by Georges Brunet, Chief Editor of the @StreamOnABudget blog.
I have gadgets. TONS of streaming gadgets. I've had about a dozen Roku devices throughout the years, tried the Amazon Fire TV Stick, and even have a few of the original Google Chromecast with Google TV (4K). I had carefully heeded the rumors and read the pre-release reviews of the new Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD) before it launched last Thursday and I was skeptical that this would be a gamechanger for Google. I still am, even after buying my own device this weekend and comparing it to Google's original 4K version.
It's a very good entry-level product for the new cord-cutter. It's adequate for the new user who would be looking for the popular streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Discovery+, Prime Video and others, including YouTube. It's definitely good enough for streaming TV services like Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV, or River TV, a paid-TV service here in Canada.
I will get to the point: The lack of bigger onboard storage is definitely an issue for anyone like me who wants as many streaming apps loaded on the device as possible. I had less than about a dozen apps on the device before a warning that I was approaching the storage limit appeared on the screen and received a suggestion to clear some storage space (by deleting some apps). Maybe a dozen apps sounds like a LOT of apps for the casual streamer, but as an editor of a blog about streaming, and administering a major cord-cutter group on Facebook, I watch a ton of free TV and paid service apps on Google TV.
Google really missed a big opportunity here: Instead of downgrading the processing power of the device (down to 1.5 GB of RAM instead of 2 GB of RAM like on the 4K version-- which really didn't make a difference on the performance of the HD device, in my layman's observations this weekend*), in this day and age of streaming, the new Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD) would have greatly benefited from double capacity onboard storage (16 GB instead of 8 GB, of which only 4.4 GB of storage is usable once all of the updates and default app installations are done) or perhaps even microSD expansion. Two years ago when the 4K model hit the market, cord-cutting wasn't as big of a trend as it is today and one could get away with having a handful of apps on the device and get by quite adequately. Not these days.
*Editor's Note: Playing around with the device more since this article was posted, I did notice that the Plex app was significantly sluggish compared to my 4K device trying to navigate the live TV channels. I have not yet tested other apps, but I could expect similar performance issues on some GPU-intensive apps like Plex. -GB 10/01/22
I am hearing many members in my Facebook Group, We Are Streamers On A Budget, recommending a work around to get more storage (click here to read a detailed guide about this), but when I tried that with my 4K Google TV, of all the apps I had, data from only ONE app could be transfered successfully to the external drive and I was still left choosing my most important apps to save on the device, so the excercise was quite pointless, frankly.
Do I recommend the Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD)? Well, yes, it's fine. I don't really dislike this device. It will do for the novice user for the reasons I explained earlier. All that said, some in my group have recommended the onn Android TV 4K UHD Streaming Device with Voice Remote Control & HDMI Cable from Walmart at under $20. It basically has the same specs of the high-end 4K model from Google, but at an extremely attractive entry level price point for any streamer on a budget. If you live in the US and you are near a Walmart, get it; Walmart's house-brand device has been exceptionally well-reviewed and recommended by many users and experts alike.
I am in Canada so the onn box is not available for sale here, therefore I recommend the Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD) for Canadians as the next best thing to getting an entry level Google TV device (you can get it here from Amazon through my affiliate link). Personally, I dusted off my Mecool Android TV box that I acquired a short time ago when my experiment with expanding the device storage on my 4K Google TV failed (see above) and upgraded it to genuine Google TV (click here for details on how to do that if you already have a streaming box with the stock Android TV interface).
The Mecool's 16GB storage and USB/MicroSD expansion slots are perfect for heavy streamers like myself, and it's perfect to use my 64GB microSD card as a local DVR drive for my River TV subscription here in Canada. (FYI, I bought my android box straight up, no third party illegal apps or anything like that were included, so I avoided the "all in" package deals with cheap, illegal live TV blah blah blah--, it is possible to avoid being sucked into the illegal piracy rabit hole).
Any android box or device will fill the needs for streaming at any level, but it depends on what you want to watch and how many of the paid streaming and Free Ad-Supported TV apps you're going to want to install. The Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is fine, but there are adequate alternatives already on the market.
This is just my opinion, but I welcome your comments and feedback. What do you think of the new Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD)? Do you own the onn Android TV 4K UHD Streaming Device? What's your experience with streaming TV overall? Comment below! I would love to hear from you.
#StreamOn! -GB.
Chromecast with GooglTV can also be used to cast from a phone or computer for videos that are n the web and no other way to see
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