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Google Chromecast

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Re: Google Chromecast

#151

Post by ash_gti »

prehkugler wrote: post #124
MBCook wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They made it dead simple to stream content from any device to your TV. So anyone can use it, particularly the older generation. That's not really new. Apple TV lets you do the same thing with AirPlay, and it works great. Seems like a decent device, and the fact that it works with non-Apple hardware is obviously useful for people who don't have Apple households, but I don't think it's disruptive.

> Apple TV lets you do the same thing with AirPlay, and it works great. Not entirely. AirPlay is baked into the OS, so devs don't need to do extra work to support it. Chromecast (or, the Google Cast SDK) is built into the app level, and works in a fundamentally different way (i.e. streams from the internet and allows multi-user queueing vs. streams from the audio/video output of the device). I don't think it's terrib…

AirPlay also lets you use the Apple TV as a second window for iOS apps. Basically, you can just create a new UIWindow and assign it to the Apple TV and then it won't mirror your app, it will just display whatever view you have on the screen. It does have some lag time though so its hard to do real time graphics on the Apple TV.

Re: Google Chromecast

#152

Post by roc »

prehkugler wrote: post #124
MBCook wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They made it dead simple to stream content from any device to your TV. So anyone can use it, particularly the older generation. That's not really new. Apple TV lets you do the same thing with AirPlay, and it works great. Seems like a decent device, and the fact that it works with non-Apple hardware is obviously useful for people who don't have Apple households, but I don't think it's disruptive.

> Apple TV lets you do the same thing with AirPlay, and it works great. Not entirely. AirPlay is baked into the OS, so devs don't need to do extra work to support it. Chromecast (or, the Google Cast SDK) is built into the app level, and works in a fundamentally different way (i.e. streams from the internet and allows multi-user queueing vs. streams from the audio/video output of the device). I don't think it's terrib…

"Streams from the internet" isn't inherently superior. There are things about it that are nice and things about it that are not so nice.

1. it requires the dongle to have equivalent internet access as the 'controlling' device. So it would seem you'd be out of luck if you wanted to stream from a mobile device using a cell modem, to a chromecast on a display in, say, a hotel, conference room or cabin without (unfiltered) wifi access to the internet.

2. sometimes internet-streamed video, even when possible, is far inferior to just soaking some processing power from the mobile device. People who locally-save video content for performance/quality reasons aren't going to be wild about it happily ignoring that local store to pull down a choppy/compressed stream.

3. it seems to limit the stream to codecs the device supports. So one can't likely chromecast from an HTPC that's otherwise perfectly capable of streaming xvid/divx/etc.

multi-user queue-ing is nice. Airplay really should pick that up.

But I'm not at all wild about "it's own internet stream". While the pros are neat in certain situations, the cons are a deal-breaker for me.

Re: Google Chromecast

#154

Post by IanCal »

samstave wrote: post #102
jcampbell1 wrote: post #13

> Power cord required (not shown). What the hell is this about a "power cord". The specs and details are totally not clear. Is this not powered by HDMI? If it requires a power cord, these images are deceptive marketing.

Lots of Smart TVs also have USB -- how much power does this draw? Could it not have a USB power-slurper that you could plug into the USB port of the TV fr power?

It does.

Re: Google Chromecast

#155

Post by ratscabies »

ChikkaChiChi wrote: post #100

I think people aren't understanding how awesome this technology is: 1. Every time someone shows you a YouTube video, you spend 10% of your time watching it and the other 90% thinking about that one video you know of that's funnier. With Chromecast, you can queue that sucker up for nexties right from your own phone, without interrupting the video that's currently playing. 2. Chromecast does NOT use the resources of th…

I don't get it. I have an HTPC, and I watch Youtube on it all the time. I will often pause what I am watching to look something up related to the video I am watching. I don't have a personal phone as I get by fine with my work phone. It's a blackberry, so not compatible anyway. Also, when watching TV, its with the family, and we all are interested in what we look up. As far as I know, this only does some video, and doesn't send web pages to the screen. Yes, it's $35, but it's pretty limited from what I can see.

Re: Google Chromecast

#156

Post by runjake »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #13

> Power cord required (not shown). What the hell is this about a "power cord". The specs and details are totally not clear. Is this not powered by HDMI? If it requires a power cord, these images are deceptive marketing.

It's pretty [1] standard [2] to not include cords in product pictures.

1. https://www.apple.com/appletv/

2. https://www.apple.com/imac/

Re: Google Chromecast

#157

Post by mrbill »

JustARandomGuy wrote: post #132
mrbill wrote: post #93

Listed, but not yet available to purchase, on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DR0PDNE

It's now listed as In Stock. Just purchased one myself, my order lists an expected arrival date of end of the month.

Just ordered two myself from Amazon - and now Google Play won't let me cancel my order there. D'oh.

Re: Google Chromecast

#158

Post by yalogin »

runjake wrote: post #156
jcampbell1 wrote: post #13

> Power cord required (not shown). What the hell is this about a "power cord". The specs and details are totally not clear. Is this not powered by HDMI? If it requires a power cord, these images are deceptive marketing.

It's pretty [1] standard [2] to not include cords in product pictures. 1. https://www.apple.com/appletv/ 2. https://www.apple.com/imac/

Yeah, but this is the size of a USB stick, with that comes the expectation/assumption that there is no power cord.

Re: Google Chromecast

#159

Post by pawrvx »

V2 feature requests: Support MHL (Power over HDMI) Windows Chromecast audio driver/chromecast monitor. So any media player can play to Chromecast...

Re: Google Chromecast

#160

Post by kansas »

runjake wrote: post #156
jcampbell1 wrote: post #13

> Power cord required (not shown). What the hell is this about a "power cord". The specs and details are totally not clear. Is this not powered by HDMI? If it requires a power cord, these images are deceptive marketing.

It's pretty [1] standard [2] to not include cords in product pictures. 1. https://www.apple.com/appletv/ 2. https://www.apple.com/imac/

Really funny. Everybody else does it. Even though two devices are not comparable in form factor. Why it is in minuscule fine print though? Please ...
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