# Sabrina could be a better option.



## dbpaddler

Here's the unboxing article. 
Chromecast with Google TV gets full unboxing [Gallery] - 9to5Google

For those that don't care about the Stream app and de-tivo'd it, the new Google TV dongle could be a better deal. It gets a processor bump from the Tivo's amlogic s905y2 to the s905x3 which bumps up to the A55 cores over the A53 and a higher clock speed. Probably not a huge real world difference between the two, but every little bit helps. Same 2gb of ram and 8gb of storage.

With usb-c and a later version of Android tv there might be better usb-c support out of the box as well. Sabrina is shipping with Android 10 while tivo is on 9. Nothing revolutionary between the two, but with Sabrina being built with usb-c, I bet it has better usb-c support than the TS4k out of the box. Should bring better usb-c support to the TS4k over time which is a plus though.

I think the biggest difference is in the remotes. For those in the live TV/dvr world, I'm sure the wannabe apple style remote is a negative over Tivo's. I'm definitely a fan of the tivo remote, especially on my TV/amp setups as it's the only remote I need. Have a feeling the Google remote won't be great with Channels DVR and I'd be more inclined to get the Harmony companion remote which I was happy ditching with my new setups.

If they hit the $50 price point I'll definitely give one a try.

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## xberk

Looks to me like a single port device (the usb-c port), which means if all I want is to add Ethernet, then a hub will be necessary? True?


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## dbpaddler

xberk said:


> Looks to me like a single port device (the usb-c port), which means if all I want is to add Ethernet, then a hub will be necessary? True?


Looks that way. There are some pretty minimal hubs out there though, and are a dime a dozen at this point.

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## xberk

I like the TS4K, setting the issue of the remote aside, I think if your wanting external storage and ethernet, then two ports are better than one.


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## dbpaddler

I have no issue with it like some. But I'm sure most of us are tech geeks to a degree and like to play with new stuff. If it's cheap, I'm sure many of us will pick one up to try.

And I'd think it'd be simpler with a powered usb-c as your only connection and everything working off the hub. Less cables. Less clutter. 

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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> For those that don't care about the Stream app and de-tivo'd it, the new Google TV dongle could be a better deal. It gets a processor bump from the Tivo's amlogic s905y2 to the s905x3 which bumps up to the A55 cores over the A53 and a higher clock speed. Probably not a huge real world difference between the two, but every little bit helps. Same 2gb of ram and 8gb of storage.


Looks like it actually has the Amlogic S905D3, but that chip is very similar to the S905X3, so probably not much, if any, actual performance difference between the two. Aside from the general processing speed bump it should have over the -Y2 chip in the TS4K, it also adds an AI accelerator, which should mean faster processing of voice queries to Google Assistant via the remote. That AI feature was the main difference between the Gen 2 and Gen 3 line of chips.


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## dbpaddler

Thanks for the clarification. Really wish they would've stepped up on the remote. I'm so tired of these watered down streaming remotes. Real video nav controls and basic TV controls. I mean iptv has been a thing for what, 3yrs now? Google even owns YouTube with their service. Why does tivo kinda get it and nobody else does? 

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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Looks like it actually has the Amlogic S905D3, but that chip is very similar to the S905X3, so probably not much, if any, actual performance difference between the two. Aside from the general processing speed bump it should have over the -Y2 chip in the TS4K, it also adds an AI accelerator, which should mean faster processing of voice queries to Google Assistant via the remote. That AI feature was the main difference between the Gen 2 and Gen 3 line of chips.


You sure about that because 9 to 5 from its update 3 seems to think it's the x3. Splitting hairs. Just curious why you think it's the d3? Some other site have different info?

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Here's the unboxing article.
> Chromecast with Google TV gets full unboxing [Gallery] - 9to5Google
> 
> For those that don't care about the Stream app and de-tivo'd it, the new Google TV dongle could be a better deal. It gets a processor bump from the Tivo's amlogic s905y2 to the s905x3 which bumps up to the A55 cores over the A53 and a higher clock speed. Probably not a huge real world difference between the two, but every little bit helps. Same 2gb of ram and 8gb of storage.
> 
> With usb-c and a later version of Android tv there might be better usb-c support out of the box as well. Sabrina is shipping with Android 10 while tivo is on 9. Nothing revolutionary between the two, but with Sabrina being built with usb-c, I bet it has better usb-c support than the TS4k out of the box. Should bring better usb-c support to the TS4k over time which is a plus though.
> 
> I think the biggest difference is in the remotes. For those in the live TV/dvr world, I'm sure the wannabe apple style remote is a negative over Tivo's. I'm definitely a fan of the tivo remote, especially on my TV/amp setups as it's the only remote I need. Have a feeling the Google remote won't be great with Channels DVR and I'd be more inclined to get the Harmony companion remote which I was happy ditching with my new setups.
> 
> If they hit the $50 price point I'll definitely give one a try.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


The Walmart employee I talked to yesterday said it goes up for sale on September 30th. Price is $49.98

I'm gonna pick up one up day one. It will most likely replace my TiVo stream device.


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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> You sure about that because 9 to 5 from its update 3 seems to think it's the x3. Splitting hairs. Just curious why you think it's the d3? Some other site have different info?


Yeah, 9 to 5 Google saw that the new Chromecast's SoC features Cortex-A55 cores, which are a feature of Amlogic's Gen 3 SoCs. So they deduced that, rather than having the S905X2, it must be the S905X3. But, of course, the S905Y3 and S905D3 also belong to that same third generation of SoCs and also have Cortex-A55 cores. So it could have been that the Chromecast was using either of those instead of the -X3.

The proof that it's the -D3 came via Twitter, from Android TV Guide.


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## dbpaddler

For $50 I'm sure I'll grab one too. My Leeco TV hasn't seen an update in years. But I won't convert out all. My TS4k's since the remote sucks, and the peanut works so well for my other setups. 

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## dbpaddler

Nice. That actually shows the chip. 

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## NashGuy

There's very little info to be had on the S905D3. I don't know if it actually shipped in anything before this new Chromecast. This source runs down all the specs for the -X3 and then says just a bit at the bottom of the page about the -Y3 and -D3. For the -D3, it says:

"The S905D3 is a variant of the S905X3 and probably will support an internal DVB-T2, Satellite and Cable tuners."

Of course, the Chromecast doesn't have any kind of tuner in it. But perhaps this will give it some kind of enhanced performance in terms of working with external OTA tuners?


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## Alex_7

I hope expanding storage is as easy as with my TiVo stream, on my firestick I am already getting the storage is running low message.


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> I hope expanding storage is as easy as with my TiVo stream, on my firestick I am already getting the storage is running low message.


Would think it should be. Tivo doesn't have any special sauce there. It's still a native android tv device.

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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> There's very little info to be had on the S905D3. I don't know if it actually shipped in anything before this new Chromecast. This source runs down all the specs for the -X3 and then says just a bit at the bottom of the page about the -Y3 and -D3. For the -D3, it says:
> 
> "The S905D3 is a variant of the S905X3 and probably will support an internal DVB-T2, Satellite and Cable tuners."
> 
> Of course, the Chromecast doesn't have any kind of tuner in it. But perhaps this will give it some kind of enhanced performance in terms of working with external OTA tuners?


I think working with network tuners is strictly software/firmware related.

I would imagine the chipset is preparing to be in setop boxes for upcoming cable boxes be it tivo/android tv, X1 and whatever the thrid one is. Would be nice to see an OTA android tv box, but I kind of like the network tuner so I don't have to be tied into anyone's ecosystem and can just go with whatever app gives me the best OTA DVR experience.

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Would think it should be. Tivo doesn't have any special sauce there. It's still a native android tv device.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


My TiVo stream stream setup is just a usb c to USB adapter with a usb flash drive for external storage for my apps.

but with this new chromecast I would need an org cable or hub since there is only one singular USB c port.









I'm wondering if something like this would work


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## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> I hope expanding storage is as easy as with my TiVo stream, on my firestick I am already getting the storage is running low message.


Nice thing about the TS4K is that it has a spare USB port that you can connect a hard drive or SD card reader to. But on this new Chromecast, there's just the USB-C port that is used for power. So that means you'll need a hub/dongle to which you can connect both external storage as well as a power cord. That'll probably run $25 or so.


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## dbpaddler

That should do the trick. I have a few of them. 

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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> I think working with network tuners is strictly software/firmware related.
> 
> I would imagine the chipset is preparing to be in setop boxes for upcoming cable boxes be it tivo/android tv, X1 and whatever the thrid one is.


Yeah, that's probably true. Wonder why Google specifically went with the -D3 rather than more common -X3 here?


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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, that's probably true. Wonder why Google specifically went with the -D3 rather than more common -X3 here?


Maybe they got a deal... Ha. Or maybe a supply issue. Who knows. I don't know enough to know which so more common. Haven't really dove into to researching them all.

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## shwru980r

dbpaddler said:


> Thanks for the clarification. Really wish they would've stepped up on the remote. I'm so tired of these watered down streaming remotes. Real video nav controls and basic TV controls. I mean iptv has been a thing for what, 3yrs now? Google even owns YouTube with their service. Why does tivo kinda get it and nobody else does?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Tivo isn't a content provider. I think a content provider has a vested interest in impairing the ability to skip over advertisements.


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## shwru980r

NashGuy said:


> Nice thing about the TS4K is that it has a spare USB port that you can connect a hard drive or SD card reader to. But on this new Chromecast, there's just the USB-C port that is used for power. So that means you'll need a hub/dongle to which you can connect both external storage as well as a power cord. That'll probably run $25 or so.


The fire TV only has one port, but you can use an OTG cable to connect a USB drive. The OTG cable is very cheap. Would an OTG cable work with this new Google device?


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## dbpaddler

shwru980r said:


> Tivo isn't a content provider. I think a content provider has a vested interest in impairing the ability to skip over advertisements.


I never said anything about advertisements. Even just basic streaming, sports and so on. It's a royal pita to go back and watch parts again. Or jumping around to specific parts of shows, movies or what not. You watch something and stop at X. Someone else watches it straight through. And you have to navigate back to that point.

I can't imagine the dumbification of remotes was all because Apple, Roku, Amazon, Google and so on wants to make sure it's as difficult as possible to skip commercials because of all the content providers.

Even pausing can be a two step process which has zero to do with commercials.

But iptv wasn't a thing when fire and Roku started. Wasn't really a thing when Apple tv came out. And Amazon, Netflix, HBO, showtime and the laundry list goes on... All have a ton of commercial free content we can freely pause, rwind and fast forward after way too many button presses.

I highly doubt these device makers give a rat's ass about skipping commercials. What they do care about is copying and not innovating. Which is sad I need to use the word innovate about a stupid remote that has existed in the normal customer friendly form since the dawn of the vcr... But now, because we stream without physical media we can do away with those buttons and have 10 different ways to go theojgb multiple button presses to accomplish the same thing? Sorry... Butt f'ing stupid.

Saturday is rant day, right? 

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## dbpaddler

shwru980r said:


> The fire TV only has one port, but you can use an OTG cable to connect a USB drive. The OTG cable is very cheap. Would an OTG cable work with this new Google device?


Usb-c is not MicroUSB. Why use adapter cables when you can just get a cheap hub?

$22
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6R3CPB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_oA5BFbGDVS3JY

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## shwru980r

dbpaddler said:


> I never said anything about advertisements. Even just basic streaming, sports and so on. It's a royal pita to go back and watch parts again. Or jumping around to specific parts of shows, movies or what not. You watch something and stop at X. Someone else watches it straight through. And you have to navigate back to that point.
> 
> I can't imagine the dumbification of remotes was all because Apple, Roku, Amazon, Google and so on wants to make sure it's as difficult as possible to skip commercials because of all the content providers.
> 
> Even pausing can be a two step process which has zero to do with commercials.
> 
> But iptv wasn't a thing when fire and Roku started. Wasn't really a thing when Apple tv came out. And Amazon, Netflix, HBO, showtime and the laundry list goes on... All have a ton of commercial free content we can freely pause, rwind and fast forward after way too many button presses.
> 
> I highly doubt these device makers give a rat's ass about skipping commercials. What they do care about is copying and not innovating. Which is sad I need to use the word innovate about a stupid remote that has existed in the normal customer friendly form since the dawn of the vcr... But now, because we stream without physical media we can do away with those buttons and have 10 different ways to go theojgb multiple button presses to accomplish the same thing? Sorry... Butt f'ing stupid.
> 
> Saturday is rant day, right?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


The commercial free content is like an all you can eat buffet. It's in their interest to reduce your rate of consumption. It's about control. Most people acquiesce to the imposition of the lack of features. Once people forget about the feature a new imposition will come along.


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## dbpaddler

shwru980r said:


> The commercial free content is like an all you can eat buffet. It's in their interest to reduce your rate of consumption. It's about control. Most people acquiesce to the imposition of the lack of features. Once people forget about the feature a new imposition will come along.


Well you must be living under a rock because everyone and their brother seems to complain about the lack of controls on these remotes. Everyone complains about how annoying the in app controls are and how they vary from app to app. They go hand in hand. So who are these people that have forgotten exactly? I remember way back when the fire TV owners britched, and what happened the next generation? Volume control. I guess they didn't forget.

At least fire TV has dedicated video nav controls. But then again, Amazon doesn't really give a **** about copying Apple like everyone else.

Quite a few applaud tivo, especially parents because not one person I know loves to use the d pad to enter simple number passwords on screen for parental controls.

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Usb-c is not MicroUSB. Why use adapter cables when you can just get a cheap hub?
> 
> $22
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6R3CPB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_oA5BFbGDVS3JY
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


no Ethernet port?


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> no Ethernet port?


Doh! Sorry... Hate Amazon search parameters. They just throw everything in and the kitchen sink when you try to search for specific things. So just assumed that was Ethernet on the end.

This one is $20.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_ZY5BFbFY17KFZ

Its a shame the basic Ethernet with a few usb 3.0 ports don't seem to be available in a powered version.

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Doh! Sorry... Hate Amazon search parameters. They just throw everything in and the kitchen sink when you try to search for specific things. So just assumed that was Ethernet on the end.
> 
> This one is $20.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_ZY5BFbFY17KFZ
> 
> Its a shame the basic Ethernet with a few usb 3.0 ports don't seem to be available in a powered version.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Nice I added it to my list.

I just placed my order for the New Chromecast via Walmart app. Says I can pickup by Tuesday, a day early Wooh!


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Nice I added it to my list.
> 
> I just placed my order for the New Chromecast via Walmart app. Says I can pickup by Tuesday, a day early Wooh!


Nice. With AmazonIll usually throw a few similar items on the favorite list. Within a week I usually get alerts for lightning deals on them.

Also you can search for something, and then go to the price filter and choose today's deals to see who's got a deal going on. That's how I get most of my disposable-ish type of electronics/accessories.

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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Well you must be living under a rock because everyone and their brother seems to complain about the lack of controls on these remotes. Everyone complains about how annoying the in app controls are and how they vary from app to app.


That's one of the things that's great about the Apple TV: consistency in UI and controls between apps. And using its touchpad, it's very quick to scrub through a video and find the part you're looking for.


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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> That's one of the things that's great about the Apple TV: consistency in UI and controls between apps. And using its touchpad, it's very quick to scrub through a video and find the part you're looking for.


Very true, but it's also very sad. Because they can do something so user friendly like that, yet they design a remote that many hate. Form truly trumped function. The duality of them as a company is quite amusing.

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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Nice I added it to my list.
> 
> I just placed my order for the New Chromecast via Walmart app. Says I can pickup by Tuesday, a day early Wooh!


Do you have the link for it? It's funny of all the share options they have, I don't see copy to clipboard as one of them.

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Do you have the link for it? It's funny of all the share options they have, I don't see copy to clipboard as one of them.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


weirdly Walmart charged me $59.98, will this be the final pricing?

I should have picked delivery it would have arrived by Monday for the same price of $59.98

I can't seem to cancel or change my order oh well.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bundle-Sabrina-Abbey-Rock-Candy-US/403830906


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## Tony from the corner

I'm definitely going to pick up a Chromecast on the 30th when they're on sale. I just picked up a TS4K and I'm pretty happy with it. 

Although I am a little hesitant to buy anything from Google. they really dropped the ball on their nest Wi-Fi because folks have been having reduced speed for looks like 6 months now, and Google just a couple of weeks ago acknowledged the issue. So folks went 6 months without a firmware update and they're still waiting. I had the nest Wi-Fi but returned it inside my 30-day window. After I got hit with a slowdown.

but based on the specs alone... and they're both Android, I'm not really sure how the new Chromecast can be a better deal than the TS4K. 

The TS4K is the better deal because it has two USB ports on it. That makes a Chromecast about 75 bucks when you add in the extra hub hardware for those folks that have that use case. They're both Android so that's a wash. I tried the TiVo stream plus and I like the content aggregation. 

As of today, The only real world advantage the Chromecast has is that it's not made in China according to the box pictures I've seen online


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> weirdly Walmart charged me $59.98, will this be the final pricing?
> 
> I should have picked delivery it would have arrived by Monday for the same price of $59.98
> 
> I can't seem to cancel or change my order oh well.
> 
> http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bundle-Sabrina-Abbey-Rock-Candy-US/403830906


Thanks. Brickseek shows msrp of 49.99 too. Kind of funny they jacked the price. What does your confirmation email say?

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Thanks. Brickseek shows msrp of 49.99 too. Kind of funny they jacked the price. What does your confirmation email say?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


I'm kind of starting to regret paying ten dollars more.. but if this ends up being the final price I wouldn't mind.. I'll be getting it a day early so that would be a plus.

my email says:
"Thank you! We're working on your order now.* Please don't head to the store yet* - we'll let you know when it's ready. You can track status in your account. We *estimate* your items will be ready *Sep 29 after 6 p.m. "*

hopefully they don't make me wait till the 30th.


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> I'm kind of starting to regret paying ten dollars more.. but if this ends up being the final price I wouldn't mind.. I'll be getting it a day early so that would be a plus.
> 
> my email says:
> "Thank you! We're working on your order now.* Please don't head to the store yet* - we'll let you know when it's ready. You can track status in your account. We *estimate* your items will be ready *Sep 29 after 6 p.m. "*
> 
> hopefully they don't make me wait till the 30th.


I was thinking more of the price. Thought you said it was $50 initially.

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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> I was thinking more of the price. Thought you said it was $50 initially.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


yes, the in store option says $49.98 but when I add it to my cart and choose pickup it gives me the online $59.98 price


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> yes, the in store option says $49.98 but when I add it to my cart and choose pickup it gives me the online $59.98 price


Ahhh...

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## Alex_7

Either Walmart ****ed me over lol or the only way to get the $49.98 price is to physically walk in the store and have them ring you up. 

I’ll keep you updated when I do get it next week


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## xberk

dbpaddler said:


> Doh! Sorry... Hate Amazon search parameters. They just throw everything in and the kitchen sink when you try to search for specific things. So just assumed that was Ethernet on the end.
> 
> This one is $20.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_ZY5BFbFY17KFZ
> 
> Its a shame the basic Ethernet with a few usb 3.0 ports don't seem to be available in a powered version.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


This is a Power Delivery Hub .. I'm not sure if that will actually be enough power ..


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## Pnyklr

Perhaps it will passthrough DD correctly.


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## JOSHSKORN

No Sabrina for me. I'm still holding onto a glimmer of hope that TiVo will provide some sort of integration between TS4K and its existing DVR ecosystem and potentially discontinue the TiVo Minis. In fact, they really should redo their OS's on their DVRs to allow more freedom on what can be installed. TiVo is really shooting themselves in the foot by not having the ability to let its existing DVR/Mini customers take advantage of networks like Disney+ and others.

EDIT (10/3/20): I threw in the towel and gave up on the TS4K and purchased Sabrina.


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## shwru980r

JOSHSKORN said:


> No Sabrina for me. I'm still holding onto a glimmer of hope that TiVo will provide some sort of integration between TS4K and its existing DVR ecosystem and potentially discontinue the TiVo Minis. In fact, they really should redo their OS's on their DVRs to allow more freedom on what can be installed. TiVo is really shooting themselves in the foot by not having the ability to let its existing DVR/Mini customers take advantage of networks like Disney+ and others.


As soon as they add an OTT app to stream from the legacy DVRs, the mini is dead. They recently released a new version of the mini plus a separate wifi adapter. They aren't going to kill these new product lines anytime soon.


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## JOSHSKORN

Mini Lux? What's this adapter?

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## krkaufman

JOSHSKORN said:


> Mini Lux? What's this adapter?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


Mini LUX is just the Mini VOX but with a backlit remote.

The adapter is a USB wireless adapter for TiVo Mini VOX/LUX models, to allow a *supported* wireless connection for the Mini rather than Ethernet or MoCA.

https://zatznotfunny.com/2019-11/tivo-mini-wireless-adapter/


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## dbpaddler

JOSHSKORN said:


> No Sabrina for me. I'm still holding onto a glimmer of hope that TiVo will provide some sort of integration between TS4K and its existing DVR ecosystem and potentially discontinue the TiVo Minis. In fact, they really should redo their OS's on their DVRs to allow more freedom on what can be installed. TiVo is really shooting themselves in the foot by not having the ability to let its existing DVR/Mini customers take advantage of networks like Disney+ and others.


Well if you're already set for separate streaming devices, there is no reason to buy Sabrina. This is more for the crowd that bought into the ts4k.

And the longer you hold onto that glimmer, the larger the decrease in value of your dvr equipment goes. People that cling on to their dvr's need to accept that they have a window to sell for coin and find another alternative or just run their equipment into the ground over the next couple years until cable companies finally stop supporting cable cards entirely.

I highly doubt they are investing any more time than they have to in the dvr system with 99% of their time being to just fix bugs, smooth out kinks and so forth. The mini lux is probably a lost ditch effort to get some coin from newer Edge owners and people with og Mini's that didn't upgrade to the mini vox.

Only when you work through the seven steps and arrive on acceptance can you finally move forward. You're just not there yet.

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## dbpaddler

Pnyklr said:


> Perhaps it will passthrough DD correctly.


Considering it's on Android 10, it just might. Remember, audio issues were not just a Tivo issue. People with the Shield were experiencing similar issues which means the root cause was android. Since both are still sitting on 9, I'm guessing what ever incremental update that was pushed caused it. With Sabrina on 10, that underlying issue might have been fixed, and if not, they'll probably quickly fix it since it's a launch product, and it will trickle down to the products on Android 9. That's my layman's guess anyway.

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## dbpaddler

xberk said:


> This is a Power Delivery Hub .. I'm not sure if that will actually be enough power ..


How would it not be? You need pass through to at least power Sabrina. Even if Sabrina doesn't support PD, it'll still push through 5v2a at minimum most likely or whatever Sabrina draws. Never looked into how hubs power the other usb ports on itself, but I don't know of any usb-c hubs that have a separate power input. And you could always just power an HD separately anyway, if needed. I know my one 2.5 enclosure has dual USB as well as a pin and barrel connector which I have a USB A to the pin/barrel connector and can either use the dual USB for added power or single USB and pin/barrel to USB for power. If it's needed, but 9 out of 10 I've only used a single USB to use it.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## foghorn2

Mine coming tomorrow, and no shipping fee or tax!


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Considering it's on Android 10, it just might. Remember, audio issues were not just a Tivo issue. People with the Shield were experiencing similar issues which means the root cause was android. Since both are still sitting on 9, I'm guessing what ever incremental update that was pushed caused it. With Sabrina on 10, that underlying issue might have been fixed, and if not, they'll probably quickly fix it since it's a launch product, and it will trickle down to the products on Android 9. That's my layman's guess anyway.


Take this with a grain of salt but I read on another forum that Google's new Stadia cloud gaming app for Android TV will require Android TV 11 for installation from the Play Store and proper performance.

So far, the only TV-connected device to support Stadia has been the Chromecast Ultra (and possibly the base-level Chromecast?). It hasn't been playable through a native app, only via casting. And it looks like Google is on the verge of killing off the Chromecast Ultra because it hasn't been available to purchase through their online Google Store for several days now. (Makes total sense that the Chromecast Ultra would just be replaced by the Chromecast with Google TV since it has all the Ultra's features and more, at a lower price.)

So it's not far-fetched to think that the new Chromecast with Google TV will receive an update to the just-released Android TV 11 (and therefore access to the Stadia app) when it launches this Wed., 9/30. Or, if not then, then very soon thereafter. And it's possible that the update to 11 will add some new features/settings (e.g. auto framerate match, auto dynamic range match, broader audio support, etc.) that aren't showing up yet for folks who were able to purchase the new device early, before its intended launch date.


----------



## dbpaddler

Any update for Sabrina is good for the competing products so that'd be nice. Can totally see the phase out of the Ultra. I'm sure slickdeals will be filled with Target and Walmart clearance threads. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## foghorn2

Im going to pair the Air Tv remote to Sabrina, ill have dedicated rew/ff pause buttons, Will need to figure out how to map the sling and guide buttons to work with Sling TV.

You can buy that remote directly from AirTv for $20.


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> Mine coming tomorrow, and no shipping fee or tax!


How much was the total?


----------



## foghorn2

Alex_7 said:


> How much was the total?


59.98, its some kind of "bundle". maybe thats why there is no tax


----------



## dbpaddler

Home Depot will be carrying it, so I'll wait to get it there with my military discount. $45 works. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> 59.98, its some kind of "bundle". maybe thats why there is no tax


I checked the price again, it dropped to $49.98 so I cancelled my current $59.98 pick up order and reordered for shipping it arrives Tuesday.


----------



## jaselzer

foghorn2 said:


> Mine coming tomorrow, and no shipping fee or tax!


Where did you find it? If you do not mind sharing that info?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 241705

Looking forward to hearing about this device. One of things I like about going the Android TV route is that if I really want to, a new device is around $50. That's not nothing, but is a whole lot easier to switch compared to dropping a few hundred bucks on new DVR hardware.


----------



## dbpaddler

People must buy snapping it up on Walmart as the app keeps reminding me about it in my cart and it's selling fast.

Kinda funny. When the TS4k came out, so many on here *****ed and moaned about it. Stupid for tivo to jump in the game this late, blah blah blah. A bunch of disgruntled dvr owners because tivo left them behind. Didn't have a clue about the market or just couldn't see it because they were so mad.

Now Google comes out with essentially the same exact thing, and it's preselling like hotcakes and the Google TV ecosystem is now set for big growth. Built into tv's. Had a handful of companies selling streaming devices. And is the backend to future cable boxes to boot with Tivo as the developer.

Yeah, what was tivo thinking? 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> Mine coming tomorrow, and no shipping fee or tax!


Has it shipped?


----------



## foghorn2

Alex_7 said:


> Has it shipped?


yes, fedex, on truck for delivery

faster than Amascam, Jeffe Bozos is cheap arse.


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> yes, fedex, on truck for delivery
> 
> faster than Amascam, Jeffe Bozos is cheap arse.


Nice, keep us updated ! My order is still processing hopefully it ships soon


----------



## dbpaddler

I've got three or four usb-c hubs I can try on it. Will be interesting to see how many work out of the box. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## NashGuy

A guy posted on Reddit that he bought the new Chromecast with Google TV at his local Home Depot. Confirms that it supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. (He has it connected to an LG OLED TV, BTW.)

Other news: looks like the ol' Google Play Movies & TV app doesn't exist for this device. Which makes sense, given that its content and functionality have been subsumed into the various tabs of the Google TV home screen: For You, Movies, Shows, Library. (Likewise, I'm guessing that this device won't have an actual app for the Google Play Store but instead will just bake that into the Apps tab, which will show you your currently installed apps as well as let you browse/search for new ones to install.)


----------



## krkaufman

"It supports multiple user accounts."

Is this also true of the TS4K?


----------



## dbpaddler

krkaufman said:


> "It supports multiple user accounts."
> 
> Is this also true of the TS4K?


Don't think it's what you want it to be. That is not a profiles type thing like Netflix, Prime, Hulu and such. And it always had limited multiple user accounts. That pic is old... And from the article I grabbed it from:


> On a basic level, Android TV does support multiple Google accounts. You can add them by going to Settings > Accounts & Sign In, but this will only make sure that other authenticated email addresses are quickly accessible on the TV. They can be selected in Google Assistant, the Play Store, Google Play Games, and a few other apps, but they have to be manually changed, one by one.


