Rebranding the next gen of your product isn’t “killing” it, people are so fucking clickbaitable.
It’s the same product, just next gen with better specs abd they’re going with a new simpler brand name than “Chromecast with Google TV” (yes that’s the actual product name before) and instead the next gen is named “Google TV Streamer”
It’s the exact same thing, and all existing hardware will keep working.
Chromecasts are standalone and effectively just running a modified version of Android. They can’t really be “killed” as they work over local network. Theoretically any chromecast will last forever as it’s functionality is based off a specified open source protocol, so as long as you have a device that can output it (cast), you can cast to your chromecast.
So it’s impossible to “kill”. I have a gen 1 chromecast that still 100% works fine today.
Newer Chromecasts ahem Google TVs just have more features, like apps you can install and sideload.
People are dumb for falling for this clickbait title.
I get what you’re saying, but these new ones are twice the price of the 4K Chromecast. It sucks that they’re killing the $30 HD Chromecast as well, its great for my spare TV. I wouldn’t want to pay 3x that price for essentially the same functionality if I need to replace it.
I know there’s other Android TV boxes that are comparable, but Google’s offering was an easy go-to.
I wrote it up elsewhere, but I don’t mind the price point.
The built in ethernet port covers a lot of that.
A solid quality ethernet dongle is gonna be $25, so now that’s $75 for the 4k CCwGTV + ethernet.
So you’re paying $25 extra for the better form factor (2 chained dongles look so bad), the extra ram, better processor, etc
For some folks that might not matter, but I use Steam Link on my CCwGTV and those specs will likely make a tangible boost in gaming performance for quality, frame rate, latency, input lag, etc.
So in my demographic of people gaming with em, I 100% expect it’ll be a popular upgrade.
The ethernet part is pretty big, overall. Don’t overbook that.
I’m not denying that these features are a welcome addition, I’m just lamenting the loss of the cheaper version for use-cases where those features arent really needed.
I pretty much just watch Youtube on my bedroom TV, and I got one for my mom so she can watch Netflix on her 10 year old 720p 32”. I don’t want to pay $100 for that.
I might get the new one for Steam Link in the living room though, that does sound sick.
Ok, but my gen 1 Chromecast stopped working years ago, and it was sluggish, unreliable to cast to and virtually unusable long before that. My Chromecast Ultra has steadily declined in usability too, the whole Chromecast UX has fallen off a cliff the past few years. It used to be fucking magic and just worked with everything. Now my Chromecast with Google TV only really works satisfactorily when I bother to update smarttube and pair it with the code.
The whole platform is trash these days compared to the original gen 1 experience. I went from living in the future, only using my phone to watch TV 10 years ago, to slowly migrating back to a fucking remote control like it’s 1980 again. Say what you want, but the promise that gen 1 Chromecast delivered on has been dead and buried for a while now.
My 1st & 2nd gen Chromecasts are working just as good as was the day we bought them and the UX is exactly the same - what was it about the UX that went down hill?
Thank you!! I read the first article about it and was worried Google killed support for the cast protocol. But it’s literally a rebrand for a new product. Yes, they are discontinuing the 4k basic Chromecast but I guess it didn’t sell enough? I don’t expect any company to indefinitely offer a product because I seem to like it personally.
Not that I want to particularly defend Google, they do have track record of killing useful products. But this is not that.
Why is this being framed this way.
Rebranding the next gen of your product isn’t “killing” it, people are so fucking clickbaitable.
It’s the same product, just next gen with better specs abd they’re going with a new simpler brand name than “Chromecast with Google TV” (yes that’s the actual product name before) and instead the next gen is named “Google TV Streamer”
It’s the exact same thing, and all existing hardware will keep working.
Chromecasts are standalone and effectively just running a modified version of Android. They can’t really be “killed” as they work over local network. Theoretically any chromecast will last forever as it’s functionality is based off a specified open source protocol, so as long as you have a device that can output it (cast), you can cast to your chromecast.
So it’s impossible to “kill”. I have a gen 1 chromecast that still 100% works fine today.
Newer
Chromecastsahem Google TVs just have more features, like apps you can install and sideload.People are dumb for falling for this clickbait title.
I get what you’re saying, but these new ones are twice the price of the 4K Chromecast. It sucks that they’re killing the $30 HD Chromecast as well, its great for my spare TV. I wouldn’t want to pay 3x that price for essentially the same functionality if I need to replace it.
I know there’s other Android TV boxes that are comparable, but Google’s offering was an easy go-to.
I wrote it up elsewhere, but I don’t mind the price point.
The built in ethernet port covers a lot of that.
A solid quality ethernet dongle is gonna be $25, so now that’s $75 for the 4k CCwGTV + ethernet.
So you’re paying $25 extra for the better form factor (2 chained dongles look so bad), the extra ram, better processor, etc
For some folks that might not matter, but I use Steam Link on my CCwGTV and those specs will likely make a tangible boost in gaming performance for quality, frame rate, latency, input lag, etc.
So in my demographic of people gaming with em, I 100% expect it’ll be a popular upgrade.
The ethernet part is pretty big, overall. Don’t overbook that.
I’m not denying that these features are a welcome addition, I’m just lamenting the loss of the cheaper version for use-cases where those features arent really needed.
I pretty much just watch Youtube on my bedroom TV, and I got one for my mom so she can watch Netflix on her 10 year old 720p 32”. I don’t want to pay $100 for that.
I might get the new one for Steam Link in the living room though, that does sound sick.
There are 2 CCwGTV models, only 1 of then is being discontinued.
The other one sounds like it’ll keep being sold.
But also you can always just buy a chromecast, just cuz they aren’t being actively produced doesn’t mean you can’t find em online
Ok, but my gen 1 Chromecast stopped working years ago, and it was sluggish, unreliable to cast to and virtually unusable long before that. My Chromecast Ultra has steadily declined in usability too, the whole Chromecast UX has fallen off a cliff the past few years. It used to be fucking magic and just worked with everything. Now my Chromecast with Google TV only really works satisfactorily when I bother to update smarttube and pair it with the code.
The whole platform is trash these days compared to the original gen 1 experience. I went from living in the future, only using my phone to watch TV 10 years ago, to slowly migrating back to a fucking remote control like it’s 1980 again. Say what you want, but the promise that gen 1 Chromecast delivered on has been dead and buried for a while now.
I’ll just have to respectfully disagree in experience.
I have multiple gens of chromecasts and haven’t seen any degradation in performance. They work pretty much the same.
I have no idea wtf is going on with your units.
My 1st & 2nd gen Chromecasts are working just as good as was the day we bought them and the UX is exactly the same - what was it about the UX that went down hill?
Thank you!! I read the first article about it and was worried Google killed support for the cast protocol. But it’s literally a rebrand for a new product. Yes, they are discontinuing the 4k basic Chromecast but I guess it didn’t sell enough? I don’t expect any company to indefinitely offer a product because I seem to like it personally.
Not that I want to particularly defend Google, they do have track record of killing useful products. But this is not that.