By comparison Chromecast seems pretty limiting. At first they had only YouTube and Netflix. There is now Hulu Plus and Google Play Music. Just today I signed up for All Play to give that a try.
Of course Chromecast relies on having some other device to stream the content, it works with Android and iOS devices as well as the Chrome browser.
The Good
- It's cheap, at $35 I really shouldn't complain, but of course I will. The Apple TV is $99 so you're giving up a lot to save $64.
- It's small, pretty much the size of a large USB stick. It still needs a power connection so you'll need to find an outlet or a USB slot somewhere to get it fired up. I plug mine into the back of my Apple Airport which happens to be near the TV. Heresy I know!
- It's easy to setup. I got it going pretty quickly. I can't even remember the process now, so it was pretty seamless.
The Bad
- Side Loaded Music doesn't work with Chromecast. You need to buy music from Google or sign up for All Play at $9.95 per month. After six months you've spent enough to by an Apple TV and use Pandora or you own music library for free.
- Needs a buddy device at all times. It's useless unless you have an iOS, Android, or comptuer with you.
- Most apps aren't yet compatible with it. I'm sure this will change over time.
- No podcasts as far as I can tell. Maybe there is a way to play them but I haven't figured it out.
So overall it's not worth it as a replacement for the Apple TV. However, I think it would be a good solution for watching TV when you travel. I like the idea of popping it into the hotel TV next time I travel. I'll drop it in my suitcase next time I travel. Time to hook the Apple TV back up and catch up on the Fresh Air podcasts I've been missing.