You could always add a restricted account the main account holder could control.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## JOSHSKORN

Alright, I think I'm officially holding off on the Tivo Stream 4K and seeing where this goes. Those of you who own both, I'd like to hear from you, particularly those who will find a way for an Ethernet connection and attaching a harddrive to the device.


----------



## foghorn2

Got it several hours ago, busy day, setup is way easier than Tivo, used an app on the iphone via bluetooth to join wi fi and link to google account. Now installing a system update....

keep tuned....


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> Got it several hours ago, busy day, setup is way easier than Tivo, used an app on the iphone via bluetooth to join wi fi and link to google account. Now installing a system update....
> 
> keep tuned....


Nice, thanks. I still haven't received a shipping email


----------



## moyekj

foghorn2 said:


> Got it several hours ago, busy day, setup is way easier than Tivo, used an app on the iphone via bluetooth to join wi fi and link to google account. Now installing a system update....
> 
> keep tuned....


FYI, when I setup my TS4K it was a piece of cake, doing so via my Android phone it automatically linked to my Google account, so sounds very similar.


----------



## jaselzer

You know something: I am/was very excited about this new Chromecast and then it just clicked in me, that like the Tivo Stream 4K you cannot install the Apple TV app and I really like Apple TV. And then I thought to myself why spend $50 on a product that I am just going to end up not using because I really truly like the fact that the Apple TV 4K has every app that I like to use. So despite being excited by this new stream device, my excitement is honestly deflated by the fact that these people simply cannot find a way to come together. I have the Tivo Stream 4K set up but I always, and I mean always, just default to my Apple TV 4K because it has every app that I want. And you know, I love to try out all these new devices. But for some reason, despite my initial excitement, my head says "wtf, it is just another android device without Apple TV, why throw away $50?"


----------



## Alex_7

What the, my order got cancelled


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> What the, my order got cancelled


That stinks. No explanation?

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> That stinks. No explanation?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Nope. It shows out of stock now. 
I probably made things worse by ordering two of them and cancelling the $59.98 priced one


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Nope. It shows out of stock now.
> I probably made things worse by ordering two of them and cancelling the $59.98 priced one


Well the app was telling me to hurry up and order because it was popular. So you might not be the only one in that boat.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Well the app was telling me to hurry up and order because it was popular. So you might not be the only one in that boat.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Yeah it's sold out online but I still see some available at my local Walmart, I will have to wait till Wednesday.

the first email I got said 
"We received your request and have successfully canceled the items listed. Looking for refund details? Check out the "Refund Information" section below. "

the second email:

"Thanks for your recent order. We're really sorry, but we've had to cancel the items shown below. "

maybe Walmart caught on that people were trying to order it early


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Yeah it's sold out online but I still see some available at my local Walmart, I will have to wait till Wednesday.
> 
> the first email I got said
> "We received your request and have successfully canceled the items listed. Looking for refund details? Check out the "Refund Information" section below. "
> 
> the second email:
> 
> "Thanks for your recent order. We're really sorry, but we've had to cancel the items shown below. "
> 
> maybe Walmart caught on that people were trying to order it early


I think they are not meant to be active listings so maybe someone screwed up.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## foghorn2

WOW, MPEG2 , deinterlacing in hardware looks spectacular! 

Just like the AirTv mini , but the navigation is snappier. 

I mapped the Nutflix button to Sling and uninstalled it. 
The tv source is mapped to single press>kodi, double>channels, long>prime video

The left and right long presses are already mapped to rew,ff 

This device so far works perfect. No issues with HDR always on, theres a setting for that to match the source.
It recognized all the features of the receiver eg. Atmos. 

This by far is way better than the Tivo Stream. Waiting for a blue and red, instant purchases!


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> WOW, MPEG2 , deinterlacing in hardware looks spectacular!
> 
> Just like the AirTv mini , but the navigation is snappier.
> 
> I mapped the Nutflix button to Sling and uninstalled it.
> The tv source is mapped to single press>kodi, double>channels, long>prime video
> 
> The left and right long presses are already mapped to rew,ff
> 
> This device so far works perfect. No issues with HDR always on, theres a setting for that to match the source.
> It recognized all the features of the receiver eg. Atmos.
> 
> This by far is way better than the Tivo Stream. Waiting for a blue and red, instant purchases!


Does it come with apps already installed? Any bloatware apps you can't uninstall?

can you sideload apps?

Is there a watch list that combines all your services ?


----------



## foghorn2

Alex_7 said:


> Does it come with apps already installed? Any bloatware apps you can't uninstall?
> 
> can you sideload apps?
> 
> Is there a watch list that combines all your services ?


No bloatware, main apps are preinstalled and easily can be removed. 
I cant uninstall Netflix on the AirTv stick, has to disable it, on Sabrina I can uninstall it!

Have not tried to sideload anything yet, the store has everything I need.
Not sure about a watchlist. The homescreen seems to already know what I like and list them.

This device is what the Tivo Stream should have been.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Look what I found through a reddit post...you're welcome.


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> No bloatware, main apps are preinstalled and easily can be removed.
> I cant uninstall Netflix on the AirTv stick, has to disable it, on Sabrina I can uninstall it!
> 
> Have not tried to sideload anything yet, the store has everything I need.
> Not sure about a watchlist. The homescreen seems to already know what I like and list them.
> 
> This device is what the Tivo Stream should have been.


Thank you, exciting stuff. I can't wait for Wednesday.


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Look what I found through a reddit post...you're welcome.


That's the link I was using. It no longer allows you to place an order. It now says shipping is not available. Pickup is also not available. Walmart must have caught on since my previous order and a lot of other peoples orders were cancelled from Walmart. You got lucky man!


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> That's the link I was using. It no longer allows you to place an order. It now says shipping is not available. Pickup is also not available. Walmart must have caught on since my previous order and a lot of other peoples orders were cancelled from Walmart. You got lucky man!


I just found the link, I'm going to see if i can pick it up tomorrow.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> I just found the link, I'm going to see if i can pick it up tomorrow.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


Were you able to place an order?


----------



## dbpaddler

JOSHSKORN said:


> Look what I found through a reddit post...you're welcome.


Little late to the party....

Now if you had the Home Depot link...

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## foghorn2

Hopefully HomeRepo will sell the other 2 colors too


----------



## dbpaddler

foghorn2 said:


> Hopefully HomeRepo will sell the other 2 colors too


I was going to pop by one today, but I forgot their new POS card readers don't work on Samsung pay, and I had no wallet on me. So annoying.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> Were you able to place an order?


No, I didn't even try to. I'm going to go to Walmart tomorrow if they're still in stock.



dbpaddler said:


> Little late to the party....
> 
> Now if you had the Home Depot link...


I was still thinking about a TS4K and well, after seeing at least one comment in this forum, I'm off of that kick. I'll be going to Wal-mart tomorrow to pick one up, if they're still in stock. Otherwise, I'll wait until they are in-stock. I'm interested in seeing what devices this can be paired with (Ethernet, portable hard drive. I may even try HDMI Capture in an attempt to feed cable TV through the thing until I can feel comfortable with cutting the cable.


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> No, I didn't even try to. I'm going to go to Walmart tomorrow if they're still in stock.
> 
> I was still thinking about a TS4K and well, after seeing at least one comment in this forum, I'm off of that kick. I'll be going to Wal-mart tomorrow to pick one up, if they're still in stock. Otherwise, I'll wait until they are in-stock. I'm interested in seeing what devices this can be paired with (Ethernet, portable hard drive. I may even try HDMI Capture in an attempt to feed cable TV through the thing until I can feel comfortable with cutting the cable.


You'll most likely be turned down. If the Walmart employee is cool they might override it but most people weren't allowed to purchase in store just yet. Happened to me as well. The Walmart employee told me to come back on the 30th


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> You'll most likely be turned down. If the Walmart employee is cool they might override it but most people weren't allowed to purchase in store just yet. Happened to me as well. The Walmart employee told me to come back on the 30th


Ohh, thanks for the heads up.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Ohh, thanks for the heads up.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


No problem


----------



## dbpaddler

I might wait for Best Buy. Have a $20 gift card. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## tigercat74

dbpaddler said:


> I might wait for Best Buy. Have a $20 gift card.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Same for me but $5. Every little bit helps.


----------



## dbpaddler

tigercat74 said:


> Same for me but $5. Every little bit helps.


Exactly.... When you have that tech addiction, you lessen the pain as much as possible.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## ListedGuru

foghorn2 said:


> WOW, MPEG2 , deinterlacing in hardware looks spectacular!
> 
> Just like the AirTv mini , but the navigation is snappier.
> 
> I mapped the Nutflix button to Sling and uninstalled it.
> The tv source is mapped to single press>kodi, double>channels, long>prime video
> 
> The left and right long presses are already mapped to rew,ff
> 
> This device so far works perfect. No issues with HDR always on, theres a setting for that to match the source.
> It recognized all the features of the receiver eg. Atmos.
> 
> This by far is way better than the Tivo Stream. Waiting for a blue and red, instant purchases!


Does this new Google dongle have dual band wifi (ie both 2.4 and 5ghz networks)? Also how is the range and strength of the wifi in the device? I thought I read comments about the wifi being weak and having connectivity issues with the older Google Chromecasts.

Thanks,

-Guru


----------



## NashGuy

ListedGuru said:


> Does this new Google dongle have dual band wifi (ie both 2.4 and 5ghz networks)? Also how is the range and strength of the wifi in the device? I thought I read comments about the wifi being weak and having connectivity issues with the older Google Chromecasts.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -Guru


I don't have one yet but I've read that it supports dual-band AC wifi. And while the Chromecast Ultra it replaces also has that, the wifi in this new Chromecast is somehow better. Forgot the specifics -- better antenna? -- but it sounded to me like it would have a stronger connection than earlier-gen streaming devices.


----------



## NashGuy

foghorn2 said:


> The left and right long presses are already mapped to rew,ff


Does a single short press of left/right during video playback jump backwards/forwards several seconds? And, if so, is that behavior consistent in all the major apps you've tried?


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Does a single short press of left/right during video playback jump backwards/forwards several seconds? And, if so, is that behavior consistent in all the major apps you've tried?


You think this is an Apple TV? 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## foghorn2

NashGuy said:


> Does a single short press of left/right during video playback jump backwards/forwards several seconds? And, if so, is that behavior consistent in all the major apps you've tried?


With sling, its single> 30 sec skip, long > rew/ff, same with Kodi and other apps


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> With sling, its single> 30 sec skip, long > rew/ff, same with Kodi and other apps


How much free storage space do you have?
Have you got the chance to test a usb hub?


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> How much free storage space do you have?
> Have you got the chance to test a usb hub?


Think the hands on said 4.4gb. Should be similar to the TS4k, but I'd imagine slightly more since the TS4k has the stream apps.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## foghorn2

verified, 4.4


----------



## foghorn2

the volume control is long press >1 increment on the onkyo, short press> about 5 increments, never seen this before!


----------



## ListedGuru

NashGuy said:


> I don't have one yet but I've read that it supports dual-band AC wifi. And while the Chromecast Ultra it replaces also has that, the wifi in this new Chromecast is somehow better. Forgot the specifics -- better antenna? -- but it sounded to me like it would have a stronger connection than earlier-gen streaming devices.


Sounds good to me. I have a cheap newer Roku stick with dual and it has a very good wifi signal. I would think the new google device would be at least as good in that department. My other issue was the hdr always being on like with the Tivo Stream 4k but earlier in the thread it was indicated that the hdr works like it's supposed to on this device. I will most likely pick one up.


----------



## ListedGuru

foghorn2 said:


> With sling, its single> 30 sec skip, long > rew/ff, same with Kodi and other apps


How do you like the new Google Chromecast with Sling? Does the sling app work good on it?

Also I noticed in an earlier post you mentioned that this Google device do not force HDR on for all material only the stuff that should be displayed in HDR. That's good to know as that was one of my concerns.

-Guru


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> You think this is an Apple TV?


Pretty sure I've read that you can skip back/forward X seconds in Android TV apps rather than just rewind and FF. If so, I'm wondering how that's done. (I actually briefly had a Mi Box years ago but I don't remember much about it at this point.)


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Pretty sure I've read that you can skip back/forward X seconds in Android TV apps rather than just rewind and FF. If so, I'm wondering how that's done. (I actually briefly had a Mi Box years ago but I don't remember much about it at this point.)


I was referring to the same functionality across all apps for play control navigation where on Android one app does X, another app does Y and so on.

And too funny. I'm betting it was you that replied to me on Reddit just minutes ago. Crogs over there.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## foghorn2

ListedGuru said:


> How do you like the new Google Chromecast with Sling? Does the sling app work good on it?
> 
> Also I noticed in an earlier post you mentioned that this Google device do not force HDR on for all material only the stuff that should be displayed in HDR. That's good to know as that was one of my concerns.
> 
> -Guru


Perfect with Sling, I do miss the guide button though, Im sure there is a way to map it though.
You can load the android (same a firetv) version of Sling and/or the Airtv w/Singtv version. They both work fine.


----------



## Alex_7

foghorn2 said:


> Perfect with Sling, I do miss the guide button though, Im sure there is a way to map it though.
> You can load the android (same a firetv) version of Sling and/or the Airtv w/Singtv version. They both work fine.


is the Live tab only functional with youtube tv, or does it also work with sling, fubo, etc


----------



## Alex_7

Guess what just came in the mail! My new chromecast! Walmart ended up delivering it! Weird because they had cancelled my order. Essentially I got it for free! I will be setting it up later today after work


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Guess what just came in the mail! My new chromecast! Walmart ended up delivering it! Weird because they had cancelled my order. Essentially I got it for free! I will be setting it up later today after work


Sounds similar to people that order Echelon bikes from them. Quite a few got two and were billed for just one. Have fun playing tonight.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Sounds similar to people that order Echelon bikes from them. Quite a few got two and were billed for just one. Have fun playing tonight.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


I got extremely lucky!

good news is that it does support USB C adapter hubs!


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/j250xr


----------



## ListedGuru

foghorn2 said:


> Perfect with Sling, I do miss the guide button though, Im sure there is a way to map it though.
> You can load the android (same a firetv) version of Sling and/or the Airtv w/Singtv version. They both work fine.


Wait are there two different Sling apps? You mention Sling or the Airtv w/Slingtv version. I have the airtv2 but I just use the regular sling app on my roku. Am I missing something or just confused, lol?


----------



## dbpaddler

ListedGuru said:


> Wait are there two different Sling apps? You mention Sling or the Airtv w/Slingtv version. I have the airtv2 but I just use the regular sling app on my roku. Am I missing something or just confused, lol?


Think he's talking about sideloading the actual android app and having it side by side with the android tv app.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

I am still in shock lol


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> I was referring to the same functionality across all apps for play control navigation where on Android one app does X, another app does Y and so on.
> 
> And too funny. I'm betting it was you that replied to me on Reddit just minutes ago. Crogs over there.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Yeah, if this ends up being a situation where you have to use different playback control routines for each app, I'm probably not interested.

Also read that if you have a TV that only supports Dolby Vision up to 30 Hz (as my 2016 LG OLED does), then this Chromecast appears to restrict *all* 4K output (whether SDR or other) to a max of 30 Hz (or 25 or 24 Hz if you set it there). On my Apple TV, I have it set to prefer HDR10 over DV if the frame rate is above 30 Hz.

We'll see where Google goes with this device, and Android TV generally, in terms of polishing it. But it's looking like it's not going to stack up to Apple TV initially. (But hey, even the Apple TV 4K didn't have dynamic range matching and frame rate matching until it got its first major tvOS update post-release.)


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> is the Live tab only functional with youtube tv, or does it also work with sling, fubo, etc


I've read that you must have an active YouTube TV subscription to make the Live tab appear. It doesn't pull in channels from Google's Live Channels app.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> I got extremely lucky!
> 
> good news is that it does support USB C adapter hubs!
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/j250xr


Which USB hub are you using?


----------



## Alex_7

I will be setting up my device later after work if anyone has questions feel free to ask


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Which USB hub are you using?


I am not the original Reddit post but he is using this one

AUKEY USB C Hub Adapter, 5 in 1 Type C Hub with Ethernet Port 1000Mbps, 4K USB C to HDMI, 2 USB 3.0 Ports, 100W USB C PD Charging Thunderbolt 3, for MacBook Pro Air, Chromebook Pixel Laptop Phone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089M7WSHM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1q4CFbTPM91WR

Which I am also planning on purchasing


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Noob question. How does YouTube TV even work? Are you provided with a DVR? How do recordings actually work and is there a feature similar to OnePass where you can record an entire season?


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Noob question. How does YouTube TV even work? Are you provided with a DVR? How do recordings actually work and is there a feature similar to OnePass where you can record an entire season?


I had YouTube tv for a month, it's a tv steaming service without contract so you can cancel anytime.

DVR is unlimited space so you can record without worrying about running out of space. From what I remember you can set the dvr to record a full season of your choice


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> I had YouTube tv for a month, it's a tv steaming service without contract so you can cancel anytime.
> 
> DVR is unlimited space so you can record without worrying about running out of space. From what I remember you can set the dvr to record a full season of your choice


You said you had it for a month, why only a month? Why did you drop it? What did you move onto and why? Is it better? Worse?


----------



## dbpaddler

JOSHSKORN said:


> Noob question. How does YouTube TV even work? Are you provided with a DVR? How do recordings actually work and is there a feature similar to OnePass where you can record an entire season?


Record Live TV with Cloud DVR | Sling TV.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> You said you had it for a month, why only a month? Why did you drop it? What did you move onto and why? Is it better? Worse?


I switched to FuboTV since it meets all my soccer viewing needs. Everyone's preferences are different. If you are basketball fan fubo will not be for you since they dropped turner channels like TNT. It all depends on your needs


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> I switched to FuboTV since it meets all my soccer viewing needs. Everyone's preferences are different. If you are basketball fan fubo will not be for you since they dropped turner channels like TNT. It all depends on your needs


Thanks. I basically just need the local channels, Hallmark Channel, UP, CNN, MSNBC, Comedy Central and USA Network, and a way to record programs from these channels or at least a way to automatically save them online so I can watch later.


----------



## siratfus

JOSHSKORN said:


> Noob question. How does YouTube TV even work? Are you provided with a DVR? How do recordings actually work and is there a feature similar to OnePass where you can record an entire season?


Not physical DVR, cloud. Honestly, it is pretty awesome. I don't ever see myself going back to TIVO. I still haven't sold the equipment, but don't see any reason why I would come back. Add to your "library," which is Youtube TV's version of "season pass" as many shows as you want, it's unlimited. All shows will stay for 9 months. Think of it like surveillance loop recording, the oldest stuff that has reach 9 months will get deleted. No more tivo dvr taking space, tivo minis in different rooms. You just launch the youtube tv app on any smart device you have. I will definitely check out this Sabrina to see how the Youtube TV integration looks.


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Thanks. I basically just need the local channels, Hallmark Channel, UP, CNN, MSNBC, Comedy Central and USA Network, and a way to record programs from these channels or at least a way to automatically save them online so I can watch later.


You're better off with YouTube tv! I would suggest trying the one week trial it's worth it


----------



## dbpaddler

Heck, if you know someone that will give you their cable credentials, for $80 a year you can get Channels DVR. Along with an hdhomerun you can get your OTA and incorporate cable through TV everywhere by adding their credentials. It integrates the channels that participate into your OTA lineup on the grid. As long as it's not protected content, you can record it. I use my mom's fios info. She uses my prime. Her and my sister use my Netflix. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Heck, if you know someone that will give you their cable credentials, for $80 a year you can get Channels DVR. Along with an hdhomerun you can get your OTA and incorporate cable through TV everywhere by adding their credentials. It integrates the channels that participate into your OTA lineup on the grid. As long as it's not protected content, you can record it. I use my mom's fios info. She uses my prime. Her and my sister use my Netflix.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Yeah I share all my subs with my bro, peacock, espn+, fubo, cbs all access, makes everything way more affordable


----------



## foghorn2

dbpaddler said:


> Think he's talking about sideloading the actual android app and having it side by side with the android tv app.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


 no , they are both available to install, no sideloading


----------



## Alex_7

the remote had an update which now allows tv volume controls for older tv models


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/j27mfu


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> the remote had an update which now allows tv volume controls for older tv models
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/j27mfu


How would you update a remote? Can't say I've heard of that, offhand, except for maybe on XBOX One. Do you have to wire it or can it be done wireless?


----------



## siratfus

dbpaddler said:


> Heck, if you know someone that will give you their cable credentials, for $80 a year you can get Channels DVR. Along with an hdhomerun you can get your OTA and incorporate cable through TV everywhere by adding their credentials. It integrates the channels that participate into your OTA lineup on the grid. As long as it's not protected content, you can record it. I use my mom's fios info. She uses my prime. Her and my sister use my Netflix.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


YMMV depending on service provider... I got my cousin's credentials before just to see how it works. Spectrum TV will allow you very few channels, most are grayed out and require you to log into your "HOME" internet. Now, this may work better if my cousin had a different broadband provider and only subscribed to their cable TV?


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## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> How would you update a remote? Can't say I've heard of that, offhand, except for maybe on XBOX One. Do you have to wire it or can it be done wireless?


I think the remote update is on the server side


----------



## dbpaddler

siratfus said:


> YMMV depending on service provider... I got my cousin's credentials before just to see how it works. Spectrum TV will allow you very few channels, most are grayed out and require you to log into your "HOME" internet. Now, this may work better if my cousin had a different broadband provider and only subscribed to their cable TV?


With fios I have to update every month via my phone's hotspot since I have fios internet only. Comcast I'd be fine.

Regardless, it's cable you weren't paying for before, and it beats having to use an app like ones doing before for NBC sports.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> I think the remote update is on the server side


It is bluetooth, isn't it? It could have firmware.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

I think it is. I haven’t opened mine up yet


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## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> View attachment 52745
> 
> 
> I am still in shock lol


Is there model number somewhere on the packaging that can verify that I get the correct product? I just want to make sure that I'm looking at the correct product when I go to the store tomorrow. I'm not noticing anything on the front of the box that seems to make this device unique over previous editions, like, "Generation ###" or even a model number. Thanks.


----------



## dbpaddler

JOSHSKORN said:


> Is there model number somewhere on the packaging that can verify that I get the correct product? I just want to make sure that I'm looking at the correct product when I go to the store tomorrow. I'm not noticing anything on the front of the box that seems to make this device unique over previous editions, like, "Generation ###" or even a model number. Thanks.


It's the only box that's gonng to say "with Google TV" had a giant rounded pebble with a remote. No other chromecast has a remote. It's kinda hard to get wrong over previous chromecasts.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## JOSHSKORN

Anyone know what time the product would be available at my local Wal-mart? The Wal-mart near me that says it's in stock according to the link we all have, is a 24-hour Wal-mart.


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## NashGuy

Woot! Just saw this screenshot someone posted. Happy to see that a "Continue Watching" content row pops up underneath your row of installed apps near the top of the For You tab. And Netflix supports it! (Unlike the almost-universal Up Next watchlist on Apple TV.)










So it appears that the UI of the For You tab has a rotating banner gallery of Staff Picks at the top (i.e. likely sponsored content/ads -- uncertain yet as to whether these picks are restricted to the set of apps you specify for content recommendations).

Under that is the Top Picks row of suggested content titles across various apps (likely restricted to just the apps you specify).

Under that is the Your Apps row of installed apps. (Certain apps, including Netflix, come pre-installed but can be uninstalled, I've read.)

Under that is the Continue Watching row. Based on the name, you apparently can't add titles to it (like a normal watchlist) without starting to watch them. But once you begin watching a show or movie (hopefully whether that's from within an app, from within the Google TV UI or from Google Assistant search results), it should show up here. Clicking on a title in this row, I would think, would take you directly to the content in the appropriate app, where you left off watching or to the next episode in a series.

Under that is the Trending on Google content row. And under that appears to be various genre-themed content rows of suggested content.


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## dbpaddler

This is all stuff that's on the TS4k too fyi... Nothing revolutionary... 

And continue watching isn't a row. It's just the last thing you were watching. Seems to be just streaming services too. I know my channels dvr doesn't show up there when watching TV. Or maybe channels just doesn't get integrated into Google's algorithm. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> This is all stuff that's on the TS4k too fyi... Nothing revolutionary...


Well, the Google TV UI isn't on the TS4K. It has the standard Android TV home screen, which is different, and it has the TiVo Stream app, with its attempt to aggregate content. The standard Android TV home screen has a Watch Next list but most major apps, including Netflix, don't support it. As for the TiVo Stream app, eh, I'm not interested in buying one, so it doesn't matter to me.

If the Google TV UI didn't include a way to look at all the different series I've begun watching across different apps when deciding what I want to watch, that would have been a big downer. I don't want to have to hop into a handful of different apps and check my watchlists/continue watching lists in each of them to decide what I'm in the mood for.

It would be nice if there was a way to manually add content titles to the Continue Watching list in the Google TV UI (as you can do with the Next Up watchlist on Apple TV). But at least just having all the stuff I've begun watching across apps grouped together there in one row is very good.


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## dbpaddler

Yes it does. Stream is just an app. You don't need to use it or ever see anything stream related outside of the carousels you can't get rid of.

Not sure wht device you were using or seeing screenshot of. And don't believe android tv 10 made any real changes to the UI over 9.

You can at least arrange your carousels to put the most frequent ones you use up top. Would be nice if they always had the service you last used as the first carousel with the show you last watched first in the row. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

This screen is pure Google outside of the recommended stream carousel. Adding in the ad at the top, the play next/continue watching and the stream carousel, I have none of my carousels visible without scrolling which is annoying. Thank God they ditched the useless space with the header icon. Just so much wasted space.

Think the only difference between the two is small UI changes from 9 to 10. But that stream carousel is the only thing not stock Google on there.

Stark contrast from my Leeco TV that is stuck on Android 6... And god forbid I try overseas firmware and brick the TV. Hence I'll probably just throw a streamer on there. Used to have a Tivo Mini Vox on it.

Also amazing the difference between a 55" tv and 100" projector.

















Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> Is there model number somewhere on the packaging that can verify that I get the correct product? I just want to make sure that I'm looking at the correct product when I go to the store tomorrow. I'm not noticing anything on the front of the box that seems to make this device unique over previous editions, like, "Generation ###" or even a model number. Thanks.


MODEL NUMBERS:
Remote: G9N9N 
Chromecast: GZRNL


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## Alex_7

This my video I posted on Reddit of the UI


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/j2bos9


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## Alex_7

So far I like the For You tab, it shows you rows of shows and movies that are only part of the services you pay for. 
Fubo tv looks way better on this compared to TiVo and firestick.


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## Tony from the corner

Alex_7 said:


> This my video I posted on Reddit of the UI
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/j2bos9


There are a lot of banners on that screen. It reminds me of the fire TV user interface that I dislike. are those banners configurable so I can delete the ones I would not want?

I have the TS4K now, and really like the streamlined interface that's configurable. One of the reasons I went that direction is because the fire interface is way too cluttered. So hoping that Google TV interface that you just displayed can be scaled down to reduce clutter.


----------



## krkaufman

No luck with the local Home Depot having stocked it early, but I did happen upon a crazy price for a Philips Hue BR30 Starter Set, $20 vs the usual $80. So not a completely wasted trip.










p.s. And found it entirely by luck. All the Hue sale items were half-way across the store from the standard location (I'll never understand why they do this), and hidden behind a stock cage loaded with inventory ready for the shelves. I only found it because I was scanning the stock cages near the TV aisle for the Sabrina.


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## Alex_7

Tony from the corner said:


> There are a lot of banners on that screen. It reminds me of the fire TV user interface that I dislike. are those banners configurable so I can delete the ones I would not want?
> 
> I have the TS4K now, and really like the streamlined interface that's configurable. One of the reasons I went that direction is because the fire interface is way too cluttered. So hoping that Google TV interface that you just displayed can be scaled down to reduce clutter.


Yes, during the setup process it asks you if you want it to show google recommendations, you can select allow or disallow


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## dbpaddler

Tony from the corner said:


> There are a lot of banners on that screen. It reminds me of the fire TV user interface that I dislike. are those banners configurable so I can delete the ones I would not want?
> 
> I have the TS4K now, and really like the streamlined interface that's configurable. One of the reasons I went that direction is because the fire interface is way too cluttered. So hoping that Google TV interface that you just displayed can be scaled down to reduce clutter.


