A few weeks after all this beef started, Google emailed me with an offer for a free "Chromecast with Google TV" device. I thought it was weird, as the email (and the offer) was completely unsolicited. The email mentioned something about thanking me for being a YouTube-TV customer. I'm sure Google knows I watch YouTube-TV from my Roku-enabled TV, so I figured it was related to the beef. I just though it was weird at first (like, what's the catch here?), but now I get it - and it was a brilliant move. The Chromecast/Google-TV device is better, much more responsive than Roku on my TV, which was always my biggest complaint with Roku (too slow!). So now, I've pretty much abandoned Roku, and use my Chromecast/Google-TV device almost exclusively. Well-played, Google. Your move, Roku - send me free shit! LOL
Lately, the Chromecast has become substantially worse, with many more ads and of course a stupid update nobody asked for showing kind of a tablet UI when you're in "idle" mode with the phone connected to the TV (idk how you're supposed to operate it, but I don't care, ofc it's a clickbait showcase screen).
Before the increase in ad frequency (and some bugs like a random unlinking of the device when you put the app in background) it was pretty good TBH.
But of course, everything worsens as viewership gets more concentrated and there are less alternatives.
Will there ever be a product that... just stays like it was when you bought it? A lot of things tech related seem like a bait and switch... you have this.. haha! now you don't
> Lately, the Chromecast has become substantially worse, with many more ads and of course a stupid update nobody asked for showing kind of a tablet UI when you're in "idle" mode with the phone connected to the TV (idk how you're supposed to operate it, but I don't care, ofc it's a clickbait showcase screen).
Are you sure you're using a Chromecast? Not only has my Chromecast never once shown me an ad, but I have no idea what screen you're talking about and I use mine every day.
The new Chromecast is a dongle that comes with a remote and has a Google tv interface built on Android tv. You can still cast to it like the old Chromecast. You are likely using one the older, cast only devices which have been discontinued.
Even ignoring the fact that cast-only isn't discontinued, I believe you can set the new Chromecast in a cast-only mode too. Of course this kinda defeats the point of the device, but it is doable.
Chromecasts have ads? I've never seen one in my life on them. Are you talking about free YouTube?
I liked the first Chromecast and since I upgraded to the latest with Google TV, I think it's the best experience ever. I sometimes want to take mine to friends' place so I don't have you suffer through whatever horrible smart TV interface they have.
Nope, it's a tiny embedded device you have little control over. It's slightly more intelligent than just IP video streaming ( e.g. there are app integrations) - if you cast a random video, it will play that video; if you cast YouTube or Netflix it does stuff directly with them and there are ads on free YouTube. DNS adblockers don't work by default either, since Chromecasts have Google's DNS servers hardcoded.
I think the reality is there is no free-software alternative, because the entire user experience is based on ecosystem buy-in where every media source (Netflix/Amazon/YouTube/Hulu/HBO, even NPR/PBS and Chrome itself) all actively have support for the Cast flows within their products (some only in their native apps, but many in their web experiences as well).
I did a quick search on Github and i see there's a variety of clients implementing the Chromecast protocols, but no server?! Is there really millions of such devices using a proprietary protocol noone has written a free server for?
I disagree. I have 5-6 Rokus and one Chromecast with Google TV.
Chromecast with Google TV does not support YouTubeTV user profiles. That's kind of a big deal, considering it's a feature of YTTV and one that I use extensively. Not being able to access my library of content from my living room TV sucks. I have to use my phone to launch the video, and then I can use the CC remote to skip/navigate. I've reported it multiple times, all I hear back from the YTTV Reddit team is "we're working on it".
Never used the one in Roku but Amazon Prime on the latest Chromecast seems fine to me. It wasn't a good experience a year ago but it's decent now, I guess.
