Good morning all!
Simply the lowest possible price at time of posting.
Cheapest ever on Ozbargain without any voucher code?
Harvey Norman - Chromecast Ultra $77.
$88 @ Officeworks or $99 @ JB.
Google Chromecast 2 & Google Home Mini- Charcoal $106 bundle are also a great buy
Google Chromecast 2 & Google Home Mini - Chalk $106
Google Chromecast Audio & Google Home Mini Bundle - Charcoal $106
Google Chromecast Audio & Google Home Mini Bundle - Chalk $106
Have a great successful week.
Note that the price for Mini and Cast audio comes up as $102, I just bought one. They had $55+$78-$31 discount=$102.
Someone picked the wrong discount amount.. work experience kid had one job to do :)
$73.15 after OfficeWorks pride beat, great price.
OfficeWorks pride beat
I'm so proud of you.
How did he do it? Could you please explain? Thank you!
You have to go into Officeworks and ask them to beat your pride.
@Scab: haha but could I pleaassee have a serious answer I really need the Google chromecast and mini bundle
You might not be able to get the bundle…they are saying 5% off $77 for the Ultra
Ask then to beat the HN price.
Help! What exactly did you do to get it to $73? I would really like to know! Please. Did you do some sort of price matching. Please explain thank you!
Thank you!!
Walked into Officeworks >> Asked a staff "Hi, I'm interested in the Chromecast Ultra and would like a price match with Harvey Norman" >> they check the HN website and straight to the counter.
Happy ending.
"Happy ending" now that's customer service!
Now just to figure out if I really need it or not…
You don't, save your money for smashed avocados.
Report it then
Chromecast or MiBox?
Mi Box
https://www.androidcentral.com/chromecast-ultra-vs-xiaomi-mi…
You will get some good understanding about these two products.
NVidia Shield.
Shield is the way to go.
I dont think there are those in the under $100 mark?
The shield is more expensive but you get your money’s worth.
roku
If you are planning to use Google Home/Mini to cast Netflix youtube etc then Mi Box unfortunately does not work. I have Latest beta on my Mi box and 1.27+ of google cast sideloaded on the box.
Hopefully this is sorted out soon, as I can cast youtube to my sony TV via Google Home and Stan, but not Netflix
Really? I've been looking to get a Mi Box and reading the Android Central article linked above gave me the impression that casting would work on it too? Or do you mean that specifically using a Google Home's voice controls to cast content is the bit that does not work?
I have a stock firmware Mi Box and casting works on it. Youtube casting seems to work ok. Similarly, casting Google Play Music works fine too. Netflix streams but pauses for a few seconds every 10 minutes or so. It's not a bandwidth issue as the Fetch box streams Netflix flawlessly. The Mi Box is connected to a Gigabit network via a USB Ethernet adapter, which in theory should be the most reliable connection type. When I run the Netflix network test from within the app, the download speed shows in excess of 50Mbps, so i'm pretty sure it's something to do with the box and/or Netflix app.
I really hope the Netflix streaming issue can be resolved as it will remove the last of my reservations for the box.
I was referring to voice activated casting via Google home/mini. Using my phone to cast YouTube (apart from VP9 codec issues) and Netflix works like a charm.
Mi Box has the ability for Kodi, but wondering if Casting Netflix might be better for Kids room
Where did you get the latest beta firmware? I thought the only leaked beta firmware was from about April this year?
Thanks! I'll check it out. It's good to see they're still churning through the betas, so there's hope it'll actually eventually be launched into production some day.
Should I wait until Black Friday for the Google home mini and Chromecast bundle? Or should I buy it now? I'm worried it'll be out of stock and I'll miss out. It'll be around $100 when I price match with the officeworks method. Should I buy it now or wait? Thank you!
Will officeworks price match bundles? Unlikely IMO
Is it worth missing out over a few dollars?
Maybe base your decision on that
I dont understand these, i have a smart tv already, do I need one of these?
who donst have a smart tv still?
If you have to ask then you dont need it. Maybe try google?
It depends on the functionality of your smart TV, some have chromecast built in. The crux is that you can stream content from any device sharing the same wifi connection to the tv through the chromecast.
I have an old Fujitsu plasma that doesn't even have HDMI.
You can get a Analog to Digital convertor to HDMI, but for such old tech your best bet is to buy a current OLED TV.
Happy with my TV though. Once it dies, I will get a new one.
I was just answering shadowrukia's question.
@John Kimble: No worries.
I recommend you buy a non-smart TV and add your own entertainment device to it. Too many manufacturers discontinue app support/force app updates that ruin functionality on the smart tv's forcing you to buy another TV/chromecast unit to continue using apps.
Buy a decent bigscreen OLED with quality screen and manufacturers warranty, get a chromecast/whatever for streams.
who donst have a smart tv still?
Me. I have an old Plasma that doesn't even play free to air HD channels.
You should get one, it'll change your life. Just don't get a Soniq branded one. Get any other brand out there except for Soniq.
Go the safe route and get a Samsung/LG/Song/Panasonic but if budget is an issue then get a Hisense.
I don't have a smart TV, but with the Chromecast plugged in it is one. I can stream local media through Plex, watch Netflix, etc. Use it every day and bought a second one for the kids' telly as well.
