4 ms·

Not sure the full motivation behind this but this is very annoying for a parent with kids. Especially if you've lost your remote, or want to quickly find someth

by koinedad 11mo ago

Not sure the full motivation behind this but this is very annoying for a parent with kids. Especially if you've lost your remote, or want to quickly find something and cast it to your Chromecast/Apple TV. I'd prefer video streaming apps be required to support Casting/AirPlay.

jaffa2 11mo ago
All this app stuff is so annoying. I reverted back a while ago. Now when i want the radio on i just switch it on. With an actual switch. Same with my lights— an actual real switch! Theres no benefit to chaining all your behind someapp the needs updated installed, logged in passwords, managed, ooo you haven’t logged in for 90 days lets send you an email to update your password- bro i just want to increase my heating. Its all nonsense. Sooner people realise the better.
- inanutshellus 11mo ago
  TODAY I got an email saying my $600 robot vacuum cleaner -- which only works via an app -- would no longer work with said app. It has no physical buttons to manage schedules, just a "spot clean now" button. I hand-wrung when I bought it -- knowing it was a risk requiring I trust them -- aand I was bitten. Awesome. Welcome to the future.
  - looperhacks 11mo ago
    You may want to check if your robot is supported by Valetudo: https://valetudo.cloud/ https://valetudo.cloud/
    - jansper39 11mo ago
      Reading through that site, it seems like instead of locking yourself into a corporations app, you're locking it into his instead. He doesn't seem to want to run an open source community, he's building an app for himself and publishing it for people who have exactly the same use case as him.
      - fwip 11mo ago
        True, but you don't need to install updates once you have the software installed, and it's probably better not to. The software on the robot doesn't need the app to control, either - it exposes an API that either the app or custom software can talk to, sans cloud servers.
    - inanutshellus 11mo ago
      ooo thanks for the link, buuut it appears NEATO Robotics vacuums aren't supported ... yet. I had hoped Home Assistant might be able to handle it but it appears their integration just sends the data to NEATO, which no no longer works. https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/neato/ https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/neato/ Blarg.
  - ryandrake 11mo ago
    Nobody on HN wants to hear this, but REG-U-LA-TION. The glorious free market is consistently failing to solve the growing problem of cloud-tethered and app-tethered products being nerfed by their manufacturers after the point of sale.
    - tsunamifury 11mo ago
      I think those who believe regulation is universally the devil forget the era where products were received DOA and customers had no recourse while companies simply called it profit.
      - alyandon 11mo ago
        I can't take anyone that views regulation as universally evil seriously when history is full of stuff like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor
        tsunamifury 11mo ago
        Evidently HN doesn't like this particular history...
        dredmorbius 11mo ago
        <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176267 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176267> <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44508062 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44508062> The Radithor reference is of course quite apropos, and I'm a fan of effective and principled regulation to avoid that and numerous other market failures.
    - nine_k 11mo ago
      Sorry, but it's CUS-TO-MERS. They buy stuff that can only be controlled via an app talking to the cloud. They buy stuff that cannot be repaired. They buy stuff that openly lies about its specs, for an "unbelievably good price". The customers go for the cheapest, all else be damned. Education in general, and about critical thinking in particular, could help.
- onetokeoverthe 11mo ago
  [dead]
mikeyouse 11mo ago
I’ve helped several elderly neighbors get setup with casting to their TVs as well. Just a debacle that’s going to frustrate a bunch of people for no good reason. Really wish the teams that implement ‘features’ like this were forced to deal with the consequences. At least in the olden days, they’d get feedback in the form of calls and complaints to their help line but now it’s just “Too bad, app changed, deal with it.”
- littlecranky67 11mo ago
  Well, the consequence would be to cancel the subscription now?
mock-possum 11mo ago
Probably to drive people to piracy
ZeroConcerns 11mo ago
> this is very annoying for a parent with kids But the parents without kids, will they at least continue to be leafs? (Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry...)
whatsupdog 11mo ago
[flagged]
hollerith 11mo ago
>I'd prefer video streaming apps be required to support Casting/AirPlay. Do you mean required by law?
- happymellon 11mo ago
  Required by store?
  - qwertox 11mo ago
    This is such a good answer, it puts the entire situation into perspective. About who wants to (and theoretically should) act in favor of consumers.
    - happymellon 11mo ago
      Its a selling point for Apple and Google devices. Buy into their ecosystem and things "just work". Except when they don't. Its a cross cutting requirement that adds value for the platform.
- koinedad 11mo ago
  No, I’d say the App Store, I consider it a device perk. I bought the iPhone and Apple TV largely because of airplay so if they remove that functionality it will move me to use other streaming services that support it or I’ll just buy movies again and stop paying streaming altogether.
clueless 11mo ago
> Not sure the full motivation behind this This feature was one of the main reasons how Netflix movies/shows could be captured/uploaded to piracy sites in full quality as soon as they were released. People recorded the video output and uploaded them. This is to remove that path. Kinda obvious if you ask.
- progbits 11mo ago
  This is untrue. This method wouldn't get you the highres content, that's limited to higher widevine tiers. Pirates use other bypass methods and this will zero impact.
- mvdtnz 11mo ago
  How is this different from recording video output from a not-casted stream?
  - progbits 11mo ago
    It isn't, some people just like to post completely made up nonsense on topics they don't understand. Edit: GP's username should have been a hint...
- Dayshine 11mo ago
  That's not how casting works. It's actually super locked down: the TV loads a netflix website and you can't create your own Chromecast receivers.
  - fragmede 11mo ago
    How does VLC do it then?
otterley 11mo ago
Apple TV has a Netflix app already. Plus you can use your iPhone as a remote.

