An ode to the Chromecast
A tribute to one of the greats
It’s official: the Google Chromecast is kaput. It no longer exists. And an era has come to an end.
Dramatic? A bit. It’s not like The Big G is exiting media streamers altogether, as the Chromecast is being replaced by the premium Google TV Streamer, but that’s not the full story. To quote the Most Notorious of all, things done changed. And, because of that, I’d like to pay tribute to and pour one out for the Chromecast, an all-timer in the gadget hall of fame.
It was revelatory when the Chromecast dropped; the device was elegant, powerful, and, most importantly, fun as hell.
The first media streamers I used were simple little things with no internet connection. You’d plug a USB stick or hard drive into the device and it literally just played files on the TV. They ruled.
I mean, yeah, did they suck and have horrible UI and weren’t that flexible and had issue with all sorts of file formats? Of course, but you have to remember it was a simpler time, an era in which playing a 240P AVI on a television was the very height of culture.
This level of sophistication didn’t last long though. The Apple TV arrived rapidly. Here was a media player that, against all odds, could actually connect to the internet and stream things. In my circle of friends, the Apple TV became a socialisation focal point. I was in my early 20s, living with some of my best mates, and we spent countless evenings sinking cans and gobbling down music videos.
The height of culture had changed: now it was all about watching YouTube on a television. Gone were the days of crowding around a microscopic computer screen to squint at a blurry video of a kid getting smacked in the face and saying, “I can’t believe you’ve done this,” now you could watch it on a huge display as god intended.
So what does this have to do with the Chromecast?
Apps like YouTube were tricky to use on the Apple TV. You either had to use the remote to type in a search, or operate with AirPlay. The former took forever, and the latter meant the app had to remain open on the device or playback would stop. A group of you choosing videos would have to physically pass a device between you.
The Chromecast solved those problems in one fell swoop. Because it was phone-based there was no need for a remote and anyone could open YouTube, connect to the Chromecast, and queue up music.
That doesn’t do justice to quite how crotch-tinglingly revolutionary this felt. It was like seeing in colour for the first time, how I imagined mountaineers feel when they conquer Everest, or that first hit on a fresh vape after five pints.
Getting a Chromecast was almost exactly like that. It became the entertainment centre of the household, a communal hub that improved how we hung out. And that’s not something you can put a price on.
Apart, I guess, from the fact it cost £35. Something that almost anyone could afford. For a long time, it was the best bang-for-your-buck gadget on the market.
I love the Chromecast. Or, more accurately, loved it.
Nothing lasts forever. Competitors caught up. Voice commands improved. Technology moved on. But, for a few glorious years, there was nothing out there quite like the Chromecast. It was a companion, a device that brought people together, and a damn fantastic bargain.
I can’t be sad that the Chromecast is gone, because I’ll always remember the times we had together.