2nd Generation Chromecast picture quality is diminished after a few minutes and needs to be reset.

[Dwight2]

My second Gen Chromecast(s) have picture degradation recently, a major loss of pixels and picture quality after a few minutes of operation.  I have tried different 2nd gen Chromecasts.  different TV's and locations in my house. It even happens located 3 feet from my 5G router. I have tried multiple factory resets. Once the picture goes bad it won't comeback without changing channels on You tube TV and most of the time that doesn't help. I've unplugged appliances to rule out interference from within my house. Any Ideas or anyone else having this problem? I have newer TV''s and Streamers that work fine, but I'd like to continue using Chromecast for a couple of not smart TVs.

I have 30 years previous experience as a Cable TV tech supervisor and still need help to figure this out.  Thanks!

[Astroman]

I'm experiencing the same issue with two 2nd Gen Chromecasts. I have one CCWGTV which is working perfectly.

The two 2nd Gen CC behave identically. Picture is good for a few minutes then resolution begins to diminish. Switching channels temporarilty improves the resolution but after a few minute fades back to blurry. Using YouTubeTV in all cases.

Have made no changes to my network (Unifi access points) and resetting to factory defaults makes no difference.

[Dwight2]

That sounds like the same issue I'm having! Waiting to see if a few more are experiencing the same.

[Astroman]

It certainly sounds like the same issue and I'm fairly convinced that it's a firmware/software/service side issue and is not related to our networks however, what is puzzling is that more are (apparently) not having the same problem.

Dwight2, can you discribe your network a bit to see if we have something in common that might have something to do with this issue?

I have Xfinity/Comcast for internet, a pfSense router/firewall and Ubiquiti swithes and access points.  This problem started about a week ago (today is 10/30/25) and, again, is only effecting the 2nd Gen Chromecasts.

[Dwight2]

I also have Xfinity internet / less than a year old Netgear  wifi/modem. A few months ago when the 2nd gen Chromecast timed out their were hundreds of complaints. I like that Chromecast are powered from the TV (I also tried using line power) and it didn't matter. I don't want to buy a new streamer that needs its own power supply as it adds bulk and wires to the installation.

[Astroman]

This might not be a wide spread problem since I'm not seeing much discussion or consensus anywhere on the internet. I have to believe that there are still a lot on 2nd Gen CC's in use so either you and I are two of few users experiencing this issue or other users are unaware of the resolution degradation.

The problem still exists for me and any actions I have taken have not resolved the issue.

Here's hoping that Google sees this and jumps in......

[BilltheBrewer]

I have a third gen chromecast and have seen the same thing since the 25th. Did the factory reset multiple times, power off/ power back on, all that stuff. Changing the channel temporarily resolves the issue.

only seems to happen with YouTube TV for me. Streaming YouTube works, ESPN works. But man, YouTube TV is nearly unwatchable.

[Astroman]

Well, the 25th sounds like the exact timeframe. Dwight2 and I are reporting this on 2nd Gen CC so just to clarify, BlltheBrewer, you're experiencing the issue with a 3rd Gen CC.......

2nd Gen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromecast#/media/File:Chromecast-2015.jpg

3rd Gen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromecast#/media/File:Chromecast_(3rd_generation).jpg

All of my streaming is YTTV. Dwight2, what are you using for streaming?

Last night, I watched the CW on YTTV and did not see the issue, TNT, Nickelodeon and Fox all displayed the problem. I'm going to see if the CW continues to be unaffected today.

BilltheBrewer, is Xfinity/Comcast your ISP?

[BilltheBrewer]

Correct, I have a 3rd gen Chromecast. Xfinity is my ISP. Yesterday, NBC, TBS, Fox were bad. Tastemade  was fine.

i tried casting from different devices but still had the same issue.

[Astroman]

So, I tested individual channels again on YTTV and reconfirmed that the CW is unaffected and TNT, Fox and Nickelodeon are problematic.

If Dwight2 confirms that he is streaming YTTV then maybe it is YTTV that is the issue but only with some channels.

[BilltheBrewer]

I'll check a few more channels over the course of the weekend.

And, any smart TV that has the YouTube TV app works great for me. Just seems to be YouTube TV in combo with Chromecast on some channels.

[Astroman]

And I'll add, that my CCWGTV.......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromecast#/media/File:Chromecast-with-Google-TV-snow-color-on-wood-ta...

...works great for me.  

