GOOGLE’S NEW TV device, the Chromecast (go.pcworld.com/chromecast) is a thumb-size dongle that plugs into an HDMI port, receives power from USB, and acts like a Chrome browser, which lets it play movies, TV shows, music, and photos on your HDTV. You control it using any Android or iOS device, a Mac or Windows PC, or a Chromebook.
Although I hit a couple of snags, this little device is a pretty big deal. The Chromecast has plenty of competitors: The Apple TV and Roku set-top boxes deliver similar results, though they don’t work the same way. The Chromecast’s first advantage is price—it’s only $35, versus $99 for an Apple TV. (Roku boxes start at $50.)
Setup takes a couple more steps than for an Apple TV or Roku box, but it’s still easy: First, plug the Chromecast into a free HDMI port on your TV. Most people will need to connect the included Micro-USB cable to the Chromecast and then plug the other end into a USB port on the TV or into the supplied power adapter to plug into the wall. Then you visit a website on your Android device or in the Chrome browser on your Mac or PC, where you’re prompted to download another small Chromecast app to complete the setup.
Controlling the Chromecast
The software to control the Chromecast consists of names you most likely already have on your phone, tablet, or computer: Chrome, Netflix, YouTube, and Google’s own iTunes Store-like Play Movies & TV and
Play Music. “Casting” a tab from the Chrome browser on your Mac or PC requires a Chrome extension called Google Cast, which adds the Chromecast button to your toolbar. The idea is that you control the Chromecast using the same apps that you already employ.
Why does Google call it “casting” instead of “streaming”? Once you tell the Chromecast what you would like to watch, it goes out on the Internet and retrieves that material— your device isn’t involved in the streaming
end at all.
The Chromecast can turn on your TV and select the right input, without your going anywhere near the TV remote. It employs an HDMI feature called CEC, or Consumer Electronics Control, to turn on your TV and choose the appropriate HDMI input when you tell your control device you intend to use the Chromecast.
TV manufacturers all have their own trade names for CEC. You may need to go poking around your TV’s menus and turn on all the link features that you find.
Every website I tried in Chrome on my Mac played on the Chromecast. You can even watch locally stored videos by playing them in the Chrome browser, provided they don’t use Quick-Time or Silverlight.
The Chromecast doesn’t have security features of its own— you can’t set a password for it. That means you must handle any security on the network side.
Right now the Chromecast doesn’t do anything the Apple TV can’t do, but its implementation of YouTube is better, and its support for content from the Google Play store makes it a no-brainer if you’re invested in that ecosystem. Its cross-platform support also makes it ideal for households with a variety of devices. And finally, its price makes it almost an impulse buy.
Google Chromecast
PROS:
• Low cost
• Works with Android, iOS, Chrome OS,
Mac, and Windows
• Lets you put nearly any online video on
your TV
CONS:
• No iOS setup at launch, but Google says
it’s coming
• You’ll get crashes and errors if your Wi-Fi
network isn’t fast enough
BOTTOM LINE:
It needs more Android and iOS app support,
but it’s a great value for YouTube
junkies, Netflix aficionados, and crossplatform
households.
PRICE:
$35
(PC World Usa, October 2013)
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