While we wait for the $179 new Apple TV 4K, the humble and much cheaper $49 Chromecast with Google TV is getting updated with a handful of useful features and security improvements.
Reddit user u/firefighter2021 discovered the update on their own Chromecast with Google TV, and Google is now rolling it out to other users in stages. In addition to the first Chromecast security update since December 2020, the patch also gives owners much more finer control over video playback.
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Specifically, the patch notes include “Advanced Video Controls setting for granular HDR formats, resolution/refresh rate and color formats,” so depending on what your TV supports, you could get to make various tweaks to how movies and TV shows look. This update also makes HDMI hotplug improvements, so the Chromecast with Google TV is better at detecting the optimal settings for your particular screen.
There are also unspecified Wi-Fi improvements for 5Ghz and mesh networks, and wireless performance gets an additional boost with a reduction in stuttering when using Bluetooth devices — like headphones — with certain Chromecast apps.
The Chromecast with Google TV's HDMI-CEC capability, which allows the streaming device to communicate back and forth with the connected TV, also gets a small upgrade. It can now be configured, through the Chromecast’s settings, to let you turn the TV and off by itself while leaving the device itself still running.
To download and install the 166MB update, Chromecast with Google TV owners should hit up the main settings menu, then navigate to “System,” then “About,”, then “System update.” There’s also a new Chromecast voice remote update to download while you’re at it, though there are no patch notes for this and u/firefighter2021 isn’t sure what it does.
We quickly fell for the Google Chromecast with Google TV when it launched last year, and it’s encouraging to see Google continuously adding new features. The new Apple TV 4K is rumored to release on May 21, so hopefully we won’t have to wait long to see if Google’s support will help the Chromecast with Google TV to Apple’s much more premium streamer.
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