On top of that, the second gen CC's radio was a lot less shitty in the 2.4ghz band. Not saying you should use 2.4ghz unless you absolutely have to, but the CC1 was famously bad.
Also, CC1 and 2 and 4k all support the CC ethernet dongle, and I assume the new CC does as well.
I remember that video support was the same on both generations. Only wifi being really upgraded. Now, will this one support h265? (yes, on up to 1080p videos).
Gonna have to wait on someone to confirm that but the Chromecast Ultra does. However at $70 it just isn't worth it with the new Fire Stick at $50 and offering 4K HDR at 60fps just like the Roku Streaming Stick+ at $60 with 4K HDR at 60fps as well.
Honestly I am surprised. I was really expecting them to come out with a Google Home Cast (dropping the Chrome name) that did 4K HDR and 60fps for $40 (since it doesn't come with a remote). Instead we got a 2018 streaming device that does not even support 4K.
Yeah, that new $50 FireTV just slaps around the competition. Better HDR support (HDR10+, HLG, in addition to DV and HDR10) than Apple, Roku, Chromecast Ultra, ShieldTV... and it costs less! And its a stick!
Chromecast Ultra refresh is going to wait for a SOC with AV1 decode support most likely. That way they depreciate VP9 at the same time they add new features.
Supporting Chromecast Audio group playback will be game-changing for some of us. It's about time, but I wonder why that can't work on the existing hardware out there...
I'm also curious how this would work, as the original Chromecast Audio has a stereo jack for traditional speakers, and I don't think the 3rd gen Chromecast has that.
Err, AFAIK none of the Chromecasts have BT? I imagine this would be strictly for piping audio via HDMI and straight to a TV or AVR... I think I'd actually have preferred this to using optical out with the CCA in my living room, at least if I had extra HDMI inputs free on the AVR, which I don't so w/e...
More people probably buy regular Chromecast review CCAs tho, or at least more people probably plug into HDMI rather than optical for larger speakers, so this opens up the audio end a bit... Still dunno why they couldn't do it with previous Chromecasts tho.
I bought a Chromecast Ultra without realizing Chromecast Audio wasn't supported. If they can update the Ultra to have that functionality, that would be baller.
I thought they had planned that at one point, or maybe it was speakers that they were gonna tie in with the CCA group play functionality... I know my RIVA speaker pairs just fine with my CCAs, and I ended up with both a CCA and a NV Shield in the living room so it could pair be grouped with the rest of the house for audio... Kind of a dumb workaround but for $35 I was like whatever.
I bought the first gen Chromecast and honestly for the price it's a really great device. I use it often each week and it's still doing good. Was thinking about trying out this 3rd gen since only $35.
Why would you expect a very low price piece of consumer equipment to have WPA Enterprise support? Google isn't going to expect this to be used in a home environment with RADIUS.
I don't care about 4K but I do want: - High Quality HD with minimal artifacts (H.265 1080p 60hz). This seems to be implemented - Built in BT low latency (aptX?) to connect BT headphones. Will this be supported?product map?
I think the lowest latency BT codec is a subset of AptX (AptX LL) but I've heard Qualcomm licenses all their variants separately, hence why not every device has AptX LL & HD, etc. BT can be a crapshoot for that and a host of other reasons, I use BT a lot on the go and some at home... If you're in a HT environment can't you just play with the audio delay settings of AVRs tho?
Hey, what’s a use case for Bluetooth headphones with a Chromecast? I can see multi-room audio, I can see external speakers - but if you’re wearing headphones, it seems like it would be easier to directly connect the og device and the headphones. Never mind the obvious latency and quality issues that come from Bluetooth.
I imagine he uses the Chromecast for video/streaming so that *is* his device (may not have an AVR in between with BT or the outputs for a BT adapter), and he wants BT so he can use headphones wirelessly on the couch. WiFi is definitely preferable in the house but there's no great WiFi solution for headphones...
I use headphones a lot and I end up using them either wired (if I care a lot about quality, with a specialty amp etc) or thru BT with a MEE adapter that has optical in and AptX LL... Works alright with my particular BT adapter for the house (Fiio BRT1) but that can be pretty hit or miss. I use a different BT adapter when out and about and headphones with BT built in are another roll of the dice.
I've not even tried my Shield's built in BT but I've heard it's not great...
Correct. My setup is minimalist: wifi - chromecast - tv (and phone as "remote"). No other input. What I miss is the ability to switch to wireless headphone when wife goes to sleep. If Chromecast provided BT audio connectivity with the correct audio/video latency adjustment (or AptX LL) then I'm set. I did try BT headphone with my PC watching youtube; the latency was unbearable. Yet having a wire crossing the living room is also not acceptable.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
23 Comments
Back to Article
.vodka - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
> 802.11ac Wi-Fi support (it now supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, so it works a bit faster than its predecessor)Second gen CC had 5GHz ac Wi-Fi.
quiksilvr - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
Yup. And the Second Gen one was able to run at 720p at 60 fps.Diablo-D3 - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
On top of that, the second gen CC's radio was a lot less shitty in the 2.4ghz band. Not saying you should use 2.4ghz unless you absolutely have to, but the CC1 was famously bad.Also, CC1 and 2 and 4k all support the CC ethernet dongle, and I assume the new CC does as well.
mathew7 - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
I remember that video support was the same on both generations. Only wifi being really upgraded.Now, will this one support h265? (yes, on up to 1080p videos).
quiksilvr - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Gonna have to wait on someone to confirm that but the Chromecast Ultra does. However at $70 it just isn't worth it with the new Fire Stick at $50 and offering 4K HDR at 60fps just like the Roku Streaming Stick+ at $60 with 4K HDR at 60fps as well.Honestly I am surprised. I was really expecting them to come out with a Google Home Cast (dropping the Chrome name) that did 4K HDR and 60fps for $40 (since it doesn't come with a remote). Instead we got a 2018 streaming device that does not even support 4K.
