Google Chromecast Ultra

I don’t understand how anyone can give this device a positive review. The User interface is not easy to use not easy to set up. You have to download apps to get it to work and even after that it still doesn’t work as it should. Fire stick or Roku all you do is plug it in connect to the WiFi and you are set. Chrome cast wants you to download google home app and do everything from there but then it doesn’t work. I can’t cast my web browser from my phone I have to download another app to do that. Not everything can be cast from your phone. it’s frustrating because when 1 thing doesn’t work none of it will. Google must have got lucky with their web browser and search engine being so successful because every thing else they make is junk.

A faulty device in my experience

I purchased this item a year or so ago. It has a great purpose and idea, but in my house it rarely worked as intended. Always had connection issues and required a reset or a factory reset, daily. I've had multiple calls to Google tech support for this product but they haven't been much help in fixing the issue. My problem is (and I suppose it's just my own fault), because it wasn't working as intended initially we stopped using it altogether and it sat on the shelf for about a year. Well, of course the warranty went out but I had a need for using the device again. When I finally got so frustrated with it not working properly, I'd called support for the device, who directed me to call support for the app(s) I was experiencing issues with. It was a similar issue with ... MoreI purchased this item a year or so ago. It has a great purpose and idea, but in my house it rarely worked as intended. Always had connection issues and required a reset or a factory reset, daily. I've had multiple calls to Google tech support for this product but they haven't been much help in fixing the issue. My problem is (and I suppose it's just my own fault), because it wasn't working as intended initially we stopped using it altogether and it sat on the shelf for about a year. Well, of course the warranty went out but I had a need for using the device again. When I finally got so frustrated with it not working properly, I'd called support for the device, who directed me to call support for the app(s) I was experiencing issues with. It was a similar issue with all of my streaming apps, so I assume it was a product issue not a service issue. Still not resolved since February 2021. I didn't expect much, but am a little letdown there was no discount for upgrade or replacement.

Early Model Chromecast works, lacks features

Being a fan of most things Google, I saw these on sale and thought "What the heck, it will work with my several google home units, and there's some creative possibility there...". Well, no, not in the real world. It does one thing well; casting a phone or computer screen to the TV- can't fault it there.But it always takes another device to get anything TO the chromecast- tying up a tablet, phone, or computer as well. Any other streaming HDMI device will do that AND stream from internet or home sources.In summary: it does what it says it will do- but that's not much, compared to, well, all other options at that price level. There really weren't any exploitable synergies with other Google devices that make this Chromecast worthwhile.It could be that later models have ... MoreBeing a fan of most things Google, I saw these on sale and thought "What the heck, it will work with my several google home units, and there's some creative possibility there...". Well, no, not in the real world. It does one thing well; casting a phone or computer screen to the TV- can't fault it there.But it always takes another device to get anything TO the chromecast- tying up a tablet, phone, or computer as well. Any other streaming HDMI device will do that AND stream from internet or home sources.In summary: it does what it says it will do- but that's not much, compared to, well, all other options at that price level. There really weren't any exploitable synergies with other Google devices that make this Chromecast worthwhile.It could be that later models have more functionality or features. But the basic Chromecast I have isn't very useful in the real world.

Expensive - Ethernet Option is Great - Finicky

I picked the Chromecast Ultra up to complement my Roku Ultra becuase Roku consistently has contract disputes with several media companies which results in the loss of the channel/content on their service. It is also very helpful if you want to cast your computer screen/chrome tab to a television.To be honest, I do not use it very often but it is very useful for streaming content from my computer when necessary which is my primary use. The ethernet port is great, but disappointing that I had to spring $70 for the Ultra because it is the only option that has the ethernet port option. The connections are stable through ethernet and offer 4k resolution.I have to troubleshoot this device more than I would like and the process for reinstalling is a bit of a pain. Last ... MoreI picked the Chromecast Ultra up to complement my Roku Ultra becuase Roku consistently has contract disputes with several media companies which results in the loss of the channel/content on their service. It is also very helpful if you want to cast your computer screen/chrome tab to a television.To be honest, I do not use it very often but it is very useful for streaming content from my computer when necessary which is my primary use. The ethernet port is great, but disappointing that I had to spring $70 for the Ultra because it is the only option that has the ethernet port option. The connections are stable through ethernet and offer 4k resolution.I have to troubleshoot this device more than I would like and the process for reinstalling is a bit of a pain. Last week I wasn't getting audio for some reason and the only solution after spending 30 minutes trying many other options was to reset to factory settings. This process requires that I re-add the device to my Google Home app on my phone and go through the setup menu. Not that bad I guess if I had just done this initially becuase I feel I am pretty tech savy but this might be a pain for the less technically inclined for how often this can happen.The wireless connection when I cast from my phone can be a bit spotty but I think that has more to do with the specific app and not the Chromecast becuase netflix and a few other apps seem to work no problem.I'd recommend this only if you really want the ethernet/4k option and honestly if you have most of the content you want on a Roku and don't need to cast from your computer I might just go with that. If a chromecast is absolutely necessary go with a cheaper one.

