Google’s Chromecast media player is finally officially available on Australian shores. Was the wait worth it?
Google Chromecast: On the plus side
It feels slightly odd to be reviewing the Chromecast, if only because I can’t help but feel that I’ve done all this before. That’s because I have; I reviewed an import Chromecast for Gizmodo last August.
That review was predicated on the concept of importing the Chromecast dongle, because Google didn’t officially support it in Australia. That’s now changed, with the dongle being widely available for a comparatively low price.
Price isn’t the Chromecast’s real selling point however. That has to be in its innate simplicity. It’s just an HDMI plug with a microUSB socket in the end to power it, and setup is no more complicated than plugging it in and doing some quick and very simple configuration via a web browser.
http://youtu.be/aGZZd6n5Hxo
Equally, getting material to play on the Chromecast is suitably simple, because all you’re doing is using a secondary device — an Android smartphone or tablet, or Google’s Chrome browser — to “cast” video or music to your TV. Where there’s a compatible direct link available it’ll grab the video directly from there, but even if there isn’t you can “cast” video from a Chrome tab in the desktop browser for easy full-screen viewing. It’s the kind of click and watch simplicity that good TV experiences are made for, and that so many “Smart” TV interfaces get so horribly wrong.
Google Chromecast: On the minus side
It’s not all sunshine and Google-doodle approved roses, however. The Chromecast requires a secondary power supply in order to operate — that’s what the microUSB port on the end is for — and that means you’ve either got to power it from a USB port on your TV, or via a wall socket. Neither option is particularly visually pleasant, especially if the HDMI ports on your TV point to the sides, forcing the cabling permanently into view.
http://youtu.be/Phx82AD0drU
While the best thing about the Chromecast is its simplicity, it’s also the worst thing. Specifically, once you’ve gone through the setup, there’s really nothing to do onscreen with the Chromecast. It’s entirely reliant on a secondary device, be it PC or mobile, to both cast and control playback. For those used to streaming boxes with tiny remotes — and to be fair, many of those tiny remotes are plastic trash — this is something of a learning curve, because it’s a completely different level of abstraction. Put someone in front of this and an Apple TV, and I have few doubts about which they’d “get” first.
There are also some app limitations. Netflix is supported in the US, but not here, and while it’s feasible to work your way around Google’s DNS servers — Ausdroid has an excellent writeup if you’re keen — it’s still an annoying limitation, and one that points to the fact that you’re buying into Google’s vision of streaming. One that they control, and not the end user.
Google Chromecast: Pricing
The Chromecast RRP in Australia is $49. Yes, that’s a bit of an Australia tax given the US list price is $35 ex tax, but it’s still appreciably cheap, and quite a bit less than I paid for an import one last year.
Google Chromecast: Fat Duck verdict
The Chromecast is an excellent choice if you’re heavily invested in the Android ecosystem in exactly the same way that an Apple TV makes sense if you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem. It’s a simple and elegant way to watch content purchased from Google, whether that’s Google movies, music or YouTube videos.
What if you’re not a heavy Google user, though? It’s a great shot across the bows of any other streaming box, simply because it’s about half the going price of pretty much all of them. Even low-tier stuff like the Kogan Agora Smart TV Quad Core HDMI Dongle don’t really compare to the simplicity of the Chromecast. You’ve really only got to need to use it a very small amount — for, say, YouTube, still the world’s most popular video platform — on a non “Smart” TV, or one with a stubborn Smart TV interface, which is most of them — and it’ll easily be worth the asking price.