jaffa2 11mo ago

All this app stuff is so annoying. I reverted back a while ago. Now when i want the radio on i just switch it on. With an actual switch. Same with my lights— an actual real switch! Theres no benefit to chaining all your behind someapp the needs updated installed, logged in passwords, managed, ooo you haven’t logged in for 90 days lets send you an email to update your password- bro i just want to increase my heating. Its all nonsense. Sooner people realise the better.

inanutshellus 11mo ago
TODAY I got an email saying my $600 robot vacuum cleaner -- which only works via an app -- would no longer work with said app. It has no physical buttons to manage schedules, just a "spot clean now" button. I hand-wrung when I bought it -- knowing it was a risk requiring I trust them -- aand I was bitten. Awesome. Welcome to the future.
- looperhacks 11mo ago
  You may want to check if your robot is supported by Valetudo: https://valetudo.cloud/ https://valetudo.cloud/
  - jansper39 11mo ago
    Reading through that site, it seems like instead of locking yourself into a corporations app, you're locking it into his instead. He doesn't seem to want to run an open source community, he's building an app for himself and publishing it for people who have exactly the same use case as him.
    - fwip 11mo ago
      True, but you don't need to install updates once you have the software installed, and it's probably better not to. The software on the robot doesn't need the app to control, either - it exposes an API that either the app or custom software can talk to, sans cloud servers.
  - inanutshellus 11mo ago
    ooo thanks for the link, buuut it appears NEATO Robotics vacuums aren't supported ... yet. I had hoped Home Assistant might be able to handle it but it appears their integration just sends the data to NEATO, which no no longer works. https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/neato/ https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/neato/ Blarg.
- ryandrake 11mo ago
  Nobody on HN wants to hear this, but REG-U-LA-TION. The glorious free market is consistently failing to solve the growing problem of cloud-tethered and app-tethered products being nerfed by their manufacturers after the point of sale.
  - tsunamifury 11mo ago
    I think those who believe regulation is universally the devil forget the era where products were received DOA and customers had no recourse while companies simply called it profit.
    - alyandon 11mo ago
      I can't take anyone that views regulation as universally evil seriously when history is full of stuff like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor
      - tsunamifury 11mo ago
        Evidently HN doesn't like this particular history...
        dredmorbius 11mo ago
        <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176267 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176267> <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44508062 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44508062> The Radithor reference is of course quite apropos, and I'm a fan of effective and principled regulation to avoid that and numerous other market failures.
  - nine_k 11mo ago
    Sorry, but it's CUS-TO-MERS. They buy stuff that can only be controlled via an app talking to the cloud. They buy stuff that cannot be repaired. They buy stuff that openly lies about its specs, for an "unbelievably good price". The customers go for the cheapest, all else be damned. Education in general, and about critical thinking in particular, could help.
onetokeoverthe 11mo ago
[dead]

mikeyouse 11mo ago

I’ve helped several elderly neighbors get setup with casting to their TVs as well. Just a debacle that’s going to frustrate a bunch of people for no good reason. Really wish the teams that implement ‘features’ like this were forced to deal with the consequences. At least in the olden days, they’d get feedback in the form of calls and complaints to their help line but now it’s just “Too bad, app changed, deal with it.”

littlecranky67 11mo ago
Well, the consequence would be to cancel the subscription now?

mock-possum 11mo ago

Probably to drive people to piracy

ZeroConcerns 11mo ago

> this is very annoying for a parent with kids But the parents without kids, will they at least continue to be leafs? (Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry...)

whatsupdog 11mo ago

[flagged]

hollerith 11mo ago

>I'd prefer video streaming apps be required to support Casting/AirPlay. Do you mean required by law?

happymellon 11mo ago
Required by store?
- qwertox 11mo ago
  This is such a good answer, it puts the entire situation into perspective. About who wants to (and theoretically should) act in favor of consumers.
  - happymellon 11mo ago
    Its a selling point for Apple and Google devices. Buy into their ecosystem and things "just work". Except when they don't. Its a cross cutting requirement that adds value for the platform.
koinedad 11mo ago
No, I’d say the App Store, I consider it a device perk. I bought the iPhone and Apple TV largely because of airplay so if they remove that functionality it will move me to use other streaming services that support it or I’ll just buy movies again and stop paying streaming altogether.

clueless 11mo ago

> Not sure the full motivation behind this This feature was one of the main reasons how Netflix movies/shows could be captured/uploaded to piracy sites in full quality as soon as they were released. People recorded the video output and uploaded them. This is to remove that path. Kinda obvious if you ask.

progbits 11mo ago
This is untrue. This method wouldn't get you the highres content, that's limited to higher widevine tiers. Pirates use other bypass methods and this will zero impact.
mvdtnz 11mo ago
How is this different from recording video output from a not-casted stream?
- progbits 11mo ago
  It isn't, some people just like to post completely made up nonsense on topics they don't understand. Edit: GP's username should have been a hint...
Dayshine 11mo ago
That's not how casting works. It's actually super locked down: the TV loads a netflix website and you can't create your own Chromecast receivers.
- fragmede 11mo ago
  How does VLC do it then?

otterley 11mo ago

Apple TV has a Netflix app already. Plus you can use your iPhone as a remote.