Lack of technical support

I have been a great fan of Chromecast since its launch a few years ago and bought three of them (two Gen 1 and one Gen 2) prior to this purchase. I use them primarily for YouTube, Google Play Video/Music, Amazon Music, and Plex Media Server (for my personal collection of FLAC audio files and home videos). Recently I started shooting videos in DCI 4K and storing edited version in HEVC (h.265) at UHD resolution. Even though I have not upgraded to an UHD TV yet - my computer monitors are UHD - I saw the need to get a Chromecast Ultra so that I can avoid transcoding HEVC to h.264 and downscaling on Plex Media Server to feed the regular Chromecast, in addition I would like to transcode my older 1080p videos to HEVC to save storage space and the regular Chromecast cannot ... MoreI have been a great fan of Chromecast since its launch a few years ago and bought three of them (two Gen 1 and one Gen 2) prior to this purchase. I use them primarily for YouTube, Google Play Video/Music, Amazon Music, and Plex Media Server (for my personal collection of FLAC audio files and home videos). Recently I started shooting videos in DCI 4K and storing edited version in HEVC (h.265) at UHD resolution. Even though I have not upgraded to an UHD TV yet - my computer monitors are UHD - I saw the need to get a Chromecast Ultra so that I can avoid transcoding HEVC to h.264 and downscaling on Plex Media Server to feed the regular Chromecast, in addition I would like to transcode my older 1080p videos to HEVC to save storage space and the regular Chromecast cannot decode HEVC. While Chromecast Ultra excels at everything else, it fails miserably with downscaling UHD videos (regardless of h.265 or h.264 CODEC) for display on a 1080p display: the videos are shown in the wrong color space. This issue is specific to UHD videos played on 1080p TVs and monitors, and it impacts only the actual video, if any info (texts, thumbnails, etc) is overlaid on top it is rendered in the right colors, but regardless of what Chromecast-compatible app is used. I reached out to Google for support. Except the original chat session the communication has been one-directional, I have sent them screenshots as well as a sample video file. A week and a half later I have not heard ANYTHING back. My use case, while not the most common, is hardly unreasonable. With that in mind I am surprised this issue was not discovered in their software QA process. I would have stuck with them to work it out, however, if they had followed up, even if a workaround is not yet available. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale this week. I bought one and it renders UHD video on FHD TVs perfectly. If you are heavily invested in video/music contents from Google Play, then Chromecast is definitely for you, which is why I still recommend the product despite my troubles; otherwise take a close look at the competition - I am glad I did. Knocking one star off for functionality, and another for the poor support experience.

Made it possible to view my Nest cameras on my TV

I have two smart TV's from different brands. They already have builtin many of the apps that I use such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney . They even support Chromecast using those apps. However one of my TV's does not support generic Chromecast. That is, I cannot stream video to it from a source where the TV doesn't already have builtin the same app. All that I wanted to do was to add the capability to see my Nest security cameras on my TV. I was able to buy this Chromecast device on sale for $19.98. For that low price, my TV now supports this capability. I have a Google Nest Hub in the same room, so I can speak "Hey Google stream the Driveway Camera to the Master Bedroom TV", and it works. I rated the Chromecast 4 out of 5 stars because although ... MoreI have two smart TV's from different brands. They already have builtin many of the apps that I use such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney . They even support Chromecast using those apps. However one of my TV's does not support generic Chromecast. That is, I cannot stream video to it from a source where the TV doesn't already have builtin the same app. All that I wanted to do was to add the capability to see my Nest security cameras on my TV. I was able to buy this Chromecast device on sale for $19.98. For that low price, my TV now supports this capability. I have a Google Nest Hub in the same room, so I can speak "Hey Google stream the Driveway Camera to the Master Bedroom TV", and it works. I rated the Chromecast 4 out of 5 stars because although the device does what I want, it's still basically a "dumb" device. One cannot install any apps on it. One must stream from an app installed on another source like a smartphone, or computer.

