This $130 gadget completely changed how I watch movies at home

So I finally caved and bought the Google Chromecast with Google TV 4K, and honestly, I’m kind of kicking myself for not getting one sooner. I’ve been using a dumb TV for years, just relying on an old game console for streaming, and the difference is just night and day. It’s not just about the 4K, which is great, but the whole interface and how it works.

The best part, and the thing that genuinely surprised me, is the universal watchlist. You know how you’re browsing through Netfli, Hulu, and Ma, and you see something interesting but you’re not ready to commit You just hit the ‘Add to Watchlist’ button, and no matter what app you’re in, it all gets saved to one single list on the home screen. It sounds simple, but it has completely stopped the endless scrolling for me.

I just open my list and pick something. Why isn’t this a standard feature on every smart TV And speaking of the home screen, it’s just smart. It shows me shows I’m currently watching across different apps right at the top.

So if I was watching The Bear on Hulu and a documentary on Netfli, it’s all there waiting for me. It feels like it actually understands what I want to do, which is just to get back to my show without thinking. The remote is another win.

It’s small and has dedicated buttons for Netfli and YouTube, which I use all the time. But the real game-changer for me is that it controls both the TV power and the volume. I went from needing three remotes to just this one little thing.

It seems like a small detail, but it makes the whole eperience so much smoother. I’m curious, for those of you who have had one for a while, how has it held up Any cool tips or tricks I might be missing And for the folks with other streaming sticks like the Fire Stick or Roku, what’s the one feature on yours that you couldn’t live without now I feel like I’ve just been introduced to a whole new way of using my TV.