Google Chromecast

[Arthur]

It's like an AppleTV, but cheaper ($35).

 

Sources: Ars Technica / Google Play

 

Google announced a new device, dubbed Chromecast, at a press event in San Francisco today. The tiny dongle plugs into an HDMI input on a TV and connects to Wi-Fi, allowing users to stream video directly to their TVs from other devices—without requiring matching operating systems.

 

Interfaces will now present a "cast" button that, when clicked, will send the video from a PC, tablet, or smartphone to the television. Playback can then be controlled by the device sending the video.

 

During the demo, Google was able to send a YouTube video playing on a Nexus 4 or the new Nexus 7 to a TV in an off state. The video seamlessly appeared on the TV. Google clarified that since Chromecast interacts directly with YouTube so the phone doesn't have to sustain the stream.

 

The Chromecast works with a mix of devices and is reliant on Google and Google-approved apps, rather than the Android operating system. This means iPhones will be able to interact with the Chromecast via a "cast" button as well. The only non-Google video app compatible with the Chromecast at launch will be Netflix, allowing users to throw a Netflix show from another device to the TV.

 

To swap between devices to control the television, users can just pick up another tablet or smartphone and open the relevant app. The device will detect that the Chromecast is playing something from that app and offer the user the opportunity to control it.

 

The Chromecast will also work with music apps, specifically Google Music and Pandora. Google stated that a feature allowing users to project "any Chrome tab" to the Chromecast is in beta. Otherwise, the Chromecast requires no special hardware and will work with "most laptops and OSes," the company said.

 

http://i.imgur.com/PYo0RMx.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/ALzY0hP.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ys8bwVv.jpg

 

Supported Media Types

All Google Cast devices at a minimum support the following media types:

 

• Video codecs: h.264, VP8
  
• Audio decoding: HE-AAC, LC-AAC, CELT/OPUS, MP3
  
• Containers: MP4/CENC, WebM, MPEG-DASH, SmoothStreaming
  
• Level 1 DRM support: Widevine, Playready
  

Edited July 24, 2013 by Arthur

[plexer]

Excellent

 

Ben

[titch]

Does it allow mirroring of tablet/phone? This is the 1 of 2 features lacking on android which really niggle me when I see Apple users using it!

[ass17]

Biggest problem s you need an Internet connection to stream it. As it streams over the cloud, thus removing the strain on battery life. But at £25 I would defo buy one

[Arthur]

Does it allow mirroring of tablet/phone?

It will only mirror a tab in Chrome and content from apps that support Chromecast. Hopefully the number of third-party apps that support it will increase in the future.

 

AirPlay isn't a new technology; Apple's users have become accustomed to the luxury and often criticize developers that don't include the feature in their apps. Look at any number of popular music and video apps in the App Store, and odds are they've got AirPlay support baked in. It's one of the best features of iOS, and a significant reason users stay with the platform.

 

Google recognizes the importance developers play in this game, and the company is immediately rolling out an SDK and APIs that let app makers tap into Chromecast. And that SDK is available across Android, iOS, and Chrome OS — again playing to Chromecast's "open" strengths. Even better, Google has said it hopes hardware partners will also incorporate Chromecast in their products. So even if you're not the early adopter type, you may still find Google's streaming technology in your next television or set-top box. But to make that a significant factor, Google will need to round up wider support than it's found with the struggling Google TV platform or with the Miracast streaming standard it began pushing last year with the Nexus 4. (Source)

 

http://i.imgur.com/0aRMg8o.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/YBkMp0z.png

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKG5HDyTW8o&hd=1

[Arthur]

Chromecast is now sold out everywhere in the US and the Netflix offer has been withdrawn. Why does Google always underestimate demand? The same thing happened with the Nexus 4.

 

• Dongle Style: What We Learned After Our One-Night Stand With Chromecast « Wired
  
• Google ends Chromecast-Netflix promotion 'due to overwhelming demand' « LA Times
  

[Arthur]

[Hands-On] Initial Impressions Of The Google Chromecast « Android Police

 

Getting the Chromecast on your network is fairly easy with the Android app. I've seen the connection fail a few times, but it always goes through eventually. Depending on where your TV is in relation to your router, you may have connectivity issues. If that's the case, the included HDMI extender may help by getting the stick away from the back of the TV a few inches. It's also useful if the rather large Chromecast doesn't fit in the port. However, the HDMI extender makes it look even more awkward.

