The arrival of Google’s Chromecast a few years ago (and even more that of Chromecast with Google TV) represented an interesting advance in the way of consuming television, since it is not only used for reproduce the mobile screen on our TV, but also to make it a Smart TV. However, although it is the best known, it is not the only device on the market with this function.
Currently we can find many proposals from other brands that perform these functions. Among the existing options, you have, on the one hand, the dongles that you plug into the TV via HDMI (just like the Chromecast), and on the other hand, these devices known as decoder, in which you can install different applications. Here we bring together nine such alternatives.
Xiaomi Mi TV Box S
One of the most interesting alternatives to Chromecast is the Xiaomi Mi TV Box S, which allows us turn tv into smart tvin addition to playing audio and video files from our mobile device on TV.
Xiaomi Mi TV Box S has internal memory and processor, Dolby and DTS audio for surround sound and Allows you to play 4K HDR videos. On its remote control, it includes a dedicated button to directly access Netflix, in addition to accepting voice commands thanks to Google Assistant. It is also possible to connect a Bluetooth controller to play your favorite video games.
Xiaomi MI TV BOX S – 4K Ultra HD Streaming Player, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Google Assistant with Chromecast, Black
Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite
Although you also have the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, we’ll stick to the Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV Stick Lite. The main difference between the two is that the Lite model does not allow you to control the television with your controller (operating system only).
Otherwise, both devices Offers Full HD 1080p 60fps resolution and they are compatible with HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG. They also feature a quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, plus integration with Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. They connect directly to the TV’s HDMI port.
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (Includes TV Controls), HD Casting Device, 2021 Model
Introducing the Fire TV Stick Lite with Alexa Voice Remote | Lite (no TV controls), HD streaming, 2020 model
Nvidia Shield TV and Shield TV Pro
The latest edition of Nvidia’s Android TV device comes in two variants: Shield TV and Shield TV Pro. Both models are equipped with the Tegra X1+ processor, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision technologies
The Nvidia Shield TV, which has a new tubular design, adds a micro SD slot to boost its 8GB of storage, while the Nvidia Shield TV Pro has two USB 3.0 ports and 16 GB of capacity. Both come with a remote control and are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
NVIDIA – Multimedia Streaming Player, 2 GB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Nvidia SHIELD TV Pro, Processor with remote, Chrome, Black
Xiaomi Mi TV Stick
Another Xiaomi alternative in dongle format is the Mi TV Stick, a small and cheap Android TV device It connects to the TV via HDMI. At the hardware level, there is 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage to install both applications and games.
Your remote has dedicated buttons for Netflix and Prime Video, as well as integration with the Google Assistant, so that we can control it remotely to play content. Of course, playback is limited to 1080p (Full HD) up to 60 fps.
Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, 1080P, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, Android TV
Amazon FireTV Cube
In addition to the sticks, Amazon also offers us the Fire TV Cube, a cube-shaped device with a powerful integrated processor that allows us to access 4K Ultra HD content. Plus, it’s compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+, and, of course, it offers voice control via Alexa.
Inside we have a six-core processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, while in terms of connectivity we have WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 and an Ethernet adapter included. In addition to the TV, it lets you control soundbars, compatible AV receivers, and change the input signal with your voice.
Introducing Fire TV Cube | Streaming media player with voice control via Alexa and 4K Ultra HD
Realme 4K Smart TV Stick and 2K Smart TV Stick
Among the most important features of the Realme 4K Smart TV Stick, support for HDR10 +, compatibility with HDMI 2.1 and, as the name suggests, stand out. 4K playback. It also has a quad-core ARM Cortex-A35 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage.
Because it runs Google TV, it’s compatible with thousands of entertainment apps, Built-in Google Assistant on its remote control with microphone and allows you to easily cast content from your Android phone to the TV screen (ChromeCast). If you settle for a lower resolution, you have the Realme 2K Smart TV Stick, with up to FullHD output and 1GB of RAM.
Realme 4K Smart TV Stick (Negro)
Realme 2K Smart TV Stick (Black)
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