None of which changes the fact that it’s more expensive and clunkier, and none of which feels necessary.
Comment on Google is discontinuing the Chromecast line
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months agoYou mean twice the ram (1 gig more than the shield), 4 times the storage (32 gigs), and a better remote (chirping find my remote feature, programmable button, and less shitty volume buttons)?
Yep. Sure sounds worse considering it also supports all the same features of the chromecast 4k and AV1 decoding.
LaggyKar@programming.dev 3 months ago
variants@possumpat.io 3 months ago
I don’t need any of that. I just need a cheap dongle that can run one app
MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The dongle still works. They reached market saturation with people who just want a dongle. They can’t realistically be expected to produce these forever.
Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 3 months ago
So when the current dongle breaks and you just want another, what do you buy?
MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Facebook market place in my small town has dozens of these for less than $20. Why don’t you pick up a few of these and recycle our current supply instead of asking companies to produce more e waste incase we someday want to buy it.
kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Your existing chromecast dongle will continue to connect
Will it, though?
“Sorry this device is too old to support the newest software update. For your convenience we have bricked it. Please see your authorized dealer to purchase an upgraded device”
MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Sure, give me a single example where a chromecast device was taken off the chromecast protocol. Even their original Chromecast Audio device which was discontinued and taken out of production still functions to this day.
variants@possumpat.io 3 months ago
I mean I’d hope so because eventually this one I have won’t work like the previous one so I’d like a similar product when that happens not this 99 dollar box thing. I guess I hope someone else will continue making cheap dongles I think walmart has their own thing
MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Facebook marketplace is absolutely loaded with these for less than $20. Let’s recycle the existing stock.
moody@lemmings.world 3 months ago
Most of the appeal of the Chromecast is that it’s a dongle you plug in once and never have to see again. It doesn’t need high performance and 32 gigs of RAM. It needs to play video. That’s its entire purpose. It’s controlled by any phone on your wifi, it doesn’t need a remote.
For most users, this is an expensive downgrade.
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 3 months ago
The remote was the biggest upgrade for me on the Ultra though. I always struggled to find my phone and do stuff on it just to watch some YouTube or Netflix videos. And the Kids don't even have a phone and they want to watch on the TV in the livingroom too sometimes. With the remote it's easy for everyone to use it without fiddling with the Phone.
My parents have the one without the remote and they basically never use it because my mom doesn't have a mobile phone and my dad newer has it with him, it's always not charged or in some other room.
kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
It’s controlled by any phone on your wifi, it doesn’t need a remote.
Or you can use it’s remote and not need to use your phone for absolutely every little thing.
Tanoh@lemmy.world 3 months ago
And ethernet port!
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Yes! I hadn’t seen that highlighted anywhere in articles really, only saw it on the damn Google Store after looking just now.
Seems an all around solid update on the previous device.
Dasnap@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Just gotta stick FLauncher, SmartTube, Jellyfin, and Stremio on it and it seems solid.
damo_omad@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I changed from FLauncher to Projectivity Launcher a little while ago and definitely recommend it
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 3 months ago
I just hope this is still possible on the new one, I can see a future where they make it impossible but hopefully not yet.
I agree that it's a good upgrade too, the only dowside is that it's not portable anymore, I used to take it with me on any travel to have my own home theater set up like I like it with me when I was living in Hotels and AirBnB's for a year on business travel. Especially in Asia the TVs are in the local language and I never have any idea how to change the language from Korean or Japanese to English so I can use the TV. But putting in the dongle and turning on the TV was always possible.
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
And now I can install all those things without worrying about my internal storage filling to capacity!
LaggyKar@programming.dev 3 months ago
You can get an Ethernet adapter for the Chromecast
lud@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Yeah, exactly. You needed to buy an extra adapter before. Now you don’t.
LaggyKar@programming.dev 2 months ago
This TV Streamer costs significantly more than a CCwGTV combined with an adapter.
woelkchen@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Regular Chromecast work perfectly as YouTube jukebox.
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
What do you mean regular Chromecast?
woelkchen@lemmy.world 3 months ago
What do you mean regular Chromecast?
Just regular Chromecast, not that Google TV stuff. That round dongle that does nothing but accept casting streams via that cast button in many Android apps.
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
So the one from 2013? Sure. It was fine for that. This is a different thing, as not every device, service, or whatever supports casting. I wish they did, but they don’t.
Secondarily, I don’t want to use a screen to control a screen. I prefer a physical remote that I can have muscle memory for.
But I get why people liked the device. I did too. But fortunately or unfortunately, it’s been 10 years and technology has moved. Which is probably why they are giving this a new name being an generally good upgrade on the last Chromecast 4K.
Christ, this one even has a built in Ethernet port and doesn’t put strain on my HDMI port by just dangling there.
Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world 3 months ago
It’s also twice the price of the Onn 4k Pro (Walmart house brand) that’s built on the same chip and has the same features running the stock Google TV experience.
sanpo@sopuli.xyz 3 months ago
They’re supposedly using pretty much the same chipset. So the most important part is still underpowered, these Android boxes generally work fine even with 2-3GBs of RAM.
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
From OP article
such as a processor that’s 22 percent faster
sanpo@sopuli.xyz 3 months ago
It’s supposed to use S905X3 with ARM Cortex-A55.
There’s already plenty of devices on the market with this chip, and it’s fine, but in real world as a user you won’t really see any improvement over something like a nearly 10 year old Nvidia Shield that’s still using a more powerful chipset.
Which is sad for a new device…
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Does Nvidia even make new mobile chipsets still? At least… Relatively cheaply? I know there’s something of an Nvidia tax.
wewbull@feddit.uk 3 months ago
My Chromecast has no storage and no remote. It’s fine.
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Cool. Keep using it.
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months ago
until they decide that their new device needs more sales, so they depricate the protocol and you can’t use it anymore
NegativeInf@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Deprecate the casting protocol? Sure Jan. The new device still supports casting.
LaggyKar@programming.dev 3 months ago
Until services stop supporting it.