5 ms·

A year off and the name is different, but Chromecast has redefined the way I think about 'Smart TVs' and HTPCs. Google's long game still looks good in this are

A year off and the name is different, but Chromecast has redefined the way I think about 'Smart TVs' and HTPCs. Google's long game still looks good in this area, IMO.

myko 13y ago
Yeah, Chromecast is pretty amazing. I bought one and everyone in my family who has been over to see it has purchased one as well.
- pgrote 13y ago
  What was their primary reason for getting one?
  - myko 13y ago
    In mine and my wife's parents cases, Netflix. They didn't even know such a service existed before though, or they might've had a different solution in place already. My sisters, Netflix and for my younger sister mainly YouTube and Google Music (which she rarely used before she got the Chromecast, as she has an iPhone and the app just came out for iOS).
- yetfeo 13y ago
  What are the advantages of Chromecast over something like Apple TV?
  - ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
    I responded above, sorry :)
  - adventured 13y ago
    Two things. Price, and no lock-in to Apple's ecosystem.
    - yetfeo 13y ago
      Aren't you instead locked into Google's ecosystem?
      - ajross 13y ago
        To some extent. Google has to whitelist the apps that use the API. Right now that means you have access to Google's media offerings (including Youtube and G+) of course, but also Netflix and Hulu. Not Amazon yet or (obviously) iTunes. It will play your local music content, but only recently whitelisted a few apps capable of playing your own video files (even then the codecs and containers supported by Chromecast are a short list, so be prepared to do a bunch of transcoding). It's not open for sure. But it's not bad either; at $35 I'm willing to forgive the lack of hackability (I have a linux box on the same TV for that, this thing is just a convenience). And the UI is basically perfect: pull the phone out of your pocket, play the video using exactly the same apps you're used to, and just click the chromecast button to send it to the TV. No more hunting for remotes; on my TV it will even turn it on and switch to the right input source automatically.
      - taopao 13y ago
        No, first party service support is better of course, but there are quite a few third party services that are cast-friendly.
      - ulfw 13y ago
        Yes and you basically get the same content on Apple TV (Youtube, Hulu, Netflix...)
  - mrjatx 13y ago
    It's cheap. I bought one for my bedroom tv which I only use when falling asleep. I already have a Roku for the living room. Until the SDK comes out their features cannot be compared.
  - Deinos 13y ago
    At this point, mainly cost and size (just plug it into the back of the tv and it is out of the way). Potentially, apps, but that is a sore point at the moment, as there are not many to speak of.
  - pbreit 13y ago
    Much cheaper, doesn't need to plug into wall, more and more open viewing options. Question should probably be reversed (says this Apple fanatic).
    - yetfeo 13y ago
      It still needs power though so it needs to be plugged into something - whether USB or wall socket. What are the open viewing options? It seems to only provide youtube and google movies in countries that don't have netflix. Does it support streaming a local video from a phone or PC?
      - georgemcbay 13y ago
        HDMI (v1.4) alone is capable of providing power to the Chromecast, pin 18 is specced for +5V/50ma. Not every TV/monitor supports this since there aren't that many devices out in the field that utilize HDMI power, but if your TV does provide power over the HDMI port then the Chromecast can get everything it needs just from the HDMI port.
        deserted 13y ago
        Using your Chromecast this way puts you at a disadvantage with many TVs. My TV only provides HDMI power when the input is selected (this may be per the spec) but that eliminates Chromecast's 'switch the input automatically' feature.
    - Tloewald 13y ago
