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Score: 7.5/10
Verdict: Cheap and cheerful, both Chromecasts make streaming video and audio easy but if you have the original, there isn’t much here to convince you to upgrade.
AS FAR AS streaming devices go, Google’s offering is one of the more convenient options out there. Easy to set up, and only needing your smartphone, tablet or computer, it was an easy way to bring the likes of Netflix and YouTube to your TV without breaking the bank.
Now the range has been updated and offers two different versions: the upgraded Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, the latter bringing wireless streaming to your speakers. They have somewhat different aims, but if you already have one, is it worth upgrading or getting the audio version?
While the original Chromecast was more like a dongle, Google has made the new range look like a puck. The TV version has a flat HDMI cable so you can connect it even if your TVs placement or setup is more awkward.
If you need to make it more compact, a built-in magnet allows you to clip the cable and puck together. It’s a small addition but it’s easier to store if you have to put it away or bring it with you somewhere.
Chromecast Audio has the same design but comes with a headphone jack for connecting it to your speakers. If your speakers don’t have one, it comes with a two-way headphone cable so you can plug it in.
No matter who you are, it’s pretty difficult to see anyone having problems setting either Chromecast device up. Once you have the app downloaded and it plugged in, it’s just a matter of connecting it to your phone and WiFi.
There are few steps required and you will have it set up within a minute or two.
The major advantage is it now supports 5GHz WiFi networks, which are generally more reliable than 2.4GHz connections. That means there’s less interference and the streaming connection is more reliable.
In comparison to the original, streaming speeds are better although there isn’t a massive difference. When comparing it to the original Chromecast, things are faster and having a 5GHz connection helps but they’re not great enough for you to notice a major difference.
The bigger change is the software running it. At the very least, the revamped Chromecast app makes it easier to find compatible apps and lists those already on your phone.
One nice feature is the ability to cast a tab from Google Chrome onto your TV. Granted this feature is on the original version, but it’s always handy when you want to display a web page on the big screen.
If you’re thinking of streaming video through this method, then the results are pretty good. The picture won’t be sharp unless you have a high-quality livestream, but it’s good enough to manage.
The audio version is a somewhat different beast, and any app based around music or podcasts will work with it.
Thankfully there is a vast collection of apps out there that suit it so most of the work is done. However, certain apps like Spotify, which was recently added, only allows premium users to stream through Chromecast Audio (on the new Chromecast, both free and premium versions are supported).
The one thing that works against it, and the same with the original Chromecast, is how you need a second device to use it. It’s not as convenient to use your smartphone or laptop to watch shows than it would be if you had a set-top box or games console.
If you already use one or the other for streaming Netflix, then it’s harder to argue on its behalf. It’s great for bringing around with you, but if it’s up against another device, it may spend more time in the drawer than connected.
The answer should be pretty clear on this front. If you already own a Chromecast, then all you’re getting is slightly improved speeds and a fancier look.
If you don’t, and you’re not using any other device for streaming, then you’re getting a cheap device that’s easy to set up.
Chromecast Audio is arguably the more useful of the two, provided you have the apps to back it up. Only allowing Spotify’s premium users to stream is a blow, but there are many other apps that benefit from its inclusion, making it a useful device to have.
Pros
- Easy to setup.
- Numerous compatible apps out there.
- Incredibly cheap.
Cons
- Need a smartphone, tablet or computer to operate it which might annoy some.
- Not enough to convince current owners to upgrade.
- Spotify only allows premium users to stream through Chromecast Audio.
Chromecast and Chromecast Audio cost €39 and can be found on Google Store and Currys/PC World.
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Nobody cares
@Aoife Kally Bolamba: Have you asked everybody?
@Aoife Kally Bolamba: well you cared enough to go through a comment section and read an article
@Colm Phillips: sounds like u care for her Colin :)
@Aoife Kally Bolamba: His name is clearly Colm
Londonders have suffered a lot from terrorist attacks over the last 15 years, people ran over by cars on bridges, people randomly butchered in the street, Bus Bombings, Tube Bombings…
Why does this filth think the good people there would want her back on their streets?
@David Lee: Imagine referring to anyone as ‘filth’ and thinking you’ve got the moral high ground. She was a child when she made a very bad choice. I’m not saying roll out the red carpet, but calling this person “filth” while everyone in London is “good people” reveals a lot about you.
@David Lee: How many people did the British kill when the illegally invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. Dropped bombs on Syria and Libia etc. How many of the terrorist attacks on Britain took place before they decided to destabilise the middle East? None. Perhaps if the British didn’t kill thousand of innocent civilians across the middle east there might not be attacks like there was in the UK.
@JusticeForJoe: Go & ask some random people in London if they want her back on their streets & see what they’ll tell you, you’ll hear a lot worse than filth.
Also, would you take her into your neighbourhood or home if she’s so deserving and feel safe around her
@David Lee: Did she have anything to do with any of the attacks on London. If was to go to London 99.9% of the population if London wouldn’t have a clue who she is or where she went.
