Microsoft Launches Miracast Stick

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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We ran an article awhile back on the possibility of Microsoft jumping into the streaming HDMI stick business, going up against Chromecast for a slice of the market. Microsoft has made it official: Miracast is now available for preorder for an October 31st shipping date at a pricey cost of $59.95.
 
OK, so I'm going to go into this like most people who purchase things. Very little knowledge of either.
But assuming people learn about this and see Chromecast and Miracast being compared. Why would anyone purchase the Miracast when it's almost double the price of the Chromecast?
 
I think Miracast isn't really an independent device. It's just a wireless thing-y you use to throw a copy of the screen of a laptop or whatever onto a TV. So that means there's not some kinda onboard intelligence inside like there is in Chromecast. It means you're getting less for your money though you can do more things on your screen because it uses a computer. Also, I suppose there'll be less spying and logging of everything you do since Google didn't make Miracast.
 
carlbme said:
OK, so I'm going to go into this like most people who purchase things. Very little knowledge of either.
But assuming people learn about this and see Chromecast and Miracast being compared. Why would anyone purchase the Miracast when it's almost double the price of the Chromecast?
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Creepy explained the differences correctly from my understanding. Chromecast is basically a Chrome browser on stick and the client device essentially offloads itself to the Chromecast device. The Chromecast device thus needs Internet connectivity. Miracast is an open protocol for wireless monitor connectivity. It's peer to peer and doesn't require a Internet connection.

Not sure why Microsoft's device is so expensive. There are other Miracast devices half the price of Microsoft's, putting them in the price range of Chromecast devices. I have one of the cheap ones and it's doesn't work all that well. There does seem to be a pretty wide variance in how specific Miracast devices perform.
 
Latency looks good if it wasn't faked. Per FCC docs it's dual band 802.11a/b/g/n which is a plus but no ac. If it's capable of low latency 1080p mirroring then I'd consider it.
 
I can do that already...... I guess this simplifies things for those without a smart TV?
 
If the performance is good enough, I could see this being really popular for business. I haven't looked at Miracast devices in while, but last time I did they had a significant amount of latency. If you're giving a presentation, just pair your device with the miracast receiver thats already connected to the TV or projector in the room and you're good to go.

I believe the Wii U uses it's own, proprietary implementation of miracast for it's controller, so that shows that it IS possible to do low latency wireless video with miracast.
 
The cheaper Miracast dongles are terrible, although there are plenty of non-cheat Miracast hardware out there already that works well. I think this release is just MS putting their foot in the door and having a product already produced.

These dongles aren't meant to compete with the Chromecast, which isn't really a Miracast device.
 
Trimlock said:
The cheaper Miracast dongles are terrible, although there are plenty of non-cheat Miracast hardware out there already that works well. I think this release is just MS putting their foot in the door and having a product already produced.

These dongles aren't meant to compete with the Chromecast, which isn't really a Miracast device.
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All Miracast dongle are not created equal. The cheap one I have is pretty much useable with everything I've ever tried to connect to it. At $20, it's not like I was mad or anything, I just wanted to try it out. But if I can get a good one for $60, I'd have no problem with that. All my primary mobile devices have Miracast capability so it would come in handy.
 
heatlesssun said:
All Miracast dongle are not created equal. The cheap one I have is pretty much useable with everything I've ever tried to connect to it. At $20, it's not like I was mad or anything, I just wanted to try it out. But if I can get a good one for $60, I'd have no problem with that. All my primary mobile devices have Miracast capability so it would come in handy.
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Anything with Wifi AC can do Miracast.
 
devonhiee said:
Never understood the need for such a device. Just connect the PC to the TV?
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Sure, you can do that with a long hdmi cable, or you could just do it from a decent distance with zero cables. My tv supports it anyways so I don't have to get a dongle.
 
Trimlock said:
Sure, you can do that with a long hdmi cable, or you could just do it from a decent distance with zero cables. My tv supports it anyways so I don't have to get a dongle.
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I guess I am thinking about it from my setup. I personally have my PC connected to my TV so there's no need to get up and use a separate TV just for that.
 
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