Chromecast

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Chromecast

Chromecast dongle
Developer Google
Manufacturer Google
Type Digital media player
Release date July 24, 2013 (2013-07-24) (United States)
Introductory price US$35[1]
Power Micro-USB
System-on-chip used Marvell DE3005-A1[2]
Display 1080p
Connectivity HDMI (supports CEC), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4 GHz)
Dimensions 72 mm × 35 mm × 12 mm
Weight 34 g
Predecessor Nexus Q
Website Chromecast

Chromecast is a digital media player developed by Google. The device, a 2.83-inch (72 mm) HDMI dongle, plays audio/video content on a high-definition television by directly streaming it via Wi-Fi from the Internet or a local network. Users select the media to play from Chromecast-enabled mobile apps and Web apps, or through a beta feature called "tab casting" that can mirror most content from the web browser Google Chrome. The device was announced on July 24, 2013, and made available for purchase on the same day in the United States for US$35, along with a limited-time promotion for three free months of Netflix.[3]

Features and operation

Measuring 2.83 inches (72 mm), Chromecast plugs into a television's HDMI port, while the power is supplied by connecting the device's micro-USB port to an external power supply or a USB port. The device connects to the Internet through a Wi-Fi connection to the user's home network. Chromecast works in two ways, both of which stream content to a television. The first employs mobile apps and Web apps. The second, called "tab casting", can mirror almost any content displayed by the web browser Google Chrome running on a personal computer.

  • The primary method of playing media on the device is through Chromecast-enabled mobile apps and Web apps, which control program selection, playback, and volume. The media is streamed by the Chromecast within a local version of the Chrome browser,[4] thus allowing the controlling device to be free for other tasks, such as answering a call or using another application, without disrupting playback. Both Android and iOS mobile apps are supported, as are Web apps running on computers using Google Chrome (on Windows, OS X, and Chrome OS) through an extension.[5]
  • Tab casting mirrors the content of a Chrome browser tab on a television. The quality of the image depends on the processing power of the computer, and minimum system requirements apply to video streaming. Content that uses plug-ins, such as Silverlight and QuickTime, is not fully supported, as the stream may lack sound or image.[6][7] Google lists the feature as beta.[8]

Chrome and mobile apps

At Chromecast's release, YouTube and Netflix were available as Android, iOS, and Chrome Web apps. Google Play Music and Google Play Movies & TV were also available, but originally only as Android apps.[9][10] Google advised other interested developers to create and test Chromecast-enabled apps, but not distribute them until the company released the production version of the device's software development kit.[11] While that admonition remained in force, Chromecast-enabled applications for Hulu Plus and Pandora Radio were released in October 2013, and HBO GO in November.[12][13] Jeff Lawrence, founder and CEO of PlayOn, said that Google was giving "most favored developer" status to major streaming companies, a move he found understandable from Google's perspective, but frustrating to other developers given the lack of a concrete timeline.[14] Google invited developers to a two-day hackathon on December 7 at its Mountain View headquarters, offering the opportunity to test drive the SDK's "upcoming release".[15] The session attracted 40 developers from 30 companies and was followed by 10 additional apps, including Plex, Avia and Realplayer Cloud. Mario Queiroz, Google vice president of product management, said that "hundreds of developers” have registered with the company to add Chromecast capabilities to their apps.[16]

Google opened the SDK to all developers on February 3, 2014. Rish Chandra, Chromecast product manager, said that Google used the intervening time to improve the SDK's reliability and accommodate those developers who sought a quick and easy way to cast a photo to a television without a lot of coding. Google also made the SDK a part of the Google Play Services framework, thereby giving users access to new apps without having to update Android itself.[17][18]

The following is a partial list of Chromecast-enabled apps noting the supported platforms:

Chromecast-compatible apps
Name Chrome Android iOS Vendor Type
Aereo[19] in development Aereo Video
AllCast No Yes[20] No ClockworkMod Local / Multimedia
AOL On[21] in development AOL Inc. Video
Audiour[22] in development ready[23] No Audiour.com Music
Avia Media Player[24] No Yes No Videon Central Inc. Local / Multimedia
Bitcasa[25] ready[26] No Bitcasa, Inc. Cloud
Blip[27] in development Blip Networks, Inc. Video
BeyondPod[28] No Yes No BEYOND POD Podcasts
DailyMotion[29] in development DailyMotion Video
Dayframe[30] No Yes No Cloud TV Inc. Photos
Devour[27] in development Zombiecorp Video
Fandor[31] in development Fandor Video
Google Play Movies & TV[32][33] Yes Yes Yes Google Video
Google Play Music[33][34] Yes Yes Yes Google Music
HBO Go[35][36] Yes Yes Yes Home Box Office Inc. Video
Hulu Plus[12][37] No Yes Yes Hulu Video
Media Browser[38] Yes Yes Yes Media Browser Video
Netflix[39] Yes Yes Yes Netflix, Inc. Video
Pandora Radio[40] No Yes Yes Pandora Media, Inc. Music
PlayCast for PlayOn[41] ready[26] ready[42] ready[42] MediaMall Technologies, Inc. Video
Plex[43] Yes Yes Yes Plex Video
Pocket Casts[44] No ready[45] ready[45] Shifty Jelly Podcasts
PostTV[46] Yes Yes Yes The Washington Post Company Video
RealPlayer Cloud[47] Yes Yes Yes RealNetworks Video
Red Bull TV[43] Yes Yes Yes Red Bull GmbH Video
RemoteCast[48] No Yes No ben lc Remote
Revision3[49] Yes Yes Yes Revision3 Video
Simple.TV[50] in development Really Simple Software Inc. Video
Songza[43][51] Yes Yes Yes Songza Music
Split Browser[52] No ready[45] ready[45] Appestry Browser
TicTacToe for Chromecast No Yes[53] Yes[54] Swishly Inc, Friendly App Studio Game
Tonido Home Cloud[55] in development CodeLathe LLC Cloud
Twitch.tv[56] in development Twitch.tv Video
vevo[43] Yes Yes Yes VEVO, LLC Video
Viki[57] No Yes Yes Viki Inc Video
Vimeo[58] in development Vimeo Video
Web2go[59] No ready[45] ready[45] Volacent.com Text2Speech Browser
YouTube[60] Yes Yes Yes Google Video
Zattoo[61] in development Zattoo Europa AG Video

Hardware

Chromecast contains the Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-mini) system on a chip, which includes codecs for hardware decoding of the VP8 and H.264 video compression formats. Radio communication is handled by AzureWave NH–387 Wi-Fi which supports 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz). The device has 512 MB of Micron DDR3L RAM and 2 GB of flash storage.[62][63] The model number H2G2-42 is likely a reference to the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy abbreviation "H2G2"—in the novel, the number 42 is the "Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything."[63][64] The bundled power adapter bears the model number MST3K-US, possibly shorthand for Mystery Science Theater 3000.[65]

Software

Software development kit

The Google Cast SDK gives developers a way of handling "second-screen interactions" and was announced as a preview version in July 2013 and as a final version on February 3, 2014.[66] In its introductory documentation and video presentation, Google said the SDK supported both Chromcast devices and other unnamed "cast receiver devices". The development framework has two components: a sender app and a receiver app, both of which make use of APIs provided by the SDK.

  • The sender app is based on a vendor's existing Android or iOS mobile app, or desktop Web app, and provides users with content discovery and media controls, including the ability to select which device content is streamed. Under the hood, sender apps can detect receiver devices on the same local network, establish a secure channel, and exchange messages.
  • The receiver app is a Web app executing in a Chrome browser-like environment resident on the cast receiver device. Receiver apps of varying complexities can be developed depending on the variety of content formats supported. For example, a simple receiver app might just play HTML5 content, whereas custom receiver apps, which require more programming effort, can support a variety of streaming protocols, including MPEG-DASH, HTTP Live Streaming, and the Microsoft Smooth Streaming Protocol.[17]

