The original Chromecast was a fab product for anyone who could access and control all of their TV and films on their smartphone or laptop but wanted to stream it to a big screen occasionally.
The Ultra is an update for those with top-notch televisions, though. You can stream 4K and HDR picture quality over your WiFi network, so you view everything in the best possible manner. Because there are no extra parts involved, what you see on the laptop screen is what you get on the screen, with no lagging or buffering.
You can also use the Backdrop function to show your photos, social media posts and the news headlines. It isn’t just one for those with 4K TV’s though, as if your telly is Ultra HD it will automatically optimise to suit. Don’t panic if you have weak Wi-Fi either, as there is an Ethernet port to allow for wired connections.
The actual device fits into your HDMI port so is unobtrusive and compact. You just need a power socket, and you’re good to go. Once you have downloaded the Chromecast app on your Android or iOS device, you can open a compatible app and tap the Cast button. It is as simple as that. When it isn’t streaming content, it will display photos until it is told to do otherwise too.
Don’t think it completely renders your phone as unusable while you all watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, though. Because it just takes the URL from the streaming location once you tap the ‘Cast’ button, you are free to use your phone at the same time without disturbing the picture. There is support for apps including BT Sport, NowTV, Napster, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport, but nothing for Prime Video yet which could put some off.
Obviously, as it is only a cast, there is no remote or interface. You have to rely heavily on your phone or tablet. While we’d love an update and the ability to access some basic apps through the actual device, we guess this isn’t really the aim of it. It is also not one for the casual gamers out there – support is poor. Other than these little niggles? A great item which doesn’t require any extras to make the most out of it (except the phone/tablet/laptop of course).
