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Consumer Reports joined Into Tomorrow this week to share their thoughts on Google Cast:
Google Cast is Google’s latest foray into the Smart TV platform business, following the short-lived Google TV and Android TV. But does it succeed where those platforms did not? Consumer Reports electronics spokesman James McQueen is here with a review.
Recently, we reviewed the 65-inch Vizio P65-C1 SmartCast TV and we think it would take some viewers time to get used to Google Cast. That’s mainly because there’s no onscreen menu or streaming apps on the TV itself. Instead, you control the TV through the SmartCast app, loaded on the tablet that comes included, or with your own phone or laptop. The set also comes with a rudimentary remote control that you can use for basic functions.
One advantage we found is that there are already hundreds of Cast-enabled apps, which provide more content choices than you get with most proprietary TV-based streaming platforms. And we expect Google Cast to get more frequent updates and improvements than most systems built by single TV makers such as Samsung or LG. But there’s also a disadvantage: While you can access Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube through Google Cast, right now it doesn’t directly support Amazon or Apple iTunes.
Whether Google Cast is a better option than a conventional smart TV platform depends on who is using it. If you only have one or two streaming services and prefer a conventional remote control, it’s probably not the best option.
For more info on this story, visit ConsumerReports.org.
Rory recommended Facebook for it’s “Safety Check” feature:
After the massacre at a night club in Orlando last weekend, Facebook’s “Safety Check” let Rory know some of his friends were safe, and he shared his experience with the feature with us on this week’s Favorite Apps segment.
