Until now, the Chromecast was only suitable for bringing the content from the tablet or smartphone to a large screen. Now something has changed at Google. The manufacturer announced the first Chromecast with Google TV. It looks like a competitor for the Fire TV Stick from Amazon. The update of the Chromecast was announced only last Wednesday. With the improvements of the dongle it has also been updated with some features of Android 11.
Android TV
The new Chromecast now relies on Android TV. The user interface was adapted accordingly by Google and named “Google TV”. The Google TV interface is the central point of contact for all subscribed services. On the surface you can search and the contents are sorted by topics, genre like drama, movies and series. The contents recommended for you can be seen under a special tab “for you”. These can be viewed immediately or marked for later viewing. An additional tab gives access to a huge offer of 6,500 apps that are compatible with Android TV.
Remote control
Features of the Chromecast from Google include a remote control. With this remote control you can activate the search with a dedicated button. On the remote control there is also a special control with start buttons for various streaming services. The services Netflix and Youtube can be preset and not changed. Disney Plus is also supported by Chromecast. Google also integrates the local providers. These include ARD, ZDF or Joyn.
The technology
Google’s Chromecast connects to the TV via HDMI and supports 4K content with HDR and up to 60 frames per second, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Google’s Voice Control Assistant not only enables media consumption, but also supports everyday functions such as weather display and other smartphone gadgets.
Availability and price
The dongle from Google can be pre-ordered now. The official market launch is then on 15 October. The Chromecast will then not only be available in the Google Store but also at Tink, Saturn and Media Markt at a price of 69.99 euros. The Chromecast, which is made of 40 percent recycled material, will then be available in the colors white, sunrise and sky. The white one is available in the above-mentioned stores and the other two color variants exclusively at Google itself.