I can't see his link on Tapatalk. It shows broken. But if it's the Google home screen, the TS4k should be able to do the same thing outside of moving the stream carousel. Which is a bit annoying.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> I can't see his link on Tapatalk. It shows broken. But if it's the Google home screen, the TS4k should be able to do the same thing outside of moving the stream carousel. Which is a bit annoying.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk




__
https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/j2bos9

Can you see the link now?


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## dbpaddler

Weird. This is how it shows up. Think it's a Tapatalk thing.









Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Weird. This is how it shows up. Think it's a Tapatalk thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Hmm that's weird is tapatalk an app for this forum?


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Hmm that's weird is tapatalk an app for this forum?


It's an app for a vast majority of forums. This one, xda, AVS, a couple Subaru ones, a couple android ones and so on. Haven't used an actual site in ages outside of the rare time on my Surface.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> It's an app for a vast majority of forums. This one, xda, AVS, a couple Subaru ones, a couple android ones and so on. Haven't used an actual site in ages outside of the rare time on my Surface.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Ah ok maybe Reddit links aren't supported


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## Alex_7

This is a more in depth article

Here's what the new Chromecast's Google TV software looks like


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Ah ok maybe Reddit links aren't supported


Just broken. The app has its annoyances.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> This is a more in depth article
> 
> Here's what the new Chromecast's Google TV software looks like


It really isn't different than the TS4k outside of the cleaner left side of the home screen without those stupid streaming service icons. Really just cleaner because it's on Android 10 and not 9. Funny how someone on Reddit claimed it wasn't worth it for these oems to upgrade from 9 to 10 and will most likely just go to 11, but the cleaner interface alone would be worth it to me.

And if the tivo dev's don't tell me we'll be able to move the stream carousel sometime soon, I think I'm going to ***** to tivo about returning my TS4k's. Kinda don't like my device being hijacked by tivo outside of their stream app.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

Some pics I took of the Google TV interface. 

You can create a watchlist, and there is a continue watching feature.


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## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> Some pics I took of the Google TV interface.
> 
> You can create a watchlist, and there is a continue watching feature.


Very nice! The whole Google TV UI design seems highly influenced by Apple TV's TV app UI (but without a ton of recommendations from Apple TV+, ha). Looks very slick. But I have to say, putting the streaming watchlist under the Library tab way over at the right is a bit of a head-scratcher to me. "Library" typically refers to content that you've purchased (or rented, temporarily adding it to your library). I guess Google is thinking that some of the titles that get added to the Watchlist will be for later purchase/rental. But I would think most would be movies and series from subscription services that you plan to watch (the way you watchlisted HBO Max's Raised by Wolves, for instance).

At any rate, I'm glad that at least there is a Watchlist feature and I'm glad that the Continue Watching row appears on the main For You home tab. I guess I'd have to shuttle between those two lists when deciding what to watch.


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> Very nice! The whole Google TV UI design seems highly influenced by Apple TV's TV app UI (but without a ton of recommendations from Apple TV+, ha). Looks very slick. But I have to say, putting the streaming watchlist under the Library tab way over at the right is a bit of a head-scratcher to me. "Library" typically refers to content that you've purchased (or rented, temporarily adding it to your library). I guess Google is thinking that some of the titles that get added to the Watchlist will be for later purchase/rental. But I would think most would be movies and series from subscription services that you plan to watch (the way you watchlisted HBO Max's Raised by Wolves, for instance).
> 
> At any rate, I'm glad that at least there is a Watchlist feature and I'm glad that the Continue Watching row appears on the main For You home tab. I guess I'd have to shuttle between those two lists when deciding what to watch.


Yeah, I was surprised as well, initially I thought the Library tab was useless to me since I thought it was only for rentals/purchases from Movies anywhere. Until I played around the home screen and found out there is a watchlist feature. Anything can be added to the library watchlist, I like that a lot.

Your watchlist also appears all the way at the bottom of the For You Tab.

Hopefully there is an update soon that moves the watchlist section to a closer to find spot in the home screen. I also hope they add a way to sort your watchlist by year, a-z, etc.


----------



## dbpaddler

The watching now will disappear too (or should) when you finish up a series or movie. We finished star wars rebels last night and going back to the home screen, it was gone and the carousels tightened up. 


And you should be able to arrange the carousels in any order you want. On Android 9 with the icon for each row on the left. You navigate left, and see up down arrows. Click on them and you should be able to move the carousel up or down. 

In 10, since those icons aren't there, maybe try just going left at the beginning and see if it gives you something to move them. You shouldn't be stuck with the default order. 

I'm guessing some of you guys don't have the TS4k or haven't really customized it if you have it. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> The watching now will disappear too (or should) when you finish up a series or movie. We finished star wars rebels last night and going back to the home screen, it was gone and the carousels tightened up.
> 
> And you should be able to arrange the carousels in any order you want. On Android 9 with the icon for each row on the left. You navigate left, and see up down arrows. Click on them and you should be able to move the carousel up or down.
> 
> In 10, since those icons aren't there, maybe try just going left at the beginning and see if it gives you something to move them. You shouldn't be stuck with the default order.
> 
> I'm guessing some of you guys don't have the TS4k or haven't really customized it if you have it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


So far I have not seen any way to customize/move rows in the Google TV home interface.
I do know you can set it to only show your apps row and completely remove all google recommendations tabs/rows. Called "Apps only mode" For a cleaner look.










I myself prefer seeing the recommendations rows, it looks like this might replace my Reelgood watchlist


----------



## Alex_7

Another neat thing is that you can add/edit your watchlist through a web browser on your computer or phone, since its all integrated with your google account. You can find your watchlist by going to my collections or searching "my watchlist" in the google search. You can add movies/shows to your watchlist by searching the movie or show and then selecting watchlist. I'm sure there will be a google tv mobile app soon that will have all these features, or maybe through google home app?


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> The watching now will disappear too (or should) when you finish up a series or movie. We finished star wars rebels last night and going back to the home screen, it was gone and the carousels tightened up.
> 
> And you should be able to arrange the carousels in any order you want. On Android 9 with the icon for each row on the left. You navigate left, and see up down arrows. Click on them and you should be able to move the carousel up or down.
> 
> In 10, since those icons aren't there, maybe try just going left at the beginning and see if it gives you something to move them. You shouldn't be stuck with the default order.
> 
> I'm guessing some of you guys don't have the TS4k or haven't really customized it if you have it.


In the standard Android TV UI, each content row -- or "channel" as Google calls them -- is dedicated to a specific app. And it's up to that app developer to determine what they want to push into their channel row on the home screen. And the user can move the order of those rows around or completely delete/hide them.

In the Google TV app on the For You tab, each themed content row ("Trending on Google," "Sci-Fi Movies," "Because You Liked X", etc.) commingles stuff from the various apps that you designate you want recommendations from. It would appear that those rows are populated by Google, not the app developers. As for whether those rows can be reordered or removed, I don't know.


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Another neat thing is that you can add/edit your watchlist through a web browser on your computer or phone, since its all integrated with your google account. You can find your watchlist by going to my collections or searching "my watchlist" in the google search. You can add movies/shows to your watchlist by searching the movie or show and then selecting watchlist. I'm sure there will be a google tv mobile app soon that will have all these features, or maybe through google home app?


Someone was asking about that in a different thread. Or at least some way via the web to edit things.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> In the standard Android TV UI, each content row -- or "channel" as Google calls them -- are dedicated to a specific app. And it's up to that app developer to determine what they want to push into their channel row on the home screen. And the user can move the order of those rows around or completely delete/hide them.
> 
> In the Google TV app on the For You tab, each themed content row ("Trending on Google," "Sci-Fi Movies," "Because You Liked X", etc.) commingles stuff from the various apps that you designate you want recommendations from. It would appear that those rows are populated by Google, not the app developers. As for whether those rows can be reordered or removed, I don't know.


I feel that the more I watch stuff and select like(thumbs up) or even select watched, it then start recommending things according to my viewing preferences.

I noticed peacock isn't supported to show in the recommendations rows just yet.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> Another neat thing is that you can add/edit your watchlist through a web browser on your computer or phone, since its all integrated with your google account. You can find your watchlist by going to my collections or searching "my watchlist" in the google search. You can add movies/shows to your watchlist by searching the movie or show and then selecting watchlist. I'm sure there will be a google tv mobile app soon that will have all these features, or maybe through google home app?


Yes, this has also been do-able for awhile now using the Google Play Movies & TV app on Android (phone/tablet). I've read that Google is going to replace that app with a new one just called "Google TV".


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> Yes, this has also been do-able for awhile now using the Google Play Movies & TV app on Android (phone/tablet). I've read that Google is going to replace that app with a new one just called "Google TV".


Nice, I'm barely diving into the Google tv/movie world.
Surprisingly I did find the google play movies and tv app in the app store, but I did not try to install it since I dont use that service.
a google tv app would be ideal.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> I feel that the more I watch stuff and select like(thumbs up) or even select watched, it then start recommending things according to my viewing preferences.
> 
> I noticed peacock isn't supported to show in the recommendations rows just yet.


In the Google Play Movies & TV app, you can check any of the following apps on the "Manage Services" page to determine where you see recommendations from:

HBO Max, CBS AA, DC Universe, Disney+, Epix Now, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Showtime, Showtime Anytime, Starz.

And then it asks if you have cable or satellite TV. If so, I guess it presents additional options for TV everywhere apps tied to specific cable channels.

In addition, the app just automatically includes recommendations from the free Tubi TV app. Not sure if that can be turned off.


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> I feel that the more I watch stuff and select like(thumbs up) or even select watched, it then start recommending things according to my viewing preferences.
> 
> I noticed peacock isn't supported to show in the recommendations rows just yet.


If I'm not mistaken, Peacock is a Peacock app issue and the way it handles things. Tivo Stream can't integrate yet into theirs either.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> In the Google Play Movies & TV app, you can check any of the following apps on the "Manage Services" page to determine where you see recommendations from:
> 
> HBO Max, CBS AA, DC Universe, Disney+, Epix Now, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Showtime, Showtime Anytime, Starz.
> 
> And then it asks if you have cable or satellite TV. If so, I guess it presents additional options for TV everywhere apps tied to specific cable channels.
> 
> In addition, the app just automatically includes recommendations from the free Tubi TV app. Not sure if that can be turned off.


Thanks I wasn't aware of that, will the change to Google TV just be a name change for thie google play movies and tv app or will it be a whole redesign?


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> If I'm not mistaken, Peacock is a Peacock app issue and the way it handles things. Tivo Stream can't integrate yet into theirs either.


The TV app on Apple TV integrates content from Peacock into their unified Up Next watchlist and recommendations. But the Peacock app itself is annoying because it doesn't conform to the normal playback controls that all other major apps do on Apple TV. So when you want to rewind, you have to pause and fiddle around with the on-screen controls. Bad.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> The TV app on Apple TV integrates content from Peacock into their unified Up Next watchlist and recommendations. But the Peacock app itself is annoying because it doesn't conform to the normal playback controls that all other major apps do on Apple TV. So when you want to rewind, you have to pause and fiddle around with the on-screen controls. Bad.


And this is Android. It's an android app issue....

And yep. This is why real play/pause/ff/rew buttons need to make a come back and then the device just maps to the appropriate app function.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> Thanks I wasn't aware of that, will the change to Google TV just be a name change for thie google play movies and tv app or will it be a whole redesign?


IDK. My guess is that it will be somewhat of a redesign since it looks a bit different aesthetically from the new Google TV UI. I'm sure they'll want to use the same fonts, color scheme, etc. But in terms of features and content, they're already pretty similar.


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> And this is Android. It's an android app issue....
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


I thought you were saying that it's a matter of Peacock not wanting to support that kind of feature so I was pointing out that they already do on Apple TV.

On Google TV, I think the issue is whether a particular app has gotten into Google's content database, allowing Google to ingest their list of titles into their system. (This is also the way TiVo/Rovi works.) Once that happens, then its content can be surfaced via Google recommendations on Google TV, in the current Google Play Movies & TV app, and on the web as Alex_7 noted above.

On the old Android TV home screen, it IS a matter of the specific Android TV app targeting that OS's APIs in order to work with the Play Next watchlist (which few apps support) and to publish their own rows of recommended content.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> I thought you were saying that it's a matter of Peacock not wanting to support that kind of feature so I was pointing out that they already do on Apple TV.
> 
> On Google TV, I think the issue is whether a particular app has gotten into Google's content database, allowing Google to ingest their list of titles into their system. (This is also the way TiVo/Rovi works.) Once that happens, then its content can be surfaced via Google recommendations on Google TV, in the current Google Play Movies & TV app, and on the web as Alex_7 noted above.
> 
> On the old Android TV home screen, it IS a matter of the specific Android TV app targeting that OS's APIs in order to work with the Play Next watchlist (which few apps support) and to publish their own rows of recommended content.


My info came from the tivo dev. They want to integrate it into Stream and they can't. It's an android app issue they're working on with peacock. So it's safe to say Google is in the same boat. This issue was already talked about in a previous thread when Peacock was mentioned. Which is when I brought it up to the dev.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

*Confirmed* Google TV OS will be coming to Android TV devices in the near future.
The google live stream event Launch Night In just confirmed this.


----------



## Alex_7




----------



## Alex_7

Youtube TV Live integration


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## Alex_7

Recommendations based on titles you "liked"


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## NashGuy

Yikes on the color options. Big mistake, IMO, not to offer one in black or dark gray.


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## NashGuy

Google TV


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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Yikes on the color options. Big mistake, IMO, not to offer one in black or dark gray.


Well it should be hidden behind your TV or receiver, so shouldn't be that bad.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Tony from the corner

Just picked up two. I am going to return my TS4K since, after thinking about it, I want the option to turn HDR off. No telling when TiVo will fix that.

Plus, the single watchlist of the Chromecast with Google TV is a very cool feature.


----------



## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> If I'm not mistaken, Peacock is a Peacock app issue and the way it handles things. Tivo Stream can't integrate yet into theirs either.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk












Interesting to see Peacock in there, it might be supported after all


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> View attachment 52782
> 
> 
> Interesting to see Peacock in there, it might be supported after all


But does it get its own channel?

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> View attachment 52782
> 
> 
> Interesting to see Peacock in there, it might be supported after all


Yeah, it is. It's even listed as a supported app on the official Google TV site I linked above.

BTW, I haven't seen any trace of Showtime, CBS All Access or Epix in any of the screenshots or references to Google TV. Can those apps be designated among the ones you want to get recommendations from?


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, it is. It's even listed as a supported app on the official Google TV site I linked above.
> 
> BTW, I haven't seen any trace of Showtime, CBS All Access or Epix in any of the screenshots or references to Google TV. Can those apps be designated among the ones you want to get recommendations from?


I know for sure CBS all access is compatible


----------



## Alex_7

we were just talking about this! No apple app just yet


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> But does it get its own channel?


He's talking about support for Peacock in the new Google TV UI, meaning that content from that app can show up among Google's recommendations and that it can be part of your Watchlist and Continue Watching row.

When you ask about Peacock getting its own "channel," are you referring to a dedicated content row in the old Android TV home screen?


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## Alex_7




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## Alex_7




----------



## aaronwt

dbpaddler said:


> Well it should be hidden behind your TV or receiver, so shouldn't be that bad.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Yes. I just ordered a couple from Best Buy. The blue ones. I hope they work out better than the TS4K devices did for me. As in they better not have always on HDR.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> View attachment 52784


Yeah. On Google's launch video earlier today, the lady said Google TV would be coming to other devices in the Android TV ecosystem. (I think those were roughly her words.) On the Google TV website, it says "Coming soon to future smart TVs."

So I wonder if Google TV will come to any other streamers like Shield TV or TS4K, or if it will only be on smart TVs. Also wonder if it will only come to future products and not get added to anything already out.

Honestly, I can't see why TiVo would want the new Google TV UI on their Stream 4K. It pretty much totally duplicates what TiVo is trying to do in their Stream app (and Google probably does it better).


----------



## NashGuy

aaronwt said:


> Yes. I just ordered a couple from Best Buy. The blue ones. I hope they work out better than the TS4K devices did for me. As in they better not have always on HDR.


I've seen folks who have one post that it has some kind of Dynamic Range Match setting you can turn on.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> He's talking about support for Peacock in the new Google TV UI, meaning that content from that app can show up among Google's recommendations and that it can be part of your Watchlist and Continue Watching row.
> 
> When you ask about Peacock getting its own "channel," are you referring to a dedicated content row in the old Android TV home screen?


Yes. That's what Google calls channels and what Tivo refers to as carousels.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Well it should be hidden behind your TV or receiver, so shouldn't be that bad.


I'm more thinking about the remote. I guess I'll get the white one but I expect it'll start looking grubby over time...


----------



## JOSHSKORN

I'm curious to see if anyone has had any luck with Sabrina and Network attached storage devices. I've got a 4TB External HDD attached to an ASUS router via USB 3.0. I'm actually about ready to install ASUS Merlin onto this router, since the stock firmware is junk, and I seem to not be able to do anything with large files on it and I'm thinking with ASUS Merlin, I can.

This brings me to another question, to which I think I already know the answer to. YouTube TV - when you record a show, it saves it on Google/YouTube's end, right? So, no need for a "DVR" or in this case, attached storage. Is that correct? If that's the case, what would be the purpose of using attached storage with Sabrina or any other device? Just to save local media files like movies or pictures, I'm assuming?

How does something like Hulu Plus, work? Is any content always available on their end, so no need to download/save or "DVR" anything? Same question with any other networks anyone has experience with.


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Yes. That's what Google calls channels and what Tivo refers to as carousels.


I have no idea what may be going on with regard to integration of Peacock content into the old Android TV homescreen (or the TiVo Stream app, for that matter). Peacock integration in either of those UIs may be completely unrelated to Google TV, which is its own thing.


----------



## NashGuy

JOSHSKORN said:


> This brings me to another question, to which I think I already know the answer to. YouTube TV - when you record a show, it saves it on Google/YouTube's end, right? So, no need for a "DVR" or in this case, attached storage. Is that correct?


Correct. YouTube TV has unlimited 9-month storage on their cloud DVR (i.e. on Google's servers), accessible via their app on any device.



JOSHSKORN said:


> If that's the case, what would be the purpose of using attached storage with Sabrina or any other device? Just to save local media files like movies or pictures, I'm assuming?


Yeah, for storing your own local media files. In my case, I may try connecting external storage to use the free OTA DVR features in Google's Live Channels app. (You also need a compatible OTA tuner too. I would use my network-connected HDHomeRun Connect but I think there are one or two local USB tuners that are compatible with Android TV.)



JOSHSKORN said:


> How does something like Hulu Plus, work? Is any content always available on their end, so no need to download/save or "DVR" anything?


If you subscribe to Hulu's Live TV add-on, it works like YouTube TV in that it has a cloud DVR.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Yeah. On Google's launch video earlier today, the lady said Google TV would be coming to other devices in the Android TV ecosystem. (I think those were roughly her words.) On the Google TV website, it says "Coming soon to future smart TVs."
> 
> So I wonder if Google TV will come to any other streamers like Shield TV or TS4K, or if it will only be on smart TVs. Also wonder if it will only come to future products and not get added to anything already out.
> 
> Honestly, I can't see why TiVo would want the new Google TV UI on their Stream 4K. It pretty much totally duplicates what TiVo is trying to do in their Stream app (and Google probably does it better).


The google TV home screen is on the TS4k it's just the android tv 9 version and not 10 which is what is on Sabrina. You press the circle button and it takes you right to the home screen I pictured.

And just talking to the one dev, they don't have plans of upgrading the android version in the near future unless feedback dictates otherwise. I'm wondering if their cable box OS plans on being android 9 based for a while so probably makes sense to keep it consistent.

But that cements it for me. Going to push tivo to take my two back.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> I have no idea what may be going on with regard to integration of Peacock content into the old Android TV homescreen (or the TiVo Stream app, for that matter). Peacock integration in either of those UIs may be completely unrelated to Google TV, which is its own thing.


Why do you assume it's its own thing compared to the TS4k? Without stream, the TS4k is pretty much a stock android tv device just like Sabrina except Sabrina is a little more polished being on Android TV 10. Google didn't do anything special to it. Tivo could update the TS4k to Android TV 10 and the home screen would look the same as Sabrina does. I don't get why you think there's some special sauce in Sabrina. Google TV is just rebranding Android TV and unifying things since Play Movies and such is getting lumped in. And of course they're going to do it first on their new flagship chromecast before other devices do.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> I'm curious to see if anyone has had any luck with Sabrina and Network attached storage devices. I've got a 4TB External HDD attached to an ASUS router via USB 3.0. I'm actually about ready to install ASUS Merlin onto this router, since the stock firmware is junk, and I seem to not be able to do anything with large files on it and I'm thinking with ASUS Merlin, I can.
> 
> This brings me to another question, to which I think I already know the answer to. YouTube TV - when you record a show, it saves it on Google/YouTube's end, right? So, no need for a "DVR" or in this case, attached storage. Is that correct? If that's the case, what would be the purpose of using attached storage with Sabrina or any other device? Just to save local media files like movies or pictures, I'm assuming?
> 
> How does something like Hulu Plus, work? Is any content always available on their end, so no need to download/save or "DVR" anything? Same question with any other networks anyone has experience with.


Expanding storage can also be used to store installed apps. The small available storage space in streaming sticks runs low over time.


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## Alex_7

Should I turn on “Match Dynamic Range” ?


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## jimpmc

The Chromecast with Google TV product definitely relegates Tivo Stream to a niche product, if it wasn't already. Between distribution channels, the Chromecast brand, and the vision of aggregating content across providers that Google's TV product now brings, I can't see how TiVo gains any more traction in the marketplace. I'm not sure whether TS4K will really have any lifespan with such a small userbase.

Plus, Google is now taking on Reelgood and JustWatch more directly as well. I have yet to play around with Google's Watchlist, but does it keep track of actual episodes watched like Reelgood does (albeit you have to tell it you watched the episode, but it tracks it at that level).


----------



## Alex_7

jimpmc said:


> The Chromecast with Google TV product definitely relegates Tivo Stream to a niche product, if it wasn't already. Between distribution channels, the Chromecast brand, and the vision of aggregating content across providers that Google's TV product now brings, I can't see how TiVo gains any more traction in the marketplace. I'm not sure whether TS4K will really have any lifespan with such a small userbase.
> 
> Plus, Google is now taking on Reelgood and JustWatch more directly as well. I have yet to play around with Google's Watchlist, but does it keep track of actual episodes watched like Reelgood does (albeit you have to tell it you watched the episode, but it tracks it at that level).


Regarding the episode tracking, It keeps track where you left off by adding a continue watching row.


----------



## Alex_7

Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV - Google Store

Official google tv Ethernet adapter

NOTE: Only 10/100 Mbps


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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> The google TV home screen is on the TS4k it's just the android tv 9 version and not 10 which is what is on Sabrina. You press the circle button and it takes you right to the home screen I pictured.


I kinda thought that you thought this based on the things you've been saying. But it's not necessarily so.

Google TV is a new UI and content aggregation system that can run atop the Android TV operating system. Essentially, it's an alternative launcher (to use the proper Android term) for Android TV devices. In addition, Google TV exists in the form of its own app for Android mobile and iOS devices. And Google TV also ties into Google's TV and movie search results in web browsers, where you can add titles to your Google TV watchlist (thereby showing up in the Google TV mobile app and the Google TV launcher on the new Chromecast).

Just because a device runs Android TV 10 doesn't mean that it now has or will have Google TV. In fact, there are a few streamers and smart TVs released earlier this year outside the US that run Android TV 10 but do not have Google TV, which at this point is exclusive to the new Chromecast. Meanwhile, Google's own device for Android TV developers, the ADT-3, gets new versions of Android TV as soon as they're released by Google. It was upgraded to Android TV 10 late last year and then to Android TV 11 last week. But it continues to feature the standard launcher/homescreen UI.

At this point, we do know that Google TV will be used on upcoming smart TVs running the Android TV OS. We don't yet know if it will come to any non-Google streaming devices though, or whether any existing Android TV smart TVs or devices (e.g. Nvidia Shield TV, TiVo Stream 4K, etc.) will be updated so that they switch over from their existing launcher to Google TV. Perhaps the TS4K updates soon directly from Android TV 9 to 11 but doesn't get Google TV. Or maybe it does. We don't know yet.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV - Google Store
> 
> Official google tv Ethernet adapter
> 
> NOTE: Only 10/100 Mbps


Good to see they're offering this. The similar adapter for the original Chromecast is only $15. This one is $20, which seems like a bit much. Doesn't make sense IMO when you can buy a powered USB-C hub with ethernet port for not much more. But it's all some folks will need and they know that it will be compatible and backed by Google.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> Should I turn on "Match Dynamic Range" ?


Do you have a TV that supports HDR? If so, then the question is whether you want regular SDR content to be output as fake HDR or not. If you do, then leave Match Dynamic Range off. If you don't, then turn it on. Some folks like the way SDR content looks when it's converted into fake HDR. Some don't.


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> Do you have a TV that supports HDR? If so, then the question is whether you want regular SDR content to be output as fake HDR or not. If you do, then leave Match Dynamic Range off. If you don't, then turn it on. Some folks like the way SDR content looks when it's converted into fake HDR. Some don't.


Thanks for the explanation, The Tivo stream doesn't have this option


----------



## NashGuy

jimpmc said:


> The Chromecast with Google TV product definitely relegates Tivo Stream to a niche product, if it wasn't already. Between distribution channels, the Chromecast brand, and the vision of aggregating content across providers that Google's TV product now brings, I can't see how TiVo gains any more traction in the marketplace. I'm not sure whether TS4K will really have any lifespan with such a small userbase.
> 
> Plus, Google is now taking on Reelgood and JustWatch more directly as well. I have yet to play around with Google's Watchlist, but does it keep track of actual episodes watched like Reelgood does (albeit you have to tell it you watched the episode, but it tracks it at that level).


Yeah, I kinda saw this coming awhile back. Based on the leaks of what Google was planning to do with this device, I figured it would be hard for the TS4K to survive. But I at least thought that Google's device would cost $60-70, allowing the TS4K to undercut on the price. But since it rolled out at the same $50 price point, yeah, I think the TS4K is really going to be a niche product.


----------



## ListedGuru

Alex_7 said:


> Thanks for the explanation, The Tivo stream doesn't have this option


Do you notice a difference with SDR content with the match dynamic range on or off? Just curious.

Just ordered one from Best Buy as I had some reward certificates to use up. I wanted to blue color but it says sold out already so I settled on white.


----------



## Alex_7

ListedGuru said:


> Do you notice a difference with SDR content with the match dynamic range on or off? Just curious.
> 
> Just ordered one from Best Buy as I had some reward certificates to use up. I wanted to blue color but it says sold out already so I settled on white.


I need to fiddle with this option and do some tests after work


----------



## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV - Google Store
> 
> Official google tv Ethernet adapter
> 
> NOTE: Only 10/100 Mbps


Not sure why anyone would buy that over using a hub with Ethernet. The chipset supports gigabit I believe. But even 10/100 being wired and consistent is usually better than potentially faster wifi that can vary.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> I kinda thought that you thought this based on the things you've been saying. But it's not necessarily so.
> 
> Google TV is a new UI and content aggregation system that can run atop the Android TV operating system. Essentially, it's an alternative launcher (to use the proper Android term) for Android TV devices. In addition, Google TV exists in the form of its own app for Android mobile and iOS devices. And Google TV also ties into Google's TV and movie search results in web browsers, where you can add titles to your Google TV watchlist (thereby showing up in the Google TV mobile app and the Google TV launcher on the new Chromecast).
> 
> Just because a device runs Android TV 10 doesn't mean that it now has or will have Google TV. In fact, there are a few streamers and smart TVs released earlier this year outside the US that run Android TV 10 but do not have Google TV, which at this point is exclusive to the new Chromecast. Meanwhile, Google's own device for Android TV developers, the ADT-3, gets new versions of Android TV as soon as they're released by Google. It was upgraded to Android TV 10 late last year and then to Android TV 11 last week. But it continues to feature the standard launcher/homescreen UI.
> 
> At this point, we do know that Google TV will be used on upcoming smart TVs running the Android TV OS. We don't yet know if it will come to any non-Google streaming devices though, or whether any existing Android TV smart TVs or devices (e.g. Nvidia Shield TV, TiVo Stream 4K, etc.) will be updated so that they switch over from their existing launcher to Google TV. Perhaps the TS4K updates soon directly from Android TV 9 to 11 but doesn't get Google TV. Or maybe it does. We don't know yet.


