Report: Google to Launch a HD-Only Chromecast With AV1 Support

pcmag.com:

Google is thought to be working on a new, budget Chromecast dongle that can't stream 4K content, but does include support for the AV1 video coding format.

Reports of a new Chromecast, which is codenamed "Boreal," first appeared last week via 9To5Google, but since then Protocol discovered more details including some specs. The device Google has planned is expected to use a Amlogic S805X2 CPU and Mali-G31 GPU combined with up to 2GB of RAM. This will allow it to handle 1080p content at up to 60fps, but there's no 4K streaming support included.

The other key feature of this new Chromecast device is the inclusion of support for the AV1 video codec. AV1 is the open source successor to the VP9 codec and brings with it huge efficiency gains. For example, video compression is 34% higher with AV1 compared to VP9, and 50% higher than x264.

It's expected that the new dongle will run the Google TV interface, include a remote, and as it only supports up to 1080p streaming, will be priced no higher than $40. For reference, Google's 4K-capable Chromecast With Google TV costs $50. The HD-capable Roku Express costs $25, and the Amazon Fire TV Stick costs $40, but is regularly discounted to half that price.

For now, Google isn't commenting on whether it has a new Chromecast in the works or not. However, it certainly makes sense to replace the original $30 Chromecast with a much more efficient model (and a remote) that could allow streaming on slower internet connections, while also being a stronger competitor to Amazon and Roku's HD-only streaming devices.

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