Sttm - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Yeah, that new $50 FireTV just slaps around the competition. Better HDR support (HDR10+, HLG, in addition to DV and HDR10) than Apple, Roku, Chromecast Ultra, ShieldTV... and it costs less! And its a stick!saratoga4 - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Chromecast Ultra refresh is going to wait for a SOC with AV1 decode support most likely. That way they depreciate VP9 at the same time they add new features.saxifrage - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
Supporting Chromecast Audio group playback will be game-changing for some of us. It's about time, but I wonder why that can't work on the existing hardware out there...cigar3tte - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
I'm also curious how this would work, as the original Chromecast Audio has a stereo jack for traditional speakers, and I don't think the 3rd gen Chromecast has that.CheapSushi - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
I'm guessing it's just for bluetooth speakers.Impulses - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Err, AFAIK none of the Chromecasts have BT? I imagine this would be strictly for piping audio via HDMI and straight to a TV or AVR... I think I'd actually have preferred this to using optical out with the CCA in my living room, at least if I had extra HDMI inputs free on the AVR, which I don't so w/e...More people probably buy regular Chromecast review CCAs tho, or at least more people probably plug into HDMI rather than optical for larger speakers, so this opens up the audio end a bit... Still dunno why they couldn't do it with previous Chromecasts tho.
jordanclock - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Despite the presence of Bluetooth hardware, there are no signs the new CC has Bluetooth support.The group playback for these would be for TVs and those with HDMI passthrough equipment to a stereo.
andyveryhandy - Thursday, October 11, 2018 - link
I was wondering the same thing - your comment makes everything clear. Thank you.Wish the article would have mentioned this.
Duraz0rz - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
I bought a Chromecast Ultra without realizing Chromecast Audio wasn't supported. If they can update the Ultra to have that functionality, that would be baller.Impulses - Friday, October 12, 2018 - link
I thought they had planned that at one point, or maybe it was speakers that they were gonna tie in with the CCA group play functionality... I know my RIVA speaker pairs just fine with my CCAs, and I ended up with both a CCA and a NV Shield in the living room so it could pair be grouped with the rest of the house for audio... Kind of a dumb workaround but for $35 I was like whatever.CheapSushi - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
I bought the first gen Chromecast and honestly for the price it's a really great device. I use it often each week and it's still doing good. Was thinking about trying out this 3rd gen since only $35.YukaKun - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
If they still don't support WPA Enterprise, I don't care.Cheers!
jordanclock - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Why would you expect a very low price piece of consumer equipment to have WPA Enterprise support? Google isn't going to expect this to be used in a home environment with RADIUS.PaoDeTech - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
I don't care about 4K but I do want:- High Quality HD with minimal artifacts (H.265 1080p 60hz). This seems to be implemented
- Built in BT low latency (aptX?) to connect BT headphones. Will this be supported?product map?
Impulses - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
I think the lowest latency BT codec is a subset of AptX (AptX LL) but I've heard Qualcomm licenses all their variants separately, hence why not every device has AptX LL & HD, etc. BT can be a crapshoot for that and a host of other reasons, I use BT a lot on the go and some at home... If you're in a HT environment can't you just play with the audio delay settings of AVRs tho?andyveryhandy - Thursday, October 11, 2018 - link
Hey, what’s a use case for Bluetooth headphones with a Chromecast? I can see multi-room audio, I can see external speakers - but if you’re wearing headphones, it seems like it would be easier to directly connect the og device and the headphones. Never mind the obvious latency and quality issues that come from Bluetooth.Impulses - Friday, October 12, 2018 - link
I imagine he uses the Chromecast for video/streaming so that *is* his device (may not have an AVR in between with BT or the outputs for a BT adapter), and he wants BT so he can use headphones wirelessly on the couch. WiFi is definitely preferable in the house but there's no great WiFi solution for headphones...I use headphones a lot and I end up using them either wired (if I care a lot about quality, with a specialty amp etc) or thru BT with a MEE adapter that has optical in and AptX LL... Works alright with my particular BT adapter for the house (Fiio BRT1) but that can be pretty hit or miss. I use a different BT adapter when out and about and headphones with BT built in are another roll of the dice.
I've not even tried my Shield's built in BT but I've heard it's not great...
PaoDeTech - Monday, October 15, 2018 - link
Correct. My setup is minimalist: wifi - chromecast - tv (and phone as "remote"). No other input. What I miss is the ability to switch to wireless headphone when wife goes to sleep. If Chromecast provided BT audio connectivity with the correct audio/video latency adjustment (or AptX LL) then I'm set. I did try BT headphone with my PC watching youtube; the latency was unbearable. Yet having a wire crossing the living room is also not acceptable.