Chromecast

Darren Wright

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I've got a quickly approaching living room re-do, probably start next week as I'm picking up new flooring this weekend. One project is to move the tv and equipment from the opposite wall that it is on, so have purchased a few new "accessories". One of those is the Google Chromecast device. This little device touts that for $35 you can stream your Youtube, Netflix, and other applications from your Android, iOS, and Windows PC devices to your TV in up to 1080p resolution.

I had considered the Roku and Google TV devices, but with those you'd it seemed I need to add additional navigation/keyboard devices to use properly. My wife likes to watch Netflix, but right now she either has to navigate using the xbox or Wii controllers, which aren't very easy, or simply watch on her ipad/laptop...which is her preference. So it looks like she'll still be able to do that, then simply "cast" it to the tv for a larger picture experience.

My understanding is that you use the phone/tablet/pc to "cast" the video url that you are going to watch and the streaming happens directly from the chromecast device to the origin of the video, you're not actually streaming through your phone/tablet/pc, just controlling the chromecast. Though from reviews I've read, some apps (like hulu) actually do stream through the device, just depends on the app that is playing.

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/14/honest-chromecast-review/

So, anyone using one of these already?
 
while not the same widget, I'm hooked on using my iPhone to select youtube videos, which once paired with a 'smart' device, are easy to view on the bigger screen. In my case I have paired my Tivo with my google account, but I'm certain it will work the same way.
 
Interesting Darren. I haven't used chromecast. It didn't seem too exciting to me despite the cheap price, I'd be interested in a follow up review of chromecast's capabilities.

I have a western digital Live streaming device and I am very happy with it. I have a lot of video files in different formats and WD can play pretty much all formats. I also use XBMC which is setup on Rasberry Pi. It can also be setup on a PC or tablet. It is an open source media center which can do more than most streaming devices. It is mainly used to watch pretty much everything for free though (not suggesting people should use it for that).
 
Very interesting Darren. By the way, are you re-doing every room?! I thought I had a lot of house projects, but you put me to shame.

Lol, Short answer...yes! 1985 called and wanted its decor back. :) Actually, we've never wanted the carpet, so have saved up for the new laminates. Never liked the layout of the living room either, so making a big mess all at once and getting it over with. Moving the office downstairs and the guest room upstairs in the process. The kitchen will get a full overhaul in a few years from now, if I can hold Angela back that long. ;)
 
Got one about 3 weeks ago. Love it. YouTube, Netflix are great on it. If watching something off of a network site, ABC, NBC, etc the audio and video don't match well. Did watch a little Thursday night football off of the NFL.com and it matched up. The pic did stretch out of the sides of the tv, more or less.

Some of the issues could be setting, as I am just using what every it is from factory. I do know you can change them, but don't want to mess with it.

Kids have used the dreaded Apple devices as well and they work just as well.

For $35 I don't think you can go wrong. Really $42 and change with shipping and tax.
 
Got one about 3 weeks ago. Love it. YouTube, Netflix are great on it. If watching something off of a network site, ABC, NBC, etc the audio and video don't match well. Did watch a little Thursday night football off of the NFL.com and it matched up. The pic did stretch out of the sides of the tv, more or less.

Some of the issues could be setting, as I am just using what every it is from factory. I do know you can change them, but don't want to mess with it.

Kids have used the dreaded Apple devices as well and they work just as well.

For $35 I don't think you can go wrong. Really $42 and change with shipping and tax.

Awesome, will have to research some of those settings in the mean time.

I ordered from amazon, so got it tax free, free 2 day shipping (amazon prime, not that it is free, but much cheaper compared with the amount of stuff I order from them...and get it delivered).
 
I ordered one this weekend...I havne't had cable in 5 yrs so I hope to catch up on some shows I haven't seen in years! Plus my daughter watches netflix on our tablet quite a bit so she will enjoy seeing a MUCH bigger screen.
 
Interesting Darren. I haven't used chromecast. It didn't seem too exciting to me despite the cheap price, I'd be interested in a follow up review of chromecast's capabilities.

I have a western digital Live streaming device and I am very happy with it. I have a lot of video files in different formats and WD can play pretty much all formats. I also use XBMC which is setup on Rasberry Pi. It can also be setup on a PC or tablet. It is an open source media center which can do more than most streaming devices. It is mainly used to watch pretty much everything for free though (not suggesting people should use it for that).