Can you point to an article that says all this because I haven't read about that yet. To my understanding it's just the evolution of android tv.

Actually just read that from the verge article. It's also mentioned that it's not exclusive and other partners will be offering it as well. So while it is on top, it does seem to be the go to of what these tv's and devices should be.

Could also see many here just not bothering with the TS4k at this point. Why deal with with their slow development when you don't have to? Especially if you can get the aggregated info without the extra layer of tivo software on it. I love the peanut remote, but not at the expense of a nicer UI and no stream app always staring me in the face.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Akhaxton

dbpaddler said:


> Can you point to an article that says all this because I haven't read about that yet. To my understanding it's just the evolution of android tv.
> 
> Actually just read that from the verge article. It's also mentioned that it's not exclusive and other partners will be offering it as well. So while it is on top, it does seem to be the go to of what these tv's and devices should be.
> 
> Could also see many here just not bothering with the TS4k at this point. Why deal with with their slow development when you don't have to? Especially if you can get the aggregated info without the extra layer of tivo software on it. I love the peanut remote, but not at the expense of a nicer UI and no stream app always staring me in the face.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Google TV is the future of Android TV but Android TV will still exist (and yes, this is confusing)


> Google is releasing its own branded customized "experience" or skin called Google TV that runs on top of Android TV, debuting on the new Chromecast with Google TV - loading the new software branding right into the name itself. But this new skin isn't going to be a Google exclusive, like the manufacturer-customized skins on Android phones usually are. Google is also making Google TV available to other manufacturers that want it over the next two years





> But alongside all this, Google will still continue to provide the un-skinned Android TV to other companies until 2022, though it promises to update "eligible" devices to the Google TV experience and details regarding eligibility haven't been revealed yet. That means Google TV and Android TV will have to coexist for at least the next couple of years. Google also plans to bring some Google TV features to existing Android TV devices, further muddying these branded waters.


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## NashGuy

Here's another article I just saw that provides new info:

Android TV will be replaced by Google TV - 9to5Google


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## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Here's another article I just saw that provides new info:
> 
> Android TV will be replaced by Google TV - 9to5Google


Yeah, I get the gist. I can see pretty much every other device/tv out there and upcoming use the interface except for the TS4k because of Stream. Seems like a dagger to them.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## xberk

I assume the Sabrina is limited to one USB-C port for everything .. the TS4K has two ports, one micro usb for power and the type C. I think two ports are better than one. I would expect that the TS4K that I bought will develop (with two ports) in a way that the Sabrina cannot with one. Am I off on this? Just seems two is better than one.


----------



## aaronwt

dbpaddler said:


> Not sure why anyone would buy that over using a hub with Ethernet. The chipset supports gigabit I believe. But even 10/100 being wired and consistent is usually better than potentially faster wifi that can vary.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


As long as your wifi is setup properly, the wifi will be faster. All my streaming devices with either a 100Mb/s Ethernet port or only wireless options connect to wireless AC. I can get much higher throughput over wireless. FOr instance my Fire TV 4K sticks get 300Mb/s while my Rokus get 130Mb/s speeds. Either way they can stream very high bitrate UHD(100+Mb/s) content with zero issues. It will play back just as well as from my wired GigE streaming devices.

But then the key is a properly setup wifi network. And unfortunately most people do not have properly setup wifi networks. A properly setup wifi network has multiple Access Points placed around the dwelling. So every device can get great signal strength and have no congestion issues. Most people try to cover their entire dwelling with only one AP. Heck I need to use five APs in my condo to do this. But then I also have over seventy wireless devices now(with more coming). In addition to the sixty wired devices.


----------



## Alex_7

aaronwt said:


> As long as your wifi is setup properly, the wifi will be faster. All my streaming devices with either a 100Mb/s Ethernet port or only wireless options connect to wireless AC. I can get much higher throughput over wireless. FOr instance my Fire TV 4K sticks get 300Mb/s while my Rokus get 130Mb/s speeds. Either way they can stream very high bitrate UHD(100+Mb/s) content with zero issues. It will play back just as well as from my wired GigE streaming devices.


Not sure if I will invest in a hub right away since my router is right next to my tv, although I do prefer to hard wire my devices. Expanding my storage is what concerns me more, Kodi ends up eating a lot of my internal storage space.. I only have 4.4GB of free space, as long as Google doesn't start adding extra apps we dont need like amazon did I should be fine for now.


----------



## NashGuy

xberk said:


> I assume the Sabrina is limited to one USB-C port for everything .. the TS4K has two ports, one micro usb for power and the type C. I think two ports are better than one. I would expect that the TS4K that I bought will develop (with two ports) in a way that the Sabrina cannot with one. Am I off on this? Just seems two is better than one.


Yeah, having two ports is one feature that the TS4K has going for it over Chromecast w Google TV. It also has the TiVo peanut remote with more buttons, which will appeal to some folks. And the TiVo Stream app has a live guide that integrates Sling TV plus free live streaming channels. (Although I expect that in time the Live tab in Google TV will support not just YouTube TV but other live streaming services, as Amazon has done with their Fire TV UI grid guide. Hopefully Google TV will incorporate OTA channels too. Would be very weird if the upcoming Sony smart TVs that will run Google TV don't have their own internal OTA tuner's channels show up in the Live tab.)


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Yeah, I get the gist. I can see pretty much every other device/tv out there and upcoming use the interface except for the TS4k because of Stream. Seems like a dagger to them.


Yeah, maybe. Depends on whether those devices/TVs are "eligible" to adopt Google TV, per Google's (at this time) unknown guidelines. But TiVo is the only one I could potentially see turning down Google TV even if they qualified for it. I'd think Nvidia would want to adopt it as long as they were somehow able to prominently incorporate their games into the UI (maybe as a featured row on For You or via their own Shield Games tab).


----------



## tigercat74

Not a fan of the remote. Might take a little time but I just love the Roku remote.


----------



## dbpaddler

aaronwt said:


> As long as your wifi is setup properly, the wifi will be faster. All my streaming devices with either a 100Mb/s Ethernet port or only wireless options connect to wireless AC. I can get much higher throughput over wireless. FOr instance my Fire TV 4K sticks get 300Mb/s while my Rokus get 130Mb/s speeds. Either way they can stream very high bitrate UHD(100+Mb/s) content with zero issues. It will play back just as well as from my wired GigE streaming devices.
> 
> But then the key is a properly setup wifi network. And unfortunately most people do not have properly setup wifi networks. A properly setup wifi network has multiple Access Points placed around the dwelling. So every device can get great signal strength and have no congestion issues. Most people try to cover their entire dwelling with only one AP. Heck I need to use five APs in my condo to do this. But then I also have over seventy wireless devices now(with more coming). In addition to the sixty wired devices.


That is the key. Not properly setup. Congested wifi and other interference. Older routers. Too far from a router for optimal speed. Many in the house streaming over wifi. You can get drop outs and you name it. Wired is wired. 4k is about 14kb/s, so even 10/100 is just fine. Plus more wired devices you have the better off your wifi is. I try to reserve wifi for portable devices and home automation. Ran Ethernet from the basement to the 2nd floor closet and branched out to the two rooms with TV. So anything AV related is all wired. Phones, tablet, laptops, Google smart stuff all on wireless.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## JOSHSKORN

I just came back from Wal-mart and they didn't have the device. I should've gone earlier but that was my fault. I went ahead and ordered it online from BestBuy. I should receive it by Friday. I also looked at the Google Store, where it would take much longer to receive the device by, I believe a couple of weeks.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, having two ports is one feature that the TS4K has going for it over Chromecast w Google TV. It also has the TiVo peanut remote with more buttons, which will appeal to some folks. And the TiVo Stream app has a live guide that integrates Sling TV plus free live streaming channels. (Although I expect that in time the Live tab in Google TV will support not just YouTube TV but other live streaming services, as Amazon has done with their Fire TV UI grid guide. Hopefully Google TV will incorporate OTA channels too. Would be very weird if the upcoming Sony smart TVs that will run Google TV don't have their own internal OTA tuner's channels show up in the Live tab.)


The TS4k remote is great for live TV, especially adding in button mapper to the mix. If you use channels dvr for OTA there's even more love for the remote.

Honestly, the TS4k could do the job just fine. I think the problem is the early issues that created venom. The audio/video issues. The delays in updates. Seeing the beta side of things and questioning why we're focused on some of these things they're doing (one of my peeves). And for me, finding out that updating certain things isn't on their early radar unless customers complain and push. The stream app for me has been nothing but annoying, and forcing the channel on me even when I'm not using it is worse.

I also wonder about usb-c support. I know it's gotten better for the TS4k. But what if some of that support is in Android 10 and not just maintenance updates for 9? What if less devices work for the TS4k than Sabrina? And separate power is fine and all but if you're powering things through the hub that utilize power, I'd rather power through the hub and use the pass through to power the device.

For me it's enough to try and return two of my three. Never hurts to spread the device love and then one can compare the two devices which can either end up finding merit to both or digging the grave for one. And either way, the devices are $50 and probably not getting more expensive, and deals will always pop up. No way Tivo can raise the price back to its og MSRP. That would just bury it.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## foghorn2

This makes the Tivo Stream 4K irrelevant, too bad for tivo.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Those of you that have the new Sabrina device now, have you tried pairing it with a universal remote? I'm interested in hearing from you.


----------



## mrizzo80

OOS in the Google store? Is that the only way to get the Netflix offer? Not available on Amazon at all?

Do better, tech giants.


----------



## dbpaddler

JOSHSKORN said:


> Those of you that have the new Sabrina device now, have you tried pairing it with a universal remote? I'm interested in hearing from you.


There's no IR. Universal BT remotes aren't very common. When I pick one up I plan to try and pair the TS4k to it. Fingers will be crossed.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## rczrider

mrizzo80 said:


> OOS in the Google store? Is that the only way to get the Netflix offer? Not available on Amazon at all?
> 
> Do better, tech giants.


The Slickdeals thread indicates that it goes in and out of stock from minute to minute. Maybe it's out now, but maybe not in an hour? Or tomorrow?

In any case, the TS4K is dead.

EDIT: literally just bought a white one. I already pay for Netflix, so $18 for the new Chromecast is a pretty solid deal.


----------



## mrizzo80

rczrider said:


> The Slickdeals thread indicates that it goes in and out of stock from minute to minute. Maybe it's out now, but maybe not in an hour? Or tomorrow?
> 
> In any case, the TS4K is dead.


Thanks.

I really like the TiVo product, but I'll give this a shot. I've really gotten used to the remote - that will be tough to give up. ReelGood has been great as well, but having something baked into the home screen is even better.


----------



## dbpaddler

Engadget had an interesting update to their article.


> Update (at 3:20pm ET): This article was edited to clarify the continued existence of both Google TV and Android TV, * spelling out that Google TV will be consumer-facing branding. * The post was also updated to spell out that Play Movies and TV will become the new Google TV mobile app.


Makes it seem like all consumer streaming devices will be Google TV based moving forward. Also makes me think TV mfg's will use this as an excuse not to update current sets to Google TV and force customers to buy a new TV to get the Google TV experience. Will suck for Sony owners who are still sitting on Android 8.

Another interesting comment is all developers have access to the Live TV API, so that sling integration is open to all. So hopefully Channels DVR devs will take advantage of that. Would give more reason for OTA people to drop their Tivo DVR.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## brotony

Just half or fully baked later?

I see why Google wasn't rushing to bring Google TV out sooner. Wishful thinking that the delay would be worth the wait for a fully baked product. Everything I've read today seems to say to me to wait until more is known:

•Will Android 11 bring integer framerate matching for Google TV? Auto matching?

•Passthrough audio for AVR codecs support?

•Will Nvidia launch another Shield for Google TV with desired features and leave the older generations behind?

-Or- will this Google TV Chromecast device continue to be face valued on the cheap and add nothing hoped for? Sad day when launch signals wait and see: *starting in 2021"?... Buy now? I wanted a Chromecast device but this is a let down. Thanks? Google? I know what's in the package but gee, what can it be?


Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


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## mschnebly

JOSHSKORN said:


> Those of you that have the new Sabrina device now, have you tried pairing it with a universal remote? I'm interested in hearing from you.


Mine works perfectly with Harmony Elite and Companion remotes.


----------



## NashGuy

brotony said:


> Just half or fully baked later?
> 
> I see why Google wasn't rushing to bring Google TV out sooner. Wishful thinking that the delay would be worth the wait for a fully baked product. Everything I've read today seems to say to me to wait until more is known:
> 
> •Will Android 11 bring integer framerate matching for Google TV? Auto matching?
> 
> •Passthrough audio for AVR codecs support?
> 
> •Will Nvidia launch another Shield for Google TV with desired features and leave the older generations behind?
> 
> -Or- will this Google TV Chromecast device continue to be face valued on the cheap and add nothing hoped for? Sad day when launch signals wait and see: *starting in 2021"?... Buy now? I wanted a Chromecast device but this is a let down. Thanks? Google? I know what's in the package but gee, what can it be?


It's odd that Stadia support for this device isn't coming until 2021, especially given that Google is discontinuing the Chromecast Ultra (the only TV-connected device that currently supports Stadia) as a standalone item. Apparently the Ultra will still be sold in a bundle with Stadia controllers, though.

As for whether the new Chromecast is half-baked (aside from the Stadia issue), I think we're just going to have to wait for some initial user reports. Do we know for sure that it doesn't already have a framerate matching feature? Based on what I've read, I suspected that that would be a feature dependent on Android TV 11 (to which the Chromecast might be upgraded at any moment) but I don't know if anything has been confirmed on that. Anyone who's already bought it: is there a match framerate feature somewhere in the settings?

As for passthrough audio, Google's stated audio specs for the device say that it supports these audio formats: "Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (pass-through)". So it apparently offers passthrough audio, at least for Atmos.

Regarding Nvidia and their Shield TV, eh, that's nothing really to do with this Chromecast, although it is one of the questions surrounding the broader Google TV initiative. The gradual switchover from Android TV to Google TV is going to be messy and drawn-out but there's really no way around that, I guess. It's a consequence of the fact that, unlike Apple, Google creates software/services ecosystems that they extend to partner OEMs who have some degree of freedom in how they implement Google's solutions.

As for Google abandoning this Chromecast or the broader Google TV effort, I'm not too concerned about that. To me, this looks like the company is *finally* getting serious about TV with a coherent software and hardware strategy. I think Google knows that have to be a player in that arena. I just don't know why it took them this long to get there.


----------



## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> Makes it seem like all consumer streaming devices will be Google TV based moving forward. Also makes me think TV mfg's will use this as an excuse not to update current sets to Google TV and force customers to buy a new TV to get the Google TV experience. Will suck for Sony owners who are still sitting on Android 8.
> 
> Another interesting comment is all developers have access to the Live TV API, so that sling integration is open to all. So hopefully Channels DVR devs will take advantage of that. Would give more reason for OTA people to drop their Tivo DVR.


Beginning at some point in 2022, all (retail?) devices that run Android TV will have to use Google TV. So apparently, OEMs will have the option of bringing smart TVs and streamers to market until then that have the standard Android TV launcher but not Google TV. Whether any will or not, who knows.

As for existing Sony TVs getting updated to support Google TV, eh, I wouldn't bet on it. Sony's track record has reportedly been pretty awful in terms of upgrading to newer versions of Android TV. I don't see them pushing a whole new UI out to their TVs (other than maybe their 2020 models).

And, yeah, I'm interested to see where Google TV's Live tab goes in terms of support for additional apps/services. I'm wondering if Google is essentially abandoning their old Live Channels app (which they haven't done much with in a long while) and essentially replacing it with this Live tab. And, if that's the case, if the Live tab will gain direct native support for OTA tuners like HDHomeRun along with DVR features, as the Live Channels app has. My guess is that the Live tab won't ever support any DVR features (either local or cloud) but that you'll need to go into an underlying app for that.

Related question: I wonder if your YouTube TV cloud DVR recordings integrate with the broader Google TV UI, such as Continue Watching, Watchlist, and Top Picks for You?


----------



## krkaufman

NashGuy said:


> To me, this looks like the company is *finally* getting serious about TV with a coherent software and hardware strategy. I think Google knows that have to be a player in that arena. I just don't know why it took them this long to get there.


Good timing, at least until Roku and Amazon resolve the issue w/ HBO MAX. I'm tempted to run out and grab one of these, if only so I can quit having to connect a laptop to the TV whenever I want to watch HBO MAX.


----------



## NashGuy

We know that Google TV exists as the new face of Android TV devices and also as a mobile app for Android. (I earlier said for iOS too but it's just an Android app, at least for now.) And certain features of Google TV, including Watchlist, are integrated into Google search results.

But I bet the full Google TV experience comes to the web (at least via the Chrome browser) before long. That's what their project code-named Kaleidoscope appears to be.

Chrome Kaleidoscope aggregates video streaming services on one page

Right now the tv.google site is just a marketing page for Google TV. But it will probably be home to Kaleidoscope once they've finalized it.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Beginning at some point in 2022, all (retail?) devices that run Android TV will have to use Google TV. So apparently, OEMs will have the option of bringing smart TVs and streamers to market until then that have the standard Android TV launcher but not Google TV. Whether any will or not, who knows.
> 
> As for existing Sony TVs getting updated to support Google TV, eh, I wouldn't bet on it. Sony's track record has reportedly been pretty awful in terms of upgrading to newer versions of Android TV. I don't see them pushing a whole new UI out to their TVs (other than maybe their 2020 models).
> 
> And, yeah, I'm interested to see where Google TV's Live tab goes in terms of support for additional apps/services. I'm wondering if Google is essentially abandoning their old Live Channels app (which they haven't done much with in a long while) and essentially replacing it with this Live tab. And, if that's the case, if the Live tab will gain direct native support for OTA tuners like HDHomeRun along with DVR features, as the Live Channels app has. My guess is that the Live tab won't ever support any DVR features (either local or cloud) but that you'll need to go into an underlying app for that.
> 
> Related question: I wonder if your YouTube TV cloud DVR recordings integrate with the broader Google TV UI, such as Continue Watching, Watchlist, and Top Picks for You?


For the last part, I guess that's up to Google. It's their product. I would think in time it would. For me that would go along with Channels DVR integration or any DVR integration for that matter.

And wasn't banking on Sony doing that considering they still have many tv's on 8. Doubtful any mfg will update an existing product at this point as it's a chance to sell new product.

And if Live Channels supports the hdhomerun, I'm sure the live tab would too. Can't imagine them completely abandoning a live guide. The level of integration seems like it'll be there for the capability. It should be interesting to see how things progress. But they definitely seem to be more ambitious than Roku and Amazon.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

krkaufman said:


> Good timing, at least until Roku and Amazon resolve the issue w/ HBO MAX. I'm tempted to run out and grab one of these, if only so I can quit having to connect a laptop to the TV whenever I want to watch HBO MAX.


You can sideload the hbo max app to the firestick.


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## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> We know that Google TV exists as the new face of Android TV devices and also as a mobile app for Android. (I earlier said for iOS too but it's just an Android app, at least for now.) And certain features of Google TV, including Watchlist, are integrated into Google search results.
> 
> But I bet the full Google TV experience comes to the web (at least via the Chrome browser) before long. That's what their project code-named Kaleidoscope appears to be.
> 
> Chrome Kaleidoscope aggregates video streaming services on one page
> 
> Right now the tv.google site is just a marketing page for Google TV. But it will probably be home to Kaleidoscope once they've finalized it.


I'm patiently waiting for this. I like constantly adding stuff to my watchlist. An iphone app would be ideal for me eventually. But a web browser will do.


----------



## BigC

So the local Home Depot by me show 6 in stock. Head there this morning and get there around 8:30. The units aren't on shelf, so I ask someone that works there about it. They find one in "cage" on top of shelving. Bring one down and hand it to me. Off I go to the register, all happy. Get to the register, they scan in the barcode and a message pops-up that they can't sell it to me (not just to me, but can't sell it at all). Argued a bit that the device was released yesterday and why can't I buy it.... Bottom line, left without one. So p****d. This is b******t.


----------



## Alex_7

BigC said:


> So the local Home Depot by me show 6 in stock. Head there this morning and get there around 8:30. The units aren't on shelf, so I ask someone that works there about it. They find one in "cage" on top of shelving. Bring one down and hand it to me. Off I go to the register, all happy. Get to the register, they scan in the barcode and a message pops-up that they can't sell it to me (not just to me, but can't sell it at all). Argued a bit that the device was released yesterday and why can't I buy it.... Bottom line, left without one. So p****d. This is b******t.


Dam that sucks, have you tried your local Walmart/Best Buy?


----------



## aaronwt

dbpaddler said:


> There's no IR. Universal BT remotes aren't very common. When I pick one up I plan to try and pair the TS4k to it. Fingers will be crossed.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


I hope it can be controlled over the network. Like my Rokus and Shield TVs. I use my harmony remotes with Harmony hubs to control them over the LAN.


----------



## dbpaddler

aaronwt said:


> I hope it can be controlled over the network. Like my Rokus and Shield TVs. I use my harmony remotes with Harmony hubs to control them over the LAN.


It's bluetooth and IR. But the hub has Bluetooth in it so as long as the hub is in Bluetooth range of Sabrina, it will work.

Everything with harmony goes through the hub no matter how its controlled be it Bluetooth, wifi or IR. Unless you have an IR device you want controlled by the remote itself. Well, not the companion remote.

And I can't imagine if you're using Sabrina in a room, your hub is in a different room.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## BigC

Alex_7 said:


> Dam that sucks, have you tried your local Walmart/Best Buy?


Trying Walmart later. Might have to write a scathing email to Home Depot headquarters


----------



## Jeeters

BigC said:


> So the local Home Depot by me show 6 in stock. Head there this morning and get there around 8:30. The units aren't on shelf, so I ask someone that works there about it. They find one in "cage" on top of shelving. Bring one down and hand it to me. Off I go to the register, all happy. Get to the register, they scan in the barcode and a message pops-up that they can't sell it to me (not just to me, but can't sell it at all). Argued a bit that the device was released yesterday and why can't I buy it.... Bottom line, left without one. So p****d. This is b******t.


I web checked inventory at my local Walmart and Home Depot and neither claimed to have it. My local Target did claim to have it in stock. So I just headed there during lunch, but I didn't see any. They had the old Chromecasts, and I didn't see an open spot where the new ones could have been, so I'm assuming they hadn't put them out yet. Nobody was immediately around for me to bug about it, so I just left.

EDIT: I forgot about Best Buy. They don't have it in stock, but I just ordered it from them to have it delivered to my house. Oct 6th delivery. For store pickup, it was Oct 7th. I know I could just have ordered it from the Google Store, but they're usually not so timely.


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## NashGuy

dbpaddler said:


> And if Live Channels supports the hdhomerun, I'm sure the live tab would too. Can't imagine them completely abandoning a live guide. The level of integration seems like it'll be there for the capability. It should be interesting to see how things progress. But they definitely seem to be more ambitious than Roku and Amazon.


Well, this is Google we're talking about here and they often abandon old things. I doubt that they yank the Live Channels app off the Play Store in the foreseeable future but I can see it just languishing with no further updates. Couldn't blame them, really, given the new Live tab in Google TV which essentially replaces it.

As an HDHomeRun owner, what I'm wondering is if Google will build native support into the Live tab in Google TV for OTA tuners or if it will only have an API that allows third-party apps (e.g. YouTube TV, Fubo TV, Pluto TV, etc.) to pass their video streams into it. With the Live Channels app, there are two ways that you can pull in your OTA channels: either directly from the tuner (i.e. natively) or indirectly via the HDHomeRun app if you have installed it. Alternatively, you can use certain USB OTA tuners natively with Android TV and the Live Channels app if Android TV has a built-in driver for it.

I'd say Amazon Fire TV is well ahead of Google on this. There's a live channel grid guide in the Fire TV UI that pulls streaming channels from several different apps, as well as whatever premium services you subscribe to via Prime Video Channels (e.g. Showtime, Showtime 2, Showtime Extreme, etc.). And it also incorporates OTA channels from the Fire TV Recast and/or the built-in tuner on smart TVs running Fire TV OS. But it looks like Google plans to follow suit by building a live guide that's open to any source that wants to opt into it. Don't see Google coming out with their own OTA tuner/DVR like the Recast though. Hopefully they try to natively support other companies' OTA tuners as they did in the Live Channels app.


----------



## aaronwt

NashGuy said:


> Beginning at some point in 2022, all (retail?) devices that run Android TV will have to use Google TV. So apparently, OEMs will have the option of bringing smart TVs and streamers to market until then that have the standard Android TV launcher but not Google TV. Whether any will or not, who knows.
> 
> As for existing Sony TVs getting updated to support Google TV, eh, I wouldn't bet on it. Sony's track record has reportedly been pretty awful in terms of upgrading to newer versions of Android TV. I don't see them pushing a whole new UI out to their TVs (other than maybe their 2020 models).
> 
> And, yeah, I'm interested to see where Google TV's Live tab goes in terms of support for additional apps/services. I'm wondering if Google is essentially abandoning their old Live Channels app (which they haven't done much with in a long while) and essentially replacing it with this Live tab. And, if that's the case, if the Live tab will gain direct native support for OTA tuners like HDHomeRun along with DVR features, as the Live Channels app has. My guess is that the Live tab won't ever support any DVR features (either local or cloud) but that you'll need to go into an underlying app for that.
> 
> Related question: I wonder if your YouTube TV cloud DVR recordings integrate with the broader Google TV UI, such as Continue Watching, Watchlist, and Top Picks for You?


I still surprised my 2015 Sony UHD TV got updated to a newer version of Android last month. That seems unusual for a five year old TV.


----------



## aaronwt

Jeeters said:


> I web checked inventory at my local Walmart and Home Depot and neither claimed to have it. My local Target did claim to have it in stock. So I just headed there during lunch, but I didn't see any. They had the old Chromecasts, and I didn't see an open spot where the new ones could have been, so I'm assuming they hadn't put them out yet. Nobody was immediately around for me to bug about it, so I just left.
> 
> EDIT: I forgot about Best Buy. They don't have it in stock, but I just ordered it from them to have it delivered to my house. Oct 6th delivery. For store pickup, it was Oct 7th. I know I could just have ordered it from the Google Store, but they're usually not so timely.


Best Buy originally had delivery for Friday. For the white model. At least when I looked yesterday. I had originally ordered two white ones. But then I realized they had a different color so I cancelled the order. So then I ordered two of the Blue ones. But today it shows that one of them got cancelled. And Now they are out of stock. And the Blue one won't be delivered until Monday.

Best Buy has made a bunch of mistakes with several of my orders over the last couple of weeks. I have two Fitbit Aria scales here even though I only ordered one.

So now I'll probably just wait until around Thanksgiving to get a second Sabrina. When they hopefully have a Black Friday week sale price of $25 or $30.


----------



## dbpaddler

NashGuy said:


> Well, this is Google we're talking about here and they often abandon old things. I doubt that they yank the Live Channels app off the Play Store in the foreseeable future but I can see it just languishing with no further updates. Couldn't blame them, really, given the new Live tab in Google TV which essentially replaces it.
> 
> As an HDHomeRun owner, what I'm wondering is if Google will build native support into the Live tab in Google TV for OTA tuners or if it will only have an API that allows third-party apps (e.g. YouTube TV, Fubo TV, Pluto TV, etc.) to pass their video streams into it. With the Live Channels app, there are two ways that you can pull in your OTA channels: either directly from the tuner (i.e. natively) or indirectly via the HDHomeRun app if you have installed it. Alternatively, you can use certain USB OTA tuners natively with Android TV and the Live Channels app if Android TV has a built-in driver for it.
> 
> I'd say Amazon Fire TV is well ahead of Google on this. There's a live channel grid guide in the Fire TV UI that pulls streaming channels from several different apps, as well as whatever premium services you subscribe to via Prime Video Channels (e.g. Showtime, Showtime 2, Showtime Extreme, etc.). And it also incorporates OTA channels from the Fire TV Recast and/or the built-in tuner on smart TVs running Fire TV OS. But it looks like Google plans to follow suit by building a live guide that's open to any source that wants to opt into it. Don't see Google coming out with their own OTA tuner/DVR like the Recast though. Hopefully they try to natively support other companies' OTA tuners as they did in the Live Channels app.


