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Comment by jimt1234 | Hacker News Reader

A few weeks after all this beef started, Google emailed me with an offer for a free "Chromecast with Google TV" device. I thought it was weird, as the email (and the offer) was completely unsolicited. The email mentioned something about thanking me for being a YouTube-TV customer. I'm sure Google knows I watch YouTube-TV from my Roku-enabled TV, so I figured it was related to the beef. I just though it was weird at first (like, what's the catch here?), but now I get it - and it was a brilliant move. The Chromecast/Google-TV device is better, much more responsive than Roku on my TV, which was always my biggest complaint with Roku (too slow!). So now, I've pretty much abandoned Roku, and use my Chromecast/Google-TV device almost exclusively. Well-played, Google. Your move, Roku - send me free shit! LOL

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Lately, the Chromecast has become substantially worse, with many more ads and of course a stupid update nobody asked for showing kind of a tablet UI when you're in "idle" mode with the phone connected to the TV (idk how you're supposed to operate it, but I don't care, ofc it's a clickbait showcase screen).

Before the increase in ad frequency (and some bugs like a random unlinking of the device when you put the app in background) it was pretty good TBH.

But of course, everything worsens as viewership gets more concentrated and there are less alternatives.

Will there ever be a product that... just stays like it was when you bought it? A lot of things tech related seem like a bait and switch... you have this.. haha! now you don't

/rant

Well the latest Chromecast comes with its own OS and a remote so you no longer need a phone to use it.

Chromecasts have ads? I've never seen one in my life on them. Are you talking about free YouTube?

I liked the first Chromecast and since I upgraded to the latest with Google TV, I think it's the best experience ever. I sometimes want to take mine to friends' place so I don't have you suffer through whatever horrible smart TV interface they have.

Do you not have the leanback launcher/LauncherX which has integrated ads?

They put this on my Shield TV and Chromecast Ultra. I now own an Apple TV.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/9to5google.com/2020/10/01/googl...

The normal phone-controlled Chromecast definitely doesn't have ads (but ads will play when watching YouTube unless you have premium obviously)

I feel like that experience is optimal. I don't want any launcher experience on the tv, much less any ads.

> (but ads will play when watching YouTube unless you have premium obviously)

Why obviously? Can't you use an adblocker with Chromecast? Isn't it just a dumb IP video streaming device?

I've never used or seen a Chromecast, but if you can recommend a free-software/cheap alternative i'd be curious to try it.

Nope, it's a tiny embedded device you have little control over. It's slightly more intelligent than just IP video streaming ( e.g. there are app integrations) - if you cast a random video, it will play that video; if you cast YouTube or Netflix it does stuff directly with them and there are ads on free YouTube. DNS adblockers don't work by default either, since Chromecasts have Google's DNS servers hardcoded.

Holy crap it's worse than i thought! Does it do DoH or can you just configure reroute all DNS trafic on your router to your local resolver/pi-hole?

I think the reality is there is no free-software alternative, because the entire user experience is based on ecosystem buy-in where every media source (Netflix/Amazon/YouTube/Hulu/HBO, even NPR/PBS and Chrome itself) all actively have support for the Cast flows within their products (some only in their native apps, but many in their web experiences as well).

I did a quick search on Github and i see there's a variety of clients implementing the Chromecast protocols, but no server?! Is there really millions of such devices using a proprietary protocol noone has written a free server for?

> Lately, the Chromecast has become substantially worse, with many more ads and of course a stupid update nobody asked for showing kind of a tablet UI when you're in "idle" mode with the phone connected to the TV (idk how you're supposed to operate it, but I don't care, ofc it's a clickbait showcase screen).

Are you sure you're using a Chromecast? Not only has my Chromecast never once shown me an ad, but I have no idea what screen you're talking about and I use mine every day.

The new Chromecast is a dongle that comes with a remote and has a Google tv interface built on Android tv. You can still cast to it like the old Chromecast. You are likely using one the older, cast only devices which have been discontinued.

I have the new one with the remote and it doesn't show ads.

The cast only devices haven't been discontinued. I bought one this week. Only the Ultra has been discontinued.

Even ignoring the fact that cast-only isn't discontinued, I believe you can set the new Chromecast in a cast-only mode too. Of course this kinda defeats the point of the device, but it is doable.

Reminds me of the time Google made their products perform worse in competing browsers to drive adoption of Chrome.

> The Chromecast/Google-TV device is better

I disagree. I have 5-6 Rokus and one Chromecast with Google TV. Chromecast with Google TV does not support YouTubeTV user profiles. That's kind of a big deal, considering it's a feature of YTTV and one that I use extensively. Not being able to access my library of content from my living room TV sucks. I have to use my phone to launch the video, and then I can use the CC remote to skip/navigate. I've reported it multiple times, all I hear back from the YTTV Reddit team is "we're working on it".

Is the Amazon Prime app on Chromecast as good as Roku's?

Never used the one in Roku but Amazon Prime on the latest Chromecast seems fine to me. It wasn't a good experience a year ago but it's decent now, I guess.

Good as in bad? It doesn't support using a keyboard from the phone remote nor casting from its app on a phone.

Sacrifice long term happiness for short term gain? Yes brilliant move on your part, totally brilliant!!!

Just remember, Google is the company that has surveillance on people more than the others. And they use what the capture.

https://www.amazon.com/Age-Surveillance-Capitalism-Future-Fr...

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