The new Chromecast is official: It’s $30, runs Google TV, and has a remote

The new Chromecast is official: It’s $30, runs Google TV, and has a remote

a year ago
Anonymous $CIOZ56dzxX

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/the-new-chromecast-is-official-its-30-runs-google-tv-and-has-a-remote/

Google's 4-year-old base-model Chromecast is getting a big upgrade. Today, Google made that rumored Google TV pivot official and introduced the "Chromecast with Google TV (HD)." The original 4K, $49.99 version of the Chromecast with Google TV was announced in 2020, and now when you go to check out in the Google Store, there's a "screen resolution" option for "4K" (still $49.99) or the new "HD" version for $29.99.

So that's one store listing with two different sizes, which communicates that these two devices have only minor differences. They look the same, they have the same remote, and they run the same software. Google TV is Google's new version of Android TV and represents a major upgrade in capabilities for the Chromecast. The initial versions were dead-simple streaming sticks that were only able to receive content from a phone and had no UI themselves. The Chromecast with Google TV is a full TV OS, with a home screen, Play Store access, user accounts, and scrolling lists of apps, games, and content. If you aren't interested in any of that, the Google TV still acts exactly like the Chromecast did when you press a Chromecast button in an app. It can still receive a media stream, turn on the TV, and start playing, all without needing to find the remote.