Now with the Google Home Mini I got through the woolies promo I can start streaming stuff to the chromecasts with my voice, or the kids can do it which is very handy.
who donst have a smart tv still
"Smart" TVs are horrible. Give me an upgradeable Android box, Raspberry Pi or HTPC any-day.
Respectfully disagree. I've an Android box, Raspberry Pi, another dedicated Kodi box and a smart (Samsung) tv. For local content I go to Kodi. For everything else I use the tv. I don't know much about smart tvs in general, but the Samsung interface is very nice to use.
My old Sony HX800 is a basic Smart TV doesnt support Netflix in Australia. But the Picture quality and 3D are still up there compared to some of the newer ones. So no point replacing it yet.
just walked into Officeworks, show them the harvey norman chromecast ultra and price matched :)
thanks OP.
Did they give you 5% off too?
Officeworks always pricebeat by 5% I think
yes, paid $73.15
Thanks OP bought the combo.
Have been wanting to bite the bullet of the Google Home mini for a while… now I need to figure out what to do with the chromecast 😂
Chromecast goes into your TV
Yes I know I’ve got 2 smart TVs and one standard tv with Chromecast plugged in at home now… maybe time to upgrade the crappy Bauhn smart tv with a decent brand 4K tv without smart function…
Use your home mini to cast to your chromecast using your voice! You can say "hey google - play The Punisher on (insert room name) TV". If you have your chromecast plugged in to wall power (so it's always on) it can turn your TV on, change the input, etc, if you have HDMI-CEC on your TV.
I have a Harmony Hub as well and it can talk to the home mini which is great.
@asa79: No, but it has a little IR blaster that comes out of it that needs to be fairly centrally located. I've never had a problem with it turning everything on.
The hub is a wifi unit that communicates with either your phone or a dedicated remote control (I have the remote and recommend it, very nicely made piece of kit). The remote control uses RF instead of IR so you don't have to point it at anything which is also kickass.
I picked up the Chromecast Audio. Plug it into your receiver and upload music to Google Play, then you can use verbal commands via the Home i.e. OK google play music Rick Astley greatest hits :)
Does Chromecast work for Foxtel Go app on iPad?
It's not called Foxtel Go anymore. They've updated it and it's now called the Foxtel App.
The newly renamed app comes complete without Chromecast support or any other support for that matter.
This is because Foxtel is garbage.
Grabbed the Ultra for $61.60 using the 20% off Amex PayPal deal. Great price, cheers :)
I thought that was "Spend $100 or more, get $20 back"?
Yeah I got that one
Went to OfficeWorks now and got the Ultra for $73.15 also
Thanks OP! All my nearest stores out of stock but took advantage of the Shipster trial for free delivery.
Ok, i get that you use Chromecast to stream from your phone/ tablet. But if you wanted to watch Netflix for example, would you have to stream from your tablet or does it have an inbuilt function for apps (like an apple tv)?
You can only control a Chromecast using a device (phone/tablet/pc/google home), it has no menu's or remote control of it's own. When you "stream" from your phone, your phone is only used to control the playback (in most cases), the Chromecast does the rest of the work.
thanks for the explanation sparhawk. it makes sense now.
… which is a sheer genius way of locking people into an ecosystem.
whats the benefit of chromecast ultra vs chromecast 2?.. i am still using chromecast 1,seems sufficient
4k vs 1080p
A resolution boost if you have a 4K TV otherwise they're fairly similar.
4K and Ethernet/Wireless for Ultra
1080P and Wireless only for Normal
I have no smart-home appliances and am not overly interested in asking it to play music for me. Do I have any use for a GHome?
Just checked the officeworks website they have changed the price to match Harvey Norman.
Yep and by doing so they do not need to offer the 5% off deal since the price isn't lower.
Just came back from office work and the staff said they must of just changed it within the day.
Still happy with $77 though
-
Been waiting to pick up one of these myself. Might try the OfficeWorks price match method as well. Thanks OP!
Yeah I keep hearing that smart tvs lag and are trash, that chromecast is the way to go, I loved my original chromecast it got constant upgrades even with the new ones out sold it when i flipped my TV, now just need to pick up my one from Harvey Norman
shame - still waiting for google home mini to come down in price - got $100 of HN giftcards to burn
There's a bunch online from people who got them as gifts when they bought their pixel 2's and don't want them.
So I see - some looking for more than the list price as well!
ah well - will have to wait. My tichome portable/splash proof google home speaker should be here in a day or so.
Officeworks quick on the update. Price now $77 also.
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/google-chr…
You can get a further 5% off and free delivery if you buy on eBay using the code P5OZZIE. It is out of stock now, but you might want to try again later. It went out of stock yesterday, but then more were added.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Google-Chromecast-Ultra-Black/232…
Can this natively play 4K HEVC/H.265 10bit video files?
Google on chromecast ultra formats and you get… https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/media. Note that it doesn't support Matroska. One of the reasons I've gone off Chromecast.
What's the voice recognition like on the Google Home Mini? Does anyone know? Just wondering if you'd sit there forever trying to get it to do things
Works well.
Oh thanks, might check it out :)
Chromecast Ultra, good pickup, thanks OP :)