Google Killed The Chromecast? Yes.. Four Years Ago!

[@renehouse2015]

I use Chromecast to cast from my laptop to any tv in my household i.e. kitchen, bedroom, living room. The ability to cast from computer to tv is still VERY important to me.

[@CommodoreFan64]

if push comes to shove the 20 dollar ONN 4K boxes can do the same thing, i used one at work last week to do a Google Slides presentation from my Thinkpad, with Chrome browser on Manjaro Gnome Linux no problem.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Chromecast was hardly the only option for that. Personally, I have a Roku, but before that I just got a Raspberry Pi and many newer TVs even have it built in.

[@SRJ-b4s]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade It was perfect for that until they quickly ruined it.

[@daveriley9467]

If NVIDIA released a new SHIELD TV I would buy it tomorrow. Nothing comes close to the performance / features and continual software updates since I bought my 2nd generation one in early 2018. It's still my Primary streaming device

[@Kevin-oj2uo]

I bought mine back in 2017 and still working as new.

[@rope435]

A mini pc would trounce it. It's my current setup rn.

[@FoyLo]

@@rope435 what is your mini pc setup? How does it work?

[@damienretro4416]

@@rope435 What OS are you using? What remote control do you use?

[@greenlightgaming4242]

Apple TV Trump's Nvidia shield it's faster and has no advertisements

[@McGregorMX]

the chromecast audio was amazing. I had 2 and sold them thinking I'd just use the hdmi version. Now I can't find one for less than $100.

[@russc788]

I have an audio. I should sell it!

[@laurikvo]

@@McGregorMX if you don't need multi room can't you just use regular chromecast with HDMI adapter that splits audio out separately or just plug it in an amplifier that has HDMI built in?

[@deathmaybeyoursantaclaus]

I've just bought one (again!)

[@stonebat]

I still own 2 chromecast audio. Never gonna sell They output digital data via 3.5mm jack. Connect to s/pdif optical input in a receiver, a DAC device, or a speaker with an optical input port

[@andreamitchell4758]

@@stonebat I have an extra one and am wondering if I should sell it I wonder if google will ever pull support and make I not work anymore, I also jus bought the Yamaha Aventage A2A but I am not sure if it supports chrome cast or not but I have the audio dongle anyway. my old Yamaha AVR didn't have party mode so I had to pick between the SPDIF connection that is not supported for multiroom or the analog connection that was supported by multiroom. I haven't got it set up yet but if it has google cast and can be added to a cast group I will sell my extra CC audios, I think I have one or 2 still NIB BB sent me my order twice, I think i ordered 2 and they sent the order twice so I ended up with 4 or maybe it was one and I ended up with 2, same thing happened for my 2nd gen CC video so I forgot now, one was for a gift

[@nospamallowed4890]

I would say that Chromecast died when a software update some years ago started blocking the simple "cast my screen" if you tried to watch a streaming show... so that you could cast the screen when you viewed the menu, but it gave you a black screen the moment you launched the movie on the phone. When the device started blocking me... I dumped it. For me its whole value was to view things that my TV did not show natively. Take that away and the reason to use it died.

[@crosswhite17]

Chromecast was Google's best product ever. I still use my original Chromecast and the later 1080p one. Hope they don't stop them working.

[@the_beefy1986]

It's practically impossible to get a non-smart TV anymore, sadly.

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

You kind of have to look for ones aimed at industrial use; hotels, bars/restaurants or prisons. The ones sold at retail currently need all of the bells & whistles, it seems. This may not always be the case, depending on what society opts to tolerate, but with the financial interest in televisions being networked, I would not count on a dumb television being common going forward, even for industrial customers. A display screen requiring you to provide everything else is most probably going to be the best case a decade from now.

[@Tom-sg4iv]

The Walmart boxes has everything 99% of users needs. I sold my Apple TV's and fire stick and very happy with the Onn

[@CommodoreFan64]

Well at least Walmart is still supporting their older boxes as I just got an update on 2 of my 2022 versions that I have in my guest room, and at work in our small gym.

[@tibelchior]

I was lucky that a friend traveled to the US in the week of the 1st Chromecast launch and was able to buy one for me. I really loved that device, it made my old TV feel like new again. But after some years of use, the idea got old and I finally put it down when I got a new smart tv. Now I use some Fire Stick 4k, even when it's a smart tv, I can just take it with me when I travel to use on hotels or family tvs.

