No more demarcation between Android TV and Chromecast. Google now has a product that combines the two. We tested this new Chromecast with a remote control and Google TV, the new Android TV interface.

Faced with growing competition in the video-on-demand services sector, and in that of HDMI keys such as Amazon's Fire TV Stick or the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, Google has decided to review its strategy for connected television. Here is the "Google Chromecast with Google TV", which, as its name does not indicate, but may suggest, now includes a real operating system: Google TV, not so far from Android TV.

The tested copy was loaned by Google

Design and installation

A real Chromecast

We are dealing with a product from the Chromecast family. The product offers a particularly simple design: an HDMI connector attached to a small oblong object with all in all a small USB-C port.

The most attentive will be able to spot a small button, to restart the product, the brand logo and a light to indicate whether it is working or not. It could hardly be simpler in terms of the design of the product itself. Like the other Chromecasts, it is designed to be plugged in and hidden behind a television and never be dislodged again. We are therefore in front of a device that is as discreet as possible, even more than a TV box for example.

The slightly detached HDMI connector makes it easier to integrate the device in front of ports where there is sometimes no room to accommodate an “HDMI key”. Unfortunately, if the idea is good, the realization is not ideal. The connector is only a few centimeters apart from the Chromecast, so it will take some space around the HDMI port to properly connect the object.

Mandatory food

In addition, this Chromecast necessarily requires an external power supply. Your TV's USB port will not suffice. Fortunately, the USB-C block and the associated cable are in the box, Google has simply reused those it already integrates with its Pixel smartphones. You may need a longer USB cable depending on your living room setup.

Note that unlike the Chromecast Ultra, the power supply no longer provides an RJ45 Ethernet adapter. If you need it, especially if the quality of the Wi-Fi network is not ideal where the Chromecast will be positioned, Google still offers the block with an optional Ethernet adapter for 19.99 euros.

Facility

Once the Chromecast is connected to the TV and properly powered, setup can begin. The installation can be done directly on the TV with the remote control, or much more conveniently on a smartphone. Just install the Google Home app and scan the displayed QR code.

In a few steps, the application asks where the Chromecast will be to better name and identify it, which Wi-Fi network to connect to, which services to install (Spotify, Netflix, Disney+, etc.) and to select the images that will be used for the screen saver.

Performance behind

A quick tour of the AIDA64 application allows us to identify the Chromecast data sheet:

The characteristics of the SoC strongly resemble the AmLogic S905Y3 chip designed precisely for HDMI dongles like this Chromecast.

A small evaluation of the theoretical performances with the 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme test gives us a score of 372 points, with a score for the graphics part of 313 points and for the physical calculations part of 1089 points. These are extremely low results which confirm that it will of course be out of the question to run demanding applications such as games on this product.

The problem is above all that we also encounter performance issues in the native Google TV interface. We have indeed encountered several times slowdowns when moving from one content to another, or when navigating in the interface. Nothing that would make the Chromecast unusable, but it's noticeable enough to be annoying if you're used to a more efficient or fluid TV box, like the Nvidia Shield.

The 4 GB of storage offered may seem light, but they are suitable for this type of device on which we will store very little data and install a small number of applications. Note also that the Chromecast with Google TV supports 4K HDR, which is not the case with all HDMI keys.

Google TV: a new experience that puts movies and series at the forefront

The great novelty of this Chromecast is therefore the integration of a real complete operating system, based on Android TV and with a new interface: Google TV. No more having to use a computer, smartphone or tablet to control the device, here everything is done directly from the user interface and the remote control. With Google TV, the firm is moving away from the philosophy of Android TV which presented above all the different applications and their respective universes, to move to a vision highlighting the content directly. We have already seen this kind of approach at Apple, and more particularly at Amazon with its Fire TV, and it is exactly the same idea here.

Rather than starting Netflix or Disney+, we will directly search for Stranger Things or Thor Ragnarok. Thereafter, you no longer necessarily need to search, Google will generate recommendations based on your history to offer you the content that it considers most relevant. It's a good way to deal with a growing problem: the proliferation of SVOD sources and services. Google obliges, the interface highlights the Google Assistant which offers to easily find films or series according to our keywords, for example “find science fiction films”.

