Chromecast with Google TV has finally been upgraded from Android 10 to Android 12. The refreshed TV OS adds a host of new features, most notably frame rate matching (via flatpanelshd).
Frame rate matching isn't 'new' – Apple added it to its Apple TV box in 2017 – hence why Chromecast users have been petitioning Google for a similar update to prevent juddery playback when the video's frame rate and display's output don't match.
That's the good news. Now, the bad news...
It seems that the Chromecast's frame rate matching needs to be enabled on a per-app basis – something that none of the major streaming apps have done. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video and HBO Max are all a bust, as is Google TV’s own native video player. Doh.
You'll find the 'match frame rate' settings menu under Display & Sound in Android 12. There are three options: Seamless, Non-seamless and Never. Naturally, you'll want to opt for 'Seamless', right? Wrong.
'Seamless' uses HDMI 2.1's QMS (Quick Media Switching) feature, which lets a media player match its video output to the frame rate of the TV without causing a momentary black screen. Great, but none of the TVs on sale today have QMS support.
Confusingly, it means that users should actually choose 'Non-seamless' (for now, anyway) and pray that each app developer manually implements the Android frame rate functionality at some point.
Elsewhere, the Android 12 update brings additional user settings that let you control HDR format and surround sound, new camera and microphone privacy toggles and various other fixes.
To update your Chromecast with Google TV, head to Settings > System > About > System update.
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