I ordered Google’s Chromecast on the second day after its unveiling, by which time the video-streaming device was already sold out. After waiting almost a month, I finally got my Chromecast today. I’ve spent about an hour playing with it and have been delighted so far with its capabilities, especially for a $35 device that costs even less after you factor in the free three months of Netflix that comes with its purchase.
Before I go on with my review, here’s what I was looking for when I bought the device:
- I don’t care about its ability to stream Netflix and Amazon Prime videos. I’ve got a smart TV and a small secondary TV with a Roku box, so I already had those two main sources of streaming video covered.
- The main appeal of Chromecast for me was the ability to stream YouTube, which is unavailable on Roku and has a cumbersome interface on my smart TV. So $35 seemed like a small price to pay to be able to stream that.
- A secondary feature that I was hoping (but wasn’t sure) that Chromecast would bring was the ability to stream videos from several popular Chinese online video sites, which are frequent destinations for me.
A Little Trouble with Setup
My time with Chromecast didn’t get off to a good start as I had a little trouble getting it set up. Using the included HDMI extender, I had no problem plugging it into the TV. However, trouble came during the software setup. The on-screen instructions said to go to a setup URL on my computer, so I did with my laptop. When I downloaded and ran the setup application, however, it kept saying it couldn’t find my Chromecast on the wifi network that the laptop was using (I only have one wifi network). After about 15 minutes of futility, I gave up on the laptop and used the Chromecast app on my phone. Voila! The setup went smoothly this time, and I was up and running in just a couple minutes.
Pleasant Surprises
- Smooth streaming: My first test was to stream from the YouTube app on my phone. Since this was over wifi, I figured there might be some slowdowns here and there. To my surprise, there were none as the video played smoothly. I also tested Netflix on my phone, and the video was also smooth. I’m streaming Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus as I write this review, and the streaming quality is excellent (the movie script, not so much).
- Streaming over Ethernet: From what I had read before ordering the device, I was under the impression that Chromecast only streamed over wifi. Heck, the info on Google’s page for the device clearly says “connect it to wifi.” But when I downloaded the Google Cast extension for my desktop Chrome browser, I found out that I was able to stream to Chromecast even though my desktop was connected to the cable modem via an Ethernet cable and did not even have a wifi adapter. The implication is that being able to stream over a wired connection should mean smoother video. I’ll also be curious if this means I can stream to Chromecast from a greater distance.
- Streaming the whole desktop: While doing some reading on Chromecast, I stumbled upon this little trick: The Google Cast extension for the Chrome browser has a hidden option to stream not just what’s in the browser, but the contents of the entire desktop. This means that it doesn’t matter that Google blocked third-party apps that let you stream your local videos. Now you can just play your local videos on your computer and stream the whole desktop.
Fits My Needs Well
After testing Chromecast out for an hour, it seems like the device has exceeded my expectations. It streams YouTube smoothly. It streamed videos from the various Chinese versions of YouTube (e.g., Youku, Tudou). As a bonus, I found that it also streamed WatchESPN, which means I can now watch games from that site on my TV. That’ll come in handy during the college basketball season.
Streaming a game from WatchESPN.
Streaming from Youku.
Being able to stream my desktop is huge for me. I’ve often downloaded videos of Chinese TV shows and added English subtitles to them so my wife, who doesn’t speak Chinese, can watch them with me. Before, we would need to either both huddle in front of my computer monitor or move a computer close to a TV and run an adapter cable between the two. Neither of those solutions was ideal. Now, with Chromecast, I can beam the subtitled video from my desktop to my TV without wires.
One minor complaint: When I streamed from YouTube within the desktop browser, I seemed to lose the ability to control playback on the video. The video in the browser freezes at the point where you start casting. Moving the playback slider around within the browser doesn’t do anything to the video being streamed on the TV, and there are no visible controls on the TV version of the video.
Note: When you’re streaming from the desktop browser, the aspect ratio of the monitor matters. I started out with the browser in a 4:3 screen, and the video on the TV played in a 4:3 box that didn’t fill the screen, even if the video was widescreen. After some tinkering, I realized that I had the browser in a 4:3 monitor, so I moved it over to a 16:9 monitor, and the streaming video immediately filled the TV screen.
All in all, I’ve been very satisfied with Chromecast so far. It has added several very important video-streaming capabilities, and all for just $35.
Update (Sept 1, 2013): Discovered an interesting little quirk today. I was streaming a YouTube playlist to Chromecast via the Chrome browser extension. My computer crashed (not due to the streaming) and had to be rebooted, but Chromecast kept streaming without any interruption. I didn’t even go back into YouTube after the reboot and the stream just kept going. So does Chromecast just take over after you start streaming? Is the device just there to tell Chromecast where to pull the stream from at the start?
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