Chromecast - What Is It Good for?

[Deactivated] on 20/11/2014 - 11:22
Last edited 20/11/2014 - 11:23

OK, I got one of those chromecast thingies which the jbhifi guy threw in when we bought a couple of hi end Samsung tablets yesterday.

I'm confused. What's all the fuss about? On its own it seems little more than a crippled wireless dongle that throws a few pretty pictures on the screen. Looking in Google Play store the number of apps that actually might cooperate with it seem less than a handful. And the two I bought don't even see the chrome cast although my tablet says it's raring to go.

But maybe i am missing something? In the meantime, back to my mythbuntu/xbmc/wine+Netflix setup.

Electrical & Electronics Google Media Player

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2014 - 11:26
    +23

    yeah, much like eneloops, i don't get the fuss either.

    • yaziyo on 22/11/2014 - 11:56
      +12

      Blasphemy.

    • Marrk on 24/11/2014 - 10:51

      PLEX, Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music.

      Great value for money, and a better user experience than most Smart TV's and media players.

    • ro0sta on 24/11/2014 - 23:09
      +1

      Research thorough tests completed with its rivals. They are the leaders for longer lasting batteries with a great shelf/storage life.

      • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2014 - 23:18
        +3

        i am not going to research batteries. sorry for not being a well-read battery connoisseur

        • ro0sta on 25/11/2014 - 00:31
          +3

          Silly idea wasn't it? Why research what you are investing money in. Who needs batteries anyway…

      • Cyphar on 26/11/2014 - 11:16

        This'd be an option for me if they were non-rechargeable. If I buy rechargeables, as long as they don't drain in a day, I don't care about their life

  • highon2str on 20/11/2014 - 11:28
    +32

    absolutely naaaah-ting! Hoo! Ha!

    • highon2str on 20/11/2014 - 11:50

      On a more serious note, I have both a CC and a horde of Eneloops. I use the CC mostly for streaming youtube videos and to screen cast photos from my phone album.

      When you cast a youtube thingo to the TV/monitor with CC, it actually frees up your phone to do other stuff. You can even lock and turn the screen on your mobile off.

    • Baysew on 20/11/2014 - 12:39
      +3

      Say it again, y'all

      • highon2str on 20/11/2014 - 12:43
        +4

        whaaatissss it good for!

  • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2014 - 11:44
    +2

    Chromecast is a thumb-sized media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. Simply use an Android phone, tablet, iPhone®, iPad®, Mac or Windows laptop, or Chromebook to cast your favorite entertainment and apps right to the big screen.

    If you have a fully supported device eg. Nexus7 and other phones/tablets you can mirror the complete screen and everything you do on the device shown on the TV.

    I've settled on using it as media player/remote control, so my N7 connects to my PC shares and plays movies/tv/music/pics, and it's shown on the tv. using my media player of choice.

    I don't use it for the apps specific to Chromecast, nor have the chromecast app installed (CM11 has native support). Again everything shown on the display is shown on the tv. Performance is up to the device and also up to the wifi strength/performance. Having said that 6-8-12Gb 720p/1080p mkv files play smooth on my device and stream smooth to the TV.

    • highon2str on 20/11/2014 - 14:11
      +6

      you've got a really large, flat……. thumb.

  • angelkulit025 on 20/11/2014 - 11:45
    +4

    That's what im trying to comprehend as well, why do people get so excited from Chromecast being on sale…

    • ThirdRonnie on 22/11/2014 - 04:04
      +2

      When they come back to $9.99 maybe I'll actually think about buying one. Maybe.

  • ESEMCE on 20/11/2014 - 11:46
    +1

    If you had a media server you could use your phone/tablet to direct the CC to play a video/music from the server.
    Otherwise, it's a very cheap way to add streaming services like Netflix/Youtube/BBC iPlayer to a TV (or in my case an HDMI Computer monitor).
    I agree that it's overhyped, but not useless, just not for you cause you've already invested hundreds in a HTPC..

    PS did you know that Netflix works natively in Chrome for Linux now?
    Having said that, it doesn't scale to my 4:3 projector properly, so I'm back to using wine+Netflix, but if you have a 16:9 screen, saves a bit of overhead.

