Need a new Chromecast but don’t need the support 4K? You can save a bit with a new model Full HD only model.
It’s been almost two years since Google brought in a new model of its Chromecast to the world, and it was a pretty neat concept. While it wasn’t quite an Apple TV, Google’s Chromecast with Google TV evolved the idea of a wireless media dongle by giving it not just a way for your phone, tablet, and computer to talk to your TV, but by adding an operating system to the mix, and making things easier overall.
For a just under a hundred, Aussies could add Google’s TV operating system to their TV, whether or not they had a smart TV already. And even if they did, if they didn’t like the smart TV operating system their screen came with, this provided Google’s apps and interfaces in an upgrade that was 4K friendly and supported Dolby Vision HDR.
The thing is not everyone has a 4K screen, and so that gadget mightn’t make sense for everyone.
This week, though, Google is releasing a model for folks who mightn’t live with a 4K screen, and yet still want a Chromecast with Google TV.
Coming in the Google Chromecast with Google TV HD, the message is loud and clear: skip the 4K and you’ll save a bit of money, alongside that resolution difference. The remote is still a part of the package, but the main differences between the HD Chromecast with Google TV and the slightly older 4K model come down to resolution, HDR capability and price.
Google’s new HD model supports up to 1080p Full HD, compared to 4K of its sibling, while also downgrading the HDR capability to just “HDR” rather than the commonly used Dolby Vision HDR. That means the less expensive model relies on HDR10 and HDR10+, which are still supported, just not always as common as Dolby’s take on the tech.
One major difference is the price, because if you don’t need the 4K res or Dolby Vision support, the price difference in Australia is roughly $40, with the 4K model costing $99 and the HD Chromecast with Google TV priced at $59 locally.
The two year old 4K Chromecast with Google TV is still a great option two years on — we use it with a projector — and this one is just like the original, save for those few differences. You’ll still get the remote and support for Google’s TV interface, it’s just a little less expensive, handy if you haven’t upgraded past Full HD yet.
If anything, these feels like it might be a push back against the assortment of media player options Amazon offers in the Fire Stick range, but if you’re a customer, that doesn’t matter: you suddenly have more to choose from at a more wallet-friendly price point.