I wouldn't want Google to. I'm not a recast fan. I'm not a fan of any service that wants to downgrade the og mpeg2 signal. Why be hampered by proprietary equipement anyway? Especially now with atsc 3.0 making a move. And even then, what if Amazon makes recast 3.0? They're just going to transcode that too and degrade the improved picture even more. Other ones limit you to stereo sound. That's great if you're appealing to the lowest common denominator, but I don't buy those products. Same reason I don't own a TV with fire or Roku. They're all budget sets.

So let Google do the software and let hdhomerun provide the hardware unless they want to make an atsc 3.0 box and future proof it a bit.

And is their current live channels that great? If they give the functionality in the live tab, I'd imagine it'll just get integrated. Live channels will be there for all the current non Google TV devices, and Google TV products will have its own version baked in. And if the old is stagnant, I'll blame the device mfg's for not updating their product to support Google TV which will just go back to them being more interested in selling you a new product than updating the one you already bought. Can't expect Google to support something after they've give mfg's the updated OS to work with their new product.

As I get older I just seem to have less tolerance for BS, corporate BS and so on. Hence my now turn on the TS4k because they'll have zero interest in upgrading the android version unless they get blow back from customers. The attitude just seems like they'll only do what they're forced to. No interest in making a better product and more interest in doing the minimal amount possible to get by as they focus on improving Stream. And their CS just gets more annoying. So I'm kinda done with them. If I can salvage the remote to work with Sabrina, great. If not, I'm just selling them. Happy to be tivo free at that point.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

aaronwt said:


> I still surprised my 2015 Sony UHD TV got updated to a newer version of Android last month. That seems unusual for a five year old TV.


What version? It might've been a necessity that could've broke things down the road if they didn't update. Sadly my Leeco is stuck on 6 as the company is defunct.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## foghorn2

NashGuy said:


> It's odd that Stadia support for this device isn't coming until 2021, especially given that Google is discontinuing the Chromecast Ultra (the only TV-connected device that currently supports Stadia) as a standalone item. Apparently the Ultra will still be sold in a bundle with Stadia controllers, though.
> 
> As for whether the new Chromecast is half-baked (aside from the Stadia issue), I think we're just going to have to wait for some initial user reports. Do we know for sure that it doesn't already have a framerate matching feature? Based on what I've read, I suspected that that would be a feature dependent on Android TV 11 (to which the Chromecast might be upgraded at any moment) but I don't know if anything has been confirmed on that. Anyone who's already bought it: is there a match framerate feature somewhere in the settings?
> 
> As for passthrough audio, Google's stated audio specs for the device say that it supports these audio formats: "Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (pass-through)". So it apparently offers passthrough audio, at least for Atmos.
> 
> Regarding Nvidia and their Shield TV, eh, that's nothing really to do with this Chromecast, although it is one of the questions surrounding the broader Google TV initiative. The gradual switchover from Android TV to Google TV is going to be messy and drawn-out but there's really no way around that, I guess. It's a consequence of the fact that, unlike Apple, Google creates software/services ecosystems that they extend to partner OEMs who have some degree of freedom in how they implement Google's solutions.
> 
> As for Google abandoning this Chromecast or the broader Google TV effort, I'm not too concerned about that. To me, this looks like the company is *finally* getting serious about TV with a coherent software and hardware strategy. I think Google knows that have to be a player in that arena. I just don't know why it took them this long to get there.


I dont see its half baked at all. Its has everything I need, and it does everything well.

It passes audio though from kodi/dvd isos direct to my receiver too.


----------



## NashGuy

aaronwt said:


> I still surprised my 2015 Sony UHD TV got updated to a newer version of Android last month. That seems unusual for a five year old TV.


Wow, that is surprising. Maybe Sony is getting better?


----------



## foghorn2

Im not a big fan of Google, but they hit it out of the ballpark with this. I predict Tivo and Roku are on the way out and this will take market share away from Amazon. I've canceled Prime, still have purchased content from them, soo Ill still use the app. Customer since late 1997. NO more money going to Tivo either.


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## dbpaddler

Android TV will be replaced by Google TV - 9to5Google



> Starting in 2021, Google TV will start showing up on set-top boxes, dongles, and full smart TVs from Google's current Android TV partners while regular Android TV devices can also hit the market. By 2022, all Android TV retail devices will be using the new platform. Currently available Android TV devices will also either be updated to the new experience or adopt some of its features over time.


Me playing with Sabrina will have to wait. A more important toy arrived today, my Surface Duo phone. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## ListedGuru

Can we load the peacock on app on this?


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## dbpaddler

ListedGuru said:


> Can we load the peacock on app on this?


Yes

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


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## aaronwt

dbpaddler said:


> What version? It might've been a necessity that could've broke things down the road if they didn't update. Sadly my Leeco is stuck on 6 as the company is defunct.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


It got updated to Android 8. The Oreo update.


----------



## dbpaddler

aaronwt said:


> It got updated to Android 8.


Damn. At least it's only one off of what everyone else is at at the moment. Sabrina not included.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## aaronwt

foghorn2 said:


> Im not a big fan of Google, but they hit it out of the ballpark with this. I predict Tivo and Roku are on the way out and this will take market share away from Amazon. I've canceled Prime, still have purchased content from them, soo Ill still use the app. Customer since late 1997. NO more money going to Tivo either.


I can see TiVo, but not Roku. Currently Roku has the largest share of the streaming market. And they keep growing with all the Roku TVs being sold.


----------



## dbpaddler

aaronwt said:


> I can see TiVo, but not Roku. Currently Roku has the largest share of the streaming market. And they keep growing with all the Roku TVs being sold.


Tivo needed to be solid from the jump. Now it's just a nice remote. Plenty of room for another android tv device. One up tivo on the remote. Dual usb-c. An internals bump somewhere between Sabrina and the Shield.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

Sign Up for YouTube TV and Get a New Chromecast Free - Limited Time Offer | Cord Cutters News

YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News


----------



## dbpaddler

Ouch.... So if you don't need YouTube it's a horrible deal. At least the other iptv services gave you a device that was great in value than the service that you had to pay for. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## krkaufman

Alex_7 said:


> Sign Up for YouTube TV and Get a New Chromecast Free - Limited Time Offer | Cord Cutters News
> 
> YouTube TV - Watch & DVR Live Sports, Shows & News


From the terms, since I was confused as to where my new Chromecast w/ Google TV was after signing up...


> *Free Chromecast with Google TV device for new YouTube TV Subscribers*
> This Chromecast with Google TV device giveaway is only open to participants in the United States. In order to be eligible, users must subscribe to YouTube TV between October 15, 2020 and December 31, 2020 and make at least 1 valid payment. Promotional offer is only available to a first time YouTube TV Member or Family Group Manager. One device per household. Eligible participants will be contacted by YouTube TV by email and must visit the US Google Store using the promotion link provided and take action in order to claim the offer. Offer must be redeemed at the US Google Store by 11:59pm PST on February 28, 2021. Promotional value of offer is non-transferable, not for resale, non-redeemable for cash, and non-refundable. Google reserves the right to modify these terms as needed. User is not eligible for first month YouTube TV refund after redeeming the Chromecast device. User can only redeem either the YouTube TV discounted price, offered for Chromecast purchasers, or the free Chromecast with YouTube TV subscription. Offer only applies to Chromecast with Google TV in the color Snow. Available only to US residents with shipping addresses in the US. Must be age 18 or older. To redeem your promotional offer, click on the 'Redeem Code' button in the email and then go to the checkout page to receive a free Chromecast with Google TV, plus taxes, if applicable, on a single Chromecast in the color Snow. If you do not see the offer auto applied during checkout then please enter the promotional code manually at the checkout page. Credit card entry may be required for redemption. Shipping and handling costs are included.
> 
> Each promotional code is valid for 1 redemption of a Chromecast in the color Snow, and will be available on a first come, first served basis, subject to availability. Google, Chromecast, and YouTube TV are trademarks of Google LLC. Google Store Promotion Code and YTV Terms and Conditions apply.


_(We were wanting to trial YouTube TV, anyway, and I wanted this device, so figure it will allow a 45-day YouTube TV trial for just $15 -- and will inform me as to whether more GTV/Chromecast's need to be picked-up come Black Friday.) _


----------



## dbpaddler

And you can have any of the three colors you want, as long as you choose white. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## moyekj

Been following this thread with interest. Does seem more like kind of device + software TiVo should have released. Since it's cheap enough, I ordered one from Best Buy online - supposed to get free delivery tomorrow. Shall wait and see. Will likely replace the TS4K if it's any good. Hopefully will work with one of the ethernet adapters I already have as I don't like to use these devices on wireless.


----------



## NashGuy

foghorn2 said:


> Im not a big fan of Google, but they hit it out of the ballpark with this. I predict Tivo and Roku are on the way out and this will take market share away from Amazon. I've canceled Prime, still have purchased content from them, soo Ill still use the app.


FYI, you can link your Amazon account to Movies Anywhere and most of the movies you purchased from them should then show up in the Movies Anywhere app/website. You can then link Movies Anywhere to other apps/vendors, such as Google, Vudu and Apple. If you link to Google, then they'll just show up in Google TV's Library tab. (Unfortunately though, this won't work for purchased TV shows. Only movies from Disney, Warner, Universal, Sony, and 20th Century.)


----------



## moyekj

Side humorous note. Best Buy online order says you need to wait for 24 hours for tracking link to work, yet the delivery is due in less time than that. Guess they've got some catching up to do compared to Amazon ordering.


----------



## Alex_7

I was at target roaming around curious to see if they had it in stock they didn’t. I asked the target employee and he was clueless lol


----------



## Niners

Today I received the chromecast with google TV I ordered yesterday and installed it with a USB C hub.

Interestingly a USB C hub that did not work with the Tivo Stream 4K does work with the Google TV. The wired GB Ethernet port on the hub works with the chromecast with google tv.

The $20 USB C hub I used is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/

I also tested a USB wireless mouse and keyboard (Logitech micro USB keyboard connected with a USB A to micro USB adapter) and both the mouse and keyboard worked with this USB C hub.


----------



## brotony

NashGuy said:


> It's odd that Stadia support for this device isn't coming until 2021, especially given that Google is discontinuing the Chromecast Ultra (the only TV-connected device that currently supports Stadia) as a standalone item. Apparently the Ultra will still be sold in a bundle with Stadia controllers, though.
> 
> As for whether the new Chromecast is half-baked (aside from the Stadia issue), I think we're just going to have to wait for some initial user reports. Do we know for sure that it doesn't already have a framerate matching feature? Based on what I've read, I suspected that that would be a feature dependent on Android TV 11 (to which the Chromecast might be upgraded at any moment) but I don't know if anything has been confirmed on that. Anyone who's already bought it: is there a match framerate feature somewhere in the settings?
> 
> As for passthrough audio, Google's stated audio specs for the device say that it supports these audio formats: "Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (pass-through)". So it apparently offers passthrough audio, at least for Atmos.
> 
> Regarding Nvidia and their Shield TV, eh, that's nothing really to do with this Chromecast, although it is one of the questions surrounding the broader Google TV initiative. The gradual switchover from Android TV to Google TV is going to be messy and drawn-out but there's really no way around that, I guess. It's a consequence of the fact that, unlike Apple, Google creates software/services ecosystems that they extend to partner OEMs who have some degree of freedom in how they implement Google's solutions.
> 
> As for Google abandoning this Chromecast or the broader Google TV effort, I'm not too concerned about that. To me, this looks like the company is *finally* getting serious about TV with a coherent software and hardware strategy. I think Google knows that have to be a player in that arena. I just don't know why it took them this long to get there.


Indications in AVS forums is that in Android 10, framerate is locked to 59.xx fps. Appears to be locked for Plex and Kodi but now tests with Oppo 203 are coming, likely tomorrow. Hopeful Android 11 opens up possibilities and app developers integrate it with an option to enable it disable. This approach didn't work well for Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire HDR devices. Based on user complaints, I feel best to have it available but off by default. This is how Roku does it and yet consumers turn it on and complain about black screen transitions.

At some point, with HDMI 2.1 black screen transitions should be a thing of the past. There were rumors Sabrina would have HDMI 2.1 like the developer edition before it. This also seems to be not confirmed. The launch disappointedly lacked a spec announcement. So it appears to be hand cuffed as a cheap device with an out of the box quick and cheap experience. I'd like to think that won't be case for Android 11 but this gives me pause to buy now.

Hopeful 2019 Nvidia Shields are supported in Android 11 with native framerate and resolution matching along with Google TV platform. But I don't own one and wouldn't buy until verified. Google has said they don't know what Nvidia's plans are. Hopefully Nvidia has a choice with Google TV and won't disappoint current owners. But I don't claim to know what they want or Nvidia's plans. I would be interested to know though! Just my thoughts.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

Niners said:


> Today I received the chromecast with google TV I ordered yesterday and installed it with a USB C hub.
> 
> Interestingly a USB C hub that did not work with the Tivo Stream 4K does work with the Google TV. The wired GB Ethernet port on the hub works with the chromecast with google tv.
> 
> The $20 USB C hub I used is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
> 
> I also tested a USB wireless mouse and keyboard (Logitech micro USB keyboard connected with a USB A to micro USB adapter) and both the mouse and keyboard worked with this USB C hub.


Nice, how are you powering the hub? What power brick are you using? Any Ethernet issues with losing connection or is it stable so far?


----------



## mrizzo80

Does the Watchlist update itself or do you have to mark episodes as watched?

If the former, which apps support that? I saw a post on Reddit indicating there were three supported apps, including Netflix, which I think was a holdout for similar functionality on Apple TV.


----------



## NashGuy

brotony said:


> Indications in AVS forums is that in Android 10, framerate is locked to 59.xx fps. Appears to be locked for Plex and Kodi but now tests with Oppo 203 are coming, likely tomorrow. Hopeful Android 11 opens up possibilities and app developers integrate it with an option to enable it disable. This approach didn't work well for Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire HDR devices.


It certainly look like Android TV 11 (which was just released by Google about a week ago) supports varying/native frame rates, as long as apps support that API.

Frame rate | Android Developers

There are workaround on lower versions of Android, though. Amazon implemented a match framerate feature on at least some of their current Fire TV devices. (Fire TV OS is Amazon's modified version of open-source Android.) I think Nvidia tacked on some kind of match framerate solution for their Shield TV (or maybe it requires use of a special app).

As for the new Chromecast, I'm still not sure if it has such a feature or not. It does have a match dynamic range feature. Not sure about framerate. That might require a future upgrade to Android TV 11. But given that this is a Google device, I'd have to think that the OS update isn't far off. Google Pixel phones get Android updates almost immediately after Google releases them.


----------



## aaronwt

moyekj said:


> Side humorous note. Best Buy online order says you need to wait for 24 hours for tracking link to work, yet the delivery is due in less time than that. Guess they've got some catching up to do compared to Amazon ordering.


Bestbuy has been screwed up lately. I had yet another issue with an order today. It shows online that it hasn't even been picked up yet by the carrier. But I received it today.


----------



## aaronwt

Niners said:


> Today I received the chromecast with google TV I ordered yesterday and installed it with a USB C hub.
> 
> Interestingly a USB C hub that did not work with the Tivo Stream 4K does work with the Google TV. The wired GB Ethernet port on the hub works with the chromecast with google tv.
> 
> The $20 USB C hub I used is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
> 
> I also tested a USB wireless mouse and keyboard (Logitech micro USB keyboard connected with a USB A to micro USB adapter) and both the mouse and keyboard worked with this USB C hub.


What kind of speeds do you get over the gigabit connection?


----------



## NashGuy

mrizzo80 said:


> Does the Watchlist update itself or do you have to mark episodes as watched?
> 
> If the former, which apps support that? I saw a post on Reddit indicating there were three supported apps, including Netflix, which I think was a holdout for similar functionality on Apple TV.


OK, here's what I *think* to be true. Someone who already has a Chromecast with Google TV, please correct me if what I say here is wrong.

The Watchlist on Google TV doesn't keep track of what you've watched. It's just a static group of movies and entire series that you've manually "watchlisted". I think all titles in the Watchlist remain there until you manually remove them. It looks like Google maintains a database of titles across lots of different apps/services (much like TiVo/Rovi does), with each title showing which services it's available on. And from this master database, you can add a title to your Watchlist. And the Watchlist is tied to your Google account. You can add to it from Google search results in Chrome, in the Google TV mobile app for Android, or in Google TV on Chromecast. Add it in any one place and it flows through to the other places.

Unfortunately, though, Google's database isn't completely accurate yet. For instance, it doesn't seem to support Showtime. If you search for a Showtime original series, it will show it as being available from one or more of the services that offer Showtime as an add-on (e.g. Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube TV, etc.) but not from the actual Showtime app itself. Which is really weird, given that Google lists Showtime as one of the apps that's integrated into Google TV.

There's a separate list/row near the top of the main For You tab in Google TV called Continue Watching. The contents of this row are automatically populated by Google TV. It should reflect the next available episode in a series you're currently watching. Or if you watched only part of a movie or episode, that should be reflected here. It looks like this Continue Watching row depends on an API that Android TV apps must support, which basically passes the contents of that individual app's Continue Watching list out to Google TV, which in turn aggregates that data in with the same kind of data from other apps into one unified list.

Which apps support the Continue Watching feature in Google TV? HBO Max for sure. I've read conflicting info on Netflix. I've read that Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+ do not. I've read that CBS All Access does. Peacock isn't integrated into Google TV at all yet but Google says it will soon. So, sort of an underwhelming level of support among major apps so far, IMO. We'll see where this goes in the days and weeks to come...


----------



## brotony

NashGuy said:


> It certainly look like Android TV 11 (which was just released by Google about a week ago) supports varying/native frame rates, as long as apps support that API.
> 
> Frame rate | Android Developers
> 
> There are workaround on lower versions of Android, though. Amazon implemented a match framerate feature on at least some of their current Fire TV devices. (Fire TV OS is Amazon's modified version of open-source Android.) I think Nvidia tacked on some kind of match framerate solution for their Shield TV (or maybe it requires use of a special app).
> 
> As for the new Chromecast, I'm still not sure if it has such a feature or not. It does have a match dynamic range feature. Not sure about framerate. That might require a future upgrade to Android TV 11. But given that this is a Google device, I'd have to think that the OS update isn't far off. Google Pixel phones get Android updates almost immediately after Google releases them.


Yes. I'll wait and hope for the Android 11 test results. It's what Google didn't say that worries me. Apple was the same way at launch and worse even with HDR not dynamically auto switching to content. That evolved nicely but still lacked some developer participation in apps integration. Roku has a different approach but Netflix defeated that.

Nvidia Shield is an unknown isn't it? I'd like to know what their plans are. New device for Google TV or support the 2019 Shields?

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## mrizzo80

NashGuy said:


> OK, here's what I *think* to be true. Someone who already has a Chromecast with Google TV, please correct me if what I say here is wrong.
> 
> The Watchlist on Google TV doesn't keep track of what you've watched. It's just a static group of movies and entire series that you've manually "watchlisted". I think all titles in the Watchlist remain there until you manually remove them. It looks like Google maintains a database of titles across lots of different apps/services (much like TiVo/Rovi does), with each title showing which services it's available on. And from this master database, you can add a title to your Watchlist. And the Watchlist is tied to your Google account. You can add to it from Google search results in Chrome, in the Google TV mobile app for Android, or in Google TV on Chromecast. Add it in any one place and it flows through to the other places.
> 
> Unfortunately, though, Google's database isn't completely accurate yet. For instance, it doesn't seem to support Showtime. If you search for a Showtime original series, it will show it as being available from one or more of the services that offer Showtime as an add-on (e.g. Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube TV, etc.) but not from the actual Showtime app itself. Which is really weird, given that Google lists Showtime as one of the apps that's integrated into Google TV.
> 
> There's a separate list/row near the top of the main For You tab in Google TV called Continue Watching. The contents of this row are automatically populated by Google TV. It should reflect the next available episode in a series you're currently watching. Or if you watched only part of a movie or episode, that should be reflected here. It looks like this Continue Watching row depends on an API that Android TV apps must support, which basically passes the contents of that individual app's Continue Watching list out to Google TV, which in turn aggregates that data in with the same kind of data from other apps into one unified list.
> 
> Which apps support the Continue Watching feature in Google TV? HBO Max for sure. I've read conflicting info on Netflix. I've read that Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+ do not. I've read that CBS All Access does. Peacock isn't integrated into Google TV at all yet but Google says it will soon. So, sort of an underwhelming level of support among major apps so far, IMO. We'll see where this goes in the days and weeks to come...


Yeah I probably used the wrong term. Continue Watching is what I should've used.


----------



## Niners

Alex_7 said:


> Nice, how are you powering the hub? What power brick are you using? Any Ethernet issues with losing connection or is it stable so far?


Wired ethernet has been stable with this hub. No issues so far with the wired connection or the peripherals connected to the hub.

Currently the hub is powered with an extra Monoprice Obsidian 85W PD 1 port Wall Charger which is way overkill for the peripherals connected to the hub but this hub supports 100W. 
Later on when I have a hard drive connected to it I will try it with a 18W PD charger.


----------



## NashGuy

brotony said:


> Yes. I'll wait and hope for the Android 11 test results. It's what Google didn't say that worries me. Apple was the same way at launch and worse even with HDR not dynamically auto switching to content. That evolved nicely but still lacked some developer participation in apps integration. Roku has a different approach but Netflix defeated that.
> 
> Nvidia Shield is an unknown isn't it? I'd like to know what their plans are. New device for Google TV or support the 2019 Shields?


Nvidia has been excellent about updating their Shield TV. My guess is that they will adopt Google TV in the coming months if their customers deem it a worthwhile change (jury's still out) and if Nvidia can somehow prominently feature their Nvidia Games titles in the Google TV UI (as they already do in the standard Android TV home screen).

As for the Apple TV 4K, yes, I held off on buying one until its first major software update which introduced the frame rate matching and dynamic range matching features. As for the content aggregation features of its TV app, they've been ahead of everyone there. Sadly, Netflix doesn't support it but all the other major (and many minor) apps do.

IMO, Apple TV is the standard that Google TV is aiming to meet or beat. We'll see if it succeeds.


----------



## foghorn2

NashGuy said:


> FYI, you can link your Amazon account to Movies Anywhere and most of the movies you purchased from them should then show up in the Movies Anywhere app/website. You can then link Movies Anywhere to other apps/vendors, such as Google, Vudu and Apple. If you link to Google, then they'll just show up in Google TV's Library tab. (Unfortunately though, this won't work for purchased TV shows. Only movies from Disney, Warner, Universal, Sony, and 20th Century.)


I have content like Brian Greens's Fabric of the Cosmos, Cosmos, the full Bewitched Series, Song Remains the Same, ect ect that wont convert over to any service. I wish I could download them and use Kodi to play them off the NAS. I do own them for flocks sake.


----------



## Niners

aaronwt said:


> What kind of speeds do you get over the gigabit connection?


I tested a couple times with the Analiti app with both wired and wireless. I got between 74MB and 78MB with the wired connection and between 67MB and 70MB with the wireless connection so not a significant difference between wired and wireless with my network.

My internet connection is 100MB so I likely won't see a difference between the GB port on this hub and a 10/100 USB Ethernet adapter. Someone with a Internet connection higher than 100MB would likely get higher speeds with this hub's GB port.


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> OK, here's what I *think* to be true. Someone who already has a Chromecast with Google TV, please correct me if what I say here is wrong.
> 
> The Watchlist on Google TV doesn't keep track of what you've watched. It's just a static group of movies and entire series that you've manually "watchlisted". I think all titles in the Watchlist remain there until you manually remove them. It looks like Google maintains a database of titles across lots of different apps/services (much like TiVo/Rovi does), with each title showing which services it's available on. And from this master database, you can add a title to your Watchlist. And the Watchlist is tied to your Google account. You can add to it from Google search results in Chrome, in the Google TV mobile app for Android, or in Google TV on Chromecast. Add it in any one place and it flows through to the other places.
> 
> Unfortunately, though, Google's database isn't completely accurate yet. For instance, it doesn't seem to support Showtime. If you search for a Showtime original series, it will show it as being available from one or more of the services that offer Showtime as an add-on (e.g. Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube TV, etc.) but not from the actual Showtime app itself. Which is really weird, given that Google lists Showtime as one of the apps that's integrated into Google TV.
> 
> There's a separate list/row near the top of the main For You tab in Google TV called Continue Watching. The contents of this row are automatically populated by Google TV. It should reflect the next available episode in a series you're currently watching. Or if you watched only part of a movie or episode, that should be reflected here. It looks like this Continue Watching row depends on an API that Android TV apps must support, which basically passes the contents of that individual app's Continue Watching list out to Google TV, which in turn aggregates that data in with the same kind of data from other apps into one unified list.
> 
> Which apps support the Continue Watching feature in Google TV? HBO Max for sure. I've read conflicting info on Netflix. I've read that Prime Video, Hulu and Disney+ do not. I've read that CBS All Access does. Peacock isn't integrated into Google TV at all yet but Google says it will soon. So, sort of an underwhelming level of support among major apps so far, IMO. We'll see where this goes in the days and weeks to come...


Spot on. The only way for now to remove from watchlist is manually, hopefully in the future the show or tv is removed from the watchlist automatically after you finish watching.
Marking individual episodes as watched is not yet supported. It relies on the continue watching feature if it supports it. When clicking on a title from the google tv main page it does remember where you left off and gets you back on the last point you left off in the movie or tv series


----------



## Alex_7

Niners said:


> Wired ethernet has been stable with this hub. No issues so far with the wired connection or the peripherals connected to the hub.
> 
> Currently the hub is powered with an extra Monoprice Obsidian 85W PD 1 port Wall Charger which is way overkill for the peripherals connected to the hub but this hub supports 100W.
> Later on when I have a hard drive connected to it I will try it with a 18W PD charger.


How many W do you suggest the power brick to be to power the device, have Ethernet connection running and a 64GB flash drive with installed apps on it? Is a 20W power brick enough or would I need more?


----------



## Alex_7

This guy managed to install the Google TV launcher on his Nvidia shield


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/j3gemn

I wanna do this to my TiVo stream


----------



## Alex_7

Wow! It works! I managed to install Google Tv on the TiVo stream!


----------



## brotony

NashGuy said:


> Nvidia has been excellent about updating their Shield TV. My guess is that they will adopt Google TV in the coming months if their customers deem it a worthwhile change (jury's still out) and if Nvidia can somehow prominently feature their Nvidia Games titles in the Google TV UI (as they already do in the standard Android TV home screen).
> 
> As for the Apple TV 4K, yes, I held off on buying one until its first major software update which introduced the frame rate matching and dynamic range matching features. As for the content aggregation features of its TV app, they've been ahead of everyone there. Sadly, Netflix doesn't support it but all the other major (and many minor) apps do.
> 
> IMO, Apple TV is the standard that Google TV is aiming to meet or beat. We'll see if it succeeds.


I'd hope Google does meet or exceed Apple TV 4K. I can, at times, get around the unction to get an iOS device to better integrate with HomeKit and kb by borrowing an iPad or using harmony hub. But sometimes I find Apple pushing the agenda that it works better with iOS devices. I'm better integrated with Google but also the minority in this house. But I find it costlier to switch everything to Apple at the moment. At least for the moment, I'm looking for a Google solution.

I'm also using Amazon echo but it seems to have lost control of hue bridge hue lights and can't get it back. Discovered no lights for weeks; now just finding 2 lights. Oddly enough, Google Home lost Philips hue sync earlier this year and it took months to correct. Google Home support refused to talk to me about fixing this because I didn't have a Google smart speaker. They've just sent me a discount promotion code (YouTube Premium member offer) for a Google a Nest hub. I'm beginning to lean towards Google Assistant anyway so I'll likely be looking to get into Google TV too.

