Google Chromecast (2015) review: Still a cheap way to make your TV smart

Google Chromecast review: Mirroring

Chromecast also supports mirroring, where you can send what you see on your screen directly to the TV. This is built into the Chrome Browser, via the Google Cast extension, letting you mirror an entire tab. The new version of the extension also lets you transmit your entire desktop. It’s not bad and it means that you can stream any video file or streaming service from your computer to the Chromecast. In this mode, the video is sent directly from your computer, rather than letting the Chromecast control the stream. At launch the services was pretty poor but Google has made some big improvements. You’ll still need a fast internet connection for it to work, but video streaming in Chrome can now easily be played through Chromecast without any stuttering. While not a replacement for apps like Netflix and BBC iPlayer it does mean you can watch pretty much anything on Chromecast.

New to Android, via the Chromecast app, is mirroring, sending everything you see on your smartphone or tablet. There are a handful of supported devices, making it handy to quickly mirror your phone’s screen to your TV.

This means that Chromecast has the same features as AirPlay does with iPhones and iPads on Apple TV. Mirroring is useful for showing off a particular app or game, but it’s too slow to stream video and audio properly, just as with the desktop app.

Google Chromecast review: Games

As well as simply being a device for displaying video, Google also wants Chromecast be a home for games and other entertainment. The Big Web Quiz for Chromecast is a perfect example of this in action: up to six players with the app (iOS and Android) can take part in an interactive quiz that uses Google’s Knowledge Graph, with the results and questions appearing on your TV. It’s brilliant fun and simple to set up, and shows how flexible Chromecast really is. There are other games available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and the range is bound to expand soon. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick supports an optional game pad, as does Google’s newly-released Nexus Player, so these might be better choices if gaming is a priority. The games catalogue on both still yet to have a compelling killer-app, however.

Google Chromecast review: Verdict

At just £30, the Chromecast would appear to be a no-brainer, but it’s not quite that simple. Although support has become a lot better, there’s still not a lot of support for catch-up TV. Even in 2018, there’s no support for Demand Five and Sky Go.

That said, with Sky Now TV, Netflix and Blinkbox all on-board, there’s a great selection of movies and on-demand TV if you’re a fan of any of these services. It’s great to see Chromecast getting expanded and the Big Web Quiz is a great example of how lots of people can play games together on your TV.

There are a few issues, such as the Chromecast is really hard to hack into playing US Netflix, something that the Apple TV with its built-in Netflix client doesn’t suffer from. However, the Apple TV’s downsides are that it’s just as inflexible when it comes to DLNA media streaming and its AirPlay technology is only really supported on iOS – BBC iPlayer on Android, for example, doesn’t support AirPlay. Then, there’s the Roku Streaming Stick, which is only a little more expensive than the Chromecast, but has a wider range of built-in apps and is more configurable, even if it’s a little slow.

If that makes the choice sound a little confusing, then that’s because it really is that confusing and no one device is perfect for everyone. Ultimately, it depends on what you want. If you’ve primarily got Apple devices, the Apple TV makes a lot of sense, as it’s quick, ties in with Apple’s services brilliantly and AirPlay is great here. If you care more about flexibility and easier access to DLNA servers, the Roku Streaming Stick is good for you.

If you’ve got Android devices (or a mix of Android and iOS) and simply want a cheap and convenient way of adding some streaming services to your TV, then the Chromecast is brilliant and you should buy one today. Compared to the more expensive Google Nexus Player, which runs Android TV, we still find the Chromecast preferable, even if its functionality is much more limited its low-cost more than makes up for it.

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