Google Announces Chromecast

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Get video and music from your laptop, tablet or phone to your HDTV for only $35? That's a bargain...if it works as advertised.

The easiest way to enjoy online video and music on your TV. Plug Chromecast into any HDTV and control it with your existing smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Send your favorites from Google Play, YouTube, Netflix, and Chrome to your TV with the press of a button.
Click to expand...
 
A Roku is better at the moment (more apps like Amazon and Plex) although the smartphone integration isn't as fancy, but with 3 months of Netflix free I'll be ordering one from Amazon as soon as it goes up, just to play with
 
I'm interested in this. Consider that the 360 requires a gold membership ($45/year) to let you use any of the video apps (netflix, hbogo etc.).

Would be slightly more convenient than my current setup of laptop HDMI to TV.

That's all if you have a non-internet tv.
 
Being able to sling stuff off my iPad to my TV for $35 is pretty compelling. It was quite wise of Google to not limit this to Android products.
 
I wonder how well it handles local content. If it decodes 1080p I'm in!
 
GreenMonkey said:
A Roku is better at the moment (more apps like Amazon and Plex) although the smartphone integration isn't as fancy, but with 3 months of Netflix free I'll be ordering one from Amazon as soon as it goes up, just to play with
Click to expand...

How much does a Roku cost that can do 1080p 5.1?
 
FYI, no local content is sent to device. You merely tell the ChromeCast from your Android device what you want from the approved web sources and the device gets it from "the cloud". There is potential for maybe something like google drive or Dropbox connectivity, but I really wanted a system that easily allows me to find content on my local network stores from my Android phone or tablet and then commands the ChromeCast to get it from that local device to my TV or stereo. I do not think this device will ever do that. The wait for me continues ...
 
Googles version of a Chinese Android Stick. With its scope and flexibility cut to things that probably work alright and to mostly Google's content avenues.
 
This thing looks great.

My question.... How much does this spy on you? Does it report to Google everything I watch?

I would love a device like this.... not so hot if Google is using it to keep tabs on me.
 
I already have a Roku connected to my bedroom TV. But I would love to have this to have a convenient web browser so my wife and I could look at web pages at the same time. Nice that I could control it from my Surface Pro or either of our phones.
 
I wonder if roku is going to add this. I think it would be a great addition.
 
Do you all reccomend this over Roku, or what would be the best option to go with?

I already have my XBOX connected to my living room TV and between that and my receiver I already have netflix/amazon/pandora/etc but I don't have that stuff for my bedroom TV and so I was looking for an option for it. Thanks for the help!
 
jctusmc03 said:
Do you all reccomend this over Roku, or what would be the best option to go with?

I already have my XBOX connected to my living room TV and between that and my receiver I already have netflix/amazon/pandora/etc but I don't have that stuff for my bedroom TV and so I was looking for an option for it. Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

A Roku isn't going to require a tablet. I got the impression that this requires another device (Windows PC with Chrome, or tablet) to "stream" to it.

A Roku is more of a smartTV option/box.
 
I don't see the fascination with streaming to devices. But probably because I have an HTPC.
 
jctusmc03 said:
Do you all reccomend this over Roku, or what would be the best option to go with?

I already have my XBOX connected to my living room TV and between that and my receiver I already have netflix/amazon/pandora/etc but I don't have that stuff for my bedroom TV and so I was looking for an option for it. Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

I have a PS3 in my living room for Netflix and Amazon. I have a Roku in my bedroom, exercise room, and my beach house. I like the Roku because it is small and easy to use. I have not found anyone who could not figure it out. Plenty of people use the beach house and they can navigate it just fine. My only gripe is that it does not have a web browser. That is a pretty small gripe because I would not use it very often on all the different TVs. That is why I am going to give the Chromecast a shot. Sometimes my wife and I lay in bed and look at the same websites when we are looking at items for remodeling our house. I like the idea of throwing a web page up on the big screen.
 
Kendrak said:
This thing looks great.

My question.... How much does this spy on you? Does it report to Google everything I watch?

I would love a device like this.... not so hot if Google is using it to keep tabs on me.
Click to expand...

Uh, if you're worried that Google can use this to know all the YouTube videos you watch I suggest you go lookup who owns YouTube.

If you're worried about Google using this to know what other stuff you watch (which basically means Netflix), the answer is no, Google doesn't know what you watch on Netflix. At least not from this. The SDK is here if you're interested in the technical details of how it works: https://developers.google.com/cast/
 
I've never had the need to stream youtube videos to my TV and i already have several different options for streaming netflix (and local content) Only use I could see for this would be being able to take it with me. Most hotels have flat screens with hdmi ports these days, so if you travel I could see how this ould come in handy.
 
This should be nice for a cheap way to watch youtube videos at ones convenience, comes with 3 months netflix and having a nice android phone controller for your content. Should be interesting to see where people take this.
 
It looks like it can display arbitrary web pages as well, so it seems it would be easy to turn it into a ghetto wireless presentation connect device. If MS (or someone else) adds support to lync I can see a ton of corporate purchases.
 
for local content I recommend using SERVIIO to turn your pc into a media server. its a very lightweight program that can transcode on the fly and stream any format media to any DLNA device (which is an older media streaming protocol, so almost all new smart tvs, iphones, androids, ps3, xbox, plex, boxee, blu ray players, dvd players, roku, wdtv, can play it)
 
my post above was supposed to reply to several posts about local content, not an advertiser I swear.
 
jpm100 said:
I would be surprised.