  • bonezAU on 20/11/2014 - 11:50
    +9

    I run Plex at home which is a streaming media server. It can run on Windows/Linux/Mac etc. You can then get a Plex app for your tablet which allows you to watch movies/tv/etc that you have downloaded on the Chromecast. It transcodes in real time and streams it directly over WiFi to the Chromecast, your tablet/phone is only there to allow you to control what media is streaming and to stop/start/pause/skip.

    The new ABC iView app for Android also has beta Chromecast support, I've found that it works fine.

    I have a home theatre PC in my living room but have found that the Chromecast is perfect for the bedroom TV to stream a bit of YouTube, iView or other stuff from Plex if you feel like watching something before going to sleep.

    I wouldn't replace a proper network media player or HTPC setup with a Chromecast in a heart beat, it's not meant for that purpose.

    • ESEMCE on 20/11/2014 - 12:40

      Yeah, ours is hooked into the Kitchen "TV" (24" computer monitor).

      Have another "freebie" from DSE that is plugged into the lounge room TV, but it never gets used.

      • Unrvl on 28/11/2014 - 21:01

        tv in your kitchen? badass

        • Utopian on 29/11/2014 - 10:43

          Computer monitor in the kitchen

          …oh no…

    • grog on 20/11/2014 - 18:10

      bonezAU

      That photo against your name … surely that is not really you?

      • bonezAU on 21/11/2014 - 14:16
        +2

        No, I am not Troy Buswell

        sniffs

        • Baysew on 21/11/2014 - 15:41
          +6

          And don't call me Shirley

    • Ramrunner on 22/11/2014 - 10:30
      +2

      How do you find Plex? I've tried running it a few times on my Thecus NAS, but on my Samsung Smart TVs and other devices it just keeps stuttering and not playing a LOT of file formats. I know a LOT of people swear by it, so there must be something good about it, but I keep going back to Serviio on the NAS. I find that way ANY device in the house (Smart TV, Tablets, PC (XBMC soon to be Kodi) plays back all file formats 100%).

      I keep thinking I must be doing something wrong.

      Plus does it require Plex at both ends? I find with Serviio ANY DLNA compliant client "just works".

  • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2014 - 12:47
    +4

    Plex Plex Plex - magical!

  • me786 on 20/11/2014 - 12:56

    I use TV to Tablet HDMI interface. Does the same..

  • Polak on 21/11/2014 - 08:26

    I never got past the setup stage, I mean really I am not going to allow guble to track my location, track my usage and content, send my details to selling agents etc, really don't know how anybody can agree to the terms and conditions.

    • ESEMCE on 21/11/2014 - 09:22
      +5

      How did you post here if you find those terms and conditions so abhorrent?
      You're being tracked and traced without your permission just by being online…

      • fredblogs on 21/11/2014 - 11:35
        +8

        He's using Tor and then tunneling through 3 different VPNs

        • yaziyo on 22/11/2014 - 11:57
          +5

          From the public library

        • Baysew on 22/11/2014 - 16:17
          +2

          In Melbourne

        • Carbon Door on 22/11/2014 - 18:18
          +6

          in a white van marked as premium bouquets flowers

        • Parentheses on 25/11/2014 - 00:19

          @Micoa: Flowers By Irene

    • moza on 23/11/2014 - 11:58

      Anyone find it strange that we rarely see this type or comment?

      The number of terms and conditions we accept each week… There must be lots of dodgy things within them… I don't read them… Possibly for some kind of innate capitalist trust for big companies to do the right thing?

      I'm really happy that someone finally read them and can warn us against this type of thing, or at least make it easier for us to be wary!

      • ESEMCE on 23/11/2014 - 16:59
        +2

        As I said, I'm not sure why this is a revelation, you're being tracked and traced every time you go online, by multiple sites/companies, even if you don't visit them in that session and even if you're viewing in a Private Window through a VPN.

