Google Chromecast • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Chromecast

#11

Post by jtymes » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:21 PM UTC

Zikes wrote: post #6

tremendo wrote: post #5

Nice, since the Play store says "We are out of inventory. Check back soon." https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=chromecast&... I'm confused about it being USB-powered. Does it need to be plugged to both HDMI and USB at the same time? Edit: The Buy button forwards to the Play store, where it's "out of inventory". They could change the wording to "Sold Out!" and then brag about that.

I noticed that the end opposite of the HDMI seemed to have a micro USB in port on it. I suspect that it is powered via that, however none of the demonstrations showed it being plugged in, so I believe it may have an internal battery which needs recharging. Edit: The specs at the bottom of the page don't list a battery but it does list an included power adapter, so I guess you have to have that plugged in at all times…

Yeah, the video in the carousel has a brief fine print message that says the "power adapter is required (not shown). "

Re: Google Chromecast

#12

Post by Zikes » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:24 PM UTC

mvkel wrote: post #9

Zikes wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I noticed that the end opposite of the HDMI seemed to have a micro USB in port on it. I suspect that it is powered via that, however none of the demonstrations showed it being plugged in, so I believe it may have an internal battery which needs recharging. Edit: The specs at the bottom of the page don't list a battery but it does list an included power adapter, so I guess you have to have that plugged in at all times…

You sure it's not just for firmware updates? The GameStick ( http://gamestick.tv ) is powered purely via HDMI.

In the "What's in the box" they list a "USB power cable" and "power adapter".

Re: Google Chromecast

#13

Post by jcampbell1 » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:27 PM UTC

> 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.

Re: Google Chromecast

#14

Post by pwthornton » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:27 PM UTC

I'm a little confused by this device, and I haven't been able to find the info from Google.

Is it that this device acts like an AirPlay receiver of sorts and accepts a video feed from an approved device or is it that the device simply acts as a remote and the device gets its own stream from Internet sources? The latter is much more intriguing than the former, although both have issues for sure, but hard to complain for the price.

It's an interesting concept either way. I don't see it as a huge threat to the Apple TV or Roku, as both do a lot more and have dedicated controllers. Using an Apple TV with an iPhone is nice in some respects, but the wifi connectivity isn't great. A Bluetooth pairing would be exponentially better. It doesn't appear this device uses Bluetooth either.

As I see it, I could envision having an Apple TV or Roku for a main TV and something like this for another TV or for a computer monitor than can support this.

Re: Google Chromecast

#15

Post by amalag » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:30 PM UTC

Will this bypass the need for a Hulu Plus subscription for TV watching? Hulu plus allows you to watch Hulu on a big screen device in addition to tablets.

Re: Google Chromecast

#16

Post by dombili » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:31 PM UTC

sergiotapia wrote: post #7

Does this work internationally? I mean, it's just a dongle. Can I have a friend purchase it in the US and have it work fine in Bolivia?

They haven't said anything about that, for obvious reasons, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You probably can't run Netflix on it[1], but I bet YouTube would work just fine.

[1] Although if I understood correctly, the dongle depends on another device to connect to the internet. If you setup a DNS on your device that's connected to the dongle, it's likely that you can use Netflix as well.

Re: Google Chromecast

#17

Post by aroch » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:34 PM UTC

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.

Just like, pretty much every, android device it uses a USB charger. Many advertisement related images don't include cords and the like for prettier pictures. Using HDMI to power things is a tricky thing, many monitors and TVs din't supply power over HDMI and among those that do (especially Sony TV iirc) they provide less-than ideal amounts of power.

Re: Google Chromecast

#18

Post by inigoesdr » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:35 PM UTC

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 uses a USB cable that is indeed not shown in the marketing images, but it is mentioned in the product description.

Re: Google Chromecast

#19

Post by ambiate » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:35 PM UTC

The device has a microUSB port. The microUSB powers the device. The device plugs into the HDMI port. The device requires a microUSB powered cable to operate while plugged in through HDMI.

Re: Google Chromecast

#20

Post by pwthornton » Wed, Jul 24, 2013, 6:37 PM UTC

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.

Well this is disappointing.