Chromecast with Google TV, Fire TV Stick or Xiaomi TV Stick 4K?

[Pixelfie]

I'm looking at getting a new streaming device for my TV since my Mi TV Stick (old 1080p model) is painfully slow and lacks some features I want, such as HDR or actual useful Bluetooth and noticed pretty much all of them are on sale. I will mainly use it with a 1080p Toshiba TV, but very rarely with a 55" 4K LG downstairs. Which one of these is the best? And is 4K worth the extra money over 1080p? I kinda don't want to spend €50, but it can save me an upgrade in the future and will look better on the TV downstairs so if it's the better buy I'll go for it.

 

Chromecast with Google TV: 1080p €24.99 / 4K €50

Fire TV Stick: 1080p €32.49 / 4K Max €54.95

Xiaomi TV Stick 4K: €47.45

[Senzelian]

I think for a TV over 40" it's worth having 4K, especially if you watch a lot of YT.

 

I have a Chromecast with Google TV and it's quite nice, but unfortunately not a lag free experience. Usually it's okay, but it could also be a lot smoother. It's also not up to date, even tho it's Google's own product. It still runs Android TV 11 or 12 I think. The current version is 13. One thing that's cool however, is that they also sell a USB C power supply that integrates a RJ45 ethernet jack and so I have it connected over ethernet for a more stable experience.

 

If the Xiaomi offers better performance than that, you should probably go for it.

 

And the Fire TV stick? I would probably avoid it. I had one of the older ones and it died after only a year or so. Performance was also bad. But I can't tell you anything about the current models.

[Pixelfie]

18 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

I think for a TV over 40" it's worth having 4K, especially if you watch a lot of YT.

 

I have a Chromecast with Google TV and it's quite nice, but unfortunately not a lag free experience. Usually it's okay, but it could also be a lot smoother. It's also not up to date, even tho it's Google's own product. It still runs Android TV 11 or 12 I think. The current version is 13. One thing that's cool however, is that they also sell a USB C power supply that integrates a RJ45 ethernet jack and so I have it connected over ethernet for a more stable experience.

 

If the Xiaomi offers better performance than that, you should probably go for it.

 

And the Fire TV stick? I would probably avoid it. I had one of the older ones and it died after only a year or so. Performance was also bad. But I can't tell you anything about the current models.

I'll use it on that TV very rarely, but YouTube is definitely one of the uses.

 

From the reviews I've read, the new Xiaomi stick is actually pretty good with performance. It also supports AV1 which is definitely nice to have. What just annoys me is the fact that it still uses Micro-USB... and my current Mi Stick is also on Android 9 and hasn't received an update in at least a year, so updates are also something that worries me.

 

Turns out people are still offering like €25 for the old Mi TV Stick, so I guess I'll spend like €20-25 total if I sell my old one which I guess isn't too bad.

[Senzelian]

3 minutes ago, Pixelfie said:

I'll use it on that TV very rarely, but YouTube is definitely one of the uses.

 

From the reviews I've read, the new Xiaomi stick is actually pretty good with performance. It also supports AV1 which is definitely nice to have. What just annoys me is the fact that it still uses Micro-USB... and my current Mi Stick is also on Android 9 and hasn't received an update in at least a year, so updates are also something that worries me.

 

Turns out people are still offering like €25 for the old Mi TV Stick, so I guess I'll spend like €20-25 total if I sell my old one which I guess isn't too bad.

 

If you can look past the minor performance issues of Google TV on a Chromecast, I'd say get a Chromecast.

 

To be clear: It's only Google TV that is the issue. If you just use the Chromecast as a device to cast content to, it works perfectly fine and honestly that is my preferred method of using it. But then you could also just get a standard Chromecast without Google TV. 

[Pixelfie]

10 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

If you can look past the minor performance issues of Google TV on a Chromecast, I'd say get a Chromecast.

 

To be clear: It's only Google TV that is the issue. If you just use the Chromecast as a device to cast content to, it works perfectly fine and honestly that is my preferred method of using it. But then you could also just get a standard Chromecast without Google TV. 

Looks like I can get the Chromecast for the same price as the Xiaomi Stick now.

 

I actually prefer using Google TV over Chromecast honestly.

 

Would you say the lack of AV1 support on the Chromecast is a dealbreaker vs the Xiaomi TV Stick?

[Senzelian]

Just now, Pixelfie said:

Would you say the lack of AV1 support on the Chromecast is a dealbreaker vs the Xiaomi TV Stick?

For me it doesn't matter whether the codec is H.264, H.265 or AV1. The video quality is good enough either way.

Of course it would be nice to have AV1 support, but I also think it will still take quite a while for AV1 to become the new norm.

[circeseye]

dont know if youve looked at roku. but ive used roku and firestick for years. and roku works really good and 2 versions support av1

cheapest one with av1 (sorry its in u.s.)
35.90

https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Streaming-Device-Vision-Controls/dp/B09BKCDXZC

and the second one that supports avi1

69.67

https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Streaming-Rechargeable-Hands-Free-Listening/dp/B09T4VZDYV/ref=sr_1_4?crid=36KQO8SDQM3VT&keywords=roku&sprefix=roku%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

 

the roku express ones dont support av1

i didnt care for firestick, and i havent tried those others.

[Galaxy2007]

I haven't tried any of the other two, but I have a fire stick and would recommend against buying it. Its slow even though its only set to 720p and the UI is a clunky ad-filled mess. Even though its only a few months old I already plan on replacing it with something else.

[Pixelfie]

5 hours ago, iPdo said:

I haven't tried any of the other two, but I have a fire stick and would recommend against buying it. Its slow even though its only set to 720p and the UI is a clunky ad-filled mess. Even though its only a few months old I already plan on replacing it with something else.

I went with the Xiaomi TV Stick. So far no issues. Happy with it.