“If there were also batteries for the remote control, it would be perfect. Too bad they are not there ”: we wanted to write this, talking about the new Chromecast with Google TV HD. Then we checked better the packaging, which is a masterpiece of miniaturization and assembly, and we saw the piles. And we can say that this device is (almost) perfect. If you need such a device, of course.
Let’s start from here, from what might seem like an insignificant detail and which instead proves an appreciable attention to detail (especially in this period of increasingly scarce packaging), because otherwise the Chromecast is always the Chromecast: it is what is called a dongle, it fits in the palm of a hand and connects to the HDMI socket of a non-smart TV to transform it in a smart tv. The novelty of the version we tested, just put on sale, is that compared to that of 2020 it does not support 4K but only HD resolution: it loses something, but also it costs about half, that is 39.99 euros.
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A chi serve un Chromecast
Born in 2013, first with the appearance of a USB stick and updated several times over the years until it reaches the form it has now, more comfortable than that (for example) of the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Chromecast allows a TV that is not connected to the Internet to connect to the Internet and be able to stream content (from Netflix to YouTube, via Spotify). In an age where it is increasingly difficult to find non-smart TVs, who could be of help? For example: for second boxwhere maybe there are still cathode ray tube TVs or old flat TVs without a wifi module, for the diehards of screens plasma of once upon a time, for the bedroom of the sonsfor grandparents or elderly parents, to approach the world of streaming without letting them change the TV.
Not only that: the device is so small and compact that it can be packed and taken on a tripfor vacation or work, connected to the hotel TV to use it as if it were at home.
How it works and how it goes
The configuration is very simple: Chromecast in the HDMI socket of the TV, cable (really long) to the current, batteries in the remote control and ignition. They follow each other instructions on the Home app (which is this) for pairing with wifi and with the Gmail profile, you decide which of your streaming apps to transfer, you wait for any software update and you are ready to watch. If you want you can too configure the Chromecast remote to take the place of the TV remotewhich is convenient and works very well.
The user experience does not differ from the one you have with any smart TV that you use Android TV or Google TV: contents that can be scrolled horizontally and organized vertically by themes, possibility to search by voice (on the remote control there is a dedicated button), install new apps from the Play Store and to access each one through its specific homepage, to rent movies from Google TV. Among the things we didn’t like, we wrote that “it’s only HD”, but it is quite obvious that this is the case: this version of the Chromecast was created precisely for this, that is, to allow who finds the 1080 resolution sufficient to save a few tens of euros. With the uses we have imagined, and waiting for the 4K content to be more widespread, that’s definitely okay.
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