[@bjs2022]

Terrific presentation/report, thanks. The extraordinary thing about Google is they have/had human telephone support for the Chromecast. I had a used first generation unit that I wanted to sell but somehow it was tied to the previous user and I talked to the Google rep for about a half hour to get it resolved.

[@tylerblock3377]

$99 for a device without external storage is criminal

[@dtape]

It's possible to connect external devices via the power USB c with a dongle, but your point still stands. Too expensive to not include a spare port. The device is big enough to fit a port.

[@Budley]

Still rockin' two NVidia Shields and an Apple 4K, (for Homekit). Good to know I'm still relevant in 2024. Thanks, Lon!

[@Eeveewashere]

NVIDIA Shield TV!!😘❤❤

[@coreybabcock2023]

11 years went by so fast lon wow yea i used to use chrome cast at the red roof in to watch KZbin videos when i lived there here in Rockville MD

[@mfinite689]

Never in the world of technology would anyone think a 9 year old device like the Nvidia Shield still be a go-to device. I am absolutely gobsmacked that a better Android box hasn't come along since.

[@kumarp3074]

I think Google realized in order to compete with Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV they needed a device that had similar functionality. That meant adding a remote and menu. As for external storage the Chromecast with Google TV could access a USB flash drive via an OTG cable. I have a powered USB hub that I use via an OTG cable and works either the Chromecast with Google TV or the Fire TV Cube. It lets me add multiple devices like USB drives, a keyboard and wireless game controllers. I expect their new device to offer similar functionality.

[@beanboy89]

These new devices are the spiritual successor to the Nexus Player. I had a couple of Nexus Players in my house back in the day, and it combined Google TV and Chromecast functionality back in 2015.

[@Therealphantomzero]

Miracast was better hated that chrome cast over shadowed it. Chrome cast is just an app launcher

[@DannerBanks]

Fun fact: $35 in 2013 is $47.26 in 2024 after inflation.

[@MrPir84free]

One thing that irritated me to no end was the amount of advertising for certain things, and the other was the lack of a real browser for the Shield. So, I went ahead and replaced the Shield with a full blown WIndows Mini-PC. The other thing that irritated me was the wifi on the Shield would occasionally drop, and then it'd take a reboot or two till it started to function again. Most of the time it ended up on 2.4GHZ despite the clear shot to the WiFI. Together, moving on was the answer.

[@thefunkypopcorn]

One thing they should fix is; you should be able to cast even if you're using ethernet connection on your Google TV, as TVs today only can manage either ethernet or Wi-fi. So the requirement of being on a Wifi-network, when the only smart way is to use ethernet 1gb for streaming TV services, is outdated.

[@chrisad1177]

I think I'm stuck with getting the Google TV streamer since its hard to justify another $200 for a 5 year old Shield, which likely won't be supported much longer

[@coreybabcock2023]

I would use it in the 96 Dodge ram van i lived in from 2016 to 2020

[@aantony]

It doesn't cast the same. WIth OG Chromecast you could just cast from your phone as yourself, regardless of the state of the chromecast device. Now you need the target app installed, and you need to login to that app on the device. So before you could visit a friend and watch a movie together from your own netflix account on their TV or play KZbin videos. Now you can't do that unless you log in to their TV.

[@TBMartin]

I think the Shield is unbeatable for one reason only, upscaling. No other box can upscale to 4K and for me it's essential when I own a 4K television

[@reptileluver011]

My 2023 60 inch Vizio smart tv interface is slow and clunky. So I added a chrome cast and it’s been smooth sailing!

[@curbsidetech]

Awesome video im looking forward to the full review when the google set top is released.

[@Jiturra01]

Nvidia Shield is one of the best purchases I've ever made . Paid for itself so many times over

[@redneck982]

Love my Nvidia Shields.

[@damienretro4416]

I like how a Shield + Kodi can play bit-perfect FLAC audio over HDMI. I don't know any other streaming device that can do that.

[@CatsandHotdogs]

I am also waiting for a good shield replacement. I think right now, it might be a n100 mini pc.

