My Review of Google Chromecast

Last Wednesday I was one of the first people to get my hands on a Google Chromecast. As a person who already owns an Apple TV I didn't need a Chromecast I just wanted one. For $49 it promised me a cheap way to stream content from my computers on my TV.

For the first 5 days I was bitterly disappointed with the device. It was slow and I couldn't get anything to stream properly. The only thing that worked properly was youtube and even that was slow. To make things worse it seemed to slow down my entire internet connection. After doing some research on the internet I used the HDMI extension cord that comes with the device to get the doogle away from my TV. This dramatically improved the devices performance.

After I got the device working properly I was able to stream HD You tube videos on my TV allowing me to enjoy hours of free content on the big screen. Some of the youtube videos I like to watch are 40 minute long talks, so this is particularly appealing. I was also able to stream video files from my Chromebook onto my TV. So the answer is yes. Yes you can use a Chromecast to watch movies you legally download. You use a Chrome Extension called Videostream.

 Unlike Apple TV Google's Chromecast doesn't have a remote and there is no menu or interface on your TV. It works through Google's Chrome browser. The user visits a website and clicks on an extension to stream it their TV. I think the two devices are complimentary. Apple TV is for buying content and for accessing Netflix. Chromecast is casting content from the internet on your TV. You can buy content through Google Play but for $100 I think Apple TV is better for this.

Some websites such as You Tube, Vevo and Netflix support chromecasting which means the website downloads directly to the device rather than streaming from your computer. Most websites stream from your computer which means you need very good WIFI for it to work properly. Overall for $49 I recommend buying a Chromecast especially if you don't have Apple TV or have devices outside Apple's walled garden.