THE CHROMECAST STREAMER CAN TURN ANY TELLY WITH A SPARE HDMI
INTO A SMART TV, FOR A PIFFLING COST...
{KILLER FEATURE}
What can Chromecast cast?
Chromecast users in the US are currently treated to YouTube,
Netflix and the Google Play Store. You can view other on-demand players and
legally dubious video sites via the Chrome browser, although these won't be
viewed in full screen and you'll have to control playback and volume using your
phone, tablet or PC. Thinking of using the Chromecast as an alternative to an
Android gaming device - like the ones reviewed on pl25? No dice, we're afraid.
None of the games on Google Play currently support casting. Hulu, Vimeo and
Pandora are on their way for our American pals, and Google assures us that
broadcasters around the world are working on Chromecast apps.
Not got a web-connected TV yet? Google's Chromecast dongle
plugs into any HDMI port and lets you play videos, view web pages and (a little
bit) more, using your phone or tablet as a remote. Oh, and it costs just 35
bucks. Take that, Apple TV.
Setup is wonderfully simple. Just
plug it in and dial up your Wi-Fi network. You can then view video from apps or
any U RL on your telly, via any reasonably recent computer or mobile device.
Unlike Apple TV, Chromecast doesn’t mirror your device's screen; it receives
links from it, grabs the content straight from the cloud, then opens it in
Chrome.
The interface is minimal to the
point of non-existence. All you see is a “Ready to cast" message until you
pick content to view. A Cast logo - a TV with a Wi-Fi symbol in the corner -
appears at the top of the screen on all supported apps and when browsing. Click
it and videos begin playing almost instantly.
Currently you only get app access
to movies from YouTube and Netflix, with clunky support for iPlayer, 4oD and
other on-demand players via their browser pages - you can't play them in
full-screen. Now, Apple TV's content selection is pretty feeble but it's a
bounteous cornucopia compared to this.
Until Google's promise of more
apps comes good, this is not a must-have. Mind you, the price is pretty hard to
quibble with...
$35 (UKTBC), GOOGLE.COM/CHROMECAST
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