We have already spoken to you on several occasions about the Google Chromecast. A small device that allows us to give a second life to those older televisions, providing them with all the functionalities of a Smart TV. But what alternatives are there beyond this team? Today we show you the best Google Chromecast alternatives .
What is a Google Chromecast and how does it work?
Before showing you all those teams that give the same, or even more, possibilities than Google’s option, it is important that you know it well. The Google Chromecast is a small device that connects to the HDMI port of your TV (or, if it is relatively current, it may already be included inside). A team that we can manage from our smartphone , either Android or iOS, or even send content from the computer to view it on a larger screen.
With a Chromecast you will be able to do things like:
- Share the screen of your devices.
- Send multimedia content from the main streaming platforms.
- Control the TV using voice commands.
- Remotely turn the TV on and off.
- Play games on TV: from games compatible with Chromecast or Google Stadia.
This is the basic information you need to know about Google Chromecast. If some of these features are interesting for you and you want to delve deeper, you can check out our article on how to get the most out of your Chromecast, or watch the video from our YouTube channel where we tell you all about it.
The main alternatives of Google Chromecast
Now is the time for you to know the main alternatives that this Google gadget has. On the one hand we have equipment based on the Android TV operating system , in which you have all the functionalities and characteristics that you will find in a Smart TV. And, on the other hand, there are other teams based on their own operating system, such as the Roku or Apple TV , which also include a good set of features that compete with the Google Chromecast. Keep reading because, in the following lines, we talk about all these devices.
Amazon Fire TV Stick
The main alternative that you can find to Google Chromecast is the Amazon Fire Stick . An ideal gadget in which, when coupled to the HDMI port of our TV, we will have available all the functions that we would have in a current smart TV: Application installation, multimedia consumption from the main platforms such as Netflix or HBO, management through voice command, and many other actions.
It has its own control with which you can control the TV and, as we mentioned before, use voice commands to give commands to Alexa. There are two models of this device:
- Amazon Fire Stick : content consumption in FullHD , for a price of 39.99 euros .
- Amazon Fire Stick 4K : content consumption at maximum quality ( 4K ), for a price of 59.99 euros .
Nvidia Shield TV
If you are a gamer, another very interesting alternative is the Nvidia Shield . It is a team that, thanks to the processor integrated by Nvidia, we can enjoy a large number of video games that we find on the GeForce Now platform. And, if you buy the complete pack, you can manage it from the gamepad if you want to enjoy the best playing experience.
The Nvidia Shield TV is also a very powerful multimedia player that has Android TV. Therefore, we can enjoy all the advantages of this system, being able to install apps from Google Play or watch series from Netflix or HBO, among others.
You can buy this equipment in its “basic” model for a price of 159.99 euros or, buy the Pro model for 219 euros .
Mi Box Xiaomi
Continuing with the equipment based on Android TV, a very good option is the Xiaomi Mi Box . In it you can install apps from Google Play and enjoy all the multimedia content on YouTube, Netflix and the rest of the main streaming platforms.
It is accompanied by its own remote controller, to be able to handle it and move around the system easily. It also has USB 3.0 ports to connect external storage devices and play any content we have on it.
The most current model of this Xiaomi accessory is the Mi Box S , which allows us to enjoy any content up to 4K resolution . We can find it for a price of 69.99 euros .
Apple tv
Having seen the devices based on Android TV, now is the time to move on to other computers with their own operating system such as this Apple TV . In this gadget we will have available many of the applications that we find in the iOS store and, of course, we can convert any television into a Smart TV using the tvOS system. Its functionalities range from: sending the screen of our equipment (from the Apple ecosystem), playing multimedia content, playing games (using the Apple Arcade service) and much more.
There are several generations of this team, but the first one that gives us the possibility of enjoying all the functions that we have mentioned is this fourth generation. Within this version, we find two different models with different storage capacities:
- Apple TV “basic”: it allows you to play content in FullHD , it has a single 32GB storage and we can acquire it for a price of 159 euros .
- Apple TV 4K : allows you to play content at maximum resolution (4K) , we will have it available with 32GB and 64GB models, for a price of 199 euros and 219 euros respectively.
Roku
Roku is another alternative that, despite not being so well known, offers us many interesting features. It is a device that, like the other alternatives that we have talked about, connects to the HDMI port and gives us an interface extremely similar to that of a Smart TV. We can install applications among which are the main services such as Netflix, YouTube, Spotify or Prime Video.
In this case we have two models again:
- Roku Express : content consumption in FullHD , for a price of 65 euros .
- Roku Premiere : consumption of content at maximum quality ( 4K ), for a price of 65.50 euros .
Raspberry Pi
Finally, we have the alternative for those who enjoy “messing around” or DIY projects. If you have a Raspberry Pi you can install the LineageOS system and, following the steps that we already told you in our tutorial, turn your television together with this small computer into a Smart TV.
As this process is somewhat heavy, our recommendation is that you acquire the latest available model of the Raspberry Pi, which in this case is the Pi4 with 8 GB of RAM.
These are the main alternatives to Google Chromecast . Remember that there are many models based on Android TV, but unfortunately not all of them fulfill their function correctly. For this reason we have brought you this compilation of the best options on the market. If you have any questions about these gadgets, do not hesitate to leave us a comment and we will try to resolve it as soon as possible.
