New Chromecast with Google TV dongle takes on Roku with streaming aggregation
Google has been pretty bad at keeping anything about its Pixel 5 event under wraps, including its new Chromecast with Google TV dongle. The streaming device is finally official, though, and offers unbeatable value for its modest pricing.
According to insiders, and you get a dedicated Amlogic media processor, Dolby Vision output on the inside, while on the outside the "oblong shape" of the device has a "sandstone-like texture" that comes in white, pink or black.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new Chromecast dongle is that new Google TV interface that can't be stripped down to its Android TV base completely. Google has taken the wonderful service-agnostic approach, and aggregates entries from various streamers under different categories. In the Action Shows, for instance, you can see both the Mandalorian from Disney+, and Taken from Netflix.
It's been on sale at Home Depot and Walmart for a while now, priced to move at just $49.99, indicating that it's going right up against the Rokus and Fire TV sticks of this world. Another hint in that direction is that the gear is a Chromecast-in-name-only, and is actually powered by Android TV whose interface is now seemingly called Google TV.
Chromecast with Google TV price and features
The new Chromecast with Google TV streamer will be taking on the more established players like Roku's TV Stick or Amazon's Fire dongle which means that it capitalizes on the wonders of the Android system to set itself apart, and launches with a brand new interface.
Oh, it also arrives with its own remote, too, as any self-respecting media streamer these days, and you can apparently sideload Android apps on it, giving it a pretty unbeatable value.
Chromecast with Google TV dongle features and pricing:
- Price: $49.99
- 4K HDR streaming
- Android 10 with new Google TV interface
- Streaming apps: Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, YouTube TV, Sling, Hulu, Peacock, HBO Max, and more.
- Remote control: yes, with two AAA batteries
- Multiple accounts
- Bluetooth pairing and HDMI-CEC support for controlling the TV.
- Colors: White, Pink, Black, Blue
The new Android TV stick with Google TV interface lets you cast your own content - you know, like a regular Chromecast - complete with Google Assistant voice operation. Google hasn't added its Stadia cloud gaming service to the list of entertainment options but you can download it, engrossing you further in its budding media ecosystem.
According to insiders, and you get a dedicated Amlogic media processor, Dolby Vision output on the inside, while on the outside the "oblong shape" of the device has a "sandstone-like texture" that comes in white, pink or black.
What's in the new Google TV interface?
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new Chromecast dongle is that new Google TV interface that can't be stripped down to its Android TV base completely. Google has taken the wonderful service-agnostic approach, and aggregates entries from various streamers under different categories. In the Action Shows, for instance, you can see both the Mandalorian from Disney+, and Taken from Netflix.
Unlike the the piracy-challenged Popcorn Time aggregator that relies on dubious torrent streaming, Google TV relies on your legal streaming subscriptions, but resembles its interface in having separate Movies and TV shows tabs, and offering source-agnostic categorization. Any takers?
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