The battle between Google and Apple goes beyond the smartphone industry as they try to capture the streaming movies niche with Google Chromecast and Apple TV.
Which product is the best in what it does? Before making a comparison, let us first take a look at their specifications:
Chromecast
Output: HDMI, CEC compatible
Processor: Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-mini) system on a chip
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 2GB flash
Max. Output Video Resolution: 1080p
Dimensions: 72(L) x 35(W) x 12(H) mm
Weight: 34g
Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Power: USB (Power adapter included)
Supported Devices: Devices that have iOS 6, Android 2.3, Windows 7, Mac OS 10.7 and those that have higher versions of OS and Chrome OS.
Apple TV
Output: HDMI (not CEC compatible)
Processor: Apple A5
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 8GB flash
Max. Output Video Resolution: 1080p
Dimensions: 23(L) x 99(W) x 99(H) mm
Weight: 270 g
Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth
Power: Built-in universal 6 W power supply
Supported Devices: Devices running iOS 6 and higher, Windows XP and higher, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and higher.
Now let us proceed to the comparison.
Google Chromecast has been in the US market for some time now. According to Google, millions of Chromecast units have already been sold and now the HDTV-dongle is now in the UK for just £30. It will make its debut in the UK with BBC iPlayer. Apple TV, on the other hand, is already quite popular and established in the UK.
Appearance
Google Chromecast is like a standard USB memory stick. On the other hand, Apple TV is like a small, mysterious box not bigger than a hockey puck. Both devices can be plugged into your television’s HDMI port. Chromecast uses its HDMI interface dongle while Apple TV uses a standard HDMI cable running between it and the television.
Although the Chromecast may have the more superior design, it is not able to generate power from the HDMI port so you need to buy a USB power cable and connect it to the USB power port of the TV or plug it into a USB power adapter.
Chromecast offers support for third party products. On the other hand, Apple TV supports limited video codecs.
Method of Streaming
Apple streams content through “Air Play.” With this method, you mirror the entire display of an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, or Mac PC using a flash-based hard drive directly to Apple TV. However, you need to have an Apple device in order to use AirPlay.
On the other hand, Google Chromecast streams content through Casting. Here the selected content is streamed from Chromecast-compatible apps on iOS and Android devices or from Chrome browsers on a Mac or PC directly to the TV. However, Casting is still in the beta stage and still has bugs.
Content
Both Chromecast and Apple TV are designed for cloud streaming. This means that you select content which is retrieved online and then streamed to your device. On the Apple TV, the channels appear onscreen. On Chromecast, you need to optimize the apps to make them functional to Casting.
Apple TV offers more than 40 channels and continues to grow. Popular names like YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu are included but still lack the more popular channels like BBC iPlayer and Amazon Instant Video. At the moment, Chromecast has a dozen or so channels in its fold. Currently, Chromecast has Google Play, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Vevo, Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube. Very soon, iPlayer will also come to Chromecast.
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