Should be here in a day or two, so will post up a review when I've had some time to mess with it.

I was wondering if the Pi would work well for doing media streaming, been looking for an excuse to pick one up, so that may topple me over the edge. ;)
 
...I was wondering if the Pi would work well for doing media streaming, been looking for an excuse to pick one up, so that may topple me over the edge. ;)

I'm pretty sure that's what my buddy Donnie the Drummer uses for watching movies when he's traveling with a band. (As long as he's in a hotel with WiFi.) He's been happy with it.
 
Well, before the power went out here it was working pretty well. Im impressed with the video quality and ease of setup. Below are a couple of pics, one of the android tablet streaming Netflix, the other is the laptop streaming a show from comcast. I have the chromecast plugged into our 32" using power from the tv's usb service port.


Darren
 

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Hmm... I might have to check that out. I've seen em but wasn't sure about them. I'm all for portable TV.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
Found that chrome on the android tablet/phone does not yet support casting. The Netflix and Youtube apps and a few others support casting, but not chrome yet.

I also found it has another feature, HDMI-CEC, which many tv's support. This allows you to control some features of your tv, if it supports it, such as volume and automatically switching to the hdmi port when you activate chromecast. In my case I have one tv that supports it, the other has a third party hdmi switcher, which will at least automatically switch the input when activated.
 
I don't know if this android app works with a chromecast device or not, but give Twonky Beam a try. I use it on my android phone and tablet to send media to my Roku Players. The app supposedly supports all sorts of DNLA devices and its free in the app store. Roku also has a very handy app to turn your android phone or tablet into a remote.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
This subject in general is a greater vortex than the spinny world. I am resisting so far but the Pi info Mohammad posted is pulling on me hard. Just don't have time for this stuff right now but its on the lonnnng list. Thanks for sharing your findings.

For what its worth the one aspect of the new tvs that I am glad I did not consider when I bought our new LG last year is the computer built into it. It sucks to put it mildly. It has to be an Ubuntu implementation but they have reserved all the change capability for themselves. So you cannot download a thing.

So if you looking at a new tv and it has all sorts of apps and features and a built in browser don't let this feature convince you to buy the set thinking that it will serve as some computer media player etc. It has way too many short comings.

One example for us is the Netflix app that LG have included, it has a user interface that totally brings up a completely different set of search/browse options by comparison to going online with a browser.

For Canadians looking into Netflix consider signing up with Unblockus http://www.unblock-us.com/ this way you can fool Netflix to thinking you are in the USA and get the US version of Netflix not our 3rd world version that comes up if your ip address originates in Canada.


Sorry for the hijack just thought I would add this stuff in a media thread. :) Hey what about a techie forum ???:D for our family.
 
Rob , my TV is older so I haven't tried, but one way people get around the limitations of the TVs OS is they root their TV allowing them to flash custom ROMs which allow them access to the Google store or sideload apks to customize things just like a tablet or smartphone. But I don't recommend this unless you've read every ounce of info about your TV model and firmware.

In my case, since my TV isn't so smart, I installed Plex Media Server on my PC, then copied all my DVDs to an external hard drive. Plex also has channels you can install much like Roku Channels. Plex then can stream my movies and channels to any DNLA comparable device where there is an internet connection, such as a Roku, Android Phone, or IOS with the Plex app/channel installed.

I was interested in this thread because Chromecast is small and cheap and I was curious if the stick worked. I've read reviews of other media sticks and they didn't sound to promising. Sure beats having to hook up an android device or the current Roku to and from the TVs or buying 2 more Rokus!

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A root of the OS on the tv may not be necessary if you also have an android phone.

For those of you with smart tv's running android, you may be able to use a application backup app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.infolife.appbackup&hl=en) on your android phone to export the APK file (install file) for newer versions to your SD card, then use a file browser app on your tv to install the newer version of apps from an sd card. I've had to do this with some cheaper tablets I bought that didn't have the Google Play (Market) installed.

I'd also install the application backup app and run a backup on the tv apps, before installing any of the new versions. If for any reason the install doesn't work, you'll have your original version to restore from
 
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