The new $50 Chromecast with Google TV is Google's first real rival to Roku and
Amazon Fire TV.
It brings a lot of features that never existed on a Chromecast before, such as
a full remote and brand-new Google TV software that makes it easier to find
movies and TV shows. And it ties into all sorts of services, such as Hulu, HBO
Max, Netflix and Disney+.
Previously, the Chromecast let you play content on your computer, but you had
to select content on your phone. Now it has a whole new software experience,
which makes it feel a lot more like a Roku, an Amazon Fire TV or an Apple TV.
It means Google might finally be able to take some market share away from
leaders Amazon and Roku.
What's good about the Chromecast with Google TV
The new Chromecast is super simple to use. You just plug it in to your TV's
HDMI port, every modern TV has one, and turn it on. The Google TV software
has seven menu options at the top of the screen that are really
straightforward: Search, For You, Live, Movies, Shows, Apps and Library. I
like that the "For You" page pulls in movies and TV shows from subscriptions
you pay for, such as Hulu or Netflix, and that you don't have to open those
apps to see what might be popular in any of them.
It also makes recommendations based on shows or movies you've watched.
Best of all, it doesn't have any ads, like Roku and Amazon do.
All of this is easy to navigate with the remote. There's a button to
search by voice, a home key, a back key, an omnidirectional circular bar
for moving through apps, and dedicated buttons to launch YouTube and
Netflix. You can also change TV inputs or adjust the volume from the
remote.
Many really like that voice button since it syncs right into Google
Assistant, much like a Fire TV can tap into Amazon Alexa. So, you can
ask for the weather and your TV will show you the forecast. Or, if you have
a Google Nest camera, you can pull up a video feed on your
screen. Google Assistant can tap into all sorts of stuff, such as Maps
to show you where the nearest coffee shop is. Unlike Amazon Fire TV,
however, you can't shop for stuff from the voice remote.
The "Live TV" page is great if you subscribe to YouTube TV, since it
shows a traditional menu of shows that looks very similar to what
you'd find on a cable box. And you can record unlimited shows with a
YouTube TV subscription and pull them up on your TV or any device with
the YouTube TV app.
There are other things some people will care about, too, such as 4K
support and Dolby Atmos for better surround sound, which are great
to have in a device that costs $50.
What's bad about the Chromecast with Google TV
There are a bunch of apps you can download for Google TV, but
you really have to know what you're looking for because there's
no dedicated "store" to browse through them all in one place.
Instead, you have to browse through popular apps by category,
such as "entertainment "or lifestyle." But, this can be kind of
hard if you just want to download the Peloton app, for example.
Many will wish it had a more traditional store.
Similarly, the "Library" tab is laid out really weird. If
you've bought a bunch of movies through the Google Play Movies
store, now simply called Google TV, on an Android phone, those
all appear. But it's just a long horizontal list of what you
own. You would probably prefer a full page of movies and TV shows presented
in alphabetical order. This could easily be fixed with
software changes.
Finally, the Chromecast with Google TV doesn't officially
support Google's Stadia game streaming service yet. You can
get it to work by fiddling around, but it's not quite
there yet. Google is working to add this sometime next
year.
Should you buy the Chromecast with Google TV
If you're looking for a new streaming TV, you really
can't go wrong here. It's affordable, it ties into all
sorts of services really well, it has a great remote,
and it's easy to use. You'll benefit even more if you
use the Google TV app on a phone to add movies and TV
shows to your watchlist, which then sync to your TV. And
you'll especially like it if you use YouTube TV.
If you already have and like Amazon Fire TV or Roku,
those are still great platforms with their own
strengths. But if you've been looking for something
different, the new Chromecast with Google TV is
awesome.
Credit: cnbc.com
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