      Well it has different viewing options ("more open" for whatever that's worth). Based on Google's own promotions for Chromecast you gain Google Play and Pandora, and lose iTunes. There's a bunch of other tradeoffs I'm sure (I assume, for example, there's a PBS app for Chromecast just as there is for AppleTV. AppleTV supports Amazon video via AirPlay -- which is good but not great; but Amazon video simply won't play on Chromecast.) Chromecast is more intelligently architected than AppleTV (you hand off to Chromecast rather than remote-controlling it) but I suspect AppleTV will address this shortly. OTOH AppleTV works with any remote, and you can use any iOS device as a remote, and AirPlay is wonderful.
  - riobard 13y ago
    I wrote up the differences on my blog a a while ago http://riobard.com/2013/08/23/chromecast-vs-apple-tv/ http://riobard.com/2013/08/23/chromecast-vs-apple-tv/
  - aduitsis 13y ago
    Slightly off-topic rant: In the (European) country that I live in, you can actually buy an Apple TV. Whereas Chromecast simply does not exist. One can argue all day about how awesome Chromecast is, but if you can't buy it, well, it isn't really competitive. And this has happened with a lot of other Google products which where announced with great fanfare in the past. Off-topic, I tried to buy a 1-dollar song the other day. This may come as a surprise, but not only Google, but also Amazon were not willing to take my money. Of course iTunes happily accommodated me, as it has always been doing for many years.
    - guyzero 13y ago
      International releases take time.
    - Egregore 13y ago
      Same thing with selling apps on play store, it seems that google ignores most of the smaller countries.
- loki540 13y ago
  Just curious - what do you usually use Chromecast for? I got it specifically to stream Youtube on my TV, and found that there was usually a > 1 second lag between the image on the TV and the sound on the TV. This has given me a pretty negative view of Chromecast - basically that it's just good for streaming visual-only things like slideshows etc. Have you found this not to be the case?
  - secabeen 13y ago
    Definitely not. Since Chromecast is sending audio and video over the same connection (HDMI), this is likely a problem with your TV or the like. Do you have a complicated Home Theater setup?
  - ossreality 13y ago
    Uh, are you streaming the tab or casting the video? All the Chromecast is is Chrome and Linux. When you cast a Youtube video, the "youtube app" on the Chromecast is playing a direct mp4 stream, out to HDMI. I'm guessing you're casting the tab instead. edit: Go fuck yourselves Hacker News. I'm fucking sick and tired of being hellbanned for no reason.
  - ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
    I responded above, sorry :)
  - sohailk 13y ago
    Try using the native apps for chromecast for streaming content as opposed to streaming the chrome tab. Youtube has a native chromecast app.
  - myko 13y ago
    I think you're missing the Chromecast button on the YouTube page. You shouldn't have to mirror the tab to fling YouTube to the TV. Mostly I use it for Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV, and Plex. Also if you have an Android or iPhone the native application on either device will have the Chromecast icon to fling the video. It's the same icon in Chrome (and maybe other browsers? I'm not sure) to fling from your computer.
ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
I'll explain my Chromecast experience simply: We are either using Chromecast in my house, or DirecTV. When we want to watch Netflix, HBOGO, or something on Plex, we fire up a phone or tablet, open the app, and Cast it to the TV. The Chromecast automatically switches the input and begins playing what we asked it to. @Loki540 - You might be referring to the still in development Chrome extension. We don't use that much but I hear it has to be on a very solid wireless connection. Chromecast-ready apps do not have that problem. @yetfeo - It only costs 30 dollars, and any app can choose to be a 'Chromecast' app by adding in their API. Our iPads and Android devices all can use the Chromecast and the variety of things we can do with it is superior.
panabee 13y ago
Agreed. We think this approach is brilliant and suggests Google sees the TV as merely another screen. Chromecast combines the web dev model with the processing power of PCs (and mobile devices), making it a more flexible and powerful way to reshape the TV as another computing endpoint. Most importantly, Google innovation no longer is constrained by TV manufacturers and their divergent interests. Here's a Google game console: screen (TV) + processing (PC) + controllers (mobile device).

