17 replies to this topic

[Mark Carver]

I'm a gadget kinda guy and l'm always on the lookout on how to do audio or video easier than what I'm doing now. Google snuck the Chromecast in on me so I wasn't in on the initial release. But, have no fear I ordered 2 of these devices. They both came in last week and surprisingly 1 of them was DOA, in that it wouldn't connect wireless. Fortunately Amazon's return/replacement policy is great.

 

So I connected the other one to an HDMI port on my Denon AVR X1000 AV receiver and my TV recognized it right away when I went to the HDMI port on the receiver. I go through the initial setup routine including adding the Chromecast app to my Xoom tablet and to my PC laptop. Both recognized the dongle.

 

I called up Google Play Music on my tablet and in the upper right corner,  there is now a box that allows Play Music to stream it's music to the Chromecast dongle. When you do, you can control the start/stop/pause of the song being played through my AV receiver and on the TV, the album cover of the song shows as well as the song title and artist and it goes into screensaver mode. I never fully took advantage of Play Music but now I plan on uploading more of my favorites to it.

 

YouTube streaming is great. I called up the YouTube app on the tablet and loaded Super Bowl XLVII that is on Youtube and streamed it the TV. No issues whatsoever as far jerkiness of the video or anything, perfect. From the YouTube app you can pause/restart the video. Both YouTube and Play Music you can leave the apps and do other things with your tablet and it will continue streaming what it was last told to do.

 

I don't do Google Play Movies & TV or Netflix so I couldn't test them out. I may try Netflix later but that's not high on my priority list. I did load Google Chrome on my laptop than loaded Hulu Plus and was able to stream various video's from the laptop to the TV with no issues.

 

Overall I'm very pleased with Chromecast and yes it's currently limited on what it can stream but I'm sure more developers will jump onboad and the price of $35 is great. I currently have a PC connected to my TV through an HDMI port on the AV receiver and it would be nice, never have to turn it on to have access for audio or video on my TV.

 

A little help would be appreciated on how I can play local files in a Chrome tab. Many say you can by just searching 'chrome local files' and a plethora of howto's, Maybe I'm missing something as I couldn't get it to work on a W8 or W7 machine. In doing so, I should be able to stream local video files (from my NAS) in Chrome to my TV. Which will be huge!

[Mark Carver]

Hulu Plus can now be streamed to a Chromecast device and working okie dokie for me.

 

The Hulu Plus app on Chromecast is the latest way the streaming company is trying to make watching TV a more convenient experience. Hulu says that its teams in Santa Monica and Beijing work closely with Google to develop the app that runs on Chromecast. The app running on your smartphone or tablet makes it easy for the user to control Hulu Plus on the TV via Chromecast.

 

http://www.slashgear...rvice-02299996/

[McNulty]

I bought a chrome cast. It's awesome and essential for cord cutters. I'm looking at you Samuel birdland

[Mark Carver]

It was only a matter of time... smoke detector that's connected to your smartphone.

 

 

Nest Labs, the home hardware maker co-founded by two ex-Apple luminaries, is today unveiling its second product, Nest Protect, a $129 smart device that hopes to do for the smoke and carbon monoxide detection market what Nest’s Learning Thermostat did for home temperature control. That is, it wants to turn what has become for many a mundane, malfunctioning domestic necessity into a reliable and stylish must-have. Artfully designed, connected up with your smartphone, and full of features that work better than what it wants to replace, Nest Protect is the startup’s biggest play yet to make a global name for itself and position itself as a serious player in the connected home.

Of all the many things to disrupt in the home, why smoke detection? A couple of reasons, one personal and the other strategic.

 

http://techcrunch.co...connected-home/

[Russ]

This is a video about the sixth sense phone.  A projecting camera is attached to the phone and allows you to show interactive displays on walls, a piece of paper, or even your hand.

 

[Mark Carver]

Pandora comes to Chromecast...

 

 

Chromecast users who have updated the Pandora app on their mobile device to version 5.0 will now find a new "Cast" button, either in the top right (Android), or lower right (iOS) corner that will allow them to stream music to their TV. The app is available on Android and iOS, with Pandora listing support for all Android devices and iPhone and iPod touch. iPad support is promised soon.

 

http://www.gizmag.co...roid-ios/29631/

[Russ]

I received a Chromecast last week as a gift from a friend and I love it.  The only thing I wish it had was the ability to play music from an iPod through the TV, but that's not a deal breaker and definitely beats the price of AppleTV.

[Mark Carver]

One of the great feature with YouTube is the TV/Queue ability. Select any number of videos and they will play one right after the other.

[Mark Carver]

Google has released a Ethernet adapter for their Chromecast. So, goodbye wi-fi.

 

This is the Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast. It costs just $15 and gives you a way to connect a patch cable from a wall jack, switch, router, or homeplug adapter. Hook it up, and your Chromecast will never again be hindered by a weak WiFi signal. Even if you decided to build a Faraday cage around your TV for some reason, Google’s adapter would still allow you to stream video to it.

 

http://www.geek.com/...dapter-1627470/

[Mark Carver]

Check this Kickstarter out...

 

None of the popular streaming remotes have the ability to power on and off your TV or control volume. A 2nd or sometimes 3rd remote is always needed.  

Sideclick is a universal remote attachment that snaps onto your streaming remote, allowing you to control the basic functions of your TV and your streaming device all-in-one.

 

Sideclick is available in Black or Silver and compatible with the following streaming devices. Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Nexus Player, and Apple TV.

 

 

https://www.kickstar...e-0?ref=popular

[Mark Carver]

Interesting but not on my gotta have list... 

 

 

...$199 at Amazon. 

 

http://www.amazon.co...linkId=17917405

[DJ MC]

OK, that's pretty cool, if it actually works.

 

I just want to know what happens if you use this gesture.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Similar to Microsoft's Kinect technology. It still has a long way to go in terms of consistency and reliability.

[Pedro Cerrano]

This thing is completely unnecessary. I already hate anyone that owns this or will own it.

[RShack]

It's a device for people who have too much money... honestly, what would it actually be good for?  

 

Yes, you do get your initial 5 minutes of "wow"... but after that?

[You Play to Win the Game]

XBOX One has the hands sensing technology stuff but I've never used it or needed it. I do enjoy being able to tell it to turn the volume up or down or which channel to go to or app to open if I can't find my remote though. Can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like that. I wouldn't have bought that as an accessory if it didn't already come with the XBox itself though.

[RShack]

XBOX One has the hands sensing technology stuff but I've never used it or needed it. I do enjoy being able to tell it to turn the volume up or down or which channel to go to or app to open if I can't find my remote though. Can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like that. I wouldn't have bought that as an accessory if it didn't already come with the XBox itself though.

 

Do people really lose their remotes?   (This isn't snark, I am truly curious...)

 

If you have kids, I can see it... but if it's just you and maybe a S.O., does it really happen?

 

I accidentally took mine to the kitchen and left it next to the sink... once... and then I went and got it...

[You Play to Win the Game]

Haa. This is true. Not even going to try and lie about it.