It’s been around for almost eleven years, it’s revolutionized the way we watch TV online and it costs just over 30 dollars: there’s no doubt that the original Google Chromecast is the best device the company has ever created . He looked at this gadget until he inserted an entire Android TV into the HDMI pin, although the simplicity of the first accessory continues to break records. That’s why I always prefer it for my TV.
I acquired my first Google Chromecast imported from the United States shortly after its release, a real gadget that traveled around the world to stay anchored to my two televisions: the original one of the time and my current television. Over the years, the original Chromecast has served me well. I even renewed it with a Chromecast Ultra taking advantage of an offer from the defunct Stadia. Because if a good device is this simple, its usefulness is multiplied by two.
What I like most about the Chromecast is that it disappears until you want to use it
The gadget is nothing more than an HDMI jack that connects behind the TV to stay there, dormant, waiting to receive any content wirelessly to project it on the big screen. I want to watch a quick YouTube video? I send it from my mobile and I throw it on the TV while enjoying the Chromecast, it’s much faster than searching for said video on my LG TV with WebOS. And more agile than opening YouTube, searching for the video with your voice (or key by key, worse), and playing it on a Chromecast with Google TV.
Between a normal Chromecast and one with Google TV, it all depends on the use that will be given to the device. Or maybe not, because the first type is no longer made; something that complicates the choice: It doesn’t have to be easy to find. Additionally, there are other key differences that will clearly determine whether to target one or the other.
- Don’t have a Smart TV or don’t like its operating system? The best is a Chromecast with Google TV, since it offers an Android TV that complements perfectly with a “dumb” or “not smart enough” TV.
- Is the TV cheap and doesn’t have good hardware? Likewise, Chromecast with Google TV is a better choice as it offers a complete operating system in very little space.
- Do you need the device for very specific moments? Chromecast is simply more agile in every way: choose the content you want on your TV from your smartphone and share it in seconds.
- Do you want to use it to project your mobile screen? The Chromecast is simply perfect, since it integrates the Google Cast function. Be careful, the Chromecast with Google TV also has it, although, in return, it includes many additions that make reading more awkward. Not to mention that the Chromecast built into Android TV doesn’t work as well as a standalone Chromecast.
My LG TV with WebOS has an operating system that works pretty well, I only need the device for specific times when I want to watch the videos on TV that I watch on my mobile and I’m not looking to complicate my life with another remote control that gets lost in the chair cushions. The Chromecast is just perfect for me, I still use the original like I did the first time I connected it to one of the free HDMI ports on my non-smart TV.
Classic Chromecast is better for simple use, but Google is no longer interested in it
The first Chromecast lost all support even though it still works, the Chromecast Ultra follows the same path, none of them are officially sold and Google hasn’t offered any revisions to the device since the last model, 2016’s Ultra. It is clear that the present and the future pass through Google TV, it is not for nothing that this system, based on Android TV, has a more suitable framework to offer additional services, such as advertising. In fact, Google has been experimenting with different ad formats in the Chromecast grid with Google TV for a while.
It’s a shame that the original format has disappeared from Google’s strategy, it seems to me that offering an alternative to those who do not want a complete operating system is an opening that is both logical and viable. After all, and given that we all use our smartphones to watch content, transferring it to the TV using a simple Chromecast is just one step. And yes, the Chromecast with Google TV also offers “casting” of content, but Overcomplicates the options if you only need to share video with the TV.
What makes a Chromecast great is that it’s extremely simple. Chromecast with Google TV is much more complete, but it is less agile
I’ll continue to use my Chromecasts as long as they’re alive: luckily, they’re compatible with the predominant video and audio formats on the Internet. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change in the near future: they still have a lot of life left.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
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