[@pdessart]

Sadly, no one makes a direct replacement device for the Chromecast Audio. These remain a great way to get multi-room synchronised audio without the cost of Sonos or the sonic and privacy compromises of smart speakers. Almost worth the eBay scalper tax…

[@jitengori9268]

100% I have 6 of them sprinkled throughout my house and have helped many friends set up their homes with multi room audio. Such a shame that there's no direct replacement! Wiim makes a $150 streamer that has chromecast built in but it does a whole lot more. An expensive alternative considering the original CA was just $35

[@starmc26]

I use Chromecast ultras with hdmi audio extractor... Works perfect.

[@pdessart]

@@starmc26 Interesting. Are you able to group them using the Google Home app for multi-room synchronized play?

[@jitengori9268]

@@pdessart Yes. That works! I have a couple of regular Chromecast grouped together with other Google cast devices and it works great. I never thought about using them like a CA and extracting the audio with an HDMI extractor. Great idea!! 👌

[@damienretro4416]

The Fire Cube is quite powerful...as long as you don't mind running 32-bit apps in 2024.

[@tom_hoots]

Lon -- Still using two (I've got four) of the original NVIDIA Shield (2015) boxes. They're still as updated (software, etc.) as the newest ones are (for whatever that's worth these days) -- the newer ones just have a few of the "new technologies" that I don't use, so I'm OK with that. But the Tegra X1 processor is still so many miles ahead of anything else out there, performance is a breeze. I don't just "stream" with the NVIDIA Shield -- not that I do "gaming," but I do advanced media playback and such things, and GET THIS, FOLKS -- I use apps I want to use, not whatever the manufacturer of the device decides I must use. "Not watching your video on the official KZbin Android TV piece of garbage worthless app, I can tell you that much." I suppose things have moved from Android TV to Google TV, but I'll hang onto my NVIDIA Shield boxes as long as I can, and, using the Projectivy launcher you showed, I've got things working absolutely exactly as I want them to be.

[@JoeEnos]

I bought a ton of the Chromecast with Google TV 1080 devices at $20 for Black Friday or some similar deal - been powering my house and my in-law’s house for years. Great value. At $100 a pop, when it comes time to replace these, I’ll probably jump ship to Apple.

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

This was impressive because I really didn't know most of this history. I didn't know that Chromecast wasn't actually dying and there was these alternatives. And that fundamentally the pivot was made to Google TV in 2020 or 2021 or whatever. I knew very little about that history with that green one or that audio one

[@OledBurnInKing]

I even bought the 1st gen google home smart speaker from goodwill for like less than $10 and it still works even though google discontinued it and no longer supports it. I even bought the harman kardon invoke microsoft cortana smart speaker from a pawnshop and it still works but as a google assistant smart speaker. However, the harman kardon invoke bluetooth speaker only works when it's being plugged in otherwise the speaker does not work when it's not plugged in since there is no built in battery on the speaker.

[@ivegyattocomment]

Good day sir, awesome content and takes me way back. I've used the first gen and now still using the second gen Chromecast which still plugged in at the back of my tv. The market in Asia was not that strong imo. But the ability to cast my chrome browser to the TV without using a HDMI cable to display out was a game changer.

[@SRJ-b4s]

Google keep moving the goalposts with Chromecast and then googlecast extensions and then the Videostream extension and later the free programme version (which all worked great and so easy) and then the hardware itself. It will have to be Roku it seems.

[@shioq.]

bought one when it came out to stream content to my TV. then they patched out what I used it for. then it collected dust.

[@89five3five]

This is why I stay with Apple products. Google has been notorious for abandoning their products in short order.

[@EricOnYouTube]

When will Google release that new thing?

[@Kevin6t8]

I still have and use both generations of Nvidia Shield TV Pro hooked up to two of my older "dumb" TVs.

[@treypop123]

one time a buddy of mine accidently left his chrome cast in a hotel and he didn't even want to go back and get it after we checked out because it was only $35

[@jmr]

Maybe we don't need another Nvidia shield. Just a good OS for the mini PC.

[@LonSeidman]

That would be awesome.. Really it's a matter of just getting good HDR / Dolby Vision support over to the PC side and we'd have plenty of additional options.

[@jayrock4ya]

Glad I got my fire stick. Everything Google starts ends up like a car out of gas!!!

[@SinaFarhat]

Interesting! In 2019, I wanted to upgrade from the regular 1080p slower WiFi version to the ultra with an ethernet connection, it has served me well to this day because of that ethernet connection as u prefer a wired connection.

