9/28/2023 0 Comments Hdr express 3 reviewsIt’s the rare low-cost device that’s also future-proof. Unlike other sub-$40 media streamers, such as the Roku Express and Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast is immune to performance hitches, provided you have a decent phone to browse with. That said, the standard-issue Chromecast is a strong product in part because of its price. You can still take a call or play audio on your mobile device while Casting, and media playback continues even if you disconnect from the Wi-Fi network. Launching a video from your phone or tablet has worked flawlessly from day one, and compared to Apple’s AirPlay, Google’s second-screen approach has fewer compromises. I have a soft spot for Chromecast because the core Google Cast technology is so elegant. So while Roku players include a handy “4K Spotlight” app, and Amazon’s Fire TV marks Ultra HD video on the home screen, you’re on your own with Chromecast. The app also doesn’t help at all with finding 4K HDR video. ![]() It seems to think, for instance, that the Netflix exclusive House of Cards is available on Hulu. ![]() And on occasion, Google’s search delivers bogus results. There’s no way to cast videos directly from this app, so after making a selection, you’ll waste a lot of time launching the corresponding app, then hitting the Cast button, then waiting for the video to load. Universal search is one of the strong points in the Google Home companion app.īut even the Home app could use improvement. You can also search by title, actor, director, or genre or put together more complex queries, such as “alternate history movies” or “dramas with Bill Murray.” Selecting a result brings up a list of streaming services where the movie or TV show is available. With the Google Home app for iOS and Android, you can browse a list of trending videos across all the Cast-enabled apps you’ve installed. The one area where Google has made measurable progress is with browsing and searching across disparate streaming services. It doesn’t support private listening through Bluetooth headphones or your mobile device’s headphone jack, and there’s no captive portal support for use with hotel Wi-Fi networks. And without a dedicated remote, there’s no one-touch access to voice search like you get with Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and certain Roku players.Ĭhromecast has fallen behind rival media streamers on the little things as well. Chromecast’s playback controls also vary from one app to the next, so you’ll get some apps with convenient 10-second rewind and fast forward buttons, and others with only a progress slider. Volume controls aren’t the only area of inconsistency. YouTube lets you adjust volume straight from the notification shade. Amazon Video, a major source of Ultra HD video, is unlikely to arrive on Google’s devices due to long-standing unpleasantness between the two companies. Currently, the only sources for 4K video are Netflix, YouTube, and Vudu, and only Netflix supports HDR. The big difference with the Ultra is 4K HDR video support, though you might not know it from using the product. While other some older streaming-TV devices are becoming too slow for modern video apps, even the first-generation Chromecast feels nearly as capable in this respect as the new Chromecast Ultra.īehind the TV: Chromecast Ultra and the original 2013 Chromecast (right). Your phone or tablet already has a capable processor for navigating apps, plus a software keyboard and voice microphone for search the Chromecast just needs to be fast enough for streaming video. You can also mirror the display from an Android phone or desktop websites in Chrome, though this drains your device’s battery life and the streaming quality is unreliable.Ĭhromecast’s reliance on a second screen isn’t for everyone, but the brilliance of this approach is that it doesn’t require overly powerful hardware on the Chromecast itself. (The biggest exceptions are services run by Google’s competitors, such as Amazon Video and Apple’s iTunes.)īeyond music and video, the platform supports lightweight games, such as a big-screen version of Monopoly, along with more novel apps such as presentation tools and photo viewers. But support for Google’s platform has exploded since then, to the point that most major streaming services include a Cast button on their apps and websites. ![]() In the early days, Chromecast only worked with a handful of apps. To play a video on Chromecast, press the Cast button (top right) in a supported mobile app such as HBO Go.
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