Not actually Chromecast

I just purchased two of these, I should have known from the price, that these were too good to be true. They are boxed and packaged as Chromecast, but Chromecast is not what you get inside. These are AnyCast devices made to look like Chromecast. AnyCast uses screen mirroring / is old technology. Chromecast streams services. If you want to purchase cheap screen mirroring dongle, this will work, but if you're looking for Chromecast, this is not as labelled.

Not what I was expecting.

Unfortunately you need this device plus a shared Wi-Fi connection JUST to mirror the screen of an android phone to a smart TV. My sister's old android phone had screen mirroring as a built in settings feature but unfortunately my newer android phone doesn't and requires this device plus a shared Wi-Fi connection to screen mirror. The fact that I have to spend extra money on this junk to do what my sister's older modeled phone can do without it, is enough for me to be disgusted that I wasted my money. It's literally worthless without a Wi-Fi connection. I have unlimited on my plan but can't even mirror my screens to watch Google. I don't even see the point in Google Chrome cast of you have a Wi-Fi connection at home. Talk about unnecessary devices. Just a $$$ gimmick.

Streaming Audio

The Google Chromecast audio media streamer provides a convenient method of connecting existing audio systems with a single, shared source of streaming audio. The set up app for the device is Google Home and the process is both simple and easy to follow and comprehensive in terms of device control. The Chromecast audio streamer in conjunction with Google Home app directs an audio stream to one or several (a "group") designated audio "speakers" (where a speaker is self-powered or by powered by an audio system with amplifier). The output of the Chromecast audio streamer is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. This allows the use of the provided 3.5 mm cable or an optical cable (3.5 mm to TOSLINK) to an amplifier with optical input. We use four of the Chromecast audio streamers to ... MoreThe Google Chromecast audio media streamer provides a convenient method of connecting existing audio systems with a single, shared source of streaming audio. The set up app for the device is Google Home and the process is both simple and easy to follow and comprehensive in terms of device control. The Chromecast audio streamer in conjunction with Google Home app directs an audio stream to one or several (a "group") designated audio "speakers" (where a speaker is self-powered or by powered by an audio system with amplifier). The output of the Chromecast audio streamer is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. This allows the use of the provided 3.5 mm cable or an optical cable (3.5 mm to TOSLINK) to an amplifier with optical input. We use four of the Chromecast audio streamers to direct streamed audio to one or more of four disparate audio systems in our house. For our purposes, there is little downside to the Chromecast audio streamers (in conjunction with Google Home) and we regret that Google has discontinued the device. We were pleased to find the Chromecast audio streamer on ebay. The Chromecast audio streamer is not for those who want total control of speakers or distributed audio systems throughout a house or other setting, including the ability to turn on/off or adjust volume/muting of individual speakers or audio systems. The better known Chromecast device with HDMI output connection is great for amplifiers with an HDMI input but not useful for older amps designed more for 2-channel audio and without and HDMI input.

casting is a breeze but some limitations

it's super easy to use as long as you have wifi. casting with your phone or tablet is so simple and always works. but with no wifi it can't be used at all. Roku has at least 10 times the games, and despite being android based you can't use Android apps with Chromecast. only Chromecast with Google tv comes with a remote and has apps. but again you can't use Android apps with that Chromecast either. this product is my go to for casting. it's a no brainer. you must use your phone or tablet to control it. if you have cable with charter spectrum youre out of luck. they have an app for android and roku but not for Chromecast. don't get me wrong. i use this all the time because it's so easy and i usually have wifi. but there are other options now at the same price or less.