[@LonSeidman]

Hard wired connections are always the most reliable! Forgot that it supported ethernet.

[@antikommunistischaktion]

Technically all Chromecast devices support Ethernet if you use an OTG adapter which is basically all the Ultra's power adapter is. The OG Google Home Mini also will work over Ethernet too.

[@OledBurnInKing]

I still have my chrome cast audio device. I wish google made an updated version of the chrome cast audio device with usb c, the fastest current wifi chip along with the ethernet port, support for hi res dsd audio. Zeos from z reviews connected his sennheiser hd 600 wired headphones into wifi headphones when he connected his chrome cast audio device to his wired headphones. There are even speakers that connect with wifi and even have the option to use an ethernet port for wired audio. Wifi audio is better than bluetooth since bluetooth uses lossy compression for audio and wifi has way more bandwidth than the highest quality bluetooth codec currently available. Not every pair of headphones have implemented usb c dac mode since they are on the more expensive pair of bluetooth headphones that supports hi res audio and lossless audio like the focal bathys. It's not like bluetooth headphones have user replaceable batteries like tv remotes that have user replaceable batteries than it would another option to have user replaceable batteries on bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, all the manufacturers want there customers to buy new models of bluetooth earbuds and headphones when they stopped working properly or when the battery is already degraded. I have the chrome cast with google tv with the remote the 4k version. I use chrome cast to cast my movies from my micro sd cards and I only use vlc and kodi. I only use the uncompressed iso video format and plex does not support the iso video format. That's why I use the iso video format because vlc and kodi supports the uncompressed iso video format. Make mkv is messy and the videos are scattered all over the place and it's a waste of time since I have to open each video to find the correct videos that I want to sync and store to my micro sd cards. The iso video format has all the meta and is an exact duplicate bit perfect copy of the original disc with all the menus, extra features like the deleted scenes, all the audio formats including surround sound. When it comes to audio and video, I only use the bit perfect versions from the discs because they are the original versions with no alterations of the original source material since they don't affect the quality. Where as streaming and compressing audio and video can affect the quality and not include features that are missing compared to having the uncompressed format while still having all the meta data for archiving for long term.

[@brothertax]

Watching from my Chromecast Ultra 😢 RIP Stadia

[@johnpoldo8817]

I don’t see a need for Chromecast if you already have Sonos and smart TVs. I keep a Firestick as back-up.

[@gmasterdude]

The perfect shield replacement is a second had HP Ellitedesk mini.

[@KEYAVTech]

You forgot about the 3rd Generation Chromecast 🙃

[@SFBenjaminK]

I bought couple of them in Hazel color pre-ordered last week, Can't wait to get them end of the next month looks awesome and powerful , Great looking powerful replacement the best in the market right now

[@coreybabcock2023]

I really need a newer fire tv 32 in

[@Messy_Marv]

I waited for Lons review.

[@abucketofelves]

I still use the Chromecast audio device to bypass the rubbish Sonos app.

[@IM.citizen]

Im halfway through but I did want to point out the half step that the did with a 60fps chrome cast that had a similar style to the second type, I think it handled account stuff slightly better and also had a connection with stadia while the ultra was still the top model. Nothing major but if I was writing a paper I would try to detangle the conflation. Solid vid otherwise.

[@FantiR]

I have an Nvidia Shield Pro and a cylindrical Nvidia Shield, they both have problems, I have to reboot the cylindrical one once or twice per week, factory resetting didn't fix my problems. I cannot wait to replace, at least one, with the new Streamer

[@opcionvital2335]

I remember and still have 4 original Chromecasts, then I jumped to Xiaomi box

[@X53R]

Will i face any problems if i was to to get a Chromecast ultra.. when he says its dead does he just mean its no longer on sale?

[@thucuoi6755]

Cant wait for your gg tv streamer review

[@russc788]

Chromecast was always buggy, they never made it work for me.

[@joshmcgootermier2301]

Yeah, was alive in name only. Glad someone was able to see the obvious since everyone was acting like thjs was big news. Edit: never had the original since I was part of the group who treated the Wii as a netflix machine.

[@zivzulander]

I was looking for alternatives to using Roku or Chromecast and probably will be getting a Orange Pi 5 Max (an SBC - a single board computer). Some of the mini PC alternatives would be good for Plex, Kodi, Jellyfin, etc hosting of local media, but Android would be the easier fit for me as an app casting solution.