@David Lee: Imagine thinking a random racist Londoner’s bigoted and hateful opinion means anything. You may accuse her of the same thing, but at least she had the excuse of being an actual child.
I don’t own my “neighbourhood” but I would never object to anyone moving into it and it’s not up to me (or my neighbours) to decide what she deserves. Rotten mob mentality doesn’t equate to righteousness in any way.
@Roy Dowling: very valid points
.
@JusticeForJoe: defending somebody who joined isis tells us a lot about you. Some people are bad people. The word is appropriate. That said I wouldn’t remove her passport because I don’t want governments to have that power.
@Roy Dowling: what’s that gotta do with this woman joining isis. When she joined isis in Syria she joined a rebel faction opposed to Assad, in other words she was on the side of British/US imperialism who also wanted him gone. As I recall so did most of the commentators on here at the time. It’s possible however to oppose both isis and US/U.K. involvement in the Middle East.
@David Lee: she was 15 when she did what she did. I don’t condone what she did but calling her “filth” says a lot more about you than her.
@john smith iv: Oh yeah? What does it tell you about me, John?
@JusticeForJoe: Why should we or the Brits allow people to come back and pretend nothing has happened. She may have only been 15, so what accountability do the parents have. Who is to say that her loyalties are not still with her mates. Because she says so?? They have committed atrocities beyond imagination and expect us to put their human rights before the rights and security of the masses.
@Barrycelona: Who said anything about “pretend nothing has happened”?? I think she should maybe serve some prison time in the UK. I realise there are lots of people who like to shout “you’re not welcome in my country” at other people. Personally, I’d like a lot of THOSE people removed from MY country, but I don’t go around shouting it at them.
Believe her or not, she is state less and needs to go home. Personally I dont believe a word out of her, but she needs a country to live in and the Brits need to take her back.
@Jonathan O’Riordan: brilliant
@Valentine Kane: legally speaking Bangladesh needs to take her in. Britain did not leave her state-less, so there’s no legal foundation for the re-instatement of British citizenship.
@PJ Beatty: why would Bangladeshis would take her in theire country she was apparently born in london and she was as British as any others so is up to British government to decide.
Commissions are needed to examine the teachings and behaviour of the various groups active in Europe to determine if they are indoctrinating people with divisive doctrines masquerading as religions.
@Tom Molloy: Ah leave the Legion of Mary alone, will ya.
@Francis Devenney: brilliant!
We were all indoctrinated at school.
@Francis Devenney: Being asked to say a few prayers and visit the sick is the least of worries for non sectarian people.
@Tom Molloy: Anyone who teaches children that they have the only true way and all others will burn in hell for all eternity are by definition ” indoctrinating people with divisive doctrines masquerading as religions”.
@Shedonny: I barely got a religious message at school. And that was 20 years ago.
@Francis Devenney: The colourful language used to describe invisible attributes good and bad are dated I admit. Painters depicting literature have been a disastrous influence.
@Tom Molloy: Not so much about the language or the images. It’s that the core belief of all monotheistic religions is “We have the one true God,” If that’s not divisive I don’t know what is. In fact the pharaoh Akenaton who invented monotheism caused such hardship with his new religion that when he died his name was struck from all the stele and pillars. “We are right and everybody else is (at best) wrong or (at worst) damned” is inherently divisive, It’s baked into fabric of it.
@Francis Devenney: I agree with you. If it could be kept to “There is a God”. it would be best.
Booooo whoooooo
She joined ISIS, awful. But she was raised and born in Britain. Her citizenship shouldn’t have been revoked. She should be in jail
@Аня Владимировна:
Shamima Begum is a citizen of Bangladesh
@Frank Jasper: no she isn’t. She wasn’t born or raised there.
@Аня Владимировна:
Only when she has been tried and found guilty.
Contrast with Ireland’s treatment if Lisa Smith. She will get a fair trial, her citizenship was not revoked and will not be even if she is found guilty.
Guess which is the civilised state.
@Shedonny: my understanding of international law is that its illegal to strip a person of citizenship unless they already hold dual citizenship. You cannot make a person stateless.
Good show on Netflix called Caliphate. Based in Denmark and shows how easy it was for ISIS to brainwash vulnerable teenagers to join them. Really quite shocking how easy it is.
A 15 year old is not mature enough to make a life changing decision such as her one.
@Over the top: The fact that she felt the need to say she does not hate Britain shows/demonstrates an awareness that hate is floating around in belief systems.
Generation Accept No Personal Responsibility
Britain need to take her back. The SDF and the NES administration can’t afford to keep IS members in Al Hol, Al Roj and other facilities. I’ve been to both these camps in the past few years and they’re pretty scary and are breeding grounds for extremists much like Abu Ghraib in Iraq was before them. Every few months there are attempted mass breakouts and should one be successful we’ve got a problem. SDF have even resorted to freeing militants if they pay 8-20 grand. History will definitely repeat itself if SDF don’t get international help with this situation
She’d say anything at this stage ..
have your say