In 2013, Google launched the Google Chromecast, a small USB drive-shaped gadget with the super power of convert any TV with HDMI input into a smart TV. In 2021, Google refreshed its long-standing Chromecast with the Chromecast with Google TV.
The Chromecast with Google TV is similar in concept to the original and at the same time very different to the original Chromecast. We explain what a Chromecast with Google TV is, what it is for and how it is used.
What is a Chromecast
A classic Chromecast on the left and one with Google TV on the right (and its remote control)
Let’s start at the beginning, the Google Chromecast itself. This is the name given to Google’s TV Stick since its launch more than ten years ago. It’s a little gadget that connects to TV’s HDMI input so that we can watch content from applications like YouTube or Netflix.
Its main use is make a TV that isn’t smartWell, even though the TV doesn’t have internet or apps, the Chromecast does. You can send content to the Chromecast from your PC or mobile phone, which is transmitted to the TV via the HDMI input. The TV is not connected to the Internet, but the Chromecast is.
What is a Chromecast with Google TV
Like the original Chromecast, the version with Google TV connects to the TV’s HDMI
The first Chromecasts were half-smart, as they were only used to receive content that you sent to them from another site. That is, they didn’t have an operating system per se. You couldn’t even install appsbut in compatible apps (like YouTube, Netflix or Spotify), they connect to the Chromecast to send content to the TV.
That changed with the Chromecast with Google TV, which has its own operating system– Android TV with the look of Google TV. It is also used to broadcast content to a TV using the HDMI input, but the big difference is that in this case it works autonomously, without you needing to send the content from your mobile.
A Chromecast with Google TV you can install apps, the operating mode is therefore a little different compared to an original Chromecast. Instead of opening Netflix on your phone and streaming it to your original Chromecast connected to the TV, you install Netflix on the Chromecast and open it from there. The cell phone can stay in the pocket.
A Chromecast with Google TV has an interface like that of a television with Android TV. This is not an original Chromecast, it only plays what you send it
This is supplemented by Chromecast with Google TV has a remote control which you can use to navigate its interface and open the appropriate applications. In practice, a Chromecast with Google TV connected to a TV makes said TV behave in the same way as if it had Google TV as standard, with the only difference that instead of the TV remote control we will use the remote control from Google TV.
What is a Chromecast with Google TV for?
Just like the original Chromecast, the main function of a Chromecast with Google TV is use Android apps on TV. This is particularly useful when the TV does not have Android TV but another operating system, is not a Smart TV or has an older version of Android TV.
Idea is power use Android apps directly on the TV
How to use a Chromecast with Google TV
A Chromecast with Google TV is somehow easier to use than the original, since you don’t need to find compatible apps to send content. However, you can also use a Chromecast with Google TV to stream content from apps, getting the same model as the original and more.
The setup process involves connecting it to the TV’s HDMI, plugging its charger into the mains, and changing the TV’s input to display that HDMI. The initial setupwhich basically involves connecting it to the WiFi network and logging in with your Google account, everything happens on the TV, without having to juggle like with regular Chromecasts.
Once configured, It’s like the TV had Android TV: You install the applications you want, connect to them (if necessary) and you can start enjoying them.
The main advantage is that, unlike your TV, You can take the Chromecast with Google TV on vacation to have your streaming applications wherever you go, in this case just connect it to the Internet.
In Xataka Android | Everything about Chromecast: getting started, tips, tricks and apps to get the most out of it
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