Unfortunately, and despite it being the firm's specialty, the search offered by Google suffers from referencing problems. For example, the results display the price of content on the Google platform, a few euros to rent a film, while we have a service allowing you to watch it “for free”. We are therefore obliged to click on each content that interests us to find out if it is available on an SVOD platform, or if it will really be necessary to rent or buy from Google on VOD. Another problem, not all services are referenced in Google TV. In particular, the recent and French Salto is not offered, while certain content found, such as the Parks And Recreation series, is included in the catalog of the SVOD service.

Research and personalized recommendations aside, the interface is structured around several large tabs: films, series, applications and library. If the first two are quite explicit, the third is interesting to detail. The Applications tab actually replaces the Google Play Store, well installed on the system to manage updates, but never exposed to the user's eyes. We find the applications installed on the device, but also the main categories likely to be of interest: entertainment, music, video players, etc. This rather special integration of the Google Play Store means that it will have complete control over application updates.

The library is the last tab of the interface. It first brings together all the films and series purchased or rented directly from Google services, but also the same “my list” system found on all SVOD services. Here, the whole point is to create a single list, common to all compatible SVOD services.

Continuing to the right we arrive at the notifications panel, which allows you to view recent content additions, but also and above all to quickly access the screen saver and account and device settings.

If you already have an Android TV device, or more generally an Android smartphone, you will quickly become familiar with the settings. They have been touched up very little by Google, and are almost austere. We find the essentials to enjoy an optimal experience: network, sound and video setting, adding additional accounts, deleting applications and setting confidentiality.

Android TV becomes Google TV, but still without TV in France

In the United States, the name change from Android TV to Google TV is also symbolized by the addition of an important function, but unavailable to us: access to television. So of course, it is possible to access it through services like Salto and Molotov. Here we are talking about an integration of live TV from the very interface of Google TV.

Across the Atlantic, this interface allows you to follow the program guide, change channels, etc. It is difficult to know if Google will one day be able to offer this kind of service in France. French television channels have already begun to withdraw functions from their partners such as Molotov to favor Salto.

Applications to absent subscribers

The user experience offered by Google TV is quite pleasant, if we put aside the slowdowns due to the lack of performance of the Chromecast. However, care must be taken to stay in the nails, imposed by Google to really take full advantage of the experience. As we said, for example, Salto does not have the right to a similar integration with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. We can also note the complete absence of Apple TV and its Apple TV+ subscription. If the second still leaves something to be desired, the first based on iTunes is undoubtedly the most popular VOD platform in the world. It would have offered a good competitor to the prices offered by Google for the rental or purchase of films and series.

Finally, there is another glaring absentee, it's Google Stadia. Google's cloud gaming service was offered on the Chromecast Ultra, but is not on this new version, a shame. Google promises that a compatible version of the application will land in 2021. Fortunately, video games are still possible in streaming on this device. First, Android-compatible controllers work perfectly in Bluetooth, like the new Xbox controller. Above all, we have the right to some services like Steam Link, which allows you to stream your PC locally, or the French Shadow.

A simple remote knows how to keep it simple

To manipulate its interface, the Chromecast now has a remote control. You can still use your smartphone, and Google still offers the Android TV mobile application to serve as a virtual remote control, but it must be admitted that the physical object is much more practical. With its rounded shape, the Google TV remote is very pleasant in the hand, and does not get lost in the creases of the sofa (owners of Apple TV remotes know what I am talking about).

We feel that Google engineers wanted to create something pleasant and practical, rather than wanting to make a splash with a glass or tactile remote control which would be fragile. Here we have a navigation directional pad with a central button to validate. The rest of the buttons are used to navigate more quickly: go to sleep, start YouTube or Netflix, go back or even trigger Google Assistant. Two buttons on the side make it easy to adjust the volume.

With HDMI CEC control and the small infrared laser on the front, the remote can also act as a universal remote and adjust the audio volume of your amp or TV. For this, Google offers a simplified configuration where you only have to give the brand of your equipment and carry out volume adjustment tests.

Last detail, this remote control works with two AAA batteries. We did not have any battery life problems during our test, but that means that it will eventually be necessary to change the batteries in the remote control and perhaps invest in a rechargeable solution.

Availability and price of Google Chromecast with Google TV

The Google Chromecast with Google TV is offered at 69 euros.

It faces in particular the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K offered at 59 euros.