Chromecast Review — Small Price, Small Selection

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KCizzle

Estimable
Apr 15, 2014
1
0
4,510
Limited?

Plex (This is really the ONLY APP you need), HBOGO, youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, VeVo, BeyondPod, Aereo (in a month), and a bunch of others I don't use.

Want to know why I don't use them? See above
 

Tcriminger

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
2
0
4,510
I agree that this is a horrible review on a great product. We have hardly used our Roku since getting our Chromecast. We have lousy internet, and are lucky to pull in 1 Mbps in the evening. We can cast even in HD on the Chromecast where the Roku just spends the evening buffering. Vudu and Flixster now have casting tabs. Worried about you battery life in a hotel. Really? Most hotels do have electrical plug in these days.
 

Tcriminger

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
2
0
4,510
I agree that this is a horrible review on a great product. We have hardly used our Roku since getting our Chromecast. We have lousy internet, and are lucky to pull in 1 Mbps in the evening. We can cast even in HD on the Chromecast where the Roku just spends the evening buffering. Vudu and Flixster now have casting tabs. Worried about you battery life in a hotel. Really? Most hotels do have electrical plug in these days.
 

SteveWalsh82

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
2
0
4,510
Still waiting on something to allow me to stream my browser to my TV. Right now only the Nexus 5 can do this, but why can't the 7 or 4?
 

Darius Craig

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
1
0
4,510
I'm not sure if the reviewer even used the product or just read other reviews and guessed at the conclusion. Once you start casting from a device that device no longer even needs to be present unless you are using it as a remote. There are times that I start a movie on Netflix for my kids and then leave the house, I'm pretty sure the Chromecast isn't draining my battery while I'm battling zombies at Walmart. The major streaming services are all present on Chromecast. Yes, there are hundreds on Roku, most of those extra services are just filler content the vast majority of users will never use.
 

Anonapotamus

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
1
0
4,510
Still waiting on something to allow me to stream my browser to my TV. Right now only the Nexus 5 can do this, but why can't the 7 or 4?

I can stream the browser of my Nexus 7 (2013) to my TV using Chromecast. Just use Chrome Beta and remember that the tab casting (and also desktop casting) are still in Beta, so there are still some kinks. Although the newest release of Chrome Beta makes HTML5 video casting directly built in when playing a video instead of having to cast the tab.
 

Lamp_shade

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
1
0
4,510
I have to agree with others that this is a poor review. What the Chromecast does better than anything is being different. To that point, a direct comparison in features is a failure from the start. Complaining about a lack of remote or the need for another device is pointless -- the only people in the market for this kind of a device already have an Android or iOS device. I have a smart TV, a Roku, a PS3, and and XBox360, and my go-to device is, overwhelmingly, the Chromecast. There are two reasons that apply to me and several others, I assume. I primarily use Netflix for my TV viewing, with HBOGo an occasional indulgence. Netflix is available on nearly every device I have, but is far easier to use on Chromecast. I have my phone on me at all times, so I might as well use it as a remote. The fact that I can use it to do my searching, rather than using an on-screen keyboard is a huge plus. If I have to type in my password, I can do that without everyone else in the room watching. Also, the Android Netflix app allows me to turn autoplay on and off at my discretion, unlike most of the other devices where it is either permanently on (smart TV, PS3) or off (Roku). Like a huge majority of Americans with HBO, my provider doesn't allow me to use HBOGo on any device "intended for use with a television." Comcast (my provider) and DirecTV both have this insane policy. Fortunately, HBOGo for phones and tablets (i.e. Android and iOS) is a workaround for this stupidity, and the Chromecast completes the loop to the TV. My Roku and PS3 have HBOGo, but only my Chromecast will actually let me use it on a TV. More reasons to use the Chromecast over other options? With free apps, I can take any pictures or videos from my phone and put them directly on the TV via Chromecast. Doing this with other devices is a challenge, at best. Reliability? Sure, I have glitches, but nothing compared to my reboots-once-every-few-hours-while-watching Roku or my update-that-takes-hours-every-time-I-boot game consoles.
 

poopooreview

Estimable
Apr 16, 2014
1
0
4,510
Sounds like someone works for Amazon or Apple? The Chromecast simplicity is its most valuable asset for 90% of users, the addition of PLEX makes it capable of basically anything you want to do.
In closing, $29 bucks... nuff said.
 

joebob2000

Distinguished
Sep 20, 2006
525
0
18,930
Limited?

Plex (This is really the ONLY APP you need), HBOGO, youtube, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, VeVo, BeyondPod, Aereo (in a month), and a bunch of others I don't use.

Want to know why I don't use them? See above

Plex Plex Plex PLEX. This app is so amazing, it sells the Chromecast by itself. Play all matter of local media via the TV? Yep, it even turns your phone into a true smart remote (who doesnt have a smartphone these days) that makes it easy to find and play your content without convoluted TV based menus.
I agree that if you have an iPad and Netflix and a Chromecast you will probably be disappointed, the iOS apps in general seem to be super crappy and hard to use. But if you have an android phone/tablet and a Plex server, then you NEED a chromecast plain and simple.
 

Gordon861

Honorable
Oct 11, 2013
3
0
10,510
I have to add my voice to everyone else saying about the use of Plex with the Chromecast is just brilliant, especially now the free version of Plex does it too.

The other great use is to be able to cast YouTube vids to the main TV when friends are over rather than having to all crowd around the PC screen.
 

Bob Carroll

Estimable
Apr 29, 2014
1
0
4,510
Rather than proprietary and more costly PLEX, I prefer free Localcast which uses standard UPnP or DLNA. Other low cost options are (1) Allcast (2) Avia and (3) Bubble UPnP. Another free option is using Y2cast Chromecast server in combination with a media player like Moliplayer.
 

Vlad Rose

Estimable
Apr 7, 2014
120
0
4,640
I know that Popcorn Time is classified as either 'illegal' or 'immoral' to some people, but it only works correctly with Chromecast. No Roku support, half-***ed support on Amazon Fire TV stick via sideloading. For that reason alone, Chromecast wins hands down.
 
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