So, 2nd and 3rd Gen on YTTV not good.

[BilltheBrewer]

CW didn't work well for me. Fox was hit or miss yesterday. NBC was mostly bad but some good. EPSN+ streamed beautifully.

[Dwight2]

I'm having the same problem confirming on you tube tv with a 3rd gen.

[Astroman]

Finally seeing some activity on this issue. Here is a reddit post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/youtubetv/comments/1okzs0q/help_please_youtube_tv_at_low_resolution/

So, it looks the reason is (to quote the YTTV "Engineer" on reddit) is "this is not well supported anymore. I'd highly recommend a more modern device such as one of the newer Chromecasts with Google TV (either the 4k or Google Streamer). These will play natively."

Well, Firestick here we come! $19.99 at Home Depot, free delivery for tomorrow! This is the 1080 HD version.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Amazon-Fire-TV-Stick-HD-free-and-live-TV-Alexa-Voice-Remote-Smart-Home-C...

[BilltheBrewer]

It's definitely the YouTube TV app that's the problem, not the ChromeCast device. I was streaming ESPN+ all night last night and it was in glorious 1080P the entire time I was watching.

Having said that, I am sure those devices aren't supported any longer so when things don't work, they won't be fixed.

[JoeInMass]

Did a new firestick fix the problem?

[Dwight2]

Thanks for the input everyone, I'm glad to know it's not something on my end. I will report back if I get any new info.

[DeboraJ]

Hi folks,

Thanks for reaching out to the community! I understand that you have been experiencing some issues with the quality of the image on your Chromecast 2nd gen. Thanks for letting me know that you have tried some troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue. Let me help you out with this!

Before we move forward, I need some information to provide you with the most accurate steps:

• Can you confirm the firmware version currently running on the Chromecast (2nd Gen)?
• What version of the YouTube TV app are you using when casting?
• What type of device are you casting from (e.g., Android phone, iPhone, tablet, computer), and what OS version is it running?
• Have you noticed pixelation on other streaming apps (e.g., Netflix, Disney+, Hulu), or is it exclusive to YouTube TV?
• Have you noticed any updates to the Chromecast firmware or YouTube TV app around that time?
• Have there been any changes to the network setup (new router, ISP, or configuration)?

Once you provide this information, I will be more than happy to assist you!

Best regards, 

Debora

[Astroman]

Can you confirm the firmware version currently running on the Chromecast (2nd Gen)?

467165

What version of the YouTube TV app are you using when casting?

9.45.0

What type of device are you casting from (e.g., Android phone, iPhone, tablet, computer), and what OS version is it running?

Android 16; Google Nest Mini (voice command) 505721

Have you noticed pixelation on other streaming apps (e.g., Netflix, Disney+, Hulu), or is it exclusive to YouTube TV?

YTTV only

Have you noticed any updates to the Chromecast firmware or YouTube TV app around that time?

No

Have there been any changes to the network setup (new router, ISP, or configuration)?

No

[Astroman]

As I expected, DeboraJ (Community Specialist) offers to help and then goes dark.

Thanks for nothing, DeboraJ.

[JoeInMass]

Firmware: 291998

YouTube TV: 9.47

iPhone: 18.7.1

we only use YTTV

wasn't aware of changes to CC or YTTV

No changes to network

[JoeInMass]

I bought a new Google TV Streamer (4K) and everything now works fine.

[ERosner]

Hi Debora, we have an older chromecast and it still works well with any other streaming services ie, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime BUT only YouTube TV has this issue. Please help. It seems to have started getting poor image quality including blurry and pixilated picture after changing over to AT&T fiber optic with new modem. Please offer help. Thanks

[Dwight2]

I bought new Google Streamers to resolve the problem. One of my Chromecast was only 3 years old.

I don't think their were enough complaints in this thread to generate any interest in resolving it.

Thanks for your input!

[BilltheBrewer]

I got a Roku device and everything is working great. I had a lot of buffering issues when streaming with my 3rd gen Chromecast. No buffering issues with Roku.

[rottnpeach]

Just shooting this note to say I have had the exact same issue as you and since about October timeframe.   This is not an isolated issue 

[StlCyclone]

Google has clearly crippled older Chromecasts.  Intentionally or not, it has happened as many people started having the same problem at the same time.   Basically if feels like if there is a network blip with YTTV it downgrades resolution and never attempts to recover.   Prior to October mine always immediately recovered.