5 ms·

Google Chromecast Takes a quite complicated set of things going on (control signals from phone, data signals from internet), and turns them into a seamless int

by rkangel 10y ago

Google Chromecast Takes a quite complicated set of things going on (control signals from phone, data signals from internet), and turns them into a seamless intuitive experience. I find the initial setup process particularly excellent. Getting a device with no user input onto a wifi network would normally be a nightmare, but the magic they do with setting up a temporary access point on the device is excellent.

endless1234 10y ago
And it working even when your portable device isn't in the same wifi network ("Nearby devices" option) is pretty magical. Ultrasonic communication between phone and some-other-thing is stuff that you'd expect to read about being done in a lab, yet here it is in a consumer thing that's really cheap, and working flawlessly.
owenwil 10y ago
100% agree - for the price, you get so much mileage
huffmsa 10y ago
Even though its a perpetual beta-program and the engineers break stuff every other update, I can't imagine life without it. I tried watching Youtube on the desktop recently and was appalled at how terrible the interface was, esp without Red and no ABP. Chromecasts are my go-to Christmas gifts every year.
baby 10y ago
I find myself never using them other than to watch youtube. What do people use it for? Why can't I buy something to just stream my screen? Like the steam link but for everything. Not just steam.
- rkangel 10y ago
  I watch all of my TV through it. I buy box sets from Amazon Video and watch them (which has to be laptop). My girlfriend watches a lot of BBC iPlayer, we both watch Netflix. On occasion I'll download something and it'll happily stream from my phone (Localcast) or laptop (Videostream).
- patrickk 10y ago
  You can drag and drop a local file into a Chrome tab and play it on Chromecast. You can basically stream anything in a Chrome tab, e.g. open an online stream on your laptop and stream it to the Chromecast in full screen, useful for e.g. sports streaming websites or national broadcasters. Useful when you're lazy and don't want to hook up a long HDMI cable to your laptop.
  - Pr3fix 10y ago
    What is the frame rate like when you do this, though? A buddy had an original run Chromecast and I remember being excited about that feature back in the day, but the framerate for tab streaming was so inconsistent it wasn't watchable.
    - patrickk 10y ago
      You wont get Blu Ray quality for sure, but for "normal" online streams the frame rate has been perfectly watchable for me.
- oxguy3 10y ago
  I use it for everything that my TV doesn't have a native app for, which is primarily Crunchyroll. Occasionally it's fantastic for random things -- my local soccer club FC Cincinnati was playing a preseason match yesterday that was only watchable via a livestream on the venue's website. Pulled it up on my phone, and sure enough, the little Chromecast button appeared, and it streamed without issue -- was anticipating having to hook up my laptop to the TV instead.

by rkangel 10y ago

endless1234 10y ago

And it working even when your portable device isn't in the same wifi network ("Nearby devices" option) is pretty magical. Ultrasonic communication between phone and some-other-thing is stuff that you'd expect to read about being done in a lab, yet here it is in a consumer thing that's really cheap, and working flawlessly.

owenwil 10y ago

100% agree - for the price, you get so much mileage

huffmsa 10y ago

Even though its a perpetual beta-program and the engineers break stuff every other update, I can't imagine life without it. I tried watching Youtube on the desktop recently and was appalled at how terrible the interface was, esp without Red and no ABP. Chromecasts are my go-to Christmas gifts every year.

baby 10y ago

I find myself never using them other than to watch youtube. What do people use it for? Why can't I buy something to just stream my screen? Like the steam link but for everything. Not just steam.

rkangel 10y ago
I watch all of my TV through it. I buy box sets from Amazon Video and watch them (which has to be laptop). My girlfriend watches a lot of BBC iPlayer, we both watch Netflix. On occasion I'll download something and it'll happily stream from my phone (Localcast) or laptop (Videostream).
patrickk 10y ago
You can drag and drop a local file into a Chrome tab and play it on Chromecast. You can basically stream anything in a Chrome tab, e.g. open an online stream on your laptop and stream it to the Chromecast in full screen, useful for e.g. sports streaming websites or national broadcasters. Useful when you're lazy and don't want to hook up a long HDMI cable to your laptop.
- Pr3fix 10y ago
  What is the frame rate like when you do this, though? A buddy had an original run Chromecast and I remember being excited about that feature back in the day, but the framerate for tab streaming was so inconsistent it wasn't watchable.
  - patrickk 10y ago
    You wont get Blu Ray quality for sure, but for "normal" online streams the frame rate has been perfectly watchable for me.
oxguy3 10y ago
I use it for everything that my TV doesn't have a native app for, which is primarily Crunchyroll. Occasionally it's fantastic for random things -- my local soccer club FC Cincinnati was playing a preseason match yesterday that was only watchable via a livestream on the venue's website. Pulled it up on my phone, and sure enough, the little Chromecast button appeared, and it streamed without issue -- was anticipating having to hook up my laptop to the TV instead.