At the very least, I'm looking to user tests to see if Sabrina is dropping video frames as bad as Apple TV 4K is for some users complaining about this in AVS forums. There's a couple of threads I'm watching over there for that. It mostly appears to be more noticable by TV and viewer; I haven't noticed it as often as others complain. But the argument makes sense to me; it might well matter if I buy another TV. I mostly stream all video and audio media now.

If Sabrina doesn't disappoint, it's cheaper. If Nvidia Shield's plans are encouraging, maybe that's the solution I go with. I can wait but I'm tired of buying devices on the hopes the maker will get it right with updates. Too often with streamers, it's what you unpack that you're stuck with. Like yourself, I haven't paid much attention to Chromecast Ultra. For me, it lacked the remote to be taken seriously. Likely a good device with excellent support over the years for those that purchased.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Niners

Alex_7 said:


> How many W do you suggest the power brick to be to power the device, have Ethernet connection running and a 64GB flash drive with installed apps on it? Is a 20W power brick enough or would I need more?


I tested the USB C hub with a 18W PD USB C power charger and a 12W USB A power charger and they both worked with the wired ethernet (also connected was a wireless mouse and a keyboard) so you should be OK with a 20W power charger for just a flash drive.


----------



## Alex_7

Niners said:


> I tested the USB C hub with a 18W PD USB C power charger and a 12W USB A power charger and they both worked with the wired ethernet (also connected was a wireless mouse and a keyboard) so you should be OK with a 20W power charger for just a flash drive.


Thanks I will give this a shot


----------



## Alex_7

The search function doesn't work, but I can use the voice function for searching stuff. the continue watching doesn't work even for HBO Max stuff, the navigation and selecting movies works flawlessly. The watchlist feature works as well.


----------



## jaselzer

mschnebly said:


> Mine works perfectly with Harmony Elite and Companion remotes.


Did you have to teach the Harmony or is the new Google Chromecast in the database?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## krkaufman

Alex_7 said:


> View attachment 52817
> 
> 
> The search function doesn't work, but I can use the voice function for searching stuff. the continue watching doesn't work even for HBO Max stuff, the navigation and selecting movies works flawlessly. The watchlist feature works as well.


Wow, that seems pretty problematic for a new device. I'll be staying away from this new Chromecast until Google proves they can make it work.


----------



## brotony

krkaufman said:


> Wow, that seems pretty problematic for a new device. I'll be staying away from this new Chromecast until Google proves they can make it work.


Did you notice the remote in that screenshot? It's a continuation of his recent posts about installing the Google TV Launcher on the TiVo 4K Stream.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Alex_7

krkaufman said:


> Wow, that seems pretty problematic for a new device. I'll be staying away from this new Chromecast until Google proves they can make it work.


The issues aren't on the google chromecast. I installed the launcher on the TiVo stream, that is giving me issues not the chromecast.


----------



## NashGuy

Alex_7 said:


> The search function doesn't work, but I can use the voice function for searching stuff. the continue watching doesn't work even for HBO Max stuff, the navigation and selecting movies works flawlessly. The watchlist feature works as well.


This suggests that Search and Continue Watching are dependent on apps' usage of APIs that exists on the new Chromecast (likely part of its build of Android TV 10) but which are lacking on the TiVo Stream 4K (and probably every other Android TV device in the world right now, except maybe Google's ADT-3 developer device).


----------



## Alex_7

NashGuy said:


> This suggests that Search and Continue Watching are dependent on apps' usage of APIs that exists on the new Chromecast (likely part of its build of Android TV 10) but which are lacking on the TiVo Stream 4K (and probably every other Android TV device in the world right now, except maybe Google's ADT-3 developer device).


There's a missing system apk I need to download from the chrome cast to the TiVo stream to make the search work, someone figured it out already. I'll need to find it and sideload it


----------



## mschnebly

jaselzer said:


> Did you have to teach the Harmony or is the new Google Chromecast in the database?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I just used the NVidia Shield as the device. You can set up the buttons however you want.


----------



## jaselzer

mschnebly said:


> I just used the NVidia Shield as the device. You can set up the buttons however you want.


Do you get a keyboard pop up when necessary? That was a problem with the Stream 4K when using the Shield

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mschnebly

jaselzer said:


> Do you get a keyboard pop up when necessary? That was a problem with the Stream 4K when using the Shield
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, so far it has every time. Too bad Harmony doesn't have voice control.


----------



## Alex_7

One minor issue I just found with the chromecast is the resolution. I wasn’t seeing 4K movies/shows on Netflix or prime, went to my display settings and resolution was set as 1080p, the device wasn’t recognizing my 4K display. I fixed this by restarting the device. Someone on Reddit had a similar issue. Hopefully it’s a bug that gets fixed in the next update.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Good news and bad news. I got my Sabrina/Abbey device in the mail today. Unfortunately, there's an outage at Frontier so I have no Internet/Phone. Ugh.

I have two accessories coming later today: a hub, and a keyboard. I'll report back once I get it all set up...if I ever get my Internet back. Ugh.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


----------



## BigC

What a cluster at Home Depot near me. Yesterday they couldn't sell me one (system wouldn't let them sell it). Today I go back, their system will let them sell it, but.... because of what happened yesterday, they sent them all back. Stupid...

Still looking for one to play with this weekend... any thoughts where I might be able to find one.

Thanks.


----------



## moyekj

BigC said:


> What a cluster at Home Depot near me. Yesterday they couldn't sell me one (system wouldn't let them sell it). Today I go back, their system will let them sell it, but.... because of what happened yesterday, they sent them all back. Stupid...
> 
> Still looking for one to play with this weekend... any thoughts where I might be able to find one.
> 
> Thanks.


Ordered mine online yesterday at Best Buy with free next day delivery, received today around 1pm.


----------



## moyekj

Just setting mine up now. Setup is kind of painful. Setting up via Google Home app on my Android phone. At the wireless network stage it found my 2.4GHz SSID right away, but took 2 minutes to show my 5GHz SSID (dual band wireless router). Then trying to connect to the 5GHz wireless network just keeps failing... The unit is literally less than 1 foot from the router right now too... The TS4K in comparison was a breeze to setup without any issues.

EDIT: The 2.4GHz network worked eventually, but had to try that twice.
Then when I was still in middle of setup the device decided to install a system update which interrupted the setup. Not impressed so far with setting up this device...

EDIT 2: I don't really find having the volume buttons on the side very easy to use. The TS4K remote is much more intuitive to me.

EDIT 3: After setup completed I was able to go to settings and switch to 5GHz wireless network without issue.


----------



## osu1991

1 WalMart and 1 Target had them in stock last night. Didn’t feel like going. Ordered last night around 9pm from BestBuy for delivery tomorrow. Just got UPS tracking number a little while ago. 

I like the TS4K but the HDR plays havoc with my main 75in tv, switching HDR on and off randomly. Left the first one on my 1080p office tv, where it works great. Finally de-TiVo’d the 2nd one yesterday and put it on the bedroom tv. Will try the new chromecast in the living room, if it doesn’t work then the 4K fire stick will go back in there.


----------



## moyekj

I watched about 5 minutes each of a Netflix show, an Amazon show and a Tubi show, but going back to home page I don't see any "Continue Watching". From what I was reading earlier in this thread I was excited about getting that feature. Maybe it takes a while for it to get things going... I'm pretty sure my Google permissions are set right (had to set that up in order for YTTV to work when I had that app), but I'll check again.

EDIT: Took a while, but "Continue watching" is now there and worked for HBO Max and Netflix, but not Prime or Tubi.


----------



## Niners

Per my post yesterday I confirmed that wired Ethernet on the GB port of this $20 USB C hub works https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/

However, today I tried a drive and USB flash and when the drives are connected on this hub they are recognized in the Storage menu but are listed as "disk ejected safely" message and the drive is not available to the chromecast.

Has anyone accessed external storage yet? 
If so please provide the format of the drive and the model of the hub that was used.


----------



## moyekj

Has anyone figured out how to switch inputs using voice command? On my FireTV I simply say "HDMI 1" to switch to that input (it uses CEC), but using this device I simply get "Sorry, I couldn't find any matching devices". This is same TV that works with FireTV, so I know that CEC is enabled and working on the TV.

From what I could see, the Chromecast only switches to it's own input can can't change to other inputs via voice. I hope that's not the case. I use that all the time with my Fire Stick to switch between it and TiVo inputs.


----------



## Niners

Niners said:


> Per my post yesterday I confirmed that wired Ethernet on the GB port of this $20 USB C hub works https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
> 
> However, today I tried a drive and USB flash and when the drives are connected on this hub they are recognized in the Storage menu but are listed as "disk ejected safely" message and the drive is not available to the chromecast.
> 
> Has anyone accessed external storage yet?
> If so please provide the format of the drive and the model of the hub that was used.


Drive format seems to make a difference.

With this hub can confirm that a USB Flash drive formatted as FAT32 worked was accessible. However, a 500 GB SSD formatted as NTFS was not accessible and displayed the "disk ejected safely" message in Storage menu.

The flash drive that worked is this 64MB Sandisk drive:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YYK13LF


----------



## JOSHSKORN

I need some advice. I recently purchased this hub and it didn't come with any power cable. Just the hub: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Ethernet-1000Mbps-Thunderbolt-Chromebook/dp/B089M7WSHM

I need an idea of what to buy to power it. I tried looking through the comments and I didn't have much luck. Thanks.


----------



## xberk

JOSHSKORN said:


> I need some advice. I recently purchased this hub and it didn't come with any power cable. Just the hub: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Ethernet-1000Mbps-Thunderbolt-Chromebook/dp/B089M7WSHM
> 
> I need an idea of what to buy to power it. I tried looking through the comments and I didn't have much luck. Thanks.


I'm interested in this too .. maybe someone can explain what "power delivery pass through" actually means. The AUKEY hub says it can handle up to 100W but I have no idea how you calculate what would be needed to power a particular device. This all gets confusing between Watts, Amps and Volts.


----------



## Niners

xberk said:


> I'm interested in this too .. maybe someone can explain what "power delivery pass through" actually means. The AUKEY hub says it can handle up to 100W but I have no idea how you calculate what would be needed to power a particular device. This all gets confusing between Watts, Amps and Volts.


Per my comment yesterday # 301 I tested a different hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/ that also has 100W PD with a 18W USB C PD and 12W USB A Charger. The CCGTV and the hub's wired ethernet port worked with both of these power supplies but I did have any drives connected to the hub.

The Google provided USB A power adapter is 7.5W so I think that a 12W charger to power a hub that does not have drives connected should be sufficient.

Note that on the Chromecast subreddit this Anker hub has been flagged as the Ethernet not working with the CCGTV:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089M7WSHM
so please update this thread if you get it working with Ethernet.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Niners said:


> Note that on the Chromecast subreddit this Anker hub has been flagged as the Ethernet not working with the CCGTV:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089M7WSHM
> so please update this thread if you get it working with Ethernet.


Well that's great, I just received this item today in the mail. I'll test it, anyways.



Niners said:


> Per my comment yesterday # 301 I tested a different hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/ that also has 100W PD with a 18W USB C PD and 12W USB A Charger. The CCGTV and the hub's wired ethernet port worked with both of these power supplies but I did have any drives connected to the hub.
> 
> The Google provided USB A power adapter is 7.5W so I think that a 12W charger to power a hub that does not have drives connected should be sufficient.


I don't think this quite answers mine, nor @xberk 's question. The device I got, which is the one that is said to not work with the device's ethernet for connectivity, said something about 100W. I'd like to ensure that I purchase something that can draw that much power, because I don't really know what I might end up plugging into here. It's still up in the air. I just want to make sure I'm not short-changing myself, and at the same time, I don't want to kill any of my devices by possibly overpowering it. Again, these specifics are out of my understanding.

Can you or someone recommend a compatible 100w charger for this hub? Pictures show it plugged into a 100w charger but don't give a model #. From the manual of the device I purchased:

*USB Power Delivery Input: DC 5V-20V 5A (Up to 100W)*


----------



## dbpaddler

These hubs all mention pass through because they work with laptops and other high wattage devices. So if you have say a MacBook that uses an 80w charger, then the hub can handle an 80w charger and pass that through to the laptop.

For the purposes of Sabrina, that max pass through wattage is irrelevant as the usb-c in Sabrina accepts a much lower wattage. Usb-c chargers are capable of scaling to whatever wattage/voltage the device needs. I doubt Sabrina is even PD, and whatever drive or accessory you're plugging into the hub isn't either unless it's a tablet or phone and isn't charging via pd via the Usb-A ports anyway.

You do want a hub that will pass through though since it is the sole port on Sabrina, unlike the TS4k. Some smaller hubs don't have any power options. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## RickNY

BigC said:


> So the local Home Depot by me show 6 in stock. Head there this morning and get there around 8:30. The units aren't on shelf, so I ask someone that works there about it.


Every Home Depot around me shows 6-10 in stock, but dont show aisle info -- it says "Ask An Associate" -- and if you try to order for in-store pickup, the cart says "The store you chose for this item does not have enough inventory to fulfill your order. Please choose another store, or split your order among multiple stores."


----------



## krkaufman

RickNY said:


> Every Home Depot around me shows 6-10 in stock, but dont show aisle info -- it says "Ask An Associate" -- and if you try to order for in-store pickup, the cart says "The store you chose for this item does not have enough inventory to fulfill your order. Please choose another store, or split your order among multiple stores."


That exactly matches my experience attempting an online order via Home Depot a couple nights ago. I haven't bothered actually going to the local store, having instead opted for a delayed delivery via the YouTube TV promo offer.


----------



## dbpaddler

It's like they punished the stores since a bunch sold it before they were supposed to. But that really just punishes the customers. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Niners

Confirmed that CCGTV supports formatting and adding flash drive as app storage with this USB C hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/

In addition to a 64GB Flash drive I also connected a USB C 1 TB Drive (using a USB C to A cable) to the USB 3.0 port on this hub and was able to use the USB C 1 TB drive with Kodi.

I could only get FAT32 drives to be recognized.
NTFS and exFAT drives were listed in storage but displayed the "disk ejected safely" message.

If CCGTV only supports FAT32 then file sizes would be limited to 4 GB and local drives connected to the hub would be limited to 2 TB.


----------



## aaronwt

moyekj said:


> Just setting mine up now. Setup is kind of painful. Setting up via Google Home app on my Android phone. At the wireless network stage it found my 2.4GHz SSID right away, but took 2 minutes to show my 5GHz SSID (dual band wireless router). Then trying to connect to the 5GHz wireless network just keeps failing... The unit is literally less than 1 foot from the router right now too... The TS4K in comparison was a breeze to setup without any issues.
> 
> EDIT: The 2.4GHz network worked eventually, but had to try that twice.
> Then when I was still in middle of setup the device decided to install a system update which interrupted the setup. Not impressed so far with setting up this device...
> 
> EDIT 2: I don't really find having the volume buttons on the side very easy to use. The TS4K remote is much more intuitive to me.
> 
> EDIT 3: After setup completed I was able to go to settings and switch to 5GHz wireless network without issue.


I'm setting mine up right now. I like the volume buttons on the side. This is how ROku does it too. They have volume buttons and a mute button on the side. I think they are much easier to use with them on the side since your thumb is there anyway. That of course is assuming you are using it with your right hand.

For wifi setup it was super fast for me. It saw my eleven SSIDs from 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz right away. I just needed to enter the password.


----------



## aaronwt

Niners said:


> I tested a couple times with the Analiti app with both wired and wireless. I got between 74MB and 78MB with the wired connection and between 67MB and 70MB with the wireless connection so not a significant difference between wired and wireless with my network.
> 
> My internet connection is 100MB so I likely won't see a difference between the GB port on this hub and a 10/100 USB Ethernet adapter. Someone with a Internet connection higher than 100MB would likely get higher speeds with this hub's GB port.


I just set mine up. I'm seeing around 310Mb/s speeds up and down over wireless AC 
with the Analiti speed test app. WHich is around what I can get with my 4k FireTV sticks.


----------



## aaronwt

At least right out of the gate this new Google Chromecast is properly matching the dynamic range. And properly switching between SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision.

And I thought I read where the TiVo Stream 4K still does not have this after four months?


----------



## Tony from the corner

aaronwt said:


> At least right out of the gate this new Google Chromecast is properly matching the dynamic range. And properly switching between SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision.
> 
> And I thought I read where the TiVo Stream 4K still does not have this after four months?


as of a few days ago before I returned my TS4K, unbilled 4896, it still did not have the HDR fix


----------



## BigC

RickNY said:


> Every Home Depot around me shows 6-10 in stock, but dont show aisle info -- it says "Ask An Associate" -- and if you try to order for in-store pickup, the cart says "The store you chose for this item does not have enough inventory to fulfill your order. Please choose another store, or split your order among multiple stores."


Went to a different Home Depot near me today. Online said to call them because of low stock. Went anyway. Showed the item sku on my phone to customer service. They didn't have an aisle showing. Said that it said on there system "No home", which means it wasn't put on "the floor" yet. They went looking. About 10 minutes later came back with one in hand. Home with it now!! Finally!! Will be setting it up in a bit.


----------



## moyekj

After playing with a day, I generally like it. The Watchlist under "Library" seems to work well - like the TS4K should have, and "Continue Watching" works for some apps but not all.

The one big glaring thing missing for me is I am unable to switch TV inputs using voice command "HDMI 1" like I can with Fire Stick. So currently I have the Fire Stick on same TV so I have to switch to Fire Stick so that I can then switch to the TiVo input via voice which is a pain, but still better than bringing the TV remote out of retirement just for that 1 button. Guess once I get rid of TiVo for good that will be a non-issue.


----------



## NashGuy

Zatz confirmed on Twitter what I was afraid would be the case with this Chromecast, given that it runs Android TV apps but has a remote without dedicated transport control buttons like the Fire TV:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1312104347845586944


----------



## moyekj

Yes, what's really needed is a "stream player" app through which you can get to any service, so that the navigation controls are the same for every app. It's ridiculous when switching between apps the trick play functionality is all over the place and inconsistent. That has been the nice thing about owning TiVo all these years - consistent trick play functionality. That is sorely needed in the brave new streaming world.


----------



## osu1991

I just can't win with these.

Got the new chromecast an hour ago. Setup was easy, but the video blinks every few minutes and causes a crackling sound through the surround receiver as the tv and chromecast can't agree on the resolution with it left at 4K/60. 4K/30 stutters and looks terrible, so dropped down to 1080p/60. On the other hand, the HDR setting is working correctly.

The TS4K now triggers HDR off and on randomly but it plays smoothly with it set at 4K/60.

I'll continue using the Chromecast at 1080p/60 for now and take it to the lake cabin and try it on the Sony 900E, but I kind of prefer the TS4K and it's remote if TiVo would just fix the HDR switching.

I'm going to need a bigger junk shelf if I add any more TiVo's, Roku's, Fire sticks, TS4k's and Chromecasts. 

I suppose I should look the manual up and make sure one of the hdmi inputs isn't limited in what it can display. I know one of my old TVs were that way, but I didn't think this one was.


----------



## Niners

Niners said:


> Confirmed that CCGTV supports formatting and adding flash drive as app storage with this USB C hub: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
> 
> In addition to a 64GB Flash drive I also connected a USB C 1 TB Drive (using a USB C to A cable) to the USB 3.0 port on this hub and was able to use the USB C 1 TB drive with Kodi.
> 
> I could only get FAT32 drives to be recognized.
> NTFS and exFAT drives were listed in storage but displayed the "disk ejected safely" message.
> 
> If CCGTV only supports FAT32 then file sizes would be limited to 4 GB and local drives connected to the hub would be limited to 2 TB.
> 
> View attachment 52879


To configure a drive to be used as device storage it has to be in FAT32 format for the drive to be recognized by the CCGTV. After it is recognized you can configure the drive as device storage in the Storage menu and the drive will be reformatted to ext3 format.

Note that with the ext3 format there is no 4GB file size limit so unlike a FAT32 drive an ext3 drive can store files greater than 4GB.


----------



## dbpaddler

moyekj said:


> Yes, what's really needed is a "stream player" app through which you can get to any service, so that the navigation controls are the same for every app. It's ridiculous when switching between apps the trick play functionality is all over the place and inconsistent. That has been the nice thing about owning TiVo all these years - consistent trick play functionality. That is sorely needed in the brave new streaming world.


Actually it'd be nice if remotes were actually remotes and not just a form first/function last minimal button device. Standard media navigation keys and let the device map them to the appropriate function in each app. That would be a step above Apple. The idea of going through a d-pad is just dumb. Dvr functions since the push for live linear TV is obviously a focus. And basic linear TV controls (channel up/down), last, and guide.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk


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## osu1991

Geez, the Home Screen is bloated with junk. I tried going to the apps only display, but it disables the voice assistant, which is the only way I’ve found to launch the Live Channels app.


----------



## Niners

Chromecast with Google TV rumored to drop $10 to $40 on black Friday:
This is how much the Chromecast with Google TV will cost on Black Friday


----------



## JOSHSKORN

This might be a silly question, or not...I'm not sure...

From Sabrina's one USB-C port which you normally plug into power...can I plug a hub directly into that port, and power the hub so power will pass through and power Sabrina? OR, do I need to get basically a USB-C OTG cable, splitting the connection, with one connector into power and the other into my hub (which has its own port for power)?


----------



## Tony from the corner

osu1991 said:


> Geez, the Home Screen is bloated with junk. I tried going to the apps only display, but it disables the voice assistant, which is the only way I've found to launch the Live Channels app.


Agreed on the home screen clutter There are just way too many genres that are aggregated. would have been nice if they allowed us to 
show/hide the genres ike on the TS4K.

I did try the apps view mode. But then it's like a Roku but only much much worse without the assistance.

The volume buttons on the right are kind of clunky. I have to shift the remote in my hand to work the volume buttons. Clearly not ergonomically developed. The TS4K had the advantage there.

I'm definitely keeping the two Google TVs I just purchased. I really really like the assistant. That's the biggest selling feature. Along with the content aggregation. I just keep telling myself it's like the fire TV homepage that was cluttered also. That seems to settle my nerves .


----------



## Tony from the corner

I complained about the plex app on the TS4K. I would get jutter/stutter when playing 24P Blu-ray rips when the device was outputting 60P (neither the TS4K nor the Google TV switch the frame rate to match the content inside the Plex app).

But I did notice with the Google TV stick that there was no stutter/judder when watching that same content on the same televisions I tested before when testing with the TS4K. I believe the artifacts on the TS4K was caused by the 3:2 pull down, or something else I'm completely not aware of.

So dropping that here is another data point on the Chromecast . Although from what I read on these forums, not everybody was experiencing the same artifacts with Plex and TS4K like I was


----------



## Noelmel

For those still looking to buy I wanted the sky blue but was outta stock at google store online last night. This morning the Netflix bundle is back with ship dates of 11/20 - 11/21 tho! I’m hoping it comes much sooner. Best Buy and Walmart were both out of stock still and Home Depot has shipping dates next week but the bundle is a better deal for me. I’d prefer Amazon the most though due to gift cards and rewards points so if it pops up on there I’ll just cancel the original order I guess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tony from the corner

Noelmel said:


> For those still looking to buy I wanted the sky blue but was outta stock at google store online last night. This morning the Netflix bundle is back with ship dates of 11/20 - 11/21 tho! I'm hoping it comes much sooner. Best Buy and Walmart were both out of stock still and Home Depot has shipping dates next week but the bundle is a better deal for me. I'd prefer Amazon the most though due to gift cards and rewards points so if it pops up on there I'll just cancel the original order I guess.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Off topic post from me... Keep reading if interested...

Consider the Best Buy Visa card. The points are insane. They'll have deals with he'll give you 10% back on groceries. They just had that deal over the summer. It lasted several months so I put all my groceries on me Best Buy card. or they'll send out an email stating spend $250 inside Best Buy or even outside Best Buy on anything you want, they give you 10% back.

From March of this year to now, I accumulated 110 dollars worth of Best Buy points, and I'm fixing to get another $25 In a few weeks. For stuff that I had to buy anyway.

Since we buy a lot of stuff on Amazon, when they say spend $250 outside of Best Buy for 10% back, my buy a gift card at Amazon. I'm going to use Amazon anyway, plus I got 25 to spend in Best Buy.


----------



## Noelmel

^ That is a good deal my Amazon one is only 5% (only at Amazon too I believe not elsewhere). I really wish Staples would carry these my boyfriend works there I could use his discount plus rewards coupons lol they have the original chromecasts but not this yet not even on the website. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## dbpaddler

Tony from the corner said:


> Off topic post from me... Keep reading if interested...
> 
> Consider the Best Buy Visa card. The points are insane. They'll have deals with he'll give you 10% back on groceries. They just had that deal over the summer. It lasted several months so I put all my groceries on me Best Buy card. or they'll send out an email stating spend $250 inside Best Buy or even outside Best Buy on anything you want, they give you 10% back.
> 
> From March of this year to now, I accumulated 110 dollars worth of Best Buy points, and I'm fixing to get another $25 In a few weeks. For stuff that I had to buy anyway.
> 
> Since we buy a lot of stuff on Amazon, when they say spend $250 outside of Best Buy for 10% back, my buy a gift card at Amazon. I'm going to use Amazon anyway, plus I got 25 to spend in Best Buy.


I make purchases for my family in my account. I've been elite for years. And that's just the normal store card. You can use their Visa card like a normal visa up to the point it gets you elite status. And then just use it only for BB purchases to maximize the benefits. An instance where its worth applying for the visa. I just haven't done it yet.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk


----------



## osu1991

I finally have it working correctly this morning with good video and audio.

I swung the tv out from the wall and connected the google device directly to the tv and now I get 4K/60 without any video glitches. I played some videos and 4K video was steady and HDR triggered when the video was HDR and switched off when it wasn’t. 

Guess I need to take the wall plates off and pull the inserts out and see what cables I put in the wall 6 yrs ago. 

As usual, nothing is perfect. I’m definitely not a fan of the remote or the home screen. The remote is my least favorite, among the TiVo, fire sticks, and Roku’s.


----------



## moyekj

osu1991 said:


> As usual, nothing is perfect. I'm definitely not a fan of the remote or the home screen. The remote is my least favorite, among the TiVo, fire sticks, and Roku's.


 I agree, I find remote too short length-wise, and at least the way I hold the remote it's not natural at all to get to volume controls on the side. I have to slide the whole remote up in order to operate the volume buttons on the side with my thumb, then back down again for any other operation. The remote and the fact I can't change TV inputs using voice command are my biggest gripes against the Chromecast 4K so far. Then there is the general issue of Google TV having inconsistent trick play across various apps.


----------



## NashGuy

Tony from the corner said:


> Agreed on the home screen clutter There are just way too many genres that are aggregated. would have been nice if they allowed us to
> show/hide the genres ike on the TS4K.
> 
> I did try the apps view mode. But then it's like a Roku but only much much worse without the assistance.
> 
> The volume buttons on the right are kind of clunky. I have to shift the remote in my hand to work the volume buttons. Clearly not ergonomically developed. The TS4K had the advantage there.
> 
> I'm definitely keeping the two Google TVs I just purchased. I really really like the assistant. That's the biggest selling feature. Along with the content aggregation. I just keep telling myself it's like the fire TV homepage that was cluttered also. That seems to settle my nerves .


IMO, the Google TV's For You tab is much better than the Fire TV homescreen, which sometimes has ads for PPV or even non-video stuff, along with a strong bias in favor of Amazon's own content. Plus it has that weird "Recents" row that mixes apps and content titles. Meanwhile, with Google TV, the most useful stuff -- Top Picks for You, Your Apps, and Continue Watching, are the three rows at the top of the For You tab. If you don't like the fact that there are multiple more rows of content suggestions below there, well, there's no need to keep scrolling down.

Meanwhile, Google TV gives you the option to mostly (though not completely) restrict suggestions to just the paid subscriptions you have. Does Fire TV? And the Google TV UI features Rotten Tomatoes scores throughout and the ability to thumbs up/down content to improve the system's content suggestions. Not saying the Google TV UI is perfect but it seems much better thought-out than the current Fire TV UI (which isn't saying much). Although Amazon has a redesigned Fire TV UI that will roll out soon.


