Google Chromecast Ultra

The Google Chromecast technology is still underestimated, especially when you consider value for money. Netflix, NPO, commercial channels, Youtube, watch anywhere in the house. I've now connected two of them at home to (relatively) cheap 4K computer displays. Wow, wow, wow. Who needs a TV anyway? Combine the Chromecast with a Google home mini speaker and you suddenly have a real "smart home" for next to nothing. You can access information or entertainment wherever you want on any screen. And 4K is phenomenal. Refined, detailed, colorful. The only downside in a family: several viewers at the same time consume so much bandwidth that, in addition to Spotify, surfing, emailing, etc., the WiFi can sometimes barely keep up. A fast router becomes a must with intensive simultaneous use!

The Chromecast Ultra is used here with a Loewe Bild 7 (55" OLED 4k HDR TV). The 'Ultra' version is faster but the price doubling (79 vs 39 euros) compared to the standard version is only justified if you have a 4k ( UltraHD) TV and want the best image quality. Then the ease of use can hardly be surpassed. Often the built-in apps of a TV such as YouTube, Netflix, ... are rather slow. With the Chromecast you add a lot of functionality to your TV without that another remote control is lying around on the coffee table.

Because my old Chromecast started to show problems and kept hanging on, I decided to buy the new version. This version has a round design. The HDMI connection is on a short cable and is therefore slightly easier to connect than the old one, which sometimes does not fit well into the HDMI connection due to lack of space. There is also a magnet in the cable, so that the round part can be placed firmly against the cable when it is in the connection. The setup is a bit faster than with the old one, because you no longer have to set up WiFi. But, if you do want wireless, setting up the WiFi on this one is faster than the old one. Unlike the old one, it can also be connected to the network via Ethernet, which improves the speed. Starting a YouTube video via my Android device is almost without buffering and films that I have on my Synology NAS (homemade 1080p videos made with a Canon 650D), stream effortlessly via VLC on my phone. The image quality also seems to be better (can also be a placebo effect). In any case, the image is super sharp. I haven't tested the audio, but I don't have good speakers, so I wouldn't hear the difference with the old ones. But assuming the picture quality, the sound will also be optimal. I still think it's a bit too pricey for the upgrade from the old one. But if you don't have one yet, this one is recommended.