Google GA01919-GB Chromecast 4K HDR with Google TV & Voice Remote - Snow A

The media could not be loaded. I actually bought the Chromecast from this seller due to the good reviewsI am not really sure to be honest why I needed one, except my husband kept going on and on how fabulous they were.So I took the plunge when it was Amazon prime week, and got the promotion. The cost at the time was £33.32, however had a £10 voucher, so added it. So the final costing £29.98. The price has gone back to the original and current cost of £58.78.So basically the Chromecast is a dongle that fits either at the side of your TV or the back, depending on the model.Arrived the next day with Prime, and to be honest wasn’t in a good place to get excited because all these type things come to me to sort with passwords etc as I am the one that knows them all.I left it a day, and felt much better the next day. I need not have worried, apart from putting the dongle in the Hisense TV, I just followed the instructions. One thing that always happens to me, same with “Alexa” takes an age for the wifi to connect. The initial set up was easy, remember to download the app on your phone so you can cast to the TV. Everything was fine and eventually worked well after twenty minutes for a decent signal from my wifi to connect, tried re-booting the signal, plug in and out etc. Eventually worked. I do get this issue with everything that needs to be synced. I had the same issue when on Virgin BB, now the same with the new provider. Maybe walls etc to close to the hub, I am not sure, but anyway, the main thing I got it up and running.We have just had our Pagan wedding review and had a stack of photos and my husband thought you could just cast from my phone and magically will appear on screen, well if it does, I have yet to suss that one out. According to Google, I have to download Google photo app to show on screen. So I downloaded the app, but in truth not looked on the TV as yet.Unlike Netflix which I can watch in any room, the Chromecast only works on one TV at a time, so although everything comes through my TV in my downstairs bedroom, I would need to remove the dongle into the living room.One thing I wasn’t happy about, the dongle overlaps two ports on the back back of my TV. My TV size in the bedroom is 43-46”. The dongle is big, and because of this and the overlapping of the port, I had to remove my NOW TV stick. So not happy about that. Why such a big dongle, some ports from different makes of TV maybe fine.Another beef I have on the white control panel. So a scenic for you as I did it. I was watching for the umpteenth time Vikings, I got it ready and got in bed to watch with my husband. I clicked play, and it went back to the beginning of season one. Same with anything I watch, if I pause a film and press the button it goes off and I have to redo the lot again, this is a pain, as a program with a lot of seasons is a nightmare as it just will not pause and start in the same place. If I say paused to go for a toilet break, then hit play, it comes on fine, but leaving more than five minutes, the screensaver comes on and all lost, so basically I do not bother setting anything up if I am going to be a while.I feel although the white control feels nice in the hand, there just isn’t enough to work with.Now for the actual streaming, majority of what we have watched is pretty good, maybe because I have ultra 4K not sure, but going from Netflix to say you tube is very fast, better than using Netflix from the TV.The volume on the side of the control doesn’t work unless you set it up correctly, go up to at least 80. Not that you will need it that loud, but I find it useful when watching old films that are not good quality.Chromecast hasn’t got many apps at all, and certain ones to use need a subscription. I would have thought Now TV would be on there, but it isn’t, so that makes a mockery of having all the apps in one place.Google do need to change the Chromecast, it is a bit behind some of the leaders. Firstly it is quite costly if other people want to watch their own device, the Chromecast isn’t multifunctional with all family members, only one.Not all channels from your TV will show on Chromecast. For example channel 4 etc. So you may have to source it from free view or freesat etc.There are a lot of you tube videos that actually are pretty good if you wanted to get the best out of it.It is nice to have just the one controlSo I have gone through some basics, some maybe irrelevant, some maybe useful, I am still learning.I do like the colour of the control and the Google assist works wellI am getting used to just one control instead of three, so that’s a bonus.It is a useful device, and I do use the Chromecast everyday,I have given 4* because there are more apps that should and could be included, and that being said, free apps..If you have a standard definition TV, maybe more advantageous having ultra HD or similar.Amazon works well and Netflix.I would only buy the Chromecast when on offer, I got a good price, so quite happy.

The Chromecast with Google TV (4K) has completely transformed the way I stream. Setup was incredibly quick—plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi, log in to your streaming accounts, and you’re ready to go in minutes.Performance-wise, it’s fast, smooth, and reliable. The 4K HDR picture quality is stunning, especially on newer TVs, and everything from Netflix to Disney+ loads quickly and plays without a hitch. The interface is clean and intuitive, with personalized recommendations that actually make sense.The remote is compact and comfortable, with dedicated buttons for Netflix and YouTube, and voice search via Google Assistant is surprisingly accurate—even when I mumble through movie names.Bonus points: it supports a wide range of apps (NOWTV, Prime Video, Apple TV, and more), and the integration with Google Home is seamless.Whether you’re upgrading your old Chromecast or just want a smart, affordable streaming device, this one’s a no-brainer. Five stars, easily.

I have a 2017 LG OLED TV (premium when I bought it) which is getting on now and has started to cause a few problems - one pressing, in particular, is with streaming wirelessly. My first reaction was its time to fork right out for a new TV but being a big Google/Android fan I decided to try out Google TV.This should not be called a Chromecast with Google TV but rather should be titled Google TV with Chromecast. It is so much more than a Chromecast thanks to the great software that is Google TV.The Google TV OS is great because you are using android which results in apps that are android TV variants of the mobile ones and the app store selection is second to none. Want to watch a streaming service but watch the content store of another country by using a VPN? No problem! Download your VPN app (check to make sure your app for your VPN is available first before buying, most of the big providers are) sign in and presto it works just like on a computer or mobile device would. Plus you can side-load apps too.I also want to say that the streaming quality is a good improvement over my TV now, it almost instantly brings out 4K with HDR even running on a VPN and still loads faster than my TV would not on a VPN on 1080p. The OS runs really smoothly so going in and out of apps is seamless and it remembers where you left off within the apps even if you turn off your TV (which turns off the device as well). It also picked up my LG TV remote which I can use just like the Google TV remote and didn't even need to set it up, it just worked. Loading time when you turn back on your TV is almost nonexistent which makes it feel like you're waking up a computer screen than starting up a device.The Google assistant speech recognition is good, as good as it is on a newish android phone or Google assistant speaker but not much else to say other than the recommendations it brings in results are satisfying in general and you can also say instructions like close and open an app. It also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos making the most of my older TV that was one of the first to feature these enhancers and is on constantly by default so everything looks more detailed and natural, even Youtube.The drawback of this device I would say is there is no USB port if you wanted to plug into it so you're stuck with your TV on this but depending on the app some support access to Google Drive which is better than nothing if you are trying to access a file on the device.Another possible drawback is to really make the most of Google TV you would ideally need to be subscribed to a few streaming services as it creates a recommendation screen on the home screen of content from all the different platforms so without this you don't benefit as much and will obviously return fewer results when you do a search.I purchased mine at 33% off and for the price, it is easily one of the best-valued purchases I have ever made. I hope this review helps you with understanding what this device is capable of.

Nice bit of tech but something UK buyers need to know.This Streamer is very good easy to set up using qr codes etc. It's fast and easy to navigate. The problem is that you can get bbc i player and live broadcast, you can get ITVX and live broadcast. You can get channel 5 and live broadcast. You can download channel 4 but it doesn't have watch live even my 6 year old ROKU has channel 4 live. According to Google this issue may be resolved in the next 5 years.So sent mine back and brought a newer Roku.