#Review google chromecast 2018 movie#
#Review google chromecast 2018 android#
#Review google chromecast 2018 plus#
#Review google chromecast 2018 tv#

Functionally, it aims for the same, comprehensive aggregation as the Apple TV app. Visually, itвЂ™s close to AmazonвЂ™s Fire TV interface. The user experience Google came up with looks and feels pretty familiar.

#Review google chromecast 2018 android#

But the big new thing with this Chromecast - and something no other Android TV device offers - is the вЂњGoogle TVвЂќ software that completely replaces the regular Android TV home screen. You can dive into your favorite streaming apps and use them just like normal, which IвЂ™ve found myself doing plenty. Searches for вЂњshow me Academy Award-winning moviesвЂќ work like youвЂ™d expect, though вЂњshow me movies with a 90 percent or better rating on Rotten TomatoesвЂќ is still too much for Assistant to figure out. With Google Assistant, you can say things like вЂњwatch The Social Dilemma on NetflixвЂќ or вЂњwatch The Mandalorian on Disney PlusвЂќ and youвЂ™ll jump right to that content. There was one instance where I searched for вЂњmovies with Tom Hanks,вЂќ and it surfaced illegal YouTube rips above everything else, but I never ran into that amusing bug again. Voice search with the remote almost always works reliably. And the changes donвЂ™t come at the sacrifice of functionality you can still cast content to the Chromecast from your phone, tablet, or computer - say, if a friend comes over and wants to show you a video or play a song from their phone. ItвЂ™s also $20 less than GoogleвЂ™s Chromecast Ultra, which doesnвЂ™t have a remote or its own TV interface.ДЄfter spending a few days with the new Chromecast, IвЂ™ve been mostly pleased with the new Google TV software, which puts a huge emphasis on discovery and helping you find something to watch.

#Review google chromecast 2018 plus#

The вЂњChromecast with Google TV,вЂќ as itвЂ™s fully called, is available starting today for $49.99, a price that puts Google right in line with RokuвЂ™s Streaming Stick Plus and AmazonвЂ™s Fire TV Stick 4K. And as a streaming gadget, the Chromecast checks off almost everything important: it does 4K, supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and has a massive selection of apps at the ready. You navigate that content with a normal remote control that comes in the box. ItвЂ™s got an all-new user interface designed by Google (and built atop Android TV) thatвЂ™s flush with content from popular services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and HBO Max. Instead of a barebones interface that requires you to play and control content using your smartphone or PC, the 2020 Chromecast has evolved to offer a richer, full-featured streaming experience much more akin to a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV. This isnвЂ™t a premium streamer, though: itвЂ™s a ВЈ30 streamer, and for that money the picture is very good indeed.The new Chromecast is a much different product than the original $35 streaming stick that proved to be an unexpected hardware hit for Google way back in 2013. Neither flaw is serious or particularly distracting, thereвЂ™s just something a little computer-like about the delivery that you donвЂ™t get with more premium streamers.

#Review google chromecast 2018 movie#

Support for 60fps video doesnвЂ™t really add anything to regular TV and movie watching, so the picture performance of the new Chromecast is more or less identical to that of the 2015 model вЂ“ which is no bad thing.ДЄs before, 1080p is the upper resolution limit вЂ“ the Chromecast Ultra (ВЈ69) goes up to 4K вЂ“ but the picture is sharp and detailed, and boasts natural colours and a good deal of punch.Д«lacks are a little all-consuming, so dark detail isnвЂ™t terribly strong, and thereвЂ™s a little blur and judder to motion. This feature is of limited use right now вЂ“ currently only Netflix, All 4 and Spotify are compatible вЂ“ but it is rather cool to be able to say вЂњokay Google, play Ozark on the lounge TVвЂќ and have the Netflix TV show continue where you last left off. It also means that you can play content on the Chromecast by issuing voice commands to any Google Assistant smart speakers you might already have, such as the Google Home Mini.

The Chromecast is also now part of GoogleвЂ™s Home family of products, which means you use the Google Home app on Android or iOS to set up the device and ascribe it to a specific room. Instead, the Chromecast is streaming directly from the internet, improving data rates and therefore quality, and preserving the battery life of the casting device. ItвЂ™s worth remembering that while youвЂ™re choosing what to watch or listen to using your phone (or tablet or laptop), youвЂ™re not actually sending media from the device youвЂ™re touching. The lack of a traditional remote will be an issue for some, and we encountered some occasional unresponsiveness when attempting to control an already-playing video from an iPhone, but the communication between handheld device and Chromecast is mostly slick and reliable. Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1