How does the new Chromecast compare with Roku?

But as it turned out, we were perfectly happy with the old way – and with no-one else having taken their initiative, the designers have gone back to basics with their latest iteration.

The new Chromecast, which has just gone on sale, comes with an accessory Google hoped to have made obsolete: a remote control. This means you work it in the same way as any other set-top box or the TV itself, rather than on your phone.

It makes it an attractive proposition, because the old Chromecasts were nothing if not fiddly. The picture had a habit of dropping out when you tried to use your phone for anything other than controlling the video, and compatibility was limited to apps and services of which Google approved.

Yet while the new version is an improvement, it is still not necessarily the best streaming stick you can buy this winter – if indeed you need one at all.

It is the addition of something called Google TV which marks out the new Chromecast from its predecessors. This is the interface you see on screen, a navigable display of the programmes and services on offer. Its absence on earlier Chromecasts meant you had to counter-intuitively find material to watch on your phone, before you could see it on the big screen. This was perfect for the very few streams that only be viewed on a website but less than ideal for the rest.

Google TV lets you access the services you expect – Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, and so on – in much the same way as your television itself, assuming it has smart apps. In fact, if your set has Android TV built-in, you’ll find its interface is virtually the same, with the promise of being able to add more apps in the future – just like on your phone.

The screen is controlled by the new remote, which has just eight buttons and a thumbwheel for basic navigation. It also has a microphone, so you can speak your instructions if your thumb gets tired. It could hardly be simpler – and that makes one wonder if it’s worth paying £60 for.

When you consider that with the rival Roku Premiere you get the same basic functionality, minus voice recognition, for £20 less, you have your answer. In fact, if you can sacrifice ultra high-definition in favour of regular high-def, the Roku Express will save you a further £10. Even Roku’s top-of-the range model, the Streaming Stick+, which matches the new Chromecast almost exactly, is £10 cheaper.

That leaves the Google TV interface as the sole competitive advantage, and attractive though it is, it isn’t worth the extra expense. In fact, as it’s a shop window for new paid-for content being pushed in your direction, you might argue that Google should pay you for access to your home.

There are advantages to having programmes and films promoted in this way: if, for instance, you tell the Chromecast that you want to watch Downton Abbey, it will offer a up a list of platforms from which you can stream it immediately, with any free services prioritised above subscription options. That’s convenient, but only slightly more so than using your phone.

The new Chromecast does have one trick up its sleeve, though – compatibility with Google’s online gaming service, Stadia. This won’t take effect until next year, but when it does, it will be like having a mini games console permanently hooked up to you set, if that’s what you want. In the meantime, you will need a better reason to take the plunge than Google has so far provided.

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