The Chromecast Ultra brings in three major advantages – 4K HDR streaming, an ethernet port for wired connections, and shorter loading times. Google’s $69 Chromecast Ultra retails all the benefits as well as the flaws of the $35 model.
The device does not require a remote control and you will find no menus to navigate on your television screen. Action is controlled via your phone, tablet, or the desktop Chrome browser. Once you complete the setup process, apps and websites that support Chromecast (Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu including) begin displaying ‘Cast’ button. Press the button to view videos and music.
Support to Chromecast is not a problem as the platform is backed by major streaming services. However, services run by Google’s competitors, such as Amazon Video and Apple’s iTunes are an exception.
What is more, Chromecast is more than music and video. It supports lightweight games, such as a big-screen version of Monopoly, and presentation. Display from an Android phone or desktop websites can also be viewed in Chrome, though it would drain the device’s battery life.
Thanks to Chromecast mechanism, it has no need for overly powerful hardware.It just has to be fast enough from streaming video. A major difference between the Ultra and first-generation Chromecast is 4K HDR video support. As for now, the sources for 4K video are Netflix, YouTube, and Vudu, while HDR is supported only by Netflix.
Pixel count notwithstanding, Chromecast Ultra is approximate 1.8 times quicker than its processor. It brings down the load time about five seconds. Once you have hit the Cast button and pushed play, videos would begin playing within eight to 15 seconds after you’ve hit the Cast button.
Like any standard Chromecast, it has minimum hardware, there is a HDMI socket, USB- port and a reset button. The power button is different this time and the brick has Ethernet port for quickly streaming 4K videos.
After you open a video stream in the app, tap the Cast button after it appears on-screen, choose Chromecast Ultra to start the video streaming on the big screen after little buffering. The problem with this is Netflix and Vudu have 4K content that you might want to watch, but the catalog is still small. To succeed Google will have to increase the length of the catalogue. Another thing is that for starters, the standard $9.99-per-month Netflix plan doesn’t include 4K streaming which is a big disappointment.
So far as picture quality is concerned, it’s stunning — but the credit goes to the wonderful 55-inch LG OLED TV.
