My Time As A Chromecaster: A Google Chromecast Review

A couple of months removed from Google's launching of its latest streaming media foray, the 'Chromecast HDMI media streamer', and I am surprisingly still hooked! Streaming from YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies, and Music is surprisingly easy and user friendly. Google product launches get the hype train rolling pretty strong, and sometimes their media devices are not always the winner they claim they are, (ahem, Nexus Q) but why is the Google Chromecast different? In order to find out just check out my Google Chromecast review, detailing the media streamer's highs and lows.

Google Chromecast Announced/Released on July 24, 2013

Chromecast Fundamentals: What, Why, and How?

Priced nicely at $35, the Google Chromecast is a HDMI streaming media player built for your HDTV. This device enables streaming of Youtube, Netflix, Google Play Music/Movies/TV, and other online media streaming options in the future, with Hulu plus recently confirmed.

The chrome in the dongles name is also quite fitting, with the 'Google Cast' app, you can also stream whatever media you are viewing in the Google Chrome browser.

There is no fancy remote controller here! The Chromecast dongle is controlled entirely from your PC, Smartphone, or Tablet. What this means is that your mobile device acts as the messenger between your media in the cloud and your Google Chromecast dongle, telling it what to stream. You are not actually streaming your devices stored media, support for local content may come at a later time according to big G.

The Google Chromecast Setup: E-Z as Pie!

HDTV at the Chromecast setup screen

Setting up and installing new hardware or software can be a daunting task for some, especially if you are not a natural technology geek. Luckily for us all, Google understands that, and the Google Chromecast setup could not be any easier! Simply go to their Google Chromecast Setup page and install. They have the setup installation available for your computer, smart phone, or tablet! Yes, this includes iPhones as well, as google has released the IOS app. Seriously, its as easy as plugging in the device into your HDMI port, connecting the USB power cord to your TV's USB port or wall outlet, and going along with the on-screen directions. 

Google's Chromecast App download page

1. Insert the Chromecast into an open HDMI slot
2. Download and run the Google installer
3. Follow on screen instructions
4. Kick back, relax, and enjoy your cloud media garden!

Google Chromecast:YouTube Streaming Galore

It was not very surprising when I tested out YouTube, and found that the streaming was phenomenal, even one upping Netflix on the dongle. By all means the Google Chroemcast Netflix app is fantastic as well, and they have partnered with Google to create a deep experience. I believe the reason YouTube works so well here, is simply because it is a in-house product of Google, and they know the front and back end so well.

Casting a YouTube video to your HDTV

The best part of YouTube streaming is the ability to use the apps queue feature. This allows you to build a list of videos that you want to playback on your TV. All you have to do is create your play list and then watch it stream. The Chromecast app also allows more than one device to add videos to the queue, so everyone can jump in and watch their favorite YouTube content.

Chromecast's YouTube Queue feature

I only have a couple of gripes with the YouTube functionality. In order to stream content from your Chrome browser you have to actually be on the YouTube website, you cannot just visit a page with an embedded video and expect it to stream to the dongle. Also, the queue feature is not supported on the chrome browser at this time, but Google is committed to bringing more apps and functionality to the device, so I expect much more to come in the near future. The last thing that is kind of quirky is that sometimes videos will not play, giving a “unsupported video format” message. Since this happens from time to time, even when using a regular PC browser, it is totally not a huge deal.

But does it stream Netflix?

Of course, one of the main features of the Google Chromecast is its ability to connect to your Netflix account and stream its library. There are plenty of ways to do this currently and it is certainly not something exclusive to the Chromecast dongle. However, I feel the user interface, connectivity, and convenience is what sets the Chromecast Netflix streaming apart from the others. Everything is plug and play. Again, the dongle allows for multiple connected devices, without any hassles with signing in or out.

The picture quality is superb, offering crisp viewing on my HDTV. For $35 this is such an amazing feat, combine that with slick controls via your PC or mobile device, the Chromecast gives any netflix streaming device a run for its money.

If you have kids, parental controls are also packed in the netflix app. You can monitor how long and what they have been watching. If they have been watching videos for too long, you can easily disable the streaming from any of your devices.

Chromecastin' Google Play Music and Movies

Google has stepped up its user interface design greatly, the Play Music and Play Movies app demonstrate this perfectly. A very eye-pleasing design coupled with great functionality is expected, considering like YouTube, these are in house developed apps. I am a bit of a music nut so I have found myself using Play Music often, and it works really well. Unfortunately the Google Play Music website does not tie into the HDMI dongle as of yet, but again, they will be adding these features in due time, so for now you are limited to using your mobile device, which offers the best experience anyways.

Google Play Movies also offers a pretty nice experience. Nothing out of the ordinary, just load up your Play Movies app and choose the titles you would like to stream. I do not really use Play Movies, since I am already deeply entrenched into Netflix, but if you do use the service, the Google Chromecast HDMI dongle is a must buy.

I did not find anything troublesome with this app but if you want to nitpick, in order to change the volume you must use your TV's remote, as the Google Play Movies app will not allow your smart phone to control its volume. Again, this is a very small inconvenience and should obviously be patched in a future update.

Chrome-to-chromecast: Chrome browser streaming

The Chromecast also has built in compatibility to stream content from your PC's chrome browser. After experimenting with this I have found that it sounds better in theory, than practical use. While it definitely is a nice feature, Google has labeled it in BETA for good reason. When streaming content from your browser, it seems to lose quality in the process, all while hogging your computers resources. You might be able to get a smooth experience if your playing older, non-HD media, but for right now forget about streaming Hulu from your browser. As I mentioned earlier, Hulu and the Google team are working closely together on a native Google Chromecast Hulu app

While nice, there is a lot to be desired with Chrome browser to Chromecast streaming

Again in theory, the ability to stream any content from your Chrome browser, is absolutely phenomenal, but I wont be checking it out again until the proper updates fix the quality and skipping issues. Once this is in order, this feature alone will be worth the cheap price of the dongle, especially if you do not subscribe to Netflix, Hulu plus, or any other on demand media provider.

My Google Chromecast final thoughts

I honestly think Google may have finally hit their home run in the on-demand media streaming department, not just with their software, but with their knack for entering awesome devices at prices the average consumer can afford. This allows many who may not have been able to enjoy new technologies otherwise, a chance to experience and learn about computer hardware and software. While YouTube and Netflix are awesome in their own regards, they are only the entry point to what is possible with this device, other media companies have confirmed their support for the Google Chromecast, including HBO Go and many more. Once Google incorporates their Chromecast SDK, their will be even more apps available, thanks to the multitude of indy developers waiting to create their own games and apps for the device.

To sum it all up, at a $35 dollar price tag, the Google Chrome cast a must buy if you are looking to introduce media streaming into your home, or if you already have devices that offer Netflix, and YouTube streaming, but want a simpler streamlined plug and play solution, you will find that it was a well spent $35.