Thursday, January 01, 2015

Chromecast versus Apple TV

This Christmas I dropped a couple of hints for a Google Chromecast. Of course the first questions was "what's that", but then a picture of the Chromecast let the family know what it was. At $49 it was also an affordable present.

Now my reason for asking for the Chromecast is I wanted to compare it to the Apple TV.  I pulled out my ageing Toshiba notebook which has a Intel core duo 2 processor and set up the Chromecast. Everything up and running I went to watch Person of Interest on Catch-Up TV. The video quality was terrible so my first thought was looks like a dud.

However with a bit of testing and the help of my Apple MacBook Air I found the quality was largely due to Channel 9's Catch-Up TV service. Running the Chromecast or Apple TV on Channel 9's Catch-Up TV was very poor. In essence I really was seeing one picture after another and not a video. The sound was there, but the picture was not smooth at all. At the time this was only marginally better on the Apple TV.

I decided to pull out my older Acer Android tablet running 4.0.x and a cheap Pendo tablet I had given to me when I signed with Dodo Power. The Pendo tablet couldn't run the Chromecast. I was looking forward to sharing the tablet screen on the big screen TV but unfortunately that doesn't work on the Acer Android tablet I have. I did however find YouTube did play well on the bigger tablet with Chromecast so at last I found it to be usable.

The main problem I found with the Google Chromecast however was severe inference with the free-to-air signal. If the Chromecast is left on the free-to-air signal would break up. I ran a test where I ran a session on the Chromecast whilst trying to watch free-to-air and the signal interference was so bad it was not possible to watch TV at all. I then put the Chromecast on the power device I could remotely switch on and off. That way I can leave the Chromecast off when not being used and only turn it on when I need to. This approach means an additional cost for the Chromecast to be usable.

I still need to do more testing but so far I am far more confident in the Apple TV with the MacBook Air. At $60 more that combination is a far better combination. However if you don't have a MacBook Air and only a Windows computer, the Chromecast is an option to consider.

For me the real test of one of these gadgets is whether you continue to use them. The MacBook Air and Apple TV combination is used every week either for Catch-Up TV or perhaps a movie once or twice a month.

It is perhaps too early to determine whether or not the Chromecast is a useful device or just another gadget that will end up in the cupboard. The interference of the free-to-air signal is a major concern as that does mean adding a remote control power device to switch it off when not being used. I feel it is more limited than the MacBook Air/Apple TV combination, but if you're a Windows user the Apple TV does not work in conjunction with Windows, so the Chromecast may be a better option.

At this stage for my own use I really don't see the Chromecast being used on a regular basis, but only time will tell.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for IT support.

PS. As I explore the Chromecast further, I will publish what I find as a MyAnswers solution. You will be able to find the MyAnswers solution in the MyAnswers section of my site www.onlineconnections.com.au/myanswers/.

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