      • mad__llama on 25/11/2014 - 17:42

        The number of terms and conditions we accept each week… There must be lots of dodgy things within them…

        And very (very!) occasionally there is also $1000 cash in them:

        http://yro.slashdot.org/story/05/02/23/2315211/man-finds-100…

      • mad__llama on 25/11/2014 - 17:42

        dupe deleted

  • Reverse Snorkel on 21/11/2014 - 08:30

    Yeah I got plex on my smartphone. I setup the server with all my shared media and then can just push it straight to chromecast. It does the job of MKV HD files. No more remote controls. Phone will do it all.

  • kristo on 21/11/2014 - 10:01
    +1

    Chromecast does a lot of what a smart TV will do, including seamlessly sharing your media across platforms.

    What is does worse is using only Wifi, not ethernet connection to display the video. This causes a bit of lag between selecting and viewing a video stream, for example, and occasional performance issues.

    What is does better is simple setup, replace a clunky interface (on most brands of smart TV) with a more user-friendly UI and allow you to control everything with your phone (albeit some brands of phone have an app to do that, but Sony's TV\PS control apps are junk for example).

    If you have a new Android (4.4+) device, you can screen mirror your phone to the TV, allowing you to display everything on your phone\tablet on your TV screen, making it a brilliant presentation tool and a good way to watch streaming videos on your big screen from sites that don't allow downloading.

    Last but not least, the Play store has bugger all if you search for Chromecast apps, but if you look at the Chromecast site http://goo.gl/QDxd0k there are hundreds of apps already, and more are being released all the time. Contrast that to your smartTV\Bluray\Playstation\etc and the number of new apps being released is close to zero.

  • jimbarry41 on 21/11/2014 - 10:15

    I was casting foxtel go from my Nexus 5 onto the TV but now lollipop has been installed it doesn't work. Its really only worh having one with a Nexus that can screen mirror cast.

    • ESEMCE on 21/11/2014 - 10:45

      Disagree entirely..
      Miracast is not as good as directing the CC to look up and display content..
      You need screen on to Miracast and you can't multi-task.
      eg. with CC, you tell the CC to play a video and then can look up Wikipedia on your phone to see who that actor is..

      • jimbarry41 on 21/11/2014 - 15:09

        But unless you are watching content on a compatible source like YouTube then it can be more difficult or not possible at all. Also, playing games and casting from a Nexus with screen cast it is great fun. Also, emailing, Facebook, web browsing can be watched on your TV. Without screen casting you are stuck with mostly video content….

        • slewis69au on 22/11/2014 - 13:01

          You can cast your screen as well using chromecast - doing all the things you just said.

          So as well as sending anything from your screen using mirroring you can ALSO use compatible apps. Of which there are more than you think - and anycast makes any app compatible if your device doesn't support mirroring.

    • slewis69au on 21/11/2014 - 10:55

      Mira cast is literally a wireless cable, chrome cast let's you do other things with the device.

  • soundpimp on 21/11/2014 - 12:26

    I use it to stream Netflix, Youtube, ABC iView, Chrome tabs and photos from my devices to my TV. Have one in the lounge room and one in the bedroom. Get a lot of use out of them personally, but realise they may not be for everyone. I still use a USB thumb drive plugged into the TV to watch things that I download which I cannot get on any of those streaming services.

  • rokufan on 21/11/2014 - 15:45

    I got one a couple of weeks ago. I like it, but it is far from perfect.

    Casting from Android ABC iView is buggy, I've used several times - it either doesn't start playing or drops out midway.

    Also casting webvideo from a chrome tab on my macbook is quite often choppy and unwatchable with sound and video out of sync. Note I have a good dual band wireless n router.

    Both of the above are still beta stage so hopefully will be improved.

    • ESEMCE on 21/11/2014 - 17:08
      +1

      Dual Band isn't going to help the CC, it only see's 2.4GHz.

      • rokufan on 21/11/2014 - 21:10

        You're right.

      • blurrybird on 23/11/2014 - 23:42

        but wireless AC does because beamforming still works with 802.11n and 2.4GHz.

        I regularly cast full HD bluray rips to my chrome cast across the other end of the house and it runs it at full 40mbps glory!

  • neonlight on 21/11/2014 - 22:12

    I found the best use is Chrome Browser + Hola or Zenmate VPN then Cast it on TV.

