4 ms·

Sure, assuming it even works. It has gigantic swaths of incompatibility with many televisions and they don't seem to care about it. It works for a while then fa

by gergles 12y ago

Sure, assuming it even works. It has gigantic swaths of incompatibility with many televisions and they don't seem to care about it. It works for a while then fails to display anything, no matter how much you reset it or anything -- until you move it to a new TV, then back to the original one, upon which time you'll get a few more hours/days of use. The 'support' sends you through the same canned troubleshooters then tries to authorize RMAs, which don't work either - it's some sort of software bug or (more likely) some sort of DRM lockdown bullshit incompatibility.

jzwinck 12y ago
Fear of this sort of "DRM lockdown bullshit incompatibility" is what stops me from buying devices like Chromecast. I have a high-end receiver and a high-quality mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. If I plug these together, iTunes hangs (sometimes requiring a reboot of the entire Macbook!) when I start playing a movie I paid for, seemingly because of the DRM lockdown bullshit. I then have to connect the HDMI cable to the TV directly, which prevents true surround sound from working (because most TVs cannot output AC3, only stereo). All this happens despite all my equipment being about the same age (2-3 years). It all says "HDMI" on it, it all supports DRM to some extent, and yet it doesn't work together.
chez17 12y ago
It plugs into the HDMI slot, how are you having compatibility issues? If your tv takes an HDMI cable, that's all you need.
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  HDMI isn't like composite video -- it is more than just a physical connection, it is a highly complex set of protocols with DRM and version numbers and everything. I haven't run into Chromecast issues with my TV, but I have seen dozens of cases where two devices that ostensibly both supported "HDMI" refused to work together while the individual devices would work fine with (most) other devices. So I find it perfectly plausible that the OP's situation is very real even if I haven't experienced that particular one myself.
  - ajross 12y ago
    This isn't remotely limited to the chromecast though. The HDMI video signalling protocol is old and robust and works well and near-universally. The HDCP spec and CEC remote control features, on the other hand, are cesspools of complexity that work pretty much nowhere sanely.

by gergles 12y ago

jzwinck 12y ago

Fear of this sort of "DRM lockdown bullshit incompatibility" is what stops me from buying devices like Chromecast. I have a high-end receiver and a high-quality mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. If I plug these together, iTunes hangs (sometimes requiring a reboot of the entire Macbook!) when I start playing a movie I paid for, seemingly because of the DRM lockdown bullshit. I then have to connect the HDMI cable to the TV directly, which prevents true surround sound from working (because most TVs cannot output AC3, only stereo). All this happens despite all my equipment being about the same age (2-3 years). It all says "HDMI" on it, it all supports DRM to some extent, and yet it doesn't work together.

chez17 12y ago

It plugs into the HDMI slot, how are you having compatibility issues? If your tv takes an HDMI cable, that's all you need.

georgemcbay 12y ago
HDMI isn't like composite video -- it is more than just a physical connection, it is a highly complex set of protocols with DRM and version numbers and everything. I haven't run into Chromecast issues with my TV, but I have seen dozens of cases where two devices that ostensibly both supported "HDMI" refused to work together while the individual devices would work fine with (most) other devices. So I find it perfectly plausible that the OP's situation is very real even if I haven't experienced that particular one myself.
- ajross 12y ago
  This isn't remotely limited to the chromecast though. The HDMI video signalling protocol is old and robust and works well and near-universally. The HDCP spec and CEC remote control features, on the other hand, are cesspools of complexity that work pretty much nowhere sanely.