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Hopefully some good competition will force Google to open the ChromeCast up. The current ChromeCast is pretty bad for users because it doesn't support the curre
by lnanek2 13y ago
Hopefully some good competition will force Google to open the ChromeCast up. The current ChromeCast is pretty bad for users because it doesn't support the current big standards in remote media play like DLNA and Miracast. Supporting DLNA would have enabled instant usage with phones from many years ago.
Meanwhile people who hack the protocol and send more than a browser tab to it get their stuff broken immediately in an update. It's a lot like the Nexus Q, a remote media playback device of Google's that only did Google Play and nothing else. It's a pretty transparent attempt at proprietary lock in that doesn't benefit the end users.
Personally, my Miracast Netgear Push2TV has been far more useful than my Chromecast. My Chromecast can't even be used on most networks I'm on because it is incompatible with WiFi that uses a username or WiFi that requires a terms page to be clicked through or WiFi that isolates peers on the AP for security. Chromecast shouldn't even be using anything more than WiFi direct for local use cases, since anything else has too much lag and hiccups for gaming. That has been proven pretty well by other contenders like the MediaLink HD.
With any luck some competition will force Google to offer a better product for users than for just forcing people to use their other stuff.
- spankalee 13y agoI'm not sure why Google didn't go with DLNA or Miracast, but presumably they looked at this. Second screen devices with no control on their own are a bit new, so maybe they weren't a great fit. Chromecast is built on at least some open protocols like DIAL and WebRTC, and it works with 3rd party apps, and there are broadcaster and receiver projects out there. I use [CheapCast] [1] on an old phone and it works great (for non-DRM'ed content, admittedly). Google also said they want devices like TVs and radios to include Chromecast support, I'm hoping without any licensing beyond the branding, and hopefully no fees. It certainly looks like it's heading in a pretty open direction. Yes, I know that one guy used an undocumented API call and had his broadcast app broken, and pitched a hissy fit, but that's what happens when you do that. The API is supposed to stabilized soonish. So I don't see your lock in claim holding much water. I think it's much, much more important to make Play content available on devices at all, than to lock out other content. When you sell digital media you generally want it to be available everywhere possible. [1]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.maui.cheapcast&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.maui.cheapc...