But at $ 149 for the base 32 GB manakin , the Apple TV call for a square upfront investing to dig into this app - centric TV visual modality that Apple is promoting — particularly since a hatful of other equipment heavy and small-scale can get at many of those same services . That might be deserving the expense for some , but not everyone needs another way to scat apps and games .
What about theChromecast , then ? Google ’s flyspeck dongle might seem like an ideal Android accessory , generate its heritage , but it also work with iPhone and has many of the same services and apps available . It ’s a unlike variety of TV cyclosis experience , using your iPhone and its existing apps to “ honk ” content wirelessly onto the big CRT screen — but at $ 35 , it might get the Book of Job done for many iPhone users who do n’t want to shell out for something more advanced .
Here ’s an updated face at what the Chromecast can do with the iPhone and how it compares to the Apple TV in terms of hardware , which feature film are divvy up between the devices , and how much functionality you lose with the bargain alternative .
Hardware
The Apple TV has a middling silken visibility , packing a lot of tech into a dense black box seat , but it has surprising ponderousness to it . While easy to pop into a cup of tea for travel , or move between blind at your home , it ’s primarily build to rest beneath a telly and blend in inconspicuously with your apparatus .
Google ’s Chromecast , on the other hand , is sincerely pocketable : The second - gen unit , put out in late 2015 , look like a small plaything or candy disk — and even comes in bright yellow and red option to complete the illusion . The HDMI dongle is directly attached , with a charismatic connector that makes it easy to end the cable in one-half for compendious transportation . connect that to your TV and stop up in the AC adapter cable and you ’re ready to well out .
Just fold the Chromecast in one-half : attractor keep it summary when not in use .
Of of course , the bigger deviation comes in functionality . The Apple TV has its own port controlled by the Siri Remote , have you browse through apps and access media of all sorts on the telecasting itself . The Siri Remote also serves as the controller for games and apps , with the little touchpad , gesture ascendancy , and buttons allowing an raiment of interaction . And if you require to use an iOS machine as an optional remote , well , there ’s an app for thattoo .
With the Chromecast , there is no remote : Your iPhone or Android phone serve that role . An officialGoogle Home app(formerly Google Cast ) is available as a guidebook to point you towards other compatible apps , otherwise you could throw away immediately from the apps . Once paired with the Chromecast gimmick , you may merely beg the icon — which looks like a telly screen with a Wi - Fi indicator in the humble left — within the app to commit video , audio recording , or gameplay to your television .
The Google Home app helps you relate your machine and find content .
It ’s pretty easy to apply once you ’re acquainted with the process , but it ’s a tidy sum loose to give the Siri Remote to a babysitter or Quaker rather than verify they ’re connect to the right Wi - Fi internet , have them download the correct apps , and then image out molding . Apple certainly has ease of use securely in the base here .
Google does have an advantage here for owners of high - conclusion video , though . TheChromecast Ultradevice , which looks standardized but sells for $ 69 , leave playback at 4 special K answer for supported mass medium , and can also handle HDR ( high dynamical stove ) for wider demarcation and bolder color . The current Apple TV is n’t equip for 4 super C or HDR as of this committal to writing , although hearsay suggestthat a new example may accommodate those benefits .
Shared offerings
If you ’re big on pour media , take mettle : Most of the major avail work on Chromecast via their iPhone apps . Wehave a ready to hand chartthat compares the divine service found on all of the major cyclosis machine , including both of these as well as Roku , Amazon ’s Fire television receiver , and Android TV , but here are the high spot .
Netflix , Hulu , andYouTubeall work with Chromecast , as doHBO Go , HBO Now , Showtime , andShowtime Anywhere . Broadcast networks likeABC , CBS , andFoxhave apps , while overseas telegram favorites likeComedy Central , Food connection , FX , Disney Channel , HGTV , Nickelodeon , andTravel Channelhave compatible apps .
pink the upper - right push button in a compatible app and the video will chuck out over to your TV rather .
Live well out TV services likeSling TVandPlayStation Vueare also useable on Chromecast , make it gentle for cord - cutters to still watch some channels without a immense cable television service or orbiter bill . And you could utilize an app likePlexto draw out media from your computer or a server onto your TV . Meanwhile , rain cats and dogs music and radio receiver services such asSpotify , Pandora , iHeartRadio , andGoogle turn Musicalso have Chromecast functionality .
sport fans , you could stream live March Madness games in the outflow withthe prescribed app , with all the secret plan airing on CBS available for loose . MLB.TV , NFL Sunday Ticket , NBA , NHL , Major League Soccer , andWatchESPNall work on Chromecast as well . Oh , and parent : PBS KidsandYouTube Kidsare both well calculate for .
While many of these apps feature a different kind of interface than the Apple TV version , since the menus and navigation are all manage on your telephone set , the final stage result is the same : stream media of all sorts chuck out onto your TV .
What’s missing
It ’s most of the other hooey that ’s all miss on Chromecast , unfortunately . The platform is n’t really build for interactivity , so the option for games and app experiences are limited — and a draw of the material you ’d actuallyplayis more passable than great .
While the Apple TV has one C and C of games , many of which are great , the Chromecast has just a handful of seemly selection . Angry Birds Friendsmight keep kids think of in jot , whileLEGO Speed Championsis a upstanding little racer , albeit with some performance issue in the mix . Deer Hunter 2017is simplistic in its game - hunting approach , but works well enough on your TV .
LEGO Speed Champions is a decent big - screen deflection , but it bunk a lot smoother on a phone .
Ubisoft’sJust Dance Nowis breezily entertaining , letting you cope with coloured dance moves while you hold your iPhone , but much of the content requires a purchase or subscription . Hasbro alsohas a few company gamesof varying calibre , andBig Web Quizis another fun party choice , but those are pretty much all of the standout game . In other words , if you require a streaming box that can also double as a plot console , the Chromecast does n’t have much to propose . Meanwhile , theApple TV ’s selectionis only improving , and you cangrab a gamepadfor an even better experience .
The Chromecast does have the pop fitness telecasting appDaily Burn , along with approach to thing likeGoogle SlidesandBloomberg Business , but it ’s somewhat open that the Chromecast is build primary for stream media and not a whole lot else . In Google ’s pour vision , apps and games still mostly go on your phone , not on your TV .
Lastly , this may not be a surprise , but it could be easily leave out : The Chromecast does n’t have any financial support for Apple ’s own medium avail . That think of no access to Apple Music or your iTunes library , and no direction to purchase or rip movies or TV prove through Apple . If you ’re deeply entrenched within the Apple ecosystem , that could be a crushing blow . It ’s part of the reason why the Apple TV is so darn appealing to iPhone and iPad possessor .
The verdict
In unretentive : If you need a gimmick solely to toss streaming services like Netflix , YouTube , and Spotify onto your telly , then the Chromecast might do the trick . It ’s passing cheap , extremely portable , and supports streaming from many of the top apps for TV , movies , and music . Commanding the action from your iPhone is n’t quite as universally nonrational as using a dedicated remote control , but it ’s also not difficult to compute out or get comfortable with .
However , if you need the next level of set - top boxful amusement , with dozens of games and apps that work on your big projection screen with ease , then that ’s something the Chromecast ca n’t hope to compete with the Apple TV on . It ’s what you ’re pay extra money for : accession to interactive content , the processing power to pass it all , and a merged interface and chopine to enjoy it on . That ’s where the Apple tv set excels in the market .
