Google Chromecast: All Your Screens Are Belong to Us
With Chromecast, the followup to its disappointing Google TV, Google has decided that less is more. The diminutive dongle effortlessly streams digital content from your desktop and mobile devices to your HDTV, bringing hardcore TV junkies one step closer to cutting the cable.
Television has been having a renaissance over the past decade, attracting some of the top writing and acting talent. But high costs of production and broadcasting rights (we're looking at you, sports) have also led to higher cable bills, leading many TV junkies to cut the cable and turn to the Internet for their nightly fix. The only problem is that while watching TV on your phone, tablet, or laptop is great if you're commuting to work or walking on the treadmill, it's just not TV. The small screen can't match that 40-inch HD screen and surround-sound system sitting in your living room.
Enter Chromecast, Google's diminutive $35 dongle that plugs into any HDMI port and packs an impressive api (application programming interface) that lets you stream content directly to your TV set. Setting up the device is a relatively straightforward and painless process. Simply find a free HDMI port on the back of your HDTV and plug in Chromecast. Google even included an HDMI extender in the package if the port placement on your particular set is a tight fit—if you've got it mounted on a wall, for instance. If your HDTV is HDMI 1.4, then the Chromecast can supposedly draw power directly from the port itself. However, conflicting reports have been popping up online since the device launched last week. Because my set is HDMI 1.3, I had to use the included micro USB cord and AC adapter to plug Chromecast into a wall outlet.
Once the device is powered up, you can pair it with the Chromecast app that you've downloaded onto your Android smartphone or new Nexus 7 tablet, which you will use to locate Chromecast and then add it to your local Wi-Fi network. And, really, that's it. Now that your Chromecast is on your home network, you can stream content to your TV.
Unlike other streaming solutions (Apple's AirPlay quickly comes to mind), Chromecast relies on a built-in casting feature to send content directly to the device over your Wi-Fi network rather than streaming it directly from your phone or tablet. What this means is, once you tell Chromecast what you want to watch, your mobile device is then freed up, allowing you to multitask. For example, if you used your iPhone to stream a video to your TV over Airplay, you couldn't move to a different app without losing the video, because the screen is simply mirroring your phone's screen. With Chromecast, you could play a movie from Netflix and check your email at the same time—the video will continue to play on the TV. Or, while you're streaming a hilarious YouTube video for everyone, use the Chromecast app to put together a playlist of related videos that will stream one after another.
Another cool thing about Chromecast is that even though there isn't an iOS app at the moment, that doesn't prevent iPhone and iPad users from getting in on the fun. Because Chromecast lives on your personal network, any additional devices that share that network can also stream to the device through casting partners. The launch partners were obvious and include Netflix, YouTube, and Google Play, but with the software development kit available prior to launch and a slew of additional content providers vocally supportive of the new product, including Vimeo, Hulu, Redbox, and HBO Go, the list is certain to grow over the next few months.
For laptop and desktop users, Google has included a clever feature that allows them to broadcast the content from their Chrome browser right to their television. This opens up an entire world of possibilities for additional content, including all the major networks, Amazon Instant Video, Plex, MLB.TV, and more. Basically, if you can watch it on your computer, then you can watch it on your TV, and since you're only broadcasting one tab, you can still multitask. Additionally, since Chrome is an HTML5 browser, you can drag and drop local media from your personal library and stream it directly to your television. In my brief time with the device, Chromecast flawlessly streamed MP4s and AVIs, though, depending upon how the video was encoded, the sound didn't always play with the video.
Streaming music to your TV via Chromecast works, too, with options ranging from the Google Music Player on your mobile device to services such as Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, Slacker, Songza, and so much more. And if you want to view pictures or play a slideshow from your computer, a dropdown in the Chrome browser casting feature will allow you to use an experimental feature and cast your whole screen. However, this experimental feature is just that. It won't stream any sound from your computer, and it doesn't always work as well as you would like it to.
I predict big things for this little device, and clearly I'm not alone. Google's Chromecast sold out before it was even made available, and, according to Google's site, it is backordered for weeks to come. Unless you pulled the trigger sight unseen, you're going to be waiting a month for yours. With a number of new apps already being announced for the near future—including one that plays photos directly from your mobile device, and another that will stream media files stored on Dropbox—as well as a stampede of new content providers jumping on the bandwagon, this might be the best $35 you ever spend.
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