DIAL protocol

Chromecast uses the DIAL (DIscovery And Launch) protocol, co-developed by Netflix and YouTube,[67] to search for available devices on a Wi-Fi network. Once a device is discovered, the protocol synchronizes information on how to connect to the device.[68]

Operating system

At the introductory press conference, Hugo Barra, then Google's vice president of Android product management, said that Chromecast is "running a simplified version of Chrome OS."[69] Subsequently, a team of hackers reported that the device is "more Android than ChromeOS" and appears to be adapted from software embedded in Google TV.[70][71]

Google lists Chromecast operating system updates on the Chrome Releases blog. As with Chrome OS devices, Chromecast operating system updates are downloaded automatically without notification.[72]

Release and reception

Chromecast was made available in the US for purchase online on July 24, 2013. To entice consumers to purchase the device, Google initially offered buyers free access to the Netflix service for a three-month period. Chromecast quickly sold out on Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and the Google Play Store, and within 24 hours, the Netflix promotion was ended due to high demand for the device.[73][74] On October 19, 2013, the Chromecast mobile app was released outside of the US for the first time.[75] Google has committed to launching the device more broadly internationally with the intent of adding to the library of compatible apps, ultimately setting consumer expectations that every app will be "castable".[16]

Nilay Patel of The Verge gave the Chromecast an 8.5/10 score in his review, saying, "The Chromecast is basically an impulse purchase that just happens to be the simplest, cheapest, and best solution for getting a browser window on your TV." Speaking of the adapter's potential, he said, "it seems like the Chromecast might actually deliver on all that potential, but Google still has a lot of work to do." In particular, Patel pointed to Apple's AirPlay protocol as an example of an established competitor with many more features.[76] TechCrunch's review of the device said, "Even with a bug or two rearing its head, the Chromecast is easily worth its $35 pricetag."[77] Gizmodo gave the device a positive review, highlighting the ease of setup and sharing video. In comparing the device to competitors, the review said, "Chromecast isn't Google's version of Apple TV, and it's not trying to be... But Chromecast also costs a third of what those devices do, and has plenty of potential given that its SDK is just a few days old."[78] David Pogue of The New York Times praised the device for its $35 retail price, saying, "It's already a fine price for what this gadget does, and it will seem better and better the more video apps are made to work with it." Pogue noted the limitations of the device's screen mirroring feature and said using only mobile devices as a remote control was not "especially graceful", but he called Chromecast the "smallest, cheapest, simplest way yet to add Internet to your TV".[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Watson, Todd (July 26, 2013). "Introducing Google Chromecast". Inside Investor. Retrieved July 26, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Google Unveils $35 Chromecast HDMI TV Stick". Cnx-software.com. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Evangelho, Jason (July 24, 2013). "Google's Chromecast A Brilliant Play For The Living Room -- Especially With $35 Price Tag". Forbes.com. Retrieved July 24, 2013. 
  4. ↑ Stein, Gabe (July 24, 2013). "Wow! Google's Chromecast Is Amazingly Hackable". Co.Labs. Fast Company. Retrieved January 9, 2014. 
  5. ↑ "Google reveals Chromecast: video streaming to your TV from any device for $35". The Verge. Retrieved September 19, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Casting a Tab". Chromecast help page. Google. Retrieved September 24, 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Cast from Chrome to your TV: Minimum System Requirements". Google. Retrieved August 30, 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pogue, David (July 31, 2013). "Chromecast, Simply and Cheaply, Flings Web Video to TVs". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "This Week in Tech 416". Twit.Tv. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  10. ↑ Pressman, Aaron (August 1, 2013). "Chromecast vs. Roku vs. Apple TV: What’s the Best Streaming Device? | Daily Ticker - Yahoo! Finance". Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013. 
