Google Chromecast review

A new device from Google makes it easy to stream video
from several popular services to a high-definition TV.
Chromecast is tiny enough to dangle from a keychain when
not in use, but it packs a big punch for a low price.

At merely $35, Chromecast is irresistible. Using your home
Wi-Fi network, it streams some of your favorite shows from
some of your favorite services, including Netflix and
Google's YouTube. It takes only a few minutes to set up,
and the device worked flawlessly.

Chromecast joins Roku, Apple TV and several other devices
meant to project Internet content onto TVs. In the early days
of online video, people were content watching movies and
shows on their desktop or laptop computers. But as these
services become more popular and even replace cable TV in
some households, there's a greater desire to get them
playing on television sets, which tend to be the largest
screens in living rooms.
That's especially true when your computer is a phone or
tablet and has a smaller screen.
Chromecast, which is about the size of a thumb drive, plugs
directly into the HDMI port of an HDTV. A USB cable must
be inserted at the other end of the Chromecast and
connected to a power source, either a wall outlet or a USB
port on the TV.

It was easy to sync Chromecast with my Android phone,
and it was an even nicer experience with Google's new
Nexus 7 tablet. There's something to be said for turning my
touch-screen device into a remote control for Netflix.
I watched an episode of Netflix's original series "House of
Cards" in high definition without a glitch. Same goes for
watching the BBC's "Empire of the Sun," a free offering from
Google's online Play store. But other titles there cost
money, as does a Netflix subscription. Chromecast is
merely a physical conduit to the services I'd already signed
up and paid for.

Even though I already have a Netflix app on my smartphone,
I had to download a Chromecast version of it, as well as the
main Chromecast app from Google. That's a one-time
affair, and it's a snap to get them up and running after the
initial installation.
To watch a movie, I simply choose it from the Chromecast
Netflix app. Once it's playing on the big screen, I was able
to easily pause, play and forward through my content with a
swipe of the finger. "House of Cards" continues to play even
after I power off my phone completely, as the video passes
through my Wi-Fi network, which remains on. I do have to
turn my phone back on to regain remote control over the
viewing experience.

It works similarly with Chromecast app for Google Play and
YouTube.
More apps are coming. For Hulu Plus, HBO Go and other
services without apps yet, it's possible to simply stream
that content on Google's Chrome Web browser, assuming
you have accounts with them. You can then have whatever
is showing on the browser project onto the TV.
In practice, though, I was never able to successfully
connect a desktop or a laptop computer, each running the
latest version of the Chrome browser, to the Chromecast
device. There are apps and browser extensions and not-
fully supported operating systems that all need to be in sync
to pull it off. In my tests, using two different Macs and a
Windows computer, they never were.
Also, Chromecast doesn't allow so-called "sideloaded"
content to be streamed on it. "Sideloaded" is essentially
shorthand for content that Google can't be certain you have
legally purchased and have the rights to consume. If I had
gotten the Chrome browser method to work, I could have
used that to view them on the big screen. But it's easier
said than done.

Plenty of devices allow much easier local content
streaming. Chromecast isn't one of them. It's not a deal-
breaker for me, though.
I suspect many people already have devices that can stream
these popular services to an HD display. If you have an
Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3, you're already good to go. The
same goes for the Roku streaming box that handles some of
the same streaming apps as Chromecast, and many more.
Heck, even a laptop with an HDMI output can deliver the
content to an HDTV.
Unlike many of the other streaming devices, you still need a
phone, tablet or regular computer to control your viewing
with Chromecast. Roku's streaming box, for instance, lets
you sign into accounts, choose content and rewind video
with an included remote. Roku does make a separate
streaming stick, similar to Chromecast, but that works only
with TVs that have a technology known as mobile high-
definition links, or MHL.
For now, there are only a handful of apps currently
available to use with Chromecast. But they are among the
most popular Internet video services. Video from Apple's
iTunes isn't likely to come to Chromecast any time soon,
but you can expect many more to be added if the device
takes off. (If you really need iTunes, you'll need an Apple
TV. Roku doesn't have it, either.)
At $35, Chromecast is cheaper than other streaming
devices, which run about $100 each. I can think of a lot of
worse ways to fork over $35.
If you don't already have a device that can stream Netflix to
your HDTV, Chromecast hits the sweet spot.