    Much better than using HDMI.

    If you have a non intel chip Plex server its not that great.

    Mainly youtube videos, save a list on your tablet then cast them on TV

  • sleepyowl on 22/11/2014 - 00:30
    +4

    It's good for when you are travelling. You can plug it into any hotel tv with HDMI and you've got portable entertainment! Pack your smartphone/tablet and a chromecast and you're pretty much sweet for hotel down time.

    • happychappy1 on 22/11/2014 - 02:46
      +1

      Only problem with this is that last time I checked, you need it to be connected to an actual Wifi network (the same one as your phone/tablet).

      I heard they were going to make it so that you don't need this anymore (i.e., can connect directly to Chromecast from phone/tablet), but I dunno if that's happened or not yet.

      • BenK-Oz on 24/11/2014 - 09:52
        +1

        hotspot your phone?

  • timochy on 22/11/2014 - 08:07

    Can you stream from one ipod to multiple chromecasts?

  • burningrage on 22/11/2014 - 10:30

    Well… I use my ChromeCast to watch Korean and Japanese drama…

    • fryandlaurie on 22/11/2014 - 12:53

      Just through youtube or are there any other websites/apps? Cheers

      • scotty on 25/11/2014 - 15:19
        +1

        Viki and Viki App from the Play Store which supports Chromecast.

  • whodidthat on 22/11/2014 - 10:41

    I'm lost

  • UnrealMacaw on 22/11/2014 - 12:59
    +3

    I use mine constantly..
    Music - google play music
    Video - youtube, google play tv/movies, (netflix works too, and presto, iview etc)
    Photos - either as a background slideshow or specific photos (g+ photos)
    Screen casting - from some androids and from chrome browser on computers

    I don't really use the tv for anything else. The best thing is tht your phone is the remote control, and you can use it to do other things while the music/video is playing

  • striker5950 on 22/11/2014 - 19:26
    +4

    agreed, i used it once, now its just pluged in the back of my tv

    • citybargainhunter on 23/11/2014 - 19:36

      yeah same here, bought one from DSE when there was deal on. Wanted to see what the fuss is all about. Found out it just does what my TV (Panasonic Plasma) is already capable of, i.e. pairing with phone.

  • Hunter80 on 22/11/2014 - 22:06

    can you stream foxtel from ipad? I have a subscription for the foxtel go.

  • onlyletters on 23/11/2014 - 10:17
    -7

    they are useless and stupid, i had one and sold it because most apps that are available for them are not allowed in australia, when that happens, then maybe.. i used a broken laptop motherboard running win7 mounted to the wall behind my tv that inputs into my tv, perfect for everything, even netflix, can change my dns, run a vpn, whatever.. anyway, each to their own.. my option was free, i didn't have to pay $35 or $50 or whatever..

    • ESEMCE on 23/11/2014 - 10:32

      Agreed, apart from the first bit.
      A HTPC is always going to win in features, but that doesn't make CC useless and stupid.

      • ProjectZero on 24/11/2014 - 11:47

        Not to mention CC should be more portable then your HTPC. Say you have the HTPC in the lounge but want to watch something in another room. Plug the CC in and use something like Plex and you're good to go =)

  • letthiswork1 on 23/11/2014 - 23:11

    Just my 2c.

    I love our chromecast actually we have 2 now. One downstairs one upstairs.

    Its great for streaming youtube and plex and crunchyroll.

    It even turns on the tv and puts it to the right input.

    I think if you have a decent setup and put effort into getting it right they are great. I wish they didn't need a wifi link otherwise id take one with me when i go travelling haha

  • bargdebarg on 24/11/2014 - 05:17

    We have our n40l server (also bought cheap from OB) sitting there downloading with HDD. It has plex, which deals with media. When new media is downloaded it sucks it in. Plex on all our phones. Chromecast in the livingroom and bedroom. We plex of the server media. We also plex YouTube quite a bit for shows on Europe and camera stuff or other shows my wife likes. Good setup. Cons: lower resolution and doesn't do 5:1 but we only have L,C,R and L,R and two 40" TV's which are older so now major for us

    • bargdebarg on 24/11/2014 - 10:57

      Which are 'not' major for us

  • emeraldone on 24/11/2014 - 08:13

    We use it for YouTube, photos and streaming downloaded movies from laptop via Videostream app which works perfectly. Panasonic TV can pair with devices but it doesn't work very well, very slow and cumbersome.

