I’ve been traveling with both a Chromecast and an Apple TV for a while now and I have to say that in my opinion the Apple TV is winning over the Chromecast. I don’t have a fancy setup like having a Plex Server at home to stream stuff but I do have Netflix and I can airplay from different websites which is a big plus in my opinion. Hotel networks are notoriously slow so while most of the time the Chromecast works ok, it sometimes stutters or doesn’t engage at all when trying to use Netflix.
I actually ha that problem 3 weeks ago when I was trying to use my Chromecast at the HIlton Garden Inn. I finally was able to find a way to get my travel router working and I was trying to get Netflix to work. It would just constantly say “Casting” on my Netflix app but nothing woould ever happen on the TV. I tried using YouTube which was just fine but it doesn’t have the stuff I want to play which is on Netlfix. The following week I brought my Apple TV and I’ve been bringing it ever since.
I think it all comes down to personal preference and even though there is more stuff to bring for the Apple TV it just works better. I use my iPad or my iPhone as the remote but I have a regular remote as a backup whih helps things along if I can’t get the other devices to work. The fact that I can Airplay my local content is a huge plus, I have lots of movies that I’ve bought or otherwise gotten that I want to play while I’m away from home. In that way the Chromecast is limited that I have to stream everything from another service and it has to be a supported service by Chromecast. It might be different if I had a Plex Server where I could stream from my house or something but I have a 128GB iPad so I can carry locally a lot of content.
This will be one of my new requirements when I travel, I need to have a hotel room that has a TV that can support my Apple TV and my travel router. This way when there is nothing to wath on TV (which happens a lot), at least I can be entertained by things that I want to watch.
Wonger's Ramblings 