Google Chromecast

[ponyo]

sweet! I thought I missed out on the Netflix promo because I was 9 minutes past the Amazon order cutoff time but they're apparently going to give me the code without me asking.

 

[SAWYER]

This thing is so good, my wife and I was using it tonight while cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. We were easily adding songs from our phones and it worked so well. This little thing has a ton of potential

 

[dlock13]

sweet! I thought I missed out on the Netflix promo because I was 9 minutes past the Amazon order cutoff time but they're apparently going to give me the code without me asking.

I take it you got an email, too?

 

[cronos]

Mine arrived today. Setup was a breeze, although it didn't seem to work from my desktop (wired), and I had to set it up from my phone. It looks like it forces a peer-to-peer type of thing (phone - chromecast) where I access the ChromeCast remotely from the phone to enter the password of my WiFi router so I can connect.

Netflix and Youtube plays incredibly smooth, from phone, desktop, and tablet (HP Touchpad with CM 9). Buffering in the beginning seems to be ~10 seconds longer than usual, but after that everything plays smoothly throughout without any stutters. This was with my old trusty WRT54G too, although it's sitting there not 10 feet away.

The sweet surprise for me is that Plex actually works really well by playing it on the browser, cast the tab to ChromeCast, and hit full screen. I have an established Plex library already so playing local content that everyone was talking about is already not a problem for me.

Good stuff! :thumbsup:

 

[shocksyde]

So far, so good with this little guy. Setup was a breeze. Netflix and Youtube play flawlessly. Currently setting up Plex (which was insanely easy as well, holy crap media software has come a long way since i built a HTPC 4 years ago). Once Plex comes out with an app for this thing, my HTPC is being reassigned to finding alien life full time.

GOOGLE FTMFW.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Does it stream HBO Go worth a damn with the tab mirroring? If so I might get one for my sister.

 

[AustinInDallas]

Does it stream HBO Go worth a damn with the tab mirroring? If so I might get one for my sister.

no experience with hbo go, but tabed viewing of hulu and mkv videos is nice. there is a delay from the screen, but the audio is synced on the tv

 

[SAWYER]

Tab video for me is crap but maybe because my computer is a cheap ass emachines

 

[AustinInDallas]

Tab video for me is crap but maybe because my computer is a cheap ass emachines

my a10 laptop and i7 ivy bridge laptop streams fine. also have a decent router very close which helps

 

[vshah]

Mine arrived today. Setup was a breeze, although it didn't seem to work from my desktop (wired), and I had to set it up from my phone.

i had this problem as well, until i disabled all network adapters other than the one which connected to the network the chromecast was on.

 

[blackdogdeek]

For everyone using Plex + tab mirroring can you describe your network setups and machine specs? Also, are you using Plex on the desktop to load video in chrome and then just mirroring that to the chromecast? I am very interested in setting this up myself as I have a significant library I'd like to be able to view on the tv via the chromecast.

TIA

 

[cronos]

For everyone using Plex + tab mirroring can you describe your network setups and machine specs? Also, are you using Plex on the desktop to load video in chrome and then just mirroring that to the chromecast? I am very interested in setting this up myself as I have a significant library I'd like to be able to view on the tv via the chromecast.

TIA

Yup I just browsed the Plex home web (which is actually served by my wife's computer, a Sandy Bridge i3 with 4 GB RAM), choose the movie, play, and hit full screen. You can cast the tab at any point in the process. I'd also suggest that you separate the Plex tab from the others or otherwise you won't be able to use Chrome while the movie is playing.

My computer is Windows 7 64-bit on an i5-3570K with 8 GB RAM. Local network traffic runs through a Gigabit switch, but since ChromeCast is wi-fi only (I wish it had an option for ethernet), it connects through my old WRT54G router (b/g only).

 

[gus6464]

I hope this thing gets native Plex soon.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Yup I just browsed the Plex home web (which is actually served by my wife's computer, a Sandy Bridge i3 with 4 GB RAM), choose the movie, play, and hit full screen. You can cast the tab at any point in the process. I'd also suggest that you separate the Plex tab from the others or otherwise you won't be able to use Chrome while the movie is playing.

My computer is Windows 7 64-bit on an i5-3570K with 8 GB RAM. Local network traffic runs through a Gigabit switch, but since ChromeCast is wi-fi only (I wish it had an option for ethernet), it connects through my old WRT54G router (b/g only).

Thanks!

I'll have to try this out tonight to see how performance is.

 

[shocksyde]

I hope this thing gets native Plex soon.

I think you can count on it.

 

[WelshBloke]

tbh im sorta bumed that i have like zero use for this thing
its cool an everything but does nothing for me

Send it to me?

Hurry up with the UK launch Google FFS.

Anyone heard of the UK release date?

 

[Peter Nixeus]

I hope this thing gets native Plex soon.

That could be a possiblity since it has been confirmed the Chromecast dongle is using similar coding (same SