Chromecast

[MojoJojo]

I tell a lie, must have just been a hiccup on amazon's site. Just ordered one.

[Queneau]

Chromecast uses an existing device as the control, you cast videos from the YouTube, Google play, Netflix , chrome apps on your ipad, android, PC etc.


That android stick can be controlled with a mouse or a remote so you don't need another device, it's more versatile but less slick. One thing I like about the chromecast is you can cast a video from YouTube on an ipad to your tv, then cast it back to the ipad to continue watching in another room, which you can't do with a normal android stick.

So, is that the major bonus? Being able to watch the one thing in another room from your last play point? I should have stated that this is just for one room. I've ordered the android stick thingy now, so time will tell on that.

[Steven]

Read the thread! I've been over this in this one and the Android Mini PC thread. They're using Android, a touch-based OS, and you can't use that on a TV so you need another control method, i.e. mouse or airmouse or touchpad app on your phone or whatever. These aren't designed to go with Android so pretty soon you will discover that it's tiring and is a laborious way to do things. They're decent as a cheap PC with a mouse and using a Linux distro like Picuntu, but as a dedicated TV device, no. Chromecast forwards stuff more easily from a second device and is therefore superior as a thing primarily for watching stuff on a big screen.

[Queneau]

Read the thread!

My apologies. I clearly missed your first couple of posts about the Android Mini.

[Johnny Textface]

The only thing it won't do yet (i don't think anyway) is cast hd from device to tv, .mkv etc..

[biggytitbo]

It can do 1080p easily enough.


Personally I'm not too fussed. I sit about 10-8 foot away from my TV and simply cant tell the difference between HD and VHS.

[Beagle 2]

Well, I'm chuffed to bits with this. Streamed youtube and netflix all night without a flicker, and just tried a dodgy streaming footy site and it also looked crystal. Very impressed.

[biggytitbo]

Well, I'm chuffed to bits with this. Streamed youtube and netflix all night without a flicker, and just tried a dodgy streaming footy site and it also looked crystal. Very impressed.

Yes, it will eventually be able to do all the mainstream offerings, but its trump card is its ability to cast any old rubbish your browser can possibly view. Ideal for dodgy football streams.

[olliebean]

The only thing it won't do yet (i don't think anyway) is cast hd from device to tv, .mkv etc..

Plex will do that, I think?

[Queneau]

So, the Android Mini PC turned up and I've played with it a little but it doesn't have a remote despite the description saying it does. So, I'm not really sure why I have it to be honest. I'm using a USB keyboard to navigate because I can't find a decent app to make my phone a remote control for it. Is it even possible to have it replicate my laptop screen? The furthest I've got with it is playing a few files from my Note 10.1 and installing the BT Sport app.

[Beagle 2]

Plex will do that, I think?

I'm using an app called allcast, which has managed to cast every format I've thrown at it so far, including some stuff I'd downloaded from YouTube.

[Johnny Textface]

Plex is 59p on the amazon app store at them mo. Latest release apparently includes chromecast integration. Still £3 on the play store.

[Queneau]

BT Sport updated their app for Chromecast use today. Does anyone pay for Plex? Is it worth it? What exactly is the paid Android app for?

[The Boston Crab]

I've got a Nano thing. It goes hard in tha mutha fucken paint.

[Steven]

So, the Android Mini PC turned up and I've played with it a little but it doesn't have a remote despite the description saying it does. So, I'm not really sure why I have it to be honest. I'm using a USB keyboard to navigate because I can't find a decent app to make my phone a remote control for it. Is it even possible to have it replicate my laptop screen? The furthest I've got with it is playing a few files from my Note 10.1 and installing the BT Sport app.

Just use a wireless keyboard and mouse combo and plug that into it or something like a touchpad. Just use it like a regular PC or laptop because using a wireless remote is actually very unintuitive and tiring. You can replicate any PC screen you like with various apps in the Play store, just search for Remote Desktop and there's tons.

[surreal]

Bit of a bump to point out that the Chromecast is now down to £18 if you were waiting for a price drop, picked one up from Tesco this morning.

[biggytitbo]

Worth saying that his didn't turn out to be a novelty that gathers dust in a draw, I literally use it every day. Once you get used to the idea of using the device as the controller,  you'll wonder how you ever lived without out. One of the best gadgets I've ever had for the money.

[Steven]

Doesn't cure baldness, though does it biggy?

[Hank_Kingsley]

I've got one of these and it's great.

I have my big three apps: Netflix, Youtube, iPlayer.

I don't use any others though.

What else is worth getting hold of, bearing in mind I have an iPhone...

[Johnny Textface]

Plex is great and should be available on the iPhone - it's on the windows phones and android so don't see why not.

Also - Videostream for Google Chromecast (extension) is really good now - can do all sorts of formats - including .mkv.

[Steven]

How shit is Amazon Prime? I don't use Netflix that regularly but am stuck paying monthly now because the price goes up if you cancel the service for any period of time. I got the 30 day trial with Amazon Prime and am amazed at how shit it is, not a great selection, can't Chromecast vids natively to your TV, as well as paying for the service some stuff is free but you also have to pay extortionate prices to 'rent' a lot of titles, maybe I'm missing something but it seems far inferior to Netflix. I only signed up because there was something that's only available on the US Amazon as an instant video download 'Brief Lives with Roy Dotrice' but doesn't come with the Prime service but I read if you sign up using a US address and use VPN you can trick the site and watch Instant Downloads from the UK providing you pay for them, but it keeps giving me regional errors, fucksake! Anybody else think it's good/stinks?

[Johnny Textface]

Did that swallow up lovefilm or they separate services?

[Steven]

They've rebadged it you fool!

[olliebean]

Bit of a bump to point out that the Chromecast is now down to £18 if you were waiting for a price drop, picked one up from Tesco this morning.

Thanks for this; not sure I'll ever use it as I'm pretty happy with my Roku LT, but at that price it's worth getting one on the offchance.

Weird thing is on Amazon the main product page is a 3rd party seller offering it at £26+£4.59 shipping, but the sidebar lists Amazon themselves selling it for £18 with free delivery.

[Blumf]

Okay, streaming from SFTP sources?

I've had some success with Solid Explorer Cast Plugin. It handles MP4 and MKV, but fails on AVI and OGV (not that I have many of them)

[olliebean]

The decider for me (apart from the new lower price) was finding out that you can use multi-region Netflix DNS servers on it after all, in spite of it having Google's DNS servers hardcoded into it. (You have to use the router to block the Google DNS, and it falls back to the DHCP-provided DNS servers. Instructions here: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/media-streamers/1400939/how-to-get-us-netflix-on-chromecast-and-roku-streaming-stick)

[buntyman]

I've ordered one of these too. Mainly because Sky now charge for their Sky app on the Xbox but it still works with the normal (my Dad's) package on the laptop. Therefore I hope to be able to cast the football to my telly that way. Hopefully that'll work. Also hopefully I can plug the thing into one of the HDMI ports of my AV unit rather than directly into the back of my tv - my tv doesn't have a USB socket to keep the chromecast thing powered so it would mean stretching a big power cable otherwise.
That different Netflix region watching solution doesn't sound ideal as I don't trust myself with tinkering with my router settings. Can't you just do it by casting from the laptop that has Netflix opened in a Chrome browser that uses that Hola extension?

[olliebean]

Yes, you could probably do it that way, but you'd probably lose some quality compared to streaming Netflix directly to the Chromecast.

[Sivead]

Doesn't Sky Go on the desktop still use Silverlight? I don't think Chromecast supports that.

[biggytitbo]

Doesn't Sky Go on the desktop still use Silverlight? I don't think Chromecast supports that.

You can cast the whole tab though, so it'll play anything (just not necessarily directly from the stick itself)