  11. ↑ "1.0". Google Cast Release Notes. Google. July 24, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Nischol, Karan. "Cast Away: Hulu Plus on Chromecast". Blog. Hulu. Retrieved October 2, 2013. 
  13. ↑ Solesman, Joan E. (October 21, 2013). "Chromecast adds Pandora to short list of apps so far". CNET. Retrieved October 21, 2013. 
  14. ↑ Lee, Adriana (October 8, 2013). "What's Holding Up New Chromecast Apps? Nothing ... But Google, That Is". ReadWrite. Retrieved October 31, 2013. 
  15. ↑ Lawler, Richer (November 21, 2013). "Google invites devs over for a Chromecast hackathon plus SDK show-and-tell, updates official app". Engadget. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Roettgers, Janko (December 13, 2013). "Chromecast in 2014: an open SDK, big international plans and maybe even new devices". Gigaom. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Affaki, John (February 3, 2014). "Ready to cast: Chromecast now open to developers with the Google Cast SDK". Google Developers Blog. Google. 
  18. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (February 3, 2014). "Get ready for tons of new Chromecast apps: Google releases Cast SDK". Gigaom. 
  19. ↑ "Aereo testing Chromecast app". CNET. Retrieved December 11, 2013. 
  20. ↑ "AllCast Regains Chromecast Support Less Than A Day After The Release Of The Google Cast SDK". Android Police. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  21. ↑ "AOL On Videos Coming Soon to a TV Near You via Chromecast". AOL. Retrieved August 14, 2013. 
  22. ↑ "[RELEASE] Audiour for Chromecast (Beta)". Audiour. Retrieved November 30, 2013. 
  23. ↑ "Audiour for Chromecast". Audiour. 
  24. ↑ Ross, Derek (December 10, 2013). "Exclusive: Avia Chromecast app review, cast personal music, photos, videos from Google+, Facebook, Dropbox, local storage, DLNA servers". Phandroid. 
  25. ↑ "Bitcasa to add support for Chromecast streaming". Android Community. Retrieved October 3, 2013. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lee, Adiana (October 8, 2013). "What's Holding Up New Chromecast Apps? Nothing ... But Google, That Is". ReadWrite. Retrieved October 22, 2013. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Blip, Hulu, Vevo and Devour are coming to Chromecast". Gigaom. Retrieved October 3, 2013. 
  28. ↑ "Official Site link". 
  29. ↑ "Official Site link". 
  30. ↑ "Dayframe (Chromecast Photos)". 
  31. ↑ "Can I Watch Fandor on Chromecast?". Fandor. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  32. ↑ "Google Play Movies & TV - Chromecast Help". Google. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Roettgers, Janko (December 12, 2013). "Google Play Movies and Google Play Music websites get native Chromecast support". Gigaom. 
  34. ↑ "Google Play Music - Chromecast Help". Google. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  35. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (November 21, 2013). "HBO Go on iOS and Android can now stream to Chromecast". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 21, 2013. 
  36. ↑ "HBO GO now works with Chromecast". Google Chrome Blog. Google. November 21, 2013. 
  37. ↑ Prevé, Shanna (October 2, 2013). "Hulu Plus now works with Chromecast". Official Blog. Google. Retrieved October 2, 2013. 
  38. ↑ Adhiappan, Sivaram. "Media Browser - Ready to Cast!". Blog. MediaBrowser. Retrieved January 4, 2014. 
  39. ↑ "Netflix app and Netflix.com - Chromecast Help". Google. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  40. ↑ "Enjoy One-Touch Streaming of Pandora to your TV with Google Chromecast". Pandora Media, Inc. October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013. 
  41. ↑ "Introducing PlayCast". MediaMall Technologies. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "PlayOn’s newest feature, PlayCast, Expands PC Browser-To-TV Casting Capabilities to Roku, Xbox360 and Chromecast". MediaMall Technologies. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 "Now Casting". Chrome. Google. 
  44. ↑ "Pocket Casts will be getting Chromecast support in the future". AndroidCenteral. Retrieved August 30, 2013. 