 

The only strange thing I'm seeing right now with regard to setup is that the Chromecast doesn't support 5GHz WiFi networks, but my Android devices mostly do. The app tries to connect the Chromecast to whatever network the controlling device is on. For me that was a 5GHz N network. The setup failed and didn't really explain why. The app also complained when I manually changed the Chromecast over to my 2.4GHz network (dual-band router) that I wouldn't be able to connect because my device was on a different network. Well, no. That's not how routers work. It still connects fine with my devices on 5GHz, but the app seems confused about this whole situation.

 

http://i.imgur.com/8FpxDhK.jpg

[Arthur]

Chromecast Teardown « iFixIt

 

http://i.imgur.com/65lwQmc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/ZZl8wno.png

Edited July 27, 2013 by Arthur

[Arthur]

http://i.imgur.com/YI5X6E6.png

[Arthur]

Tip: Chromecast Can Cast Your Entire Desktop Screen Too, Not Just Tabs « Droid Life

 

http://i.imgur.com/4nLBndB.jpg

[Arthur]

http://i.imgur.com/ucP5IUT.png

[plexer]

GTv hackers were right they got root.

 

Ben

[Arthur]

Koushik Dutta has made a very cool Chromecast app. You can't download it yet though.

 

[Arthur]

How to switch your Chromecast to the beta or dev channels

 

The Chromecast OS may be Android-based but the updates look like Chrome. There's a stable, beta, dev and canary channel. According to the source, there's even a dogfood channel which is probably what Googlers have been using pre-release.

 

It's possible to switch channels but the process is not easy. Here are the steps that worked for me. If they fry your Chromecast, you're out $35.

[Arthur]

Koush has made another new app: Dropbox to Chromecast.

 

[Arthur]

Two more apps from Koush: RSS to Chromecast and Twit.tv Chromecast Android Remote.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ7vBVEf3Fo&hd=1

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4o5uWE5eYU&hd=1

 

The following Android app looks very promising too.

 

BubbleUPnP playing XBMC video to Chromecast

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neLkKbfl42E&hd=1

[Arthur]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yCK6jdgjG2A

[Arthur]

CyanogenMod + Chromecast = Awesome!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTWHL30gyg4&hd=1

[Arthur]

CheapCast aims to turn any Android device into a Chromecast, early version demoed on video « Android Police

 

[Arthur]

CheapCast is now available for free in the Play Store...

 

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.maui.cheapcast

[Arthur]

This Android app looks good...

 

AirCast - Play any videos on your Chromecast

 

I spent a couple hours yesterday reverse engineering the Chromecast protocols. Great success! I am now able to get around all the developer whitelist restrictions. I'm actually not using the Chromecast or MediaRouter SDKs at all anymore.

 

AirCast is an Android app that lets you share videos from your Gallery, Dropbox, or Drive, straight to your Chromecast enabled TV.

 

It's straightforward to use, share, play, and control the stream via the remote in the app (or notification area).

 

And here's an APK!

http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/AirCast.apk

 

The APK will self destruct in 2 days; just looking for bugs and feedback right now. Any crashes, etc, should be accompanied with logcats.

 

[Ant]

Really looking forward to the Chromecast being released here! Shame I haven't seen any clues as to when this may be. Soon I hope!

[Arthur]

Soon I hope!

I hope so too. The UK release date can't be that far off since Google recently added TV Shows to the Play Store.

[Arthur]

Fling Java tool streams local PC media to Chromecast, uses VLC to transcode practically any format « Android Police

 

The latest tool to take advantage of Google's dirt-cheap media streamer is called Fling, from Plano, Texas developer Leon Nicholls. Unlike most of the tools from Koushik Dutta and others, this one expands Chromecast's desktop streaming powers. The Fling Java tool streams local video and audio files directly to Chromecast, and uses the popular VLC media player to transcode the ones that Chromecast doesn't support.

 

Fling doesn't use the Google Cast SDK, so it can be distributed freely. Since both the Java Runtime Environment and VLC are cross-platform, Fling should work equally well on Windows, OS X and Linux. VLC is not technically required, but if you don't have it installed on your system, you're limited to the officially-supported video and audio formats.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fehncl0nTAE

[Arthur]

Google Chromecast working on the PS3

 

Something that you may not know however, is that if you own a PS3 then the YouTube app on the PS3 actually supports Chromecasting.

 

All you need to do to get it working is simply install the YouTube app on your PS3 & your Android device. Open the YouTube app on your PS3 and then Chromecast it from your Android device as usual. This also works on a number of TV’s that have YouTube apps.

 

Something that should be noted here is that the Chromecast simply utilises the DIAL Protocol, so whilst its not technically Chromecasting, it’s using exactly the same technology to get the job done – hence why your Android apps see them as Chromecast devices.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Fel7vBc.png