Now is the time for Google to tighten its grip and entrench its dominance and begin exploiting users.
Click to expand...

From Chromecast with no standards support.
to Dart and NaCL helping to create a Chrome Only Web.
to Google services that move away from the standards they once supported.
to Chrome only functionality.
to WebRTC control that breaks SIP and SPD, and Google moving forward with it despite it stalling in the W3C due to its dependence on modifying the standards of others without permission.
to their continued push for VP8 and WebM.

oh, they have all the arrogance of MS of the 90's. The lock in and Google-only internet is quickly approaching. Those who do not learn from history and all....
 
The big thing that I dislike about this is that it transcodes all your video on the device before it sends it to the receiver just like AirPlay.

This is the big deal killer for me. Certainly not for a videophile.
 
Seems cool, especially considering the $35 price, but I really cant see the value in this if you already have something like a PS3 or even just a smart-tv.
 
Ordeith said:
From Chromecast with no standards support.
Click to expand...

Except, you know, HTML5 and all that. Which is what it runs. Hence why "Chrome" is in the name.

to Dart and NaCL helping to create a Chrome Only Web.
Click to expand...

Dart compiles to JavaScript, and in theory if Dart catches on other browsers would support it. That's no different than Mozilla's asm.js. Everyone admits JS is slow, they just don't all agree on how to fix it.

As for NaCL, it's open source so anyone could use it if it were to become popular and Google isn't pushing it anyway.

So no, neither Dart nor NaCL leads to a "Chrome Only Web"

to Google services that move away from the standards they once supported.
Click to expand...

Google services have never been built on standards, other than HTML/CSS/JS which they still are and aren't moving away from in the slightest.

to Chrome only functionality.
Click to expand...

For now - other browsers are free to use the Chromecast SDK to add support to their browsers as well.

to WebRTC control that breaks SIP and SPD, and Google moving forward with it despite it stalling in the W3C due to its dependence on modifying the standards of others without permission.
Click to expand...

WebRTC does not break SIP (a statement which doesn't make any sense in the first place), nor has WebRTC stalled. Mozilla & Opera also support WebRTC.

to their continued push for VP8 and WebM.
Click to expand...

Oh the horror! Google is pushing for license-free, open source video codecs (with support from the Free Software Foundation) over patented, licensed one! Will the evil never stop! :rolleyes:
 
SirMaster said:
The big thing that I dislike about this is that it transcodes all your video on the device before it sends it to the receiver just like AirPlay.

This is the big deal killer for me. Certainly not for a videophile.
Click to expand...

Wrong, this doesn't do transcoding on device at all. The device just tells the Chromecast where to get the media, and then chromecast does everything from there on. The device stops being important from then on - it doesn't even have to stay on the wifi network.
 
Great! Another way Google can lurk in your life and suck up data about what you do and who you are under the guise of offering some sort of semi-useful service. They may as well have called it TrojanCast or SpyCast.
 
Kor said:
Damn no local network support.
Click to expand...

Get yourself a Raspberry Pi and install Raspbmc. Problem solved! XBMC is great for local content :cool:

(Unlike some variants of Linux, Raspbmc is literally plug and play. You don't need to know a darn thing about Linux or the command line in order to operate it.)
 
kllrnohj said:
Except, you know, HTML5 and all that. Which is what it runs. Hence why "Chrome" is in the name.
Click to expand...

and how does it communicate to get content? only with Chrome. Show me this running with a platform that doesn't support Chrome, I double dog dare you.


kllrnohj said:
As for NaCL, it's open source so anyone could use it if it were to become popular and Google isn't pushing it anyway.

So no, neither Dart nor NaCL leads to a "Chrome Only Web"
Click to expand...

It leads to a chrome only a web, or a Google controlled web. All roads end up with Google running the show.



kllrnohj said:
Google services have never been built on standards, other than HTML/CSS/JS which they still are and aren't moving away from in the slightest.
Click to expand...

Except for them going their own way with CSS3 against the recommendations of the W3C, oh and that whole CardDav/CalDav debacle.



kllrnohj said:
For now - other browsers are free to use the Chromecast SDK to add support to their browsers as well.
Click to expand...

Other browsers are free to follow along and do things Google's way. How nice for them.




kllrnohj said:
WebRTC does not break SIP (a statement which doesn't make any sense in the first place), nor has WebRTC stalled. Mozilla & Opera also support WebRTC.
Click to expand...

A statement that doesn't make any sense to the grossly uninformed, perhaps.
WebRTC co-opts SIP, makes changes to it in order for WebRTC to work, and is dependent on it. It is not easily extensible and is dependent on Google's infringing codecs. SIP/SPD are not controlled by the W3C, WebRTC CANNOT be standardized by the W3C because of the SIP/SPD issues. It's standardization process has stalled.

Mozilla gets most of its funding from Google, of course they are going to do what Google tells them.
Opera recently threw in the towel as well, they are nothing more than a me too chrome skin anymore.

More ways Google seeks to control all.


kllrnohj said:
Oh the horror! Google is pushing for license-free, open source video codecs (with support from the Free Software Foundation) over patented, licensed one! Will the evil never stop! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That infringe on others patents, like so much of what Google does.
It is one thing to make it available for people to use. Quite a different thing to force its use when you find people prefer the better licensed alternatives. But hey, forced use worked for Google+, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top