It's still ridiculously tiny, especially considering its extra capabilities. But given the extra technology on board, it's a little larger and fatter than last year's model. It's still a small, circular device with a short HDMI cable that magnetically attaches to the back.
Chromecast Ultra App Software Application ThatV 2.1.1.Miracast Mirascreen TV Chromecast HDMI Dongle M2 Plus Anycast Wifi Receiver. Ultra HD Video Player 2021 PC. Android Emulator is a software application that enables you to run Android apps and games on a PC by. Amazon Fire TV is an Android app and cannot be installed on Windows PC or MAC directly.Install the Google Home app on your phone, plug in the Chromecast and the app will detect your new hardware. If you distribute legacy extensions built with Safari Extension Builder, we recommend converting them to the new Safari App Extension format, test on the latest version of Safari 13, and submit them to the Mac App Store or notarize them for Setup is also identical to what you'll find with a standard Chromecast. Users on macOS High Sierra or later can easily find extensions on the Mac App Store by choosing Safari Extensions from the Safari menu. Unfortunately, the Chromecast Ultra can't be powered by your TV's USB port anymore you'll need to plug it into a wall socket. The brick actually has an ethernet port in it, all the better for quickly streaming 4K videos. The power cord, however, is different this time.Using the Chromecast Ultra is no different from using any other Chromecast. You can display your entire computer screen using Chrome on Mac, Windows and Chromebooks.I know I'm repeating myself, but there's really no other way to say it. Features and hardwareA Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra or TV with Chromecast Built-In. Then you're free to start casting content to your TV using any compatible third-party iOS or Android app.![]() YouTube is heavy on tech-demo videos but lacking in things you'd actually want to watch.While Netflix and Vudu have 4K content you might want to watch, the catalog is still small. The only apps I found that supported 4K streaming were Netflix, Vudu and YouTube, with the former two options being the only ones in the group offering shows and movies you've actually heard of. That's not a fault of the device it's the reality of the streaming space right now. Most of the time, there's a little buffering as you're starting something up, but things loaded quickly and consistently for me after a few seconds on a 100-Mbps connection.The big catch here is finding 4K content to watch. For starters, the standard $9.99-per-month Netflix plan doesn't include 4K streaming. As for content that supports high dynamic range - arguably a bigger step forward in terms of video quality than 4K resolution - there's even less of it out there.There are other problems with the 4K experience on top of limited content. And Vudu has a paltry 68 movies available to rent or buy in 4K. PerformanceAs I mentioned earlier, the Chromecast Ultra performed quite well, even over WiFi. (Your milage may vary, but more on that in a moment.) Again, none of this is Google's fault - but it does make it harder to recommend buying any 4K streaming device right now, the Chromecast Ultra included. That is a lot of money for what feels like a marginal improvement in quality. This is something lots of customers likely won't realize, and there's no prompt in the Google Home app to remind you to upgrade your Netflix plan.As for Vudu, a 4K rental costs a whopping $9.99 while buying a movie costs an even steeper $29.99. If you want to watch 4K, you'll need to sign up for the $11.99 plan, which also lets you watch simultaneously on four screens rather than two. Oranges and blues in particular looked incredibly vibrant throughout the film, thanks to HDR technology, but sometimes it felt like things were a bit too saturated. Guillermo del Toro's brilliant color palette shined throughout the film, while both the monstrous Kaiju and massive Jaeger robots looked more detailed and terrifying than ever. Senior editor Devindra Hardawar and I watched a bunch of Netflix shows (including Jessica Jones, Daredevil, House of Cards and Stranger Things) and streamed Pacific Rim from Vudu.Things looked excellent across the board, but Pacific Rim looked particularly gorgeous. As for that first caveat, that's how the Chromecast has always worked, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't enjoy a simple remote to handle play and pause duties (like Roku and Amazon both include).As for picture quality, there's no doubt it's stunning - but I give the vast majority of that credit to the wonderful 55-inch LG OLED TV I used to test the Chromecast Ultra. The latter is Amazon's bad, as the company could certainly add Chromecast support but would prefer you buy the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick instead. Of course, that depends on your internet connection, but getting 4K streams working here wasn't an issue whatsoever.It's worth taking a quick second to note that two of our main caveats about last year's Chromecast refresh still apply here: You always have to use your phone as the remote, and there's no native Amazon Instant Video app. Even 1080p video looked outstanding on this fine TV. We did lots of A/B testing, flipping back and forth between Netflix shows streaming through the Chromecast Ultra and the current Apple TV (which only outputs in 1080p), and I was hard-pressed to discern a real difference. If you purchase a new TV as nice as the LG we were watching, you'll definitely notice big improvements in the quality - regardless of whether it's in 1080p or 4K. The competitionPerhaps the most obvious competitor to the Chromecast Ultra is Amazon's Fire TV, which was updated last fall to include 4K video playback. Things looked marginally sharper, but it would be hard to tell the difference in a blind test. The Netflix shows we watched in 4K didn't quite have that same oversaturated sheen. The 4K HDR version of the film was impressive, but I don't think it was definitively better. Colors were far less saturated when watching Pacific Rim in 1080p while the 4K rental occasionally entered the realm of oversaturation, at least to my eyes. Then again, Amazon doesn't offer much video in 4K yet - but that'll change over time.Roku's new Premiere+ is another contender. That means that the Fire TV automatically has a larger library of 4K content, as Amazon supports the format. First is a real remote, and second is Amazon Instant Video support. That means you'll get access to apps like Netflix and Vudu right on the TV itself, and those apps will take full advantage of your set's resolution. Most, if not all, 4K TVs are so-called smart TVs. If you've used and enjoyed Roku products in the past, the Premiere+ is certainly worth considering.The other big competitor to the Chromecast Ultra comes from your television itself. Additionally, it supports Amazon Instant Video. It also includes an Ethernet port, a microSD card slot and a remote. Is there a pencil mouse for macThey essentially have a Chromecast built right in, then - something that makes buying a separate device unnecessary. Furthermore, lots of new TVs now support Google's casting technology. But Netflix and YouTube are almost always there. ![]() That has value - even if most consumers out there don't need it. If for some reason you have a great 4K TV that doesn't have Netflix built in, though, this is probably the simplest way to remedy that situation.
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