ChromeCast vs GoogleTV vs Android TV Stick

It's Crazy .... too Crazy. The fight for the living room continues, and this time it isn't Google vs Apple, or Samsung vs Apple, or Google vs Samsung, or Microsoft vs Sony, it is Google vs Google

Google hasn't put up a very strong fight for the living room thus far, with Google TV not doing as well as alternatives like the Roku or Boxee boxes. And now, almost from nowhere, Google has introduced Chromecast, which could prove to be the most cost effective and efficient way to get content to your living room. Does this then mean that Google TV is a relic, a dead end, another closing Google product? Well, maybe and maybe not. I believe there is a use case for each of Google's products, and one doesn't have to kill off the other. If you are looking to get a TV box soon, maybe look into why you want it, and then decide which of Google's TV devices will work best for you.

ChromeCast

Recently unveiled, ChromeCast is a HDMI TV dongle that connects to your TV's HDMI, powered by USB with a built in wifi chipset. The big differentiating factor between this and Google TV (discussed below) is that the ChromeCast does not have an interactive UI. All interaction is done on your phone, tablet or laptop/desktop. ChromeCast receives all instruction from these devices, and then pulls the media from the source (at the moment, all sources are through the internet i.e. YouTube, Netflix - would be interesting to see the source be local network sources for use with services like Plex).

GoogleTV

GoogleTV is a complete Android OS (the UI modified from that of traditional phone and tablet UI to better suit TV). GoogleTV has a completely interactive UI, with navigation and exploration on the TV itself. Furthermore, GoogleTV allows for TV signal passthrough, with control of the pass through signal via the GoogleTV remote. Google TV can change channels, search through all content supporting Google TV (Satellite TV, YouTube, Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Video, Google Search etc). Unfortunately, most of the features that make GoogleTV better compared to Android TV sticks and now ChromeCast, is not available in most countries outside of the USA.

Android TV Stick

Android TV Sticks are not Google products, but are creations of smaller manufacturers who typically just slap the open source tablet android operating system on a HDMI dongle. This is again an interactive UI normally via a bluetooth or wifi keyboard / mouse combo. Seeing as it is a tablet android version, it is not optimised for TV use, and gestures such as swipe and multi touch need to be imitated by the remote, which isn't always the best experience.

The Comparison
Android TV Sticks provide the most functionality, but its non TV UI makes it less intuitive and efficient to use. GoogleTV has the UI, but its application list is very limited (It is compatible with all android applications, but only the ones designed for GoogleTV appear in the playstore). With the ability to manage satellite channels and recorded media, the GoogleTV has an extra advantage, but as this is not typically supported outside of the USA, I don't know if this is worth the consideration. The ChromeCast may be a great solution IF developers grab hold of what it has to offer at such a great price.

I live outside of the USA, and have GoogleTV in my living room. I use the passthrough but am unable to use the satellite control because it is not supported. So all I find myself using the GoogleTV for is Plex, Netflix, Youtube and Google Music. Do I really need a fully fledged operating system on my TV to use these services. The ChromeCast already supports 3 out of the 4 services I use GoogleTV for, so eliminating the need to interact with my TV means that I can get technology out of the way and focus on the content.

If you live in the USA, and actually can get the full use of GoogleTV, then definitely GoogleTV the way to go. I'm also pretty sure that GoogleTV will support casting from apps like Netflix, Plex and Google Play in the future soon, as this is where YouTube casting support started after all.

If you live outside of the USA, then it should come down to whether you want access to non tv apps such as Gmail, Hangouts, Skype etc on your TV. If you do, then Android TV Sticks are the best option, as it provides the most functionality, in which case you are really looking for a way to turn your TV into a computer, which should be a different discussion. For what a TV is truly meant for (ie media consumption), the choice should be between GoogleTV or ChromeCast. ChromeCast would be the preferred choice outside of the USA, because of the following:

• Small footprint - it is an incredibly small device that doesn't occupy much space and is particularly useful when the TV is mounted, as the unit can be hidden behind the TV
• Inexpensive - compared to your Android TV sticks which go for around $80 to $100, and GoogleTV that retails around $100 too, the ChromeCast makes for an inexpensive alternative
• No new UI to learn - because ChromeCast has no UI, you dont need to learn anything new. Everything is controlled from your smartphone, tablet and laptop apps which you are already familiar with.
• Likely to be well supported - easier for developers to add this compatibility to their apps, than have to redesign an app with a TV layout.

Using ChromeCast over GoogleTV and Android Sticks do mean you sacrifice the ability to use USB, bluetooth and wifi hardware with it. Also, at the moment, the Chromecast is marketed as a device to watch "online video on your tv". If your TV needs are beyond just ONLINE video, then maybe GoogleTV is the better option. 

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and which device suits you more. For me, it's Google TV in the living room, and Android TV Stick in bedroom (I'll migrate to ChromeCast if and when it supports non-online sources such as Plex).