The end of the Chromecast
But Google TV Streamer is a solid replacement
Do you remember how amazed you were when you first saw a video playing on your phone instantly resume playing on your TV? The original Chromecast experience was arguably one of the most gamechanging technical advances that Google has ever given us.
For years, the various models of Chromecasts were Google's best selling product. It also didn't hurt that they were easy to use and pretty darn affordable. It seemed like everyone had one of the small, cheap, dongles attached to their TV. And maybe another one or two lying around the house just in case. I always kept one in my travel bag to plug in when staying at hotels and Airbnb's that maybe didn't offer other streaming options natively.
While there have been some minor upgrades, the experience has been pretty much unchanged. My latest version of the Chromecast with GoogleTV was a revelation for my media consumption. It became so simple to use my voice to ask Google to play virtually anything on any screen in my home. It was fantastic! Or at least it was fantastic at first. The last generation of streaming dongles were severely underpowered, didn't have enough storage, and seemed to have software that got buggier and buggier by the month.
So in typical Google fashion, they have decided to say goodbye to the Chromecast moniker. Their latest media streaming product is somewhat awkwardly called the Google TV Streamer and it promises to fix the woes of the old Chromecast. Does it live up to the hype?
I've been using my Google TV Streamer for the last month or so and have been fairly pleased with the experience. Maybe the biggest difference from the age of Chromecast is that this thing doesn't just hide behind your TV anymore. The streamer wants to be out in the open and can perch itself below your TV in sort of a retro set top box arrangement. Just when we thought all of our technology was getting smaller and less visible, Google decided it was a good idea to force you to present a big white slab of a device on a surface near your TV.
This was actually a pretty big turn off for me at first. Sure, the device is well-designed and should fit pretty inconspicuously into any decor, but it's still another thing to collect dust. I liked hiding my Chromecast behind the TV where I didn't care if it collected dust. I suppose the trade off is that this larger form factor can house more powerful internals. It also offers up some smart home connection that benefits from the open air design. Sure, you could still tuck it away somewhere if you need to but it may not work as well as intended. I may hide mine for a bit to see if I notice any dip in performance. Having it on display really defeats the purpose of having a TV mounted on a wall with all wires hidden. I wish there was an elegant way to mount the streamer to the wall or the back of the TV if desired.
Anyway, aside from the aesthetics, the performance of the device has been far better than my previous model. I still think that the Google TV interface is the most intuitive and pleasant experience out there. The recommended content is helpful and rarely distracting. The voice search functionality is mostly great. The search results are insanely fast but I've noticed sometimes it will show me the item that I searched for quickly but then only directs me to the homepage of that streaming service rather than just playing that piece of content that I was searching for.
The remote that comes with the streamer looks very similar to the previous model with a few subtle upgrades. The volume control is on the front face of the remote rather than on the side. This feels more natural and was a welcome change. The remote itself has also been elongated a bit to feel more comfortable in the hand. Finally, I really love that Google added a customizable shortcut button to the remote. I've been using mine to access the Google Home sidebar that allows you to easily control all aspects of your smart home directly from your TV. It's been super convenient to check the footage on our Nest cameras without needing to get off the couch. And it's super easy to use the remote to control the lighting without needing to get up. Sure, you can do the same things with your phone, but changing the settings on the large TV screen just feels more satisfying.
Overall, the performance on the streamer has been solid. The old Chromecast with Google TV would have constant hiccups and freezes that haven't been happening so far with the new model. The voice controls are way snappier as well. It could also just be my imagination but I feel like the wifi radio in the new version has had a much more stable connection than the previous version. I should also point out that it offers up an ethernet jack as well if you'd prefer to go that route.
I've been using the porcelain color of the streamer that blends in fairly well sitting just below my Samsung Frame TV mounted above our fireplace. That is the neutral color that most people will find with this product. I happen to have the hazel color also on backorder to better fit the aesthetic of our living room TV. It seems like a very small number of the hazel models are available and they are an exclusive of the Google Store. My hazel model is scheduled to arrive sometime in late November even when I ordered it at the same time as my porcelain model. We'll see if it's worth the wait.
While it's sad to see the old Chromecast name retired, I think Google is on the right track with the streamer. The name is a bit clunky, and I wish it could have remained hidden behind the TV, but it is still a quality product that deserves a spot in your media setup.
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