Post Time: 2026-03-13

Country: United States, Australia, United Kingdom. City: Fargo, Mobile, New Orleans, Sioux Falls, Stamford..Get one here: TV streaming dongles and boxes used to simply be a way for older, dumber TVs to gain access to streaming channels. But with almost every TV on the market today being a smart TV, what’s the allure of a dongle, like the brand new Google Chromecast with Google TV? For a lot of folks, choosing an external streaming device means they get a familiar operating system they know and like. For others it’s about being able to connect your TV and smartphone, tablet ,or laptop, since some TVs’ operating systems don’t play nice with all phones. That’s the why… not to the how… Google’s new Chromecast with Google TV just launched. In this review I’ll take a look at what the streaming dongle can do, its key features, and whether I think it’s a good buy. While I do that, I’ll also share some other reasons why you might want a Chromecast, even if you do have a streaming TV. New design, colours Get one: The all new Chromecast Full Write-up with Google TV has been redesigned; it’s now got a softer, more pebbly rounded shape kinda like the new Nest Audio speakers did. It retains the same puck and HDMI cable configuration that makes it super easy to hide behind your TV. It’s also being made in a handful pop over to these guys of pastel colours too. New Remote The big new addition to the package here is the addition of a simply click the up coming website page physical remote—with voice ccontrol. This is a biggie. Roku has always offered a remote with its streaming devices and with its previous generations of Chromecasst, Google seemed to pooh-pooh physical remotes in favour of using only your smartphone, thought it has obviously changed its tune. I think the addition of a remote is great. Sometimes, and trust me on this, it’s just easier to grab a remote and punch one or two buttons, instead of finding my phone, unlocking it, navigating to the right app, loading it and then trying to control the TV. The new voice remote can also be used to control your TV or soundbar, change the volume, switch inputs, and more. 4K ready with Dolby The Chromecast with Google TV is 4K ready, has Dolby Vision (it also supports HDMI pass-through of Dolby audio content) and HDR and can stream 60 fps. Personalized recommendations Chromecast with Google TV will make personal recommendations based on what you've watched and what interests you, (it apparently draws this from the channels you’re signed up for and logged in to) from across your subscriptions and content available to you. Google TV’s Watchlist lets you bookmark movies and shows you want to save for later. You can add to your Watchlist from your phone or laptop, and it will be waiting on your TV when you get home. This is not a new feature by any means, both Apple TV and Netflix have a similar options. Even so, it’s a super handy feature if you’re the type that likes to binge one show at a time and keep a running list of what’s next Can you use Chromecast/Google Assistant when the TV is off? I couldn’t find a straight up answer to this online. But when I tried talking to Google with just my voice, and NOT using the Google Assistant button on the remote there was no response. So my experience with this is the Google Assistant does not act as a stand alone or voice-activated alone digital assistant on Chromecast with Google TV. Cast from devices One of the big reasons folks add a streaming device like Chromecast is to be able to share content from their phones. With Chromecast with Google TV you can cast from more than a thousand compatible Android and iOS apps directly from your phone, laptop or tablet plus mirror your Chrome web browser tab to your TV. To do it, look for the Cast icon (a rectangle with Wi-Fi bars in the corner) in compatible apps. Overall review: Overall this. Is a great 4K streaming device. I love the small size and new design, though since it’s behind my TV I don’t get to see it to enjoy it. I like that it’s 4K and for the price, this is one of the lowest ccost 4K streamers you can buy.