Google Chromecast - crap! (11 Jan, 2019)

[Jimmy]

My experience with the Chromecast was pretty much the opposite of yours.

I acquired one, plugged it in, installed the app on the phone and configured it. About 6 minutes in total, and it works well with a good picture. I use it for the on demand TV channels, Netflix, Lightbox and Plex. Apart from the god-awful interface on the latest android Plex client, it all works smoothly and well. In fact, it works so well I bought 2 more, for the bedroom and spare room TVs. $89 on sale from Leemings, which I didn't think was outrageous for a 4K capable streaming device. Works well off controlled off my phone, tablet or laptop.

I got the Ultra so I could wire it in (using powerline adapaters as per @Hiro's excellent suggestion above), and be a bit future-proofed in terms of 4K etc. Also, I got some google home speakers, and it is kind of cool to be able to select, plan and pause content using voice commands instead of a remote. I just say "Hey Google, Pause" in the living room if, for example, I'm watching something and the phone rings. Personally, I would buy them again.

Also, if you have a PC lying around, it's worth putting Plex (or Emby or Jellyfin) and a decent-sized hard-drive or three on it. They you can rip all your Blu Rays and DVDs etc, watch them on any networked TV, and not worry about finding/shuffling optical disks again.

[pid@ifm.net.nz]

I'd stick with the Chromecast. I have only ever found them to be excellent. I have a Chromcast Audio as well for playing music with Google Play and YouTube Music.

It does sound like you need a better Android device to controll it though ...

[greven]

The Chromecast is a brilliant solution for a modern, middle class single or multi-user environment where every person in the house has a decent phone/tablet. It does not try to meet the needs of every demographic, which is how it manages to remain cheap & simple.

I have a Mecool Android TV box that came with a decent bluetooth remote. It was brilliant & would be perfect for you if not for the fact Netflix blocked whatever workaround MeCool was using to make legal services work on their boxes.

Why is it so hard to watch content legally? Do the content providers actually want everyone to turn to piracy?

[jo2lo]

I purchased a small multimedia Andriod device from Bang***d. That has Netflix as one of its apps, and you can c onnect a full size keyboard (or one of those small integrated types).
It works well, and gives me most of the app choices that my newer "Smart TV" has in the lounge.
Chromecast sounds like a total kludge if you require the mobile phone to be the user interface.

[dingram17]

Yeah... I think I'll make up a new SD card so we can use my RP (that presently runs Kodi) as an Ethernet/WiFi bridge for the BluRay player.

The Ethernet on the RPI is a bit cheap. It is a USB to Ethernet chip (unlike the BeagleBone Black that competes with the RPi that uses native Ethernet). You're probably better off getting a cheap WiFi bridge, or get an Access Point or Extender that can be used as a bridge. I've had good results with DLink DAP-1650 (bit pricey) and TP Link RE305 (ironically way cheaper in NZ than in Australia at NZ$99 vs A$105) extenders, and a Dlink DIR-505 travel repeater/router works OK too. Single band 2.4GHz extenders are quite a bit cheaper.

In years gone by you'd by a specific bridge device, but now it is mostly hidden capability that you need to dive into the manuals for.

[psycik]

.......and this is why most have a chromecast.....it’s cheap, cheerful it supports everything local and there’ no faffing about, just plug it in and go....just have to deal with using a phone as an interface...quite quite often is great, especially if you needed to look for your content before casting.

But it is annoying if you watch a movie and you forget that you can uses Cec and sonic you want to pause you have to pick up you device sometimes find the app it was is, that doesn’t realise it’s still playing hit play then pause.

The roku, fire tv products deliver similar experience but have a proper remote, Apple TV is great, but expensive and is well supported. Those android tv boxes, while cheap, the remote try and emulate someone touching the screen, and apps don’t realise that it’s a tv and think they’re on a phone.