----------



## NashGuy

moyekj said:


> Yes, what's really needed is a "stream player" app through which you can get to any service, so that the navigation controls are the same for every app. It's ridiculous when switching between apps the trick play functionality is all over the place and inconsistent. That has been the nice thing about owning TiVo all these years - consistent trick play functionality. That is sorely needed in the brave new streaming world.


Eh, having a single app/UI through which all the services serve their content will never happen. It would be sufficient if the OS/app store just required that all apps followed certain guidelines in terms of playback controls and how they responded to various remote control commands. Apple TV (tvOS) comes closest to this as there's a lot of consistency among the major apps. But even there, the new Peacock app doesn't comply. With Roku, all the apps used to respond to its "instant replay" button the same way, jumping back several seconds and turning on captions only during the replay. But now some Roku apps don't respond to that button like that any more.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> I watched about 5 minutes each of a Netflix show, an Amazon show and a Tubi show, but going back to home page I don't see any "Continue Watching". From what I was reading earlier in this thread I was excited about getting that feature. Maybe it takes a while for it to get things going... I'm pretty sure my Google permissions are set right (had to set that up in order for YTTV to work when I had that app), but I'll check again.
> 
> EDIT: Took a while, but "Continue watching" is now there and worked for HBO Max and Netflix, but not Prime or Tubi.


how did you get Netflix to work with the continue watching feature? I seem to only get HBO Max on there


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alright, so I got my Sabrina/Chromecast device finally plugged in. A few observations so far, one of which was already reported but since I already had the device, I tested it anyways.

When Plugging Chromecast with Google TV/Sabrina into the AUKEY USB C Hub Adapter, 5 in 1 Type C Hub

The Cable that came with Sabrina was now plugged into the PD port of the hub. I thought I'd just try that and see what happens, although this hub can handle more power, I believe.
This keyboard worked, but the keys did not light up as advertised. I might need to add batteries as well, though. Sill researching this.
As expected/reported, the Ethernet port DID NOT work, so this hub is definitely out.
I'd also tested a FURUI Upgraded HDMI Capture Card, basically it's HDMI to USB 3.0. I plugged it into my PC and the Chromecast into the capture device. It worked, but there was some slight lag. Maybe it's a configuration issue, as it's my first time trying this. My goal was to feed my TV feed (plug in HDMI cable) from my TIVo Mini into it. As a test, I used my Samsung Dex Pad, but I could not find an app in the Play Store that has the capability to capture a device. Maybe a camera app would capture the picture, but not the audio. After some research, there may be other ways of going about this, anyways. I basically want to play my TiVo cable TV through Chromecast without having to switch TV Inputs. After further playing around, I may try again, using Live Channels. There's a VLC option.
I just ordered the USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter, which is said that the Ethernet port will work. As I mentioned above, the keyboard I purchased, works.

A couple of things I came across today, were DIAL ("Discovery and Launch") and mDNS. DIAL was only used by the first Chromecast, so I would assume it's not available on Sabrina. I'm not actually sure of what it all did, nor am I familiar with mDNS. I'm also noticing that the Live Channels app has an option for Sling. This makes me curious as to what all Sling does and how it relates to TiVo and why TiVo advertises it. I obviously know nothing about it. Again, the goal is to feed live TV from my Bolt through the Chromecast with Google TV.


----------



## moyekj

Alex_7 said:


> how did you get Netflix to work with the continue watching feature? I seem to only get HBO Max on there


I didn't do anything special. In case you want to try it, the Netflix series I'm watching that is working for me is "Narcos". When I choose the Netflix Narcos tile in "Continue Watching" on Chromecast it takes me into Netflix and automatically past the "Who's watching" selection in Netflix to the resume screen in Netflix.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> I didn't do anything special. In case you want to try it, the Netflix series I'm watching that is working for me is "Narcos". When I choose the Netflix Narcos tile in "Continue Watching" on Chromecast it takes me into Netflix and automatically past the "Who's watching" selection in Netflix to the resume screen in Netflix.


It seems to be random, some people get hbo max to work and not netflix or vice versa


----------



## moyekj

Alex_7 said:


> It seems to be random, some people get hbo max to work and not netflix or vice versa


In my case both HBO Max and Netflix seem to be working, at least for 1 title each. Prime titles don't show up in Continue Watching, but I believe that was expected as there is no formal integration there.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> In my case both HBO Max and Netflix seem to be working, at least for 1 title each. Prime titles don't show up in Continue Watching, but I believe that was expected as there is no formal integration there.


can you test another random Netflix tv show and movie?


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Can someone PLEASE provide an Amazon link to a good charger for the hub I just ordered? USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter

Or does this hub come with a charger?


----------



## Niners

JOSHSKORN said:


> Can someone PLEASE provide an Amazon link to a good charger for the hub I just ordered? USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter
> 
> Or does this hub come with a charger?


This hub does not come with a charger.

I tested this hub with both a 12W USB A charger and a 18W USB C charger and the ethernet port on the hub works.

These 2 Aukey 18W PD chargers will work and are currently on sale for $8:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0828WB2VR
and $7.20:
https://www.amazon.com/Charger-AUKEY-Foldable-Delivery-Compact/dp/B0841VDSHF

Note these 2 chargers do not come with a USB C cable and a USB C to USB C cable is needed to plug a USB C charger into the PD port on the hub.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Niners said:


> This hub does not come with a charger.
> 
> I tested this hub with 12W USB A and 18W USB C adapters and the ethernet port was working.
> 
> These 2 Aukey 18W PD charger will work and are currently on sale for $8: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0828WB2VR
> and $7.20: https://www.amazon.com/Charger-AUKEY-Foldable-Delivery-Compact/dp/B0841VDSHF
> 
> Note these 2 chargers do not come with a USB C cable so a USB C to USB C cable will be needed to plug the charger into the PD port on the hub.


Thank you. I ordered these items, which should come on the same day as the new hub I ordered. I'll return the other hub I had:

USB C Charger, AUKEY Minima 18W PD Charger Fast Charger with Foldable Plug
AUKEY USB C to Lightning Cable 6.6ft

When I get it all hooked up, I'll also be trying to connect to a USB connected hard drive. The hard drive itself is connected to one of my wireless bridges (It's a Router/AP/Bridge - ASUS RT-AC87U...I need to install ASUS-Merlin on it, as well.) on my network. I'll report back findings, then. The end goal is to play music and movies from the attached hard drive.


----------



## moyekj

Alex_7 said:


> can you test another random Netflix tv show and movie?


Just tested 1 more on each service:
"Narcos: Mexico" on Netflix
"Raised by Wolves" on HBO MAX

Took a couple of minutes for home page to update, but now both of those show up as well under "Continue Watching", along with the other titles that were already there. NOTE: Obviously you need to launch into a particular service title from Chromecast itself, not within the service itself.


----------



## Niners

JOSHSKORN said:


> Thank you. I ordered these items, which should come on the same day as the new hub I ordered. I'll return the other hub I had:
> 
> USB C Charger, AUKEY Minima 18W PD Charger Fast Charger with Foldable Plug
> AUKEY USB C to Lightning Cable 6.6ft
> 
> When I get it all hooked up, I'll also be trying to connect to a USB connected hard drive. The hard drive itself is connected to one of my wireless bridges (It's a Router/AP/Bridge - ASUS RT-AC87U...I need to install ASUS-Merlin on it, as well.) on my network. I'll report back findings, then. The end goal is to play music and movies from the attached hard drive.


The Aukey cable you linked to is USB C to lightning and will not work to power the hub.

If you need a 6 ft. length USB C to USB C cable some that will work to connect the USB C charger and hub is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/noot-products-Charger-Matebook-Nintendo/dp/B0178FMW6Y/
and this Amazon Basics model:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-Type-C-Charger-Cable/dp/B01GGKZ2SC

Regarding configuring hard drives with the hub see my earlier post # 331 that I have only been able to get FAT32 format drives to be recognized by the CCGTV.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Niners said:


> The Aukey cable you linked to is USB C to lightning and will not work to power the hub.
> 
> If you need a 6ft length USB C to USB C cable some that will work with this hub is this one:
> https://www.amazon.com/noot-products-Charger-Matebook-Nintendo/dp/B0178FMW6Y/
> and this Amazon Basics model:
> https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-Type-C-Charger-Cable/dp/B01GGKZ2SC
> 
> Regarding configuring hard drives with the hub see my earlier post # 331 that I have only been able to get FAT32 format drives to be recognized by the CCGTV.


Thanks, I just canceled the order for the cable you said that wouldn't work. I only ordered it because Amazon listed it under what I should order with it. Ugh. Unfortunately, the cable won't get here until Thursday but that's alright.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

I'm toying with the idea of attempting to plug in a TiVo Mini to my network (HDMI to Ethernet) to stream on my Chromecast. Any have experience with this?


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> Just tested 1 more on each service:
> "Narcos: Mexico" on Netflix
> "Raised by Wolves" on HBO MAX
> 
> Took a couple of minutes for home page to update, but now both of those show up as well under "Continue Watching", along with the other titles that were already there. NOTE: Obviously you need to launch into a particular service title from Chromecast itself, not within the service itself.


Ahh ok so maybe that's why it wasn't working for me. I was searching and selecting titles within the Netflix app not within the google tv page. I will give it a shot again later today thanks!
EDIT: Is there a way to refresh the Google tv page?


----------



## moyekj

Alex_7 said:


> Ahh ok so maybe that's why it wasn't working for me. I was searching and selecting titles within the Netflix app not within the google tv page. I will give it a shot again later today thanks!
> EDIT: Is there a way to refresh the Google tv page?


Don't know a way to force refresh. For streaming titles what I've done is searched for them via Chromecast and added them to my Watchlist (under Library category), and then I launch from there. I had a bunch of shows in lined up in "Reelgood" app that I used as a reference to setup as my Google TV Watchlist. To me the Library Watchlist serves as bookmarks to shows of interest to me, and I usually launch from there and then resume play from Continue Watching if available there.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> Don't know a way to force refresh. For streaming titles what I've done is searched for them via Chromecast and added them to my Watchlist (under Library category), and then I launch from there. I had a bunch of shows in lined up in "Reelgood" app that I used as a reference to setup as my Google TV Watchlist. To me the Library Watchlist serves as bookmarks to shows of interest to me, and I usually launch from there and then resume play from Continue Watching if available there.


Same! I'm currently transitioning from Reelgood to Google TV watchlist.


----------



## NashGuy

moyekj said:


> NOTE: Obviously you need to launch into a particular service title from Chromecast itself, not within the service itself.


Hmm, I read a report where someone saw a title show up in the Continue Watching row on their Chromecast even though they had recently watched that series on a different device!

Based on what I've read, my working assumption was that the app was just passing its own Continue Watching (or Keep Watching) list out to Google TV, meaning it didn't matter whether you launched the title from within the app itself or within the Google TV UI. Are you saying that's incorrect?


----------



## NashGuy

moyekj said:


> To me the Library Watchlist serves as bookmarks to shows of interest to me, and I usually launch from there and then resume play from Continue Watching if available there.


Yeah, this is exactly how I would envision using this device. Except it's hard to do that if a lot of your content doesn't shows up in Google TV's Continue Watching row. Hopefully Google gets more apps to participate soon.


----------



## moyekj

NashGuy said:


> Hmm, I read a report where someone saw a title show up in the Continue Watching row on their Chromecast even though they had recently watched that series on a different device!
> 
> Based on what I've read, my working assumption was that the app was just passing its own Continue Watching (or Keep Watching) list out to Google TV, meaning it didn't matter whether you launched the title from within the app itself or within the Google TV UI. Are you saying that's incorrect?


Based on @Alex_7 it doesn't appear to be behaving that way. I assumed the way I'm doing it was the expected way, and it does seem to work when I do it that way. I haven't really tested it a different way, but if I'm running the application on a different device or a browser, unless I'm logged into my Google account with that device or browser I don't see how it could communicate with Google about what I'm watching.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Niners said:


> Regarding configuring hard drives with the hub see my earlier post # 331 that I have only been able to get FAT32 format drives to be recognized by the CCGTV.


Sorry I just realized you said this in your post. Hopefully when I convert my RT-AC87U from stock firmware to ASUS-Merlin, it permits ext3. Currently, the only choices are NTFS, FAT and HFS. If this doesn't work, I might end up having to relocate my Seagate Backup Plus 4TB Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STCA4000100), and attach it more directly to my Chromecast. Problem is, is that I'll be running out of USB ports, fast and will need to attach a USB Hub. I imagine as long as any USB 3.0 hub has its own dedicated power, that'll work with my configuration, correct?


----------



## Niners

JOSHSKORN said:


> Sorry I just realized you said this in your post. Hopefully when I convert my RT-AC87U from stock firmware to ASUS-Merlin, it permits ext3. Currently, the only choices are NTFS, FAT and HFS. If this doesn't work, I might end up having to relocate my Seagate Backup Plus 4TB Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STCA4000100), and attach it more directly to my Chromecast. Problem is, is that I'll be running out of USB ports, fast and will need to attach a USB Hub. I imagine as long as any USB 3.0 hub has its own dedicated power, that'll work with my configuration, correct?


I don't understand your specific use case and why you may want to format your 4 TB drive as ext3. What is the current format of your 4 TB drive connected to the router? How is the 4TB drive currently used by network devices and apps to access the contents of the drive? Do you have 4K content with files sizes greater than 4GB on the drive?

As I indicated in my posts I could only access FAT32 drives locally connected to the CCGTV via the USB C hub. NTFS and exFat formatted drives connected locally were not accessible by the CCGTV.

If you are using your 4 TB drive so other devices on your network can access the content then you should still be able to do this with the drive connected to your router using the CCGTV and an appropriate app that enables network access for content (like Plex or Kodi).

If you want to have the CCGTV access the content locally then you can connect a drive locally to the CCGTV via a USB port on a USB C adapter (like on the Utaxo USB C Adapter you purchased) and then a FAT32 formatted drive will be available to the CCGTV locally and can be used by apps that play content locally (like MXPlayer and Kodi).

My post # 341 regarding the ext3 format is relevant for situations in which one wants to expand the local device storage for additional apps and content on the CCGTV. As there is only 4.4 GB available on the CCGTV (of the 8 GB total storage) if you want more storage for apps or want more local storage for content then you can do so by connecting a FAT32 drive to the USB C hub and having the CCGTV format the drive as local storage in ext3 format.

If one wants more local device storage then typically this is done with a smaller flash drive (i.e. 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB). You can attach a 4 TB drive as local storage in ext3 format but it may be overkill in terms of drive size unless you were also using the drive for local 4K content. The case of accessing locally stored 4K content typically involves files greater than 4 GB (which could not be stored on a FAT32 formatted device) so in the case of accessing a large amount of 4K content locally with file sizes greater than 4GB one may want to use a TB sized drive as local storage in ext3 format.

Hope that clarifies a few of the different use cases of using FAT32 and ext3 formatted drives locally on the CCGTV.


----------



## JOSHSKORN

@Niners

Basically:

ONT>3 COAX SPLITS

Room #1
SPLIT #1a: FIOS ROUTER (G1100, WiFi Disabled)>RT-AC87U Router (WiFi Enabled)>USB 3.0 External Drive (4TB)
SPLIT #1b: TiVo Mini

Room #2
SPLIT #2a: WCB6200Q (WiFi Enabled AP)>Chromecast with Google TV
SPLIT #2b: TiVo Mini

Room #3
SPLIT #3a: WCB6200Q (WiFi Enabled AP)>Wired PC
SPLIT #3b: TiVo Bolt+

For whatever reason, something is wrong with the connection between my ASUS router and the hard drive. I think the stock software may have file size Read/Write limitations. Hopefully the ASUS-Merlin will clear that up. Also, in terms of the File Format, with stock software, NTFS, FAT and HFS are the only supported file systems.

So from what I'm understanding from your reply to me, since my hard drive isn't directly attached to the Chromecast and that it's through the network, that I wouldn't "need" ext3?

BTW, all of my PCs on my network are Windows 10 machines, with an Apple iPad device connected via WiFi on my network.


----------



## Niners

JOSHSKORN said:


> So from what I'm understanding from your reply to me, since my hard drive isn't directly attached to the Chromecast and that it's through the network, that I wouldn't "need" ext3?


Yes, if you are going to leave the drive connected to your router it does not need to be in ext3 format. I don't know the specifics of your router but typically you should be able use apps on the CCGTV that allow access on your network to the contents of the router attached drive.

If you want to use a drive that is connected locally on the CCGTV (via the USB C hub) then it has to be in FAT32 format.

If you want to use a drive connected locally to the CCGTV for device storage then it has to be in FAT32 format to be recognized by the CCGTV. Then this FAT32 drive has to formatted for local storage using the Storage menu in the CCGTV. After the formatting of the drive by the CCGTV to ext3 format the drive will be available for local storage. Also a local storage drive in ext3 format will allow for storing files greater than 4 GB.


----------



## moyekj

moyekj said:


> Just tested 1 more on each service:
> "Narcos: Mexico" on Netflix
> "Raised by Wolves" on HBO MAX
> 
> Took a couple of minutes for home page to update, but now both of those show up as well under "Continue Watching", along with the other titles that were already there. NOTE: Obviously you need to launch into a particular service title from Chromecast itself, not within the service itself.


FYI, as a nice touch, I also saw that now that I finished watching the Netflix series "Narcos" last night the "Continue Watching" entry for it also went away on the Chromecast.
I'm still assuming at this point for "Continue Watching" on Chromecast to work as desired you need to launch playback from Chromecast itself.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> FYI, as a nice touch, I also saw that now that I finished watching the Netflix series "Narcos" last night the "Continue Watching" entry for it also went away on the Chromecast.
> I'm still assuming at this point for "Continue Watching" on Chromecast to work as desired you need to launch playback from Chromecast itself.


Thats interesting because I started a movie within the hbo max, and it still popped up on the google tv continue watching page.


----------



## Tony from the corner

Yeah, continue watching is hit or miss. Works on some items I watched thru the GTV interface, but not other items.

Seems like a small issue that can be easily resolved.


----------



## Alex_7

Tony from the corner said:


> Yeah, continue watching is hit or miss. Works on some items I watched thru the GTV interface, but not other items.
> 
> Seems like a small issue that can be easily resolved.


Hopefully it is a bug that needs to be fixed and not something that is being restricted by a specific app.


----------



## Alex_7

*How recommendations work*
_Movie and TV show recommendations are based on what's popular or trending in Google products, what's mentioned across the web, and what's new to streaming services.

If you're signed in to your Google Account and have Web & App Activity turned on, Google's recommendations are also based on your activity in Google products including:
_

_Past searches and browsing history._
_TV shows or movies you've rated._
_Trailers you've watched on YouTube._
_TV shows or movies you've clicked to watch on Google TV._


----------



## NashGuy

moyekj said:


> Based on @Alex_7 it doesn't appear to be behaving that way. I assumed the way I'm doing it was the expected way, and it does seem to work when I do it that way. I haven't really tested it a different way, but if I'm running the application on a different device or a browser, unless I'm logged into my Google account with that device or browser I don't see how it could communicate with Google about what I'm watching.





Alex_7 said:


> Thats interesting because I started a movie within the hbo max, and it still popped up on the google tv continue watching page.


Again, the way I figured Continue Watching in Google TV works is that the underlying apps on the Chromecast are simply communicating with the Google TV software on that device to say, "Hey, here's what's in my Continue Watching list." (Pretty much every app has a content list along those lines, regardless of what they call it. In Hulu, for instance, it's called "Keep Watching".) The metadata passed from the app to Google TV would include the title, the season/episode (in the case of a series), the amount viewed within the title, and probably the data and time at which the title was last watched. And then Google TV combines that info from all the different apps that pass along such data, in order to create a unified cross-app Continue Watching list.

I don't think Google would be keeping that information on their servers anywhere. But the underlying apps keep it on their servers. If you start watching, but don't finish, a movie on Netflix or HBO Max on one device and then later open that app on a different device, you'll see that movie in the Continue Watching list inside the app on that device too.


----------



## moyekj

NashGuy said:


> Again, the way I figured Continue Watching in Google TV works is that the underlying apps on the Chromecast are simply communicating with the Google TV software on that device to say, "Hey, here's what's in my Continue Watching list." (Pretty much every app has a content list along those lines, regardless of what they call it. In Hulu, for instance, it's called "Keep Watching".) The metadata passed from the app to Google TV would include the title, the season/episode (in the case of a series), the amount viewed within the title, and probably the data and time at which the title was last watched. And then Google TV combines that info from all the different apps that pass along such data, in order to create a unified cross-app Continue Watching list.
> 
> I don't think Google would be keeping that information on their servers anywhere. But the underlying apps keep it on their servers. If you start watching, but don't finish, a movie on Netflix or HBO Max on one device and then later open that app on a different device, you'll see that movie in the Continue Watching list inside the app on that device too.


If it works that way then I would have expected a much larger "Continue Watching" list to show up. For example on Netflix I have about 5 or 6 shows in "Continue Watching" on Netflix app itself, but on Chromecast only has 1 now that I initiated watching through Chromecast itself. But that may be related to inconsistency being talked about above where some shows work and some don't, but so far I'm 4 for 4 on shows I started I initiated via Chromecast.


----------



## Alex_7

moyekj said:


> If it works that way then I would have expected a much larger "Continue Watching" list to show up. For example on Netflix I have about 5 or 6 shows in "Continue Watching" on Netflix app itself, but on Chromecast only has 1 now that I initiated watching through Chromecast itself. But that may be related to inconsistency being talked about above where some shows work and some don't, but so far I'm 4 for 4 on shows I started I initiated via Chromecast.


Yeah something is definitely going on and Google isn't addressing this issue


----------



## NashGuy

moyekj said:


> If it works that way then I would have expected a much larger "Continue Watching" list to show up. For example on Netflix I have about 5 or 6 shows in "Continue Watching" on Netflix app itself, but on Chromecast only has 1 now that I initiated watching through Chromecast itself. But that may be related to inconsistency being talked about above where some shows work and some don't, but so far I'm 4 for 4 on shows I started I initiated via Chromecast.


The mystery deepens...


----------



## Niners

In addition to this $20 USB C hub that I had previously posted (in post #282 on 10/1) works: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
this $55 Anker hub has been reported to work on Reddit:
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerExpand-Adapter-Delivery-Ethernet/dp/B087QZVQJX

Also this $40 Anker USB C hub:
Anker USB C Hub Adapter, PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 USB C Hub
in listed in the description of this informative 45 minute video review of the CCGTV:


----------



## Niners

Niners said:


> I tested a couple times with the Analiti app with both wired and wireless. I got between 74MB and 78MB with the wired connection and between 67MB and 70MB with the wireless connection so not a significant difference between wired and wireless with my network.
> 
> My internet connection is 100MB so I likely won't see a difference between the GB port on this hub and a 10/100 USB Ethernet adapter. Someone with a Internet connection higher than 100MB would likely get higher speeds with this hub's GB port.


Has anyone who has connected the CCGTV to a GB wired ethernet port been able to obtain wired speeds above 100 MB?

My Internet connection is 100 MB so I can't test for speeds greater than 100 MB and there is speculation that the wired speed on USB C hubs with GB ports might be limited with the CCGTV.


----------



## dbpaddler

If it's usb 2.0 based, wouldnt that be a given? Think the TS4k is in the same boat.

Side question. Why can you not accomplish on it at 100gb speeds? 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


----------



## Niners

dbpaddler said:


> If it's usb 2.0 based, wouldnt that be a given? Think the TS4k is in the same boat.
> 
> Side question. Why can you not accomplish on it at 100gb speeds?
> 
> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


I don't know that it is the case that the CCGTV is USB 2.0 based. It has a USB C port that is compatible with some USB C hubs. Most USB C hubs have at least one USB 3.0 port and I don't know if they are fully supported as USB 3.0 ports on the CCGTV or downgraded to USB 2.0.

The officially supported Google Ethernet Adapter is only 10/100 MB.
It doesn't matter for my case since my Internet connection is 100 MB but I am curious if the CCGTV is able to support the full capabilities of GB Ethernet.


----------



## dbpaddler

Niners said:


> I don't know that it is the case that the CCGTV is USB 2.0 based. It has a USB C port that is compatible with some USB C hubs. Most USB C hubs have at least one USB 3.0 port and I don't know if they are fully supported as USB 3.0 ports on the CCGTV or downgraded to USB 2.0.
> 
> The officially supported Google Ethernet Adapter is only 10/100 MB.
> It doesn't matter for my case since my Internet connection is 100 MB but I am curious if the CCGTV is able to support the full capabilities of GB Ethernet.


I believe the chipset is capable of gigabit from what I was reading when we were talking about the chipset when it was officially released. Haven't really bothered to read up further. Where mine is, I'm using wifi which just had me thinking my mini pc has dual Ethernet, so I'm only a cable and hub away hopefully. . Have about four different hubs. Think I have 500mb service if I'm not mistaken.

And edit... Nevermind. Two hdmi and one Ethernet. Will have to wait until I migrate it to the theater room. Sadly, Peloton no longer works on my Leeco TV and it's ancient Android, so I popped it on there.

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

Anyone here have the Google TV android mobile app version? How is the mobile app experience? I desperately need one for iPhone.


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Anyone here have the Google TV android mobile app version? How is the mobile app experience? I desperately need one for iPhone.


Guessing I'm not as hard core as some of you.... I don't pay attention to watch lists, recommendations and all that. I just go to the app I want to watch things. The 1.49 rental is nice. But there weee three other things I had to x out just to get to that.









Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Guessing I'm not as hard ore as some of you.... I don't oaybattention to watch lists, recommendations and all that. I just go to the app I want to watch things. The 1.49 rental is nice. But there weee three other things I had to x out just to get to that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


I was hoping to see the watchlist/library tabs is there a way to sort the watchlist, I know you said you don't use watchlists, but if you could test a few titles by adding to watchlist would be great thanks


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## dbpaddler

Not much help there as you can see. And hitting the center + does nothing. Guessing it's telling me I need to add things.

















Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Not much help there as you can see. And hitting the center + does nothing. Guessing it's telling me I need to add things.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


Thanks, does it also give you recommendations or only shows you stuff you can rent/buy?


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## dbpaddler

Alex_7 said:


> Thanks, does it also give you recommendations or only shows you stuff you can rent/buy?


Here you go... I skipped over the repetitive genre type stuff.












































Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> Here you go... I skipped over the repetitive genre type stuff.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


Thanks I appreciate it. I really need this app on my iPhone


----------



## krkaufman

Alex_7 said:


> Thats interesting because I started a movie within the hbo max, and it still popped up on the google tv continue watching page.


Isn't this what the Caavo device is doing, pulling in watchlists from the different services?


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## RickNY

RickNY said:


> Every Home Depot around me shows 6-10 in stock, but dont show aisle info -- it says "Ask An Associate" -- and if you try to order for in-store pickup, the cart says "The store you chose for this item does not have enough inventory to fulfill your order. Please choose another store, or split your order among multiple stores."


So, have been unable to add to cart all week. Had to go to HD today to pick up a new GFCI outlet, and the 6 in stock were sitting there on the shelf, so I grabbed one.


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## RickNY

Out of curiosity, I installed the HDHomeRun app as well as Android Live Channels. Both work well with my HDHR on the CCGTV. But for whatever reason, Live Channels won’t leave an app icon. Have to do a voice search for it. Anyone run into this?


----------



## Alex_7

RickNY said:


> Out of curiosity, I installed the HDHomeRun app as well as Android Live Channels. Both work well with my HDHR on the CCGTV. But for whatever reason, Live Channels won't leave an app icon. Have to do a voice search for it. Anyone run into this?


The chromecast for some reason hides the Live channels app, its a known issue


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## Noelmel

Noelmel said:


> For those still looking to buy I wanted the sky blue but was outta stock at google store online last night. This morning the Netflix bundle is back with ship dates of 11/20 - 11/21 tho! I'm hoping it comes much sooner. Best Buy and Walmart were both out of stock still and Home Depot has shipping dates next week but the bundle is a better deal for me. I'd prefer Amazon the most though due to gift cards and rewards points so if it pops up on there I'll just cancel the original order I guess.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Anyone still looking now I went ahead and canceled my google store bundle because Walmart.com has the blue (and white) in stock now (not in any stores around me) with free 2 day shipping. Unfortunately since I missed the cut off and Monday is a holiday won't come until Tuesday. If I had looked yesterday it probably would have come tomorrow and I'm off all weekend and wanna play with it lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

Niners said:


> I tested the USB C hub with a 18W PD USB C power charger and a 12W USB A power charger and they both worked with the wired ethernet (also connected was a wireless mouse and a keyboard) so you should be OK with a 20W power charger for just a flash drive.


