Chromecast HD

Recent leaks about Google’s budget Chromecast HD with Google TV suggested that the streaming stick is already in stock at multiple retailers, and should be revealed soon.

Well, that turned out to be true.

The new product seems only to be listed on Best Buy currently, in addition to the Google Store. The device looks exactly like the original Chromecast with Google TV, down to the same dimensions, but without 4K support and the pastel ‘Sunrise,’ and ‘Sky’ colourways. It’s worth noting that under specs, Google mentions the Chromecast HD is also available in the two extra colours, but they don’t seem to be listed anywhere.

Chromecast HD retains HDR10 and HDR 10+, and runs on Android TV OS. It Plugs directly into the HDMI port on your TV, with Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4 GHz/5 GHz) and Bluetooth for connectivity, and features Google Assistant support directly from the remote, which is identical to the 4K Chromecast with Google TV’s remote, alongside casting and Stadia compatibility.

As leaked earlier, the device supports the AV 1 codec, a feature the 4K model doesn’t support, although its hardware limits the streaming device to a max 1080p resolution. Further, 8GB of internal storage makes its hardware similar to the 4K Chromecast with Google TV, while a downgraded 1.5GB RAM sets it apart from the original 4K model.

Google’s new Chromecast HD with Google TV is available to order now from Best Buy or the Google Store for $39.99. Learn more about the streaming stick here.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

Recent leaks suggest that Google intends to launch a cheaper Chromecast streaming stick in the near future, and from what we know so far, the cheaper Chromecast will reportedly stream in HD only, and will likely come with a remote.

Now, according to developer Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za_Raczke) on Twitter (via AndroidPolice), who was able to get their hands on the full software build for the new streaming stick, the new Chromecast will reportedly run on Android 12 with Google TV, and will be likely branded as “Chromecast HD” on Google’s store.

The build I obtained is from July and is most likely the same as the one that will be preinstalled on the device. It is based on Android 12 with Google TV. It does also confirm the “Chromecast HD” branding. pic.twitter.com/KHL02I9uRW

— Kuba Wojciechowski⚡ (@Za_Raczke) September 12, 2022

Furthermore, according to Wojciechowski, the stick will feature Amlogic’s S805X2 CPU with AV1 decoding and 1.5GB RAM, down from the 2GB RAM found in the 4K Chromecast, which should result in either a trade-off in terms of features or lower performance.

Furthermore, according to Google’s recent GMS update, any device featuring less than 2GB of RAM would not be able to update to Android 13, and that seems to be the case for the new budget Chromecast.

On the connectivity side of things, the upcoming Chromecast relies on the NXP 88W8987 chipset for dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and for updates, the Chromecast HD will support A/B updates, which, according to Wojciechowski will allow the update to be directly streamed to the stick’s virtual partitions instead of being downloaded to its storage.

The firmware also has a diagram of a remote that is similar – or maybe identical – to the one from the 4K model. pic.twitter.com/J5Fm2LbZbI

— Kuba Wojciechowski⚡ (@Za_Raczke) September 12, 2022

While we are not entirely certain when and if Google will release the new Chromecast HD, its fall Pixel 7 event seems to be the right time and place to do it.

Source: @Za_Raczke, via AndroidPolice