A year off and the name is different, but Chromecast has redefined the way I think about 'Smart TVs' and HTPCs. Google's long game still looks good in this area, IMO.

myko 13y ago

Yeah, Chromecast is pretty amazing. I bought one and everyone in my family who has been over to see it has purchased one as well.

pgrote 13y ago
What was their primary reason for getting one?
- myko 13y ago
  In mine and my wife's parents cases, Netflix. They didn't even know such a service existed before though, or they might've had a different solution in place already. My sisters, Netflix and for my younger sister mainly YouTube and Google Music (which she rarely used before she got the Chromecast, as she has an iPhone and the app just came out for iOS).
yetfeo 13y ago
What are the advantages of Chromecast over something like Apple TV?
- ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
  I responded above, sorry :)
- adventured 13y ago
  Two things. Price, and no lock-in to Apple's ecosystem.
  - yetfeo 13y ago
    Aren't you instead locked into Google's ecosystem?
    - ajross 13y ago
      To some extent. Google has to whitelist the apps that use the API. Right now that means you have access to Google's media offerings (including Youtube and G+) of course, but also Netflix and Hulu. Not Amazon yet or (obviously) iTunes. It will play your local music content, but only recently whitelisted a few apps capable of playing your own video files (even then the codecs and containers supported by Chromecast are a short list, so be prepared to do a bunch of transcoding). It's not open for sure. But it's not bad either; at $35 I'm willing to forgive the lack of hackability (I have a linux box on the same TV for that, this thing is just a convenience). And the UI is basically perfect: pull the phone out of your pocket, play the video using exactly the same apps you're used to, and just click the chromecast button to send it to the TV. No more hunting for remotes; on my TV it will even turn it on and switch to the right input source automatically.
    - taopao 13y ago
      No, first party service support is better of course, but there are quite a few third party services that are cast-friendly.
    - ulfw 13y ago
      Yes and you basically get the same content on Apple TV (Youtube, Hulu, Netflix...)
- mrjatx 13y ago
  It's cheap. I bought one for my bedroom tv which I only use when falling asleep. I already have a Roku for the living room. Until the SDK comes out their features cannot be compared.
- Deinos 13y ago
  At this point, mainly cost and size (just plug it into the back of the tv and it is out of the way). Potentially, apps, but that is a sore point at the moment, as there are not many to speak of.
- pbreit 13y ago
  Much cheaper, doesn't need to plug into wall, more and more open viewing options. Question should probably be reversed (says this Apple fanatic).
  - yetfeo 13y ago
    It still needs power though so it needs to be plugged into something - whether USB or wall socket. What are the open viewing options? It seems to only provide youtube and google movies in countries that don't have netflix. Does it support streaming a local video from a phone or PC?
    - georgemcbay 13y ago
      HDMI (v1.4) alone is capable of providing power to the Chromecast, pin 18 is specced for +5V/50ma. Not every TV/monitor supports this since there aren't that many devices out in the field that utilize HDMI power, but if your TV does provide power over the HDMI port then the Chromecast can get everything it needs just from the HDMI port.
      - deserted 13y ago
        Using your Chromecast this way puts you at a disadvantage with many TVs. My TV only provides HDMI power when the input is selected (this may be per the spec) but that eliminates Chromecast's 'switch the input automatically' feature.
  - Tloewald 13y ago
    Well it has different viewing options ("more open" for whatever that's worth). Based on Google's own promotions for Chromecast you gain Google Play and Pandora, and lose iTunes. There's a bunch of other tradeoffs I'm sure (I assume, for example, there's a PBS app for Chromecast just as there is for AppleTV. AppleTV supports Amazon video via AirPlay -- which is good but not great; but Amazon video simply won't play on Chromecast.) Chromecast is more intelligently architected than AppleTV (you hand off to Chromecast rather than remote-controlling it) but I suspect AppleTV will address this shortly. OTOH AppleTV works with any remote, and you can use any iOS device as a remote, and AirPlay is wonderful.
- riobard 13y ago
  I wrote up the differences on my blog a a while ago http://riobard.com/2013/08/23/chromecast-vs-apple-tv/ http://riobard.com/2013/08/23/chromecast-vs-apple-tv/
- aduitsis 13y ago
  Slightly off-topic rant: In the (European) country that I live in, you can actually buy an Apple TV. Whereas Chromecast simply does not exist. One can argue all day about how awesome Chromecast is, but if you can't buy it, well, it isn't really competitive. And this has happened with a lot of other Google products which where announced with great fanfare in the past. Off-topic, I tried to buy a 1-dollar song the other day. This may come as a surprise, but not only Google, but also Amazon were not willing to take my money. Of course iTunes happily accommodated me, as it has always been doing for many years.
  - guyzero 13y ago
    International releases take time.
  - Egregore 13y ago
    Same thing with selling apps on play store, it seems that google ignores most of the smaller countries.
loki540 13y ago
Just curious - what do you usually use Chromecast for? I got it specifically to stream Youtube on my TV, and found that there was usually a > 1 second lag between the image on the TV and the sound on the TV. This has given me a pretty negative view of Chromecast - basically that it's just good for streaming visual-only things like slideshows etc. Have you found this not to be the case?
- secabeen 13y ago
  Definitely not. Since Chromecast is sending audio and video over the same connection (HDMI), this is likely a problem with your TV or the like. Do you have a complicated Home Theater setup?
- ossreality 13y ago
  Uh, are you streaming the tab or casting the video? All the Chromecast is is Chrome and Linux. When you cast a Youtube video, the "youtube app" on the Chromecast is playing a direct mp4 stream, out to HDMI. I'm guessing you're casting the tab instead. edit: Go fuck yourselves Hacker News. I'm fucking sick and tired of being hellbanned for no reason.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
  I responded above, sorry :)
- sohailk 13y ago
  Try using the native apps for chromecast for streaming content as opposed to streaming the chrome tab. Youtube has a native chromecast app.
- myko 13y ago
  I think you're missing the Chromecast button on the YouTube page. You shouldn't have to mirror the tab to fling YouTube to the TV. Mostly I use it for Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV, and Plex. Also if you have an Android or iPhone the native application on either device will have the Chromecast icon to fling the video. It's the same icon in Chrome (and maybe other browsers? I'm not sure) to fling from your computer.

ChikkaChiChi 13y ago

I'll explain my Chromecast experience simply: We are either using Chromecast in my house, or DirecTV. When we want to watch Netflix, HBOGO, or something on Plex, we fire up a phone or tablet, open the app, and Cast it to the TV. The Chromecast automatically switches the input and begins playing what we asked it to. @Loki540 - You might be referring to the still in development Chrome extension. We don't use that much but I hear it has to be on a very solid wireless connection. Chromecast-ready apps do not have that problem. @yetfeo - It only costs 30 dollars, and any app can choose to be a 'Chromecast' app by adding in their API. Our iPads and Android devices all can use the Chromecast and the variety of things we can do with it is superior.

panabee 13y ago

Agreed. We think this approach is brilliant and suggests Google sees the TV as merely another screen. Chromecast combines the web dev model with the processing power of PCs (and mobile devices), making it a more flexible and powerful way to reshape the TV as another computing endpoint. Most importantly, Google innovation no longer is constrained by TV manufacturers and their divergent interests. Here's a Google game console: screen (TV) + processing (PC) + controllers (mobile device).