Is Chromecast any good?

[Lancer14711]

I am thinking of buying a Chromecast to replace my Xbox 360 to stream videos to my TV from my PC.

 

I was wondering if it is worth it?  If any Aussies have one could you please share your experience with the Chromecast.  Is it worth $50 AUD?

 

 

Cheers

[xjohnny3589]

i like mine

[SrN95]

I'd highly recommend it. I use that along with Plex/Youtube to stream my movies from an external HDD i've got, as well as watching youtube from bed. It's so convenient because your smart phone is basically your remote.  

[dalekphalm]

I am thinking of buying a Chromecast to replace my Xbox 360 to stream videos to my TV from my PC.

 

I was wondering if it is worth it?  If any Aussies have one could you please share your experience with the Chromecast.  Is it worth $50 AUD?

 

 

Cheers

The Chromecast is a nice little device, but it does have a LOT of limitations.

 

Frankly, I would recommend you get a full-blown stream-box device instead, such as a Roku 3, Apple TV, WD Live TV, etc. They're much more powerful and capable of a lot more. Also codec support tends to be a lot better, especially for the Roku 3. The stream boxes are the size of maybe 2 decks of cards, so it's not like you're taking up a lot of extra space by using one.

[Jaybird]

Chromecast cause you can put your browser on the big screen.

[NIGHTSHADE0]

I wanted one also, they pop up on ozbargain now and then cheaper too.

 

I'll wait until more apps run it, until then the trusty wd box will do.

[Jade]

I use mine all the time -- usually every night. I start a Twitch.tv stream (using Twitchcast by NightDev.) and wake up, still going along nicely. Been debating with myself whether or not I should develop an alarm clock app for it. Needless to say, I'd totally buy another if I had another TV that I could use it with.

[Kevin Fletcher]

I use an app called BubbleUPNP for streaming local media and if I'm over someone else's place I use Plex. Overall I'd say it's worth way more than I paid for it.

[Jimbillroo Digital]

Most of the people I know who own a Chromecast say that they like it.

Hope this helps.

[LudoTheGreat]

I've got 3 of them. It does everything I need right from my phone, PC, laptop, Surface pro 3, etc... With Netflix, Plex, YouTube, and the handful of other apps out there I can get pretty much any content I want to my TV from any device in my house, thought I use my cell phone most of the time.

 

When my wife and I have company over we can both connect to the device and add music or videos to a queue for entertainment. If one of us is looking at something on their computer and wants to show everyone else in the room you can just share it to the chromecast. There is a ton of practical uses for it and I find the interactivity that it provides even better that most other streaming boxes. We have even played Cards against humanity with a small group of people once, but I forget the name of the app that we used.

 

The one and only downside that I have found so far is streaming video directly from your browser or your phones screen. The "Cast My Screen" option works awesome for sharing pictures, some games, and websites, but if you try and share a Vimeo video, it's lags really bad. Same goes when sharing video from Chrome on your PC (i.e. Vimeo, news sites, etc). 

 

Over all I say they are well worth it. Though, If you want a sit back and channel surf device this might not be the streaming box for you, but if you want an efficient and easy to use way of getting multiple different pieces of content to your TV, then it's right up your alley.

[Fgtfv567]

I like mine, not only that you do get free offers from your chromecast app, so it will eventually pay for itself

[razor767]

Yes, especially for the price.