As annoyed as I am that Google tv doesn't work with any of my existing Chromecasts, using my phone to watch stuff on tv is getting old.
Best Value TV Streamer Thingymebob
bargain huntress on 22/01/2021 - 13:53
Comments
Thank you
How so?
Underpowered and unintuitive.
Haven't had an issues with the ones I have? It's a video streamer, how much power do you need it to have?
@brendanm: How quickly can you kill an app with your firestick? On Apple TV and Chromecast you just press the app switcher button then swipe the app up. On Firestick you need to quit to the main menu, press down, down to the settings, go to applications menu, scroll to your app, click it, then choose kill, then exit back to the main menu. Amazon did not design these things to be used by people, not in the same league Apple does anyway.
@AustriaBargain: No idea, have never had to do it. I also have a Chromecast (without the remote), which is a pain, and a nexus player, which I again don't have to randomly kill apps on.
I'd recommend the Apple TV. Slick and lots streaming apps.
Don't get the Amazon Firestick. It's so slow and buggy - mine needs to be reset periodically to play content smoothly.Thank you
And the Apple TV 4k has power to spare, despite being years old. It will play your lossless 4k blu ray rips. Apple TV 4k is more comparable to nvidia shield than a streaming dongle. There will probably be a new Apple TV soon though with even more power.
I own both a Vodafone TV and a Xiaomi MiBox and use them exclusively as Chromecast dongles controlled by my phone.
What I can do on a phone with a single finger swipe takes longer and requires multiple button clicks to achieve with a dinky remote, particularly if you need to search.
As an added bonus, there are more Chromecast compatible apps available on phone/tablet than are available on any one device.
Hmm something to think about…
Do you ever get distracted by your phone while watching tv?
Can do, but I'd have my phone with me even if I were using a remote.
If that's a problem for you, an old phone or tablet as the "Chromecast remote" with no other apps installed is an easy solution.
Google TV Chromecast. It even has Apple TV now. The remote is great.
Thank you
Another vote here for the Chromecast with Google TV - I love mine, and given that I already pay for Netflix it was basically a no-brainer to get the version with 6 months of Netflix included.
How do you get apple tv on it? Saw that it was coming but didn’t know it was on already.
Hey mate, can you cast from iPhone to Google TV? I have chromecast but can’t cast Apple TV, pretty sure that’s not compatible.
And what about mirroring?
using my phone to watch stuff on tv is getting old
So what would you like to use to watch stuff on your TV?
Your phone?- Your remote?
- Your voice?
1. Your remote
Get a smart TV.2. Your voice
Google = Home + Chromecast
Apple = Siri + Apple TV
Amazon = Echo + FirestickAnd then enjoy using your phone to get what you actually want on the TV, instead of something that's been through Google Translate 5 times.
- Your remote
Get a smart TV.
All of these devices should support HDMI cec, so you should be able to use your standard remote to control them.
The smart TV suggestion was based around OP's issue of
using my phone to watch stuff on tv is getting old
If he doesn't want to use his phone, his options are pretty limited. Hence my suggestion of a smart TV. All the benefits of something like a Chromecast (sometimes with a Chromecast built it), and (usually) with a remote control that isn't a phone app.
I don't think you understand what I'm saying. Things like the fire stick, and Chromecast with Google tv, can be operated using your standard tv remote.
@brendanm: Ahh. I have only got normal Chromecasts, so I haven't had the pleasure of that experience. That's awesome but!
@Chandler: Yeah makes it really easy, pretty much all TVs from the last 10 years or so seem to have this capability, I found it by accident years ago.
@brendanm: Yeah I was surprised when I discovered that my now ~12yo TV supported it (called Viera Link on a Panasonic TV). So I can at least turn it on and off with the Chromecast!
- Your remote
Using a phone is horrible. It's just a bad experience. When I use a remote and channel flick I am looking at the TV, not the phone. Looking down seems way too hard.
Smart TV is horrible. The majority of TV's don't have enough onboard memory to offer a decent experience and you're often limited in upgrading software or side loading.
Get a device. One that suits your eco system. Apple TV or Android box. MiBox S is good, Nvidia Shield is great. Or get a Foxtel box or Vodafone TV.
Nvidia Shield?
The King!
Depending upon your ecosystem you have two clear premium choices- Nvidia Shield and Apple TV.
Best value option is Chromecast with Google TV.
Done.
I own all 3, have also been through Telstra TV (terrible app selection), OG Chromecast Ultra (no remote), Xiaomi Mi Box (mine was bit jittery) and have xbox as well (not as many apps)
Apple TV 4K however wait a month if you can as Apple about to release a newer version of the box.
I bought a chinese android tv box. Plenty of TV apps on APKpure
Something local like a TelstraTV seems to have best SBS on demand, ABC iView, 7 & 9 offerings. Dakar 2021 looked awesome on it.
Roku streaming stick plus is a great streaming tool. Sophisticated and with facility to use the remote as voice activated.
This HDMI stick allows you to connect to all streaming services. Effectively turns any monitor or TV with an HDMI port into a very smart unit.
eBay and Amazon. A bit expensive at $115 or so.
However, the user must register the device using a VPN and a USA (random) address as it is geo blocked for Oz at the moment.
I give the Roku 5 stars.
I had an Amazon Fire stick and 1 star.
Vodafone TV. Cheap, full Android TV interface, works as a chromecast too.
I am an apple TV fan. I have bought 5 of them. It is the remote control that makes them so good, just so well designed.
I was given a freebie one from telstra recently and the remote control was so awful. It went straight in the bin. Free hdmi cable in the box was all it was good for.
Agree with this in so much as the Apple remote is far superior to the other boxes. I've had Apple TV, I just dislike the closed sandbox for the device.
Fire TV cube
Bang for Buck Mibox S at $100 is the best choice imo.
I own these for the other rooms in the house and an Nvidia Shield for the main living room.
I like that you can side load apps like Foxtel and can Chromecast as well.
Don't use Firestick Lite. It's garbo.