Papa’s gotta new smart television but he seems to be shouting more than usual at the TV. Not because the video quality is bad or the audio, substandard. The interface is bad, which is probably the case with most new smart televisions. Most of us stream a majority of video content or films and movies. Though smart TVs come with some operating system or the other, but they add too many refinements on top of the OS or simply goof up when it comes to suggesting shows. This is where add-on streaming devices come in, which have simpler remotes, better app support and more updates, besides being affordable. Among streaming sticks, one name that stands out is Chromecast with Google TV. It’s one of the best options in the market, especially when pricing is factored in. Though my television is about 10 months old, the UI has betrayed me, so it was a welcome break to connect the add-on streaming stick.
The oval, pancake-shaped Chromecast device comes with a nifty, well-designed remote control, USB-A to USB-C cable, charging brick and — thankfully — a set of batteries. Setting up the device hardly takes a few minutes… if you remember your Google password. Anyway, just give all the details and connect it to your Wi-Fi. This is when things become time-consuming because you have to log into every streaming app once again. Some apps like Apple TV+ and Netflix are well thought out… better than most… but it’s still going to take around 10 minutes to get all the apps running.
No other platform offers better recommendation than Google. There is PatchWall on Mi TV, which is very good but Google TV has my heart because of how quickly it learns what I could be looking for. Further, Google doesn’t have disputes with other streaming services, so I am somewhat assured that I will have access to all the apps via Chromecast. First, remember this Google TV is the interface you get access to via Chromecast and not the discontinued Google TV operating system. That was different. With Google TV, we have come close to using one UI to find and discover TV shows and movies to watch versus clicking through each and every app. A part of it is due to the universal rating system where you can rate shows and movies you like with a thumbs up or down as well as mark shows you have already watched. The more you do this, the better the recommendations. There is also the option to add a show to the universal watch list. Compare this with having to scroll through individual watch lists within each app. With Google TV you can just add shows to the universal watch list from a variety of apps.
The layout is clean with the menus promising exactly what is on offer. A standout feature of Chromecast has always been casting. You can easily cast media from a device like an Android or iOS device to your TV screen. Where things can improve is the way we skip forward or backward, which is not the same across applications. Perhaps a standard needs to be brought into play. Also working in favour of Chromecast is its support for video formats up to 4K, 60fps, and HDR (including HDR10, HDR10+ and DolbyVision). Chromecast supports audio formats including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos (HDMIpassthrough). Coming to the remote control, it’s small, cute and can handle most functions well. Being a Google product, expect a shortcut to YouTube and keeping that company is a button for Netflix. The volume rockers are on the side, like you have on the mobile phone, making it easy to access. There is a microphone on the remote control which can handle voice commands (that work well).If you dive into settings, there is an ambient mode that handles the TV screen when not in use. You can make your TV screen showcase photographs from your gallery or artwork and photographs curated by Google. In case you want to change the output, that can also be done at different frame rates for 4K, 1080p and 720p.
The add-on streaming device is perfect when TVs come with HDMI port but the TV is not “smart”. The Chromecast allows easy access to all streaming services. Or, if you are like me, unhappy with the interface, then this tiny device does wonders. Between Amazon Fire TV Stick and Chromecast, I choose the latter because of the easy access to all streaming apps. You also have access to a lot of apps that you can download from Google, meaning several gaming titles can also be played but the experience will not always be great. As far as streaming video goes, Chromecast with Google TV is the all-season friend that offers excellent curation.
Device: Chromecast with Google TVPrice: Rs 6,399
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