[@chrisgreen521]

I hope I can still buy them💯

[@mymultimedia303]

A broken screen samsung smartphone using dex with a dock will run circles around a shield and have more ram and storage. As well as a camera and better more up to date os support

[@untoward]

Personally frustrated that I can't cast videos from vlc to any cast capable device without an internet connection when the content is being hosted on my internal network(the cast device must fetch the player from remote servers and not cache them).. Also want to see these devices be better for simple gaming (2d basic 3d)

[@KabukeeJo]

It was BETTER when it streamed from your phone to the Chromecast. Having it "Fetch" stuff from the internet means it wont work on slow or place with no internet and will work without needing Google to maintain servers or infrastructure support.

[@tonberryhunter]

I have a pretty new LG Oled not a cheap tv by any means and the built in OS and streaming stuff is pretty garbage compared to my inexpensive Google Chromecast. I end up using my PS5 for streaming since the TVs built in software sucks so bad. Before I had a "smart" TV my Chromecast was really the best way to do streaming stuff and Plex.

[@gelu714]

You forgot about Chromecast 3 full Hd much smaller than te ultra :)

[@LonSeidman]

Noted!

[@joeltunnah]

I don’t get it, the 4k dongle is perfect as is. Why drop it?

[@pawelgrzegorziwaniuk]

Long live Chromecast!

[@arthurwatts1680]

Casting from an Android device to the Shield is child's play, but NVIDIA have more urgent problems right now, even though the stock seems to be rebounding. Investing billions in AI, being handsomely rewarded only to have the market turn on you has gotta hurt but that's business. I just don't see them throwing money at a niche segment like streaming / emulation boxes but I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

[@mthuhn]

You miss a key piece of information actually I believe that the Google stream is only replace the Chromecast with Google TV 4K version From what I gather the HD version is going to be still available

[@LonSeidman]

Per Google: "After 11 years and over 100 million devices sold, we're ending production of Chromecast, which will now only be available while supplies last."

[@greenlightgaming4242]

Roku ultra is the best in super fast or 4K Apple TV they're both super fast and easy to use

[@dudewithamood4673]

just buy an old galaxy phone like s9 that has dex version , or even an old sony phones that can mirror your phone , and that's more powerful than any device Google is about to launch

[@wolfnails666]

Question, I still see the Chromecast with Google TV on Google Store for purchase both 4k and lower cost HD. So these going away and when ?

[@LonSeidman]

I think they'll sell off the existing stock they have but not make anymore. It should still be updated for awhile.

[@sprockkets]

2013, back before Google wasn't in late stage capitalism aka enshitification.

[@George-hl2xm]

I’d take the shield pro any day over the others the shield pro uses a better upscale ai system then Apple’s basic upscale system 😊

[@domramsey]

It's funny, I've never liked Chromecast or the act of Chromecasting. I just can't get past having to turn on my phone screen, look down, find the pause button on the screen and hit that. The physical buttons on a remote combined with muscle memory are so much easier, even when the device is slow and clunky. I know Chromecast is popular with some people, but I also know that others have a real hard time using it.

[@nigeljohnson9820]

Chromecast is now rubbish. A complete waste of time. All the functionality I purchased has been removed. I used it to cast my tablet screen and audio to the large screen TV, this included my pictures and videos. Technologically, we are going backwards.

[@operaguy3351]

Typical Google Style

[@Doktati]

nothing but the ❤shield❤ can passtrough truehd

[@dog2819]

I am waiting for the current Chromecast to come down in price. I will imagine soon.

[@insainllama]

If you’re not locked into the Google ecosystem, the Apple TV seems like a much better deal. For $50 more you get 128gb storage and a more capable processor.

[@ManiacalMoogle]

While I agree Apple TV is good hardware, nobody gets "locked in" to a Google ecosystem. That's Apple's MO

[@donaldharlan3981]

😂

[@AAa-qd8hb]

Which internet TV players have direct ethernet connections instead of WiFi? Thank you.

[@Mike01129]

Firestick has an addon adapter or it's included in some of their devices

[@tom_hoots]

If and when you find one, CHECK THE SPECIFICATIONS. Some have pretty abysmal data speeds.

[@zivzulander]

Apple TV 4K