  • Pirimiri on 24/11/2014 - 09:39

    I love my chromecast.

    It was an impulse buy, and regretted wasting $49 on it initially, but I absolutely love it. My main usage is -

    • YouTube. I love the auto-generated artist playlists.
    • YuppTV
    • Music through Shuttle Player and Pandora
    • Screen Cast for looking at photos, videos, etc on my phone
    • Streaming 1080p movies from my XBMC using BubbleUpnP. My XBMC is hosted on a mini laptop with only a VGA output.
    • Laptop Screen Mirroring - when we have friends/family over and we are looking at a website, or something on laptop
  • iNeedMoreMoney on 24/11/2014 - 12:50

    It's great. Bought it for $34, so cheap. Move it between rooms very easily. Boot up very quickly. I can start playing videos and music straight away, or look at photos or just let it show pictures in the background. I don't even need to switch on my tv manually and I can shut everything down by just switching off the tv.

    Just convenient that's all.

  • AlbyDuck on 24/11/2014 - 16:24

    Netflix is what I mainly use it for. Also mirroring my htc one m7, which I've done about… once.

    I've found that my server (an early HP microserver) doesn't have enough grunt to transcode quickly enough to prevent buffering when using Plex. That's my only beef really. You need a transcoding server. Try to cast a flac file using Yatse or BubbleUpnp and you'll get an unsupported codec error. If it had better codec support you'd be able to use Yatse/BubbleUpnp to cast without transcoding, so 'original' quality and no lag.

    I've got a cheap Miracast dongle on the way so it will be interesting to compare.

  • syousef on 24/11/2014 - 17:34

    I find samba/windows file sharing much better than DLNA. DLNA just slows down to a crawl if your library is large. All the bagage of a searchable indexed library is what does it. A simple well laid out directory tree - with only one level at a time sent to the streaming box is much much better.

  • Ausbob on 24/11/2014 - 18:31

    Can always try a raspberry pi, more flexibility if you are willing to tinker a bit.

  • KaTst3R on 24/11/2014 - 22:32
    -1

    Was at a BestBuy in New York, had a Chromecast in one hand and Roku Stick on the other…i left the store with a Roku Stick and never looked back…I love the Roku

    • [Deactivated] on 24/11/2014 - 22:40
      +4

      Cool story bro. What happened next?

      • striker5950 on 25/11/2014 - 10:58

        LOL, than he went home and used the stick

  • howbazaar on 25/11/2014 - 16:03

    Try musiXmatch with well known Chrismas carol renditions (Frank Sinatra, Bing Cosby) for some festive Karaoke!

  • GameChanger on 25/11/2014 - 23:53

    Its rubbish! Well done google blocking netflix, when netflix themselves don't block users on other platforms i.e PS3.

    • ESEMCE on 26/11/2014 - 08:13

      It's easy to bypass and keeps them out of the crosshairs of content providers.

  • tooblue on 27/11/2014 - 17:16

    I have a smart TV with WiFi,which can access youtube, sbs on demand, abc iview, etc. The TV can also read external hdd/usb drive, as well as skype things.

    Do I need Chromecast ?

    • Baysew on 27/11/2014 - 19:27

      Maybe not, but you will be given one for Christmas anyway.

    • ESEMCE on 27/11/2014 - 22:00

      Depends how usable it is..
      I also have a smart TV, takes roughly a minute to load the SmartTV interface, navigate to the App I want to use and then start the app before you can do anything in the app.
      To me that's kinda pointless.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/11/2014 - 10:18
    +1

    I like to use it to watch youtube videos with friends. Streaming movies from my computer (which is upstairs) to me TV (which is down) make the chromecast essential. Just being able to put my screen on the tv without the hassle of cords is a winner for me.

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