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5 "Anoter few apps are ready for supporting ChromeCast now!". Daniel Lohse. 
  46. ↑ Pergam, Andrew (December 10, 2013). "Washington Post becomes the first news site using Chromecast". The Washington Post. 
  47. ↑ "Chromecast gets Plex, Vevo, RealPlayer, Viki and more with massive app update — Tech News and Analysis". Gigaom.com. Retrieved 2013-12-10. 
  48. ↑ "Play Store link". 
  49. ↑ "REVISION3 CHROMECAST INTEGRATION IS HERE!". Revision3. Retrieved December 11, 2013. 
  50. ↑ "Simple.tv announces apps for Android and Chromecast, DLNA support". GigaOm. 
  51. ↑ "HBO GO, Revision 3, Washington Post, Songza and more currently being tested for Chromecast". Android Authority. Retrieved October 3, 2013. 
  52. ↑ "Support for Chromecast will be available as soon as Google releases their official software". Appestry. Retrieved October 16, 2013. 
  53. ↑ "TicTacToe for Chromecast". GooglePlay. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  54. ↑ "TicTacToe for Chromecast". iTunes. Retrieved October 22, 2013. 
  55. ↑ "Tonido Home Cloud gets Chromecast support, lets you stream from desktop to TV (video)". Engadget. Retrieved October 3, 2013. 
  56. ↑ "Up Next for Chromecast: More Apps — and Maybe Games, Too". TIME. Retrieved September 19, 2013. 
  57. ↑ Laird, Michelle (December 10, 2013). "Viki Launches on Google Chromecast". Viki: Official blog. Viki. 
  58. ↑ "Vimeo and Redbox Instant are coming to Chromecast. Next up: Plex and HBO Go?". GigaOM. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  59. ↑ "-Soon supporting Chromecast!". Volacent.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013. 
  60. ↑ "YouTube app and YouTube.com - Chromecast Help". Google. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  61. ↑ "Native Unterstützung für Chromecast - Zattoo Support". Zattoo. Retrieved October 4, 2013. 
  62. ↑ Parrish, Kevin (July 25, 2013). "FCC Reveals Google Chromecast Hardware and More". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 "Chromecast Teardown". iFixit. iFixit. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  64. ↑ "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Chromecast". Google Operating System. Google. July 29, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  65. ↑ http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/07/30/google-chromecasts-geeky-easter-eggs
  66. ↑ Google takes Chromecast SDK out of preview, ZDNet
  67. ↑ Lee, Nicole (January 24, 2013). "Netflix and YouTube's DIAL promises to be open alternative to AirPlay". Engadget. Retrieved August 31, 2013. 
  68. ↑ admin74 (July 28, 2013). "How Chromecast Works, Chromecast Protocol Described". Computer Solution. Computer Solution. Retrieved August 13, 2013. 
  69. ↑ "Nexus 7 and Chromecast Press Event - 7/24/13". press conference archived webcast. YouTube. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  70. ↑ "Chromecast: Exploiting the Newest Device By Google.". GTV Hacker. July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  71. ↑ Brian, Matt (July 28, 2013). "Google's Chromecast has its roots in Android, not Chrome OS". The Verge. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  72. ↑ "Chrome Releases: Chromecast Update". Googlechromereleases.blogspot.com.es. July 31, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013. 
  73. ↑ Kamparak, Greg (July 25, 2013). "Google’s Chromecast No Longer Comes With Free Netflix Because Demand Got Too Nuts". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved July 28, 2013. 
  74. ↑ Mack, Eric (July 26, 2013). "Going, going... Chromecast sold out online, but not everywhere". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 31, 2013. 
  75. ↑ McClosky, Katherine (October 19, 2013). "Google Chromecast App Now Available Outside of US". The Social Zoo. Retrieved October 19, 2013. 
  76. ↑ Patel, Nilay (July 29, 2013). "Google Chromecast review". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved August 19, 2013. 
  77. ↑ Kumparak, Greg (July 28, 2013). "Review: Google Chromecast". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved July 29, 2013. 
  78. ↑ Tarantola, Andrew (July 31, 2013). "Google Chromecast Review: A Little Dongle With Big Potential". Gizmodo Australia. Gawker Media. Retrieved August 26, 2013. 

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