CCwGTV: warning: do not upgrade to the latest firmware!

[roki2701]

Google is releasing a new firmware upgrade for Chromecast with Google TV. This is the Android 14 update.

But this firmware includes a serious problem: it lacks H.264 hardware video decoding!

This breaks any use of this device for Digital TV services, as many of them use this codec. We do not know if this will be reversed in the future. We have no information about whether this is a bug or a feature. Therefore we will have to stay (forever) on Android version 12.

You have been warned! There is no downgrade available.

[spcoaster]

also problems with external USB drives!!!

[arkoss]

same here, every player with  H.264 video stutter and lagging
i'll never buy a google device anymore 😠

[Furli]

I'm experiencing the same problem, but I'm surprised there's not much fuss about it. I did an update before seeing this and few other similar claims and I'm now stuck with a device I can not use for purpose I have purchased for.

[gurabli]

Same here. Amy feedback from Google would be much appreciated. 

[Geo85]

Chromecast 4k basura absoluta. ¿Qué es eso de eliminar la compatibilidad con el h.264? La reproducción de algunas apps una mierd@ de lo mal que va. Con cada actualización destrozan algo, pero eso ya es asqueros0. O solucionan lo del h.264 con una actualización o en mi vida vuelvo a comprar nada de Google. 🤬 

[GoogleNestTeam · Accepted solution]

Hey all,

Thank you for the discussion on this, the team would like to gather some additional info. If you could leave a reply to this comment with the following information, it would be greatly appreciated.

• What does your setup for the TV and Chromecast with Google TV look like? How do you have your devices connected, peripherals, etc?
• We're interested in how people watch cable TV on their Chromecast with Google TV. Do you have a device that takes your cable TV signal (DVB-C) and sends it over your Wi-Fi so you can watch it on your Chromecast? If yes, what's the brand of that cable-to-Wi-Fi device, and which app do you use for streaming (ie: Kodi)?

[Furli]

Hi,

In my case, I have a server running Tvheadend service serving streams from IPTV provider or  files of recordings from those. Kodi is running tvheadend PVR client to access those. The same recordings and streams that I could watch before upgrade to Android 14,  now show the symptoms described. I can watch those without problem using Kodi with the same Tvheadend client on my phone, tablet and PC over the same WiFi.

[Furli]

I forgot to mention that the problem occurs on HD streams only.

[Furli]

I have installed VLC and tried to watch HD H.264 recording using Samba file access on my server and result is the same as with Kodi.

[AlxD]

most of us that use this setup have a TVHeadend server installed on a linux machine (Raspberry PI) which is taking cable TV signal and serving it to a Kodi client working on Ccwgtv. This setup is now useless in ver 14 due to the missing hardware decoding for H264. If an update is not on the horizon at least allow the downgrade to the previous version 12. 

[Thadeus]

The same problem.

Running RPi with TVheadend and DVB-Tuner - TV is transmited to LAN (passing stream koded in h.264 ).  Using Kodi with tvheadend plugin to watch tv on my monitor. Worked like a charm until Android 14 update, even on that crappy live channel google app.

Who even think that software blocking built in chip HW decoding we PAID for, by buying device, is smart ????😠

Same with blocking Xbox cloud and webpages. Even we cant customize homescreen. My Fire TV stick is on the way...

[DianaH]

Hello..

what f*** going on .. no update for the last one month.. now my Chromecast doesn't play YouTube as well.. Can you pls get us a firmware update with fixing all these bull**bleep**s

[Geo85]

Lo del H.264 es un problema bastante grave. Luego hay gente que también reporta problemas con el DOLBY VISION "(FEL) DEL PERFIL 7" debido a la actualización del KERNEL a la versión 5.15, porque ya no es compatible con las nuevas versiones. No he tenido tiempo de probar que eso, ¿hay y alguien que pueda confirmar que no funciona ese perfil ahora? En Android 12 probé vídeos "test (FEL) PERFIL 7" y los reproducía sin problemas y con los colores correctos. Todo esto aparte de diversos problemas. PRODUCTOS GOOGLE NUNCA MÁS SI ANDROID 14 TENDRÁ ESTOS Y VARIOS PROBLEMAS MÁS.

[stifio]

i cannot belive H.264 hardware decoding is removed. What is the reason to break things on purpose?
also tvheadend with kodi user..

[Xander_Ro]

It's been 3 weeks since android 14 update broke our devices, and there is no update to fix all those issues. Wake up Google!

[Fire69]

I upgraded last week excited about the Android 14 update. Well, big mistake apparently 😕

My setup: CC and LG oled both connected to an Onkyo receiver.

I use Plex to watch both H264 and H265 content.

CC and Plex are set to switch refresh rate.

Both H264 and H265 stutter like crazy.

I turned off the HW overlay setting and it became watchable but there are still microstutters.

How is this still a thing? Did you not learn anything from the past?

When I bought the CC everything was fine, then it got screwed up with a firmware update. It took forever to get fixed. And now you did it again! 

[Fire69]

Ironically I just received an 'anniversary badge' for being in the Nest community for 1 year. That's because I was here a year ago complaining about the same thing!! 

[Geo85]

Cómo despedir Google Chromecast a lo grande (pero a mal) Adiós al H.264, adiós posible al Dolby Vision Perfil 7, problemas con el audio y un largo etc. Con la última actualización querían destruir el dispositivo antes de irse (lo más seguro para ver si alguien lo susituye por su otra aberración: Google TV Streamer. Unos cracks. 

[Andyfahc]

Hello google. Please give answers. 

You broke our devices completely 

[DianaH]

Hello Google.. 

my device is also having same issue after the upgrade. I have done all sort of chinese reset.. factory reset.. formatting bla bla.. but still USB stick not getting added in to external storage. 

no matter what i do.... 

it says "USB drive is safely ejected"..

pls fix this immediatly

[AlanBarbieri]

Galera! Alguma novidade? 

[dashoo77]

No more Chromecast !

[though]

Buy the onn 4K streaming box instead. Google is garbage with updates.

[dashoo77]

I did it. I bought Kinhank G1 and it works great.