Hey so I purchased this power charger:
[Latest 2020] POWLAKEN for iPhone Charger,USB C 18W Power Delivery Wall Charger with QC 3.0 USB Adapter, Apple MFI Certified Fast Charger for iPhone 11 Pro Max XR XS X iPad Pro Air https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089GVTG2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xMGGFb6SMAENX

It specifies that it gives 18W through the USB C PD Port but it doesn't specify how much power it gives through the USB-A

My question is should I be fine connecting the USB-A to USB C power chord that came with the chromecast or do I need to purchase a USB-C to USB-C power cord to get that 18W of power? Sorry I'm a noob this is my first time experimenting with a usb hub.


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## Niners

Alex_7 said:


> Hey so I purchased this power charger:
> [Latest 2020] POWLAKEN for iPhone Charger,USB C 18W Power Delivery Wall Charger with QC 3.0 USB Adapter, Apple MFI Certified Fast Charger for iPhone 11 Pro Max XR XS X iPad Pro Air https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089GVTG2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xMGGFb6SMAENX
> 
> It specifies that it gives 18W through the USB C PD Port but it doesn't specify how much power it gives through the USB-A
> 
> My question is should I be fine connecting the USB-A to USB C power chord that came with the chromecast or do I need to purchase a USB-C to USB-C power cord to get that 18W of power? Sorry I'm a noob this is my first time experimenting with a usb hub.


In reading the product description I also didn't see the Watts specified when using only the USB A port. Since it has a QC 3.0 port it probably supports at least 12W when using only the USB A port without using the USB C port. If you are only using this charger's USB A port with the CCGTV you should be good.

If you plan to use this charger's USB A port with a USB C hub I would try it with the USB A port connected to the USB PD port on the hub and if with all your devices connected the USB C hub works with all your connected devices then no need to use the USB C port on the charger.


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## Alex_7

Niners said:


> In reading the product description I also didn't see the Watts specified when using only the USB A port. Since it has a QC 3.0 port it probably supports at least 12W when using only the USB A port without using the USB C port. If you are only using this charger's USB A port with the CCGTV you should be good.
> 
> If you plan to use this charger's USB A port with a USB C hub I would try it with the USB A port connected to the USB PD port on the hub and if with all your devices connected the USB C hub works with all your connected devices then no need to use the USB C port on the charger.


Thank you very much I will update you when I try my set up!


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## dbpaddler

Don't think it really matters what connection you use. Sabrina is only going to accept what it wants voltage/amp wise. And if the power on the hub is pass through, then doesn't Sabrina supply the power to things connected on the hub anyway?

And side note, Google sent me a $10 off code for its store, so I just picked up my second one. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

I'll give a +1 to the TS4k over Sabrina for universal remote capability. My long discontinued LeEco TV just didn't want to be controlled by Sabrina. I took the TS4k out of the theater room, plugged it into the LeEco, and without skipping a beat I was controlling volume and turned the TV off and back on. Literally within a minute of it being up and running. Guess I'm keeping at least one TS4k. Will ha e to get the latest Google TV updates on it and disable anything stream. Kind of over the stream app. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## mdavej

You need to pick either CEC or IR option to get TV vol to work. Did you try both and go thru the setup steps?

I highly doubt the TS4K is using IR codes with that TV.


----------



## dbpaddler

mdavej said:


> You need to pick either CEC or IR option to get TV vol to work. Did you try both and go thru the setup steps?
> 
> I highly doubt the TS4K is using IR codes with that TV.


Cec was enabled by default on Sabrina. I have another one coming from Google with the $10 off. So I'll give it another go.

And cec won't work with my LR setup as I have an amp mounted behind the TV that learns remote codes for volume control. So it learned off of the Leeco remote. And the TS4k remote is doing IR to it. It's the only possible way with the optical out from the TV. No TV does volume control from digital out. So at best, tv power would be CEC.

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## mdavej

Why not teach your amp commands from another remote that’s a more common brand.


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## dbpaddler

mdavej said:


> Why not teach your amp commands from another remote that's a more common brand.


Was going to do that since I have a Pany in the bedroom, but that doesn't help with Power. When the other one comes will see how it goes, but I really don't mind the TS4k with the stream/tivo stuff disabled. Considering I'd lose money selling them, I'll live with a blend of both.

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


----------



## Noelmel

Noelmel said:


> Anyone still looking now I went ahead and canceled my google store bundle because Walmart.com has the blue (and white) in stock now (not in any stores around me) with free 2 day shipping. Unfortunately since I missed the cut off and Monday is a holiday won't come until Tuesday. If I had looked yesterday it probably would have come tomorrow and I'm off all weekend and wanna play with it lol


Well it came 2 days early (on a Sunday holiday weekend - go fed ex!) First impressions are great! Set up was easy and it controlled my new TCL Roku tv volume and power out of the box (I still can't get Apple TV to do that after trying 4 diff times!) I can't wait to test the watch list feature since I have every major streaming service. Also the matching blue batteries to the remote was a nice touch (or was it a coincidence did anyone get the pink version were the batteries pink lol??)










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

I ordered blue from Google with the $10 off. My white one has white batteries. Thought they were Eneloops at first. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Noelmel

Alex_7 said:


> Anyone here have the Google TV android mobile app version? How is the mobile app experience? I desperately need one for iPhone.


I agree hopefully since google movies & tv app is on iPhone it will be updated to the new one soon. Just got mine today how are you adding to your watch list? Using chrome and googling the shows then adding them from there?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JOSHSKORN

I finally got my Sabrina device almost all hooked up. Some bad news, though, I was going to attempt attaching it remotely to a USB 3.0 connected drive (drive was connected to a router via USB 3.0 port) but unfortunately the drive died on me. I tried everything I could think of, took it out of its enclosure, put it in a hub, didn't recognize in Windows, nor Linux (tried 'gparted'). I did however put ASUS-Merlin on my router (RT-AC87U, which is currently being used as an AP). I also ordered two 5TB portable drives which will come in the mail tomorrow. I'm planning to only open one of them, test to see if they work on both devices (the Sabrina device and then the router). If if it works while attached to both devices, then great, I'll open the second one, otherwise, I'll end up shipping one of them back. With respect to my router, I don't know much about it but I hear with the ASUS Merlin firmware, you can install scripts, so basically, I'll be able to have two backups instead of just one. I actually have a 10 TB HDD on my main computer that I use only for data and non-essential programs/unused games that I can use as a third, as well.

I'll post back when I get it all tested/hooked up and include a list of everything I'm using.

One question that has popped into my mind, has anyone ever tried remote administration with Chromecast? I'd like to remote into the Chromecast from a Windows 10 machine located in the other room so I can manage it.

Second question: Do these devices support simultaneous login sessions? Just throwing random ideas in my head. I'm a little curious as to if someone can be watching it directly on the TV that the device is attached to and other one can also be watching their own thing with their own credentials on a PC (Windows 10, Raspberry Pi, whatever) through something like OBS. To a point, I would imagine that the Chromecast isn't powerful enough to do that.


----------



## Alex_7

Noelmel said:


> I agree hopefully since google movies & tv app is on iPhone it will be updated to the new one soon. Just got mine today how are you adding to your watch list? Using chrome and googling the shows then adding them from there?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Through google search and within the google chromecast google tv interface


----------



## Tony from the corner

JOSHSKORN said:


> One question that has popped into my mind, has anyone ever tried remote administration with Chromecast? I'd like to remote into the Chromecast from a Windows 10 machine located in the other room so I can manage it.
> 
> Second question: Do these devices support simultaneous login sessions? Just throwing random ideas in my head. I'm a little curious as to if someone can be watching it directly on the TV that the device is attached to and other one can also be watching their own thing with their own credentials on a PC (Windows 10, Raspberry Pi, whatever) through something like OBS. To a point, I would imagine that the Chromecast isn't powerful enough to do that.


Not a helpful reply to you, other than to say you are asking an awful lot of a $50 dongle that was designed for administration via the remote, and video output via the hdmi port.


----------



## Alex_7

Do Not get this usb hub the Ethernet does not work with the chromecast. Apparently the previous older model did in fact work but this new model has a different drive that is not compatible.

AUKEY USB C Hub Adapter, 5 in 1... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089M7WSHM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


----------



## JOSHSKORN

Alex_7 said:


> Do Not get this usb hub the Ethernet does not work with the chromecast. Apparently the previous older model did in fact work but this new model has a different drive that is not compatible.
> 
> AUKEY USB C Hub Adapter, 5 in 1... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089M7WSHM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


I can also confirm this. The Ethernet port did not work, which was the main point of getting this hub. Everything else (USB devices) worked.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


----------



## Niners

Niners said:


> In addition to this $20 USB C hub that I had previously posted (in post #282 on 10/1) works: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWG8M15/
> this $55 Anker hub has been reported to work on Reddit:
> https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerExpand-Adapter-Delivery-Ethernet/dp/B087QZVQJX
> 
> Also this $40 Anker USB C hub:
> Anker USB C Hub Adapter, PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 USB C Hub
> in listed in the description of this informative 45 minute video review of the CCGTV:


If you are looking for only USB A ports this USB C hub has 3 USB 3.0 ports and works with the CCGTV. Currently on sale for under $10 for Prime Day:
VANMASS USB C Hub, USB C to USB Adapter with Type C 3.1 Power Delivery, 3 USB 3.0 Ports

Although this hub does not have an embedded Ethernet port if you have a USB Ethernet adapter you could try a USB Ethernet adapter with this hub.


----------



## Niners

fyi there is a new software update available for the CCGTV

SW upgrade to 200917.005 - Incremental update (56.08 MB, restart required)

Remote firmware update from 23.8 to 23.9
_To start the download process, tap your profile image and then Settings. Goto:
System > About > System update. The Chromecast with Google TV will then "check for update."_


----------



## JOSHSKORN

OK this post was too long so I deleted it and decided to start over.

Here's the hookup I'm staying with for my Chromecast:

USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter
(2020 Latest, Backlit) ANEWISH 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Mouse Combo
AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB Type-C 2.0 Charger Cable
USB C Charger, AUKEY Minima 18W
The Hub does not come with a charging cable so you must buy a cable and charger. As far as the keyboard is concerned, it doesn't light up very well (hard to see in the dark), I'm not very happy with it. Plus, it's not only hard to type on. I might try something else. This setup is wired via the Ethernet port on the hub I purchased.

I also purchased two WD_Black 5TB P10 Game Drive, Portable External Hard Drives. Initially, I was going to attach one to my Chromecast and the other to my ASUS RT-AC87U router and have a script running on my router to back the two up, but I couldn't find a reliable way to get the Chromecast to read an NTFS partition. There were apps that claimed they work, but not for me, or they might've recognized them while in that specific app only, which is virtually useless.

Using VLC, did manage to connect to the 5TB hard drive that is currently connected to my router and I was able to play a blu-ray that I had ripped with Handbrake. Picture quality was great.

I actually initially had problems connecting the drive to my router. Eventually, I had to convert the drive to GPT, Quick Format using NTFS and just plug it in, without using the router's Format and Health Check options.

New Plan (for both of the portable drives I bought):
I ordered a USB 3.0 Hub, to which I plan on plugging into my router. I'll then move the portable drives to the slots on the hub. I'll then use a script on my router to Copy one USB drive to the other USB drive. I'm actually still figuring that part out, as I just installed ASUS-Merlin on this this past weekend and know nothing about how to get scripts working on it, but I've heard it's possible. I'll update this comment when finished.

Things I've got to do:

Install USB 3.0 Hub on Router (when received) and the two portable drives and make a script to copy one to the other.
Find two user-friendly apps that'll connect to a fixed folder on the network, one to play movies, one to play music.


----------



## Niners

Niners said:


> If you are looking for only USB A ports this USB C hub has 3 USB 3.0 ports and works with the CCGTV. Currently on sale for under $10 for Prime Day:
> VANMASS USB C Hub, USB C to USB Adapter with Type C 3.1 Power Delivery, 3 USB 3.0 Ports
> 
> Although this hub does not have an embedded Ethernet port if you have a USB Ethernet adapter you could try a USB Ethernet adapter with this hub.


I've tested and confirmed that these additional two USB C hubs work with the CCGTV for wired Ethernet and FAT32 storage:

Dockteck 4 in 1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFD9NPN
QGeeM 8 in 1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XKRGQQ2


----------



## Alex_7

JOSHSKORN said:


> OK this post was too long so I deleted it and decided to start over.
> 
> Here's the hookup I'm staying with for my Chromecast:
> 
> USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter
> (2020 Latest, Backlit) ANEWISH 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Mouse Combo
> AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB Type-C 2.0 Charger Cable
> USB C Charger, AUKEY Minima 18W
> The Hub does not come with a charging cable so you must buy a cable and charger. As far as the keyboard is concerned, it doesn't light up very well (hard to see in the dark), I'm not very happy with it. Plus, it's not only hard to type on. I might try something else. This setup is wired via the Ethernet port on the hub I purchased.
> 
> I also purchased two WD_Black 5TB P10 Game Drive, Portable External Hard Drives. Initially, I was going to attach one to my Chromecast and the other to my ASUS RT-AC87U router and have a script running on my router to back the two up, but I couldn't find a reliable way to get the Chromecast to read an NTFS partition. There were apps that claimed they work, but not for me, or they might've recognized them while in that specific app only, which is virtually useless.
> 
> Using VLC, did manage to connect to the 5TB hard drive that is currently connected to my router and I was able to play a blu-ray that I had ripped with Handbrake. Picture quality was great.
> 
> I actually initially had problems connecting the drive to my router. Eventually, I had to convert the drive to GPT, Quick Format using NTFS and just plug it in, without using the router's Format and Health Check options.
> 
> New Plan (for both of the portable drives I bought):
> I ordered a USB 3.0 Hub, to which I plan on plugging into my router. I'll then move the portable drives to the slots on the hub. I'll then use a script on my router to Copy one USB drive to the other USB drive. I'm actually still figuring that part out, as I just installed ASUS-Merlin on this this past weekend and know nothing about how to get scripts working on it, but I've heard it's possible. I'll update this comment when finished.
> 
> Things I've got to do:
> 
> Install USB 3.0 Hub on Router (when received) and the two portable drives and make a script to copy one to the other.
> Find two user-friendly apps that'll connect to a fixed folder on the network, one to play movies, one to play music.


Can you confirm that the Ethernet does work with the chromecast?


----------



## brotony

JOSHSKORN said:


> OK this post was too long so I deleted it and decided to start over.
> 
> Here's the hookup I'm staying with for my Chromecast:
> 
> USB C Hub, Utaxo 8-in-1 USB C Adapter
> (2020 Latest, Backlit) ANEWISH 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Mouse Combo
> AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB Type-C 2.0 Charger Cable
> USB C Charger, AUKEY Minima 18W
> The Hub does not come with a charging cable so you must buy a cable and charger. As far as the keyboard is concerned, it doesn't light up very well (hard to see in the dark), I'm not very happy with it. Plus, it's not only hard to type on. I might try something else. This setup is wired via the Ethernet port on the hub I purchased.
> 
> I also purchased two WD_Black 5TB P10 Game Drive, Portable External Hard Drives. Initially, I was going to attach one to my Chromecast and the other to my ASUS RT-AC87U router and have a script running on my router to back the two up, but I couldn't find a reliable way to get the Chromecast to read an NTFS partition. There were apps that claimed they work, but not for me, or they might've recognized them while in that specific app only, which is virtually useless.
> 
> Using VLC, did manage to connect to the 5TB hard drive that is currently connected to my router and I was able to play a blu-ray that I had ripped with Handbrake. Picture quality was great.
> 
> I actually initially had problems connecting the drive to my router. Eventually, I had to convert the drive to GPT, Quick Format using NTFS and just plug it in, without using the router's Format and Health Check options.
> 
> New Plan (for both of the portable drives I bought):
> I ordered a USB 3.0 Hub, to which I plan on plugging into my router. I'll then move the portable drives to the slots on the hub. I'll then use a script on my router to Copy one USB drive to the other USB drive. I'm actually still figuring that part out, as I just installed ASUS-Merlin on this this past weekend and know nothing about how to get scripts working on it, but I've heard it's possible. I'll update this comment when finished.
> 
> Things I've got to do:
> 
> Install USB 3.0 Hub on Router (when received) and the two portable drives and make a script to copy one to the other.
> Find two user-friendly apps that'll connect to a fixed folder on the network, one to play movies, one to play music.


I took a look at your keyboard and looked for alternatives. I don't have the Chromecast with GTV but found this kb remote with voice button, backlight, air mouse and dial side with face down button cancellation interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FFRXM41/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_grgIFbE99JHQZ

I'd be interested to know if it works well with this Chromecast. I may get one anyway to try with my PC.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## dbpaddler

So mad. I ordered the blue from Google not realizing it wouldn't ship until December. Hopped on chat and they gave me another $10 off code so I thought I had a white one in my cart, and I placed the order. Realized after the fact it was blue again. Doh! Now I have two coming in December for $40. I'm good with the TS4k's and one Sabrina. Only have a projector that's 4k, and the TS4k has been working fine with it. Everything else is 1080. Not going to push my luck with them on a 3rd go around. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## aaronwt

I'm waiting until Black Friday week to pick up a second Chromecast with Google TV. When they will hopefully be on sale. But I have been pleased with the launch one I got from best buy.


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## Niners

Niners said:


> I've tested and confirmed that these additional two USB C hubs work with the CCGTV for wired Ethernet and FAT32 storage:
> 
> Dockteck 4 in 1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFD9NPN
> QGeeM 8 in 1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XKRGQQ2


Confirmed that this VANMASS USB C Hub with 3 USB 3.0 Ports with only USB A ports works with the CCGTV and some Ethernet adapters.

I've tested two Ethernet adapters with this hub and both worked. One was a Lenovo Model U2L100P-Y1 10/100 USB 2.0 Ethernet adapter and the other was a Techkey USB C GB Ethernet adapter (used on this hub's USB 3.0 port with a USB A to USB C adapter). Also confirmed that FAT32 storage is recognized.

This Vanmass USB C hub is no longer on sale so at it's current price there are better deals for USB C hubs with an embedded GB Ethernet port such as this $20 Utaxo USB C hub that I had previously posted about (in post #282 on 10/1).


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## dbpaddler

What you do is put them all on your wish list and wait. Within the next month you'll most likely get a notification about a deal on one.

Also, many of these are exactly the same as others with a different name. So look for the same body and find the cheapest price. Once in a while thays not the case, but a majority of the time it is. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## Alex_7

dbpaddler said:


> What you do is put them all on your wish list and wait. Within the next month you'll most likely get a notification about a deal on one.
> 
> Also, many of these are exactly the same as others with a different name. So look for the same body and find the cheapest price. Once in a while thays not the case, but a majority of the time it is.
> 
> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


Problem with that is as time passes some models change drivers that no longer support Ethernet port or other ports.


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## Niners

dbpaddler said:


> What you do is put them all on your wish list and wait. Within the next month you'll most likely get a notification about a deal on one.
> 
> Also, many of these are exactly the same as others with a different name. So look for the same body and find the cheapest price. Once in a while thays not the case, but a majority of the time it is.
> 
> Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


There were some deals earlier this week on Prime day as I purchased the QGeeM 8 in 1 for $18.69 and it is currently $33, the Dockteck 4 in 1 purchased for $24 is currently $30 and the VANMASS USB C Hub (no embedded Ethernet) purchased for $9.48 is currently $20.

There will likely be similar deals for USB C hubs during next month's Black Friday sales but if you want to get one now the $20 Utaxo USB C hub is currently the lowest priced USB C hub (with embedded Ethernet) that I have confirmed works with the CCGTV.

btw if anyone is looking for a iPad Pro USB C Hub that has [email protected] I got the Dockteck 4 in 1 for my iPad Pro 2018 and it does support [email protected] HDMI with the iPad Pro 2018. I tested it with the CCGTV and it works with the CCGTV but I am using this Dockteck hub with my iPad Pro 2018.


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## dbpaddler

If anyone was a chromecast audio fan and would like to use their speaker setup for audio only and no TV, pick up an HDMI audio extractor and use the toslink or 3.5 out to go to your amp. You can either do all audio through the toslink (not recommended if you are doing more than DD) or just have the toslink to an audio only input and continue with hdmi for your video/audio.

For me, my amp only does DD, so I just did toslink to it and sent the hdmi to the TV. The TV is a complete dumb display so all my audio goes through toslink to the amp. But now I can use the TS4k for audio only without having the TV on. 

Should work the same way with Sabrina too, but I rarely do audio only in the theater room. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## markp99

dbpaddler said:


> For me, my amp only does DD


Sorry, nothing to offer you on your question, but can commiserate the DD-only support on my Sonos system. I too use the TOS Link between my TV and my Amp (Sonos). I love my Sonos system, especially with Plex that handles any transcoding, but I hate this constraint. As I have read, was a conscious decision to avoid licensing fees.


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## dbpaddler

markp99 said:


> Sorry, nothing to offer you on your question, but can commiserate the DD-only support on my Sonos system. I too use the TOS Link between my TV and my Amp (Sonos). I love my Sonos system, especially with Plex that handles any transcoding, but I hate this constraint. As I have read, was a conscious decision to avoid licensing fees.


Actually wasn't a question  Just stating a way to get more functionality for audio only since Google dissed the chromecast audio.

And I ditched Sonos for me and any installs I did when the CCAudio came out. Wth the digital output and higher bit rate and the ability to take advantage of current speaker setups, it was a no brainer. The CCA was a ton cheaper than a Sonos Connect, not to mention smaller. Replacing 6 connects with 6 cca's powered by a USB hub is so much nicer with a multi channel distribution amp for whole home audio.

I gutted a 50's stereo console with a new sub and mid/tweeters with digital amps and a CCA. Sounds phenomenal and looks awesome in my front hall. Have three in walls for 3ch Dolby Digital on my living room TV with a wireless sub and got back my audio ability with the hdmi audio extractor. And have the same amp setup in the bedroom with an Atlantic tech passive sound bar and sub. The best Sonos speaker doesn't compare unless you added the sub, and even without the sub would be more expensive than any of those setups.

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## dbpaddler

Not feeling the Sabrina love. Below continue watching you're stuck with "Trending on Google which for me is over 50% paid content I'm not subscribed to.

I'm stuck with YouTube recommendations even though I deleted the YouTube app. I suppose I could uninsta updates and see if that starts is from scratch. 

But I don't like I have almost no control over what's on that home screen and at the top or with minimal scrolling is a vast majority of paid unsubscribed content. 

There are no rows for specific apps. Too much recommended content from apps I don't use. HBO Max dominates the trending. I bet HBO paid for that placement. 

I might end up canceling my orders for two more and stick with the TS4k at this rate. With the older Android version you get more maneuverability of the rows. And the remote is much better for live TV.

The Google tv screen does look nice, and the recommendations for genre specific content based off of what I watch is nice. But that's all buried.

The watch list and ability to utilize a phone app doesn't really do it for me.

How are you guys liking it so many weeks in?

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk


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## krkaufman

dbpaddler said:


> How are you guys liking it so many weeks in?


Waaaay too much noise on the Home screen for my purposes ... as a replacement streamer for my 83-year-old mom ... plus critical app issues (no britbox; slow, ugly VUDU) ... have compelled me to switch it to app-only mode and keep installed just the few apps not available on her Roku (which she'll now be keeping).


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## rczrider

dbpaddler said:


> Not feeling the Sabrina love. Below continue watching you're stuck with "Trending on Google which for me is over 50% paid content I'm not subscribed to.
> 
> ...
> 
> How are you guys liking it so many weeks in?


Agreed, which is why I did the:


krkaufman said:


> switch it to app-only mode


It's still one giant rotating ad up top and app-only mode seems a bit...bland?...but in my experience it's still less buggy than the TS4K and cost less than half at $20 (after Netflix credit).

I might feel differently if I actually wanted TiVo or Google to do a deep dive into my viewing habits and save me a couple of button pushes to watch the next episode of whatever it is I was watching, but I don't find said button pushes so onerous that I want to trade for the bugginess of the TS4K or the obnoxious billboard feel of Sabrina. In fact, I am surprised so many people have so much free time to stare at their TVs that they need recommendations for more to watch.

My needs are simple. I've been mocked on this forum for having a "budget" $1k TV and 2.1 sound setup; OTA TV with the live-pause / commercial skipping built into my budget TV, free YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Prime give me more than enough to watch. All things considered, the $50 TS4K would have been good enough if I didn't know any better, but the $20 Chromecast with Google TV is a good value even with the trade-offs.


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## Alex_7

Google should’ve just bought Reelgood or JustWatch if they wanted to get into the steaming integration. Then release Google TV as an app to download on android tv devices.


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## dbpaddler

Exactly. I don't need a ton of aggregated info to tell me what I want to watch. And I don't really care if they monitor my viewing habits. Just don't shove all your crap in my face and make it harder for me to enjoy my content.

Thankfully I haven't had as many issues with the TS4k. Even my 4k has been fine with my Epson Projector which I split the hdmi sending the video direct to the projector and the audio to the receiver since it was an early 4k model. My living room tv is 4k and doesn't have issues. 

Sent from my Surface Duo using Tapatalk


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## fattymcbuckles

I hated the ads also on chromecast so i switched to Wolf launcher with HD background. Looks great


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## aaronwt

dbpaddler said:


> Not feeling the Sabrina love. Below continue watching you're stuck with "Trending on Google which for me is over 50% paid content I'm not subscribed to.
> 
> I'm stuck with YouTube recommendations even though I deleted the YouTube app. I suppose I could uninsta updates and see if that starts is from scratch.
> 
> But I don't like I have almost no control over what's on that home screen and at the top or with minimal scrolling is a vast majority of paid unsubscribed content.
> 
> There are no rows for specific apps. Too much recommended content from apps I don't use. HBO Max dominates the trending. I bet HBO paid for that placement.
> 
> I might end up canceling my orders for two more and stick with the TS4k at this rate. With the older Android version you get more maneuverability of the rows. And the remote is much better for live TV.
> 
> The Google tv screen does look nice, and the recommendations for genre specific content based off of what I watch is nice. But that's all buried.
> 
> The watch list and ability to utilize a phone app doesn't really do it for me.
> 
> How are you guys liking it so many weeks in?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk


I'm really liking it since it's very much like my Shield TV. Only I can get HDR from Youtube. I'm looking forward to getting my second one in a couple of weeks from Google with the Netflix credit included.


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## Niners

Niners said:


> Confirmed that this VANMASS USB C Hub with 3 USB 3.0 Ports with only USB A ports works with the CCGTV and some Ethernet adapters.
> 
> I've tested two Ethernet adapters with this hub and both worked. One was a Lenovo Model U2L100P-Y1 10/100 USB 2.0 Ethernet adapter and the other was a Techkey USB C GB Ethernet adapter (used on this hub's USB 3.0 port with a USB A to USB C adapter). Also confirmed that FAT32 storage is recognized.
> 
> This Vanmass USB C hub is no longer on sale so at it's current price there are better deals for USB C hubs with an embedded GB Ethernet port such as this $20 Utaxo USB C hub that I had previously posted about (in post #282 on 10/1).


This previously mentioned Dockteck USB C hub that works with the CCGTV: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFD9NPN
is currently on sale for $20 (using the 40% off clickable coupon on Amazon).

Note it only has one USB 3.0 port.


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## Niners

Niners said:


> This previously mentioned Dockteck USB C hub that works with the CCGTV: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFD9NPN
> is currently on sale for $20 (using the 40% off clickable coupon on Amazon).
> 
> Note it only has one USB 3.0 port.


For those looking for USB C hubs that work with the CCGTV this previously mentioned Dockteck USB C hub with Ethernet port is back on sale for $20 for prime members.

This VANMASS USB C Hub with 3 USB 3.0 Ports is back on sale for $10 for prime members. Note this hub does not have an embedded ethernet port, however, it works with some USB Ethernet adapters and is a cheap option if an embedded Ethernet port is not needed.


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