBeAMoran]

Companies also add a percentage to the price to account for currencies fluctuations. And there's probably import fees or something similar on top of all that.

But yeah, I agree the price difference is probably more than it should be. The prices in Canada are often too high too, even though they can easily export via roads.

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[drinkypoo]

Brexit: Costs up, Prices up [oliverwyman.com]

If we have to take the heat for Trump because he's "what we voted for" (which he isn't) then you have to take the heat for Brexit because it's "what you voted for" (which it is.)

Re: $49 in the US, $75 in the UK

[shibbie]

Too much truth in this. I'll be sure to pass the blame onto the 56% that voted out, ironically those that will lose most out of their pensions, and pass away from Covid19.

So long as it can run Kodi

[Kernel Kurtz]

Because that is what most of the cheap Android TV boxes out there are used for. Big bonus if it gets security updates.

product endurance

[CWCheese]

will this have any endurance in the market? seems google comes up with something different all the time and abandons products at an alarming pace when it loses interest or gets distracted by something else

Will it be any more reliable than older chromecast

[sgendler]

I've been using chromecast since it launched. As an employee, the company gave me a free one before they were even available on the market. And the user experience is perfectly in keeping with the rest of google's consumer product line - it sucks, and seems to get worse with every new release. Google's own streaming services, like youtube and google play music, are less reliable than 3rd party apps like Netflix. I consistently lose my connection to the chromecast from the playing app, preventing me from

Why is the (permanently attached) cable so short?

[drew_kime]

Am I the only one who doesn't like hanging devices from the HDMI?

First, the weight puts strain on the connector that it isn't designed for. I know you're not moving it around all the time, but I'd still rather not.

And, especially with larger TVs, you can end up with the device behind the display where the signal from the remote may not penetrate well.

Or are these not really problems and I'm the old man yelling at a cloud?

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[tlhIngan]

Am I the only one who doesn't like hanging devices from the HDMI?

First, the weight puts strain on the connector that it isn't designed for. I know you're not moving it around all the time, but I'd still rather not.

And, especially with larger TVs, you can end up with the device behind the display where the signal from the remote may not penetrate well.

Or are these not really problems and I'm the old man yelling at a cloud?

Partially right, partially wrong.

Depending on the HDMI port, many come with a tab and a

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[drew_kime]

Depending on the HDMI port, many come with a tab and a screw. If you see over the top of the HDMI connector that there's a screw there, that's what it's doing. It provides mechanical rigidity to the connector and the back plate so when you shove the connector in there, the tab picks up the mechanical strain and not the solder joints.

I've never noticed that. Going to go check mine. Thanks for the tip.

Remotes don't matter since annoyingly these devices all use some sort of RF control - probably WiFi in this case, or Bluetooth.

I've got a couple Roku sticks. One connected intermittently to the remote. Their online help indicated I could request an "HDMI extender" - a one-foot cable - that would let me position the stick below (or at least closer to) the edge of the display. I doubt they'd send additional hardware for free if they hadn't identified this as a real problem. I suspect they would have boosted the signal in later generations to mitigate the problem.

Huh?

[DarkRookie2]

I thought it was piracy in general. There is nothing convenient about the new Google disc over it.

For $25

[DarkRookie2]

I bought a long HDMI cable and plugged my TV into my video card. So I have all those features and much more. Like the ability to play 4 movies at the same time. Or keep both the music and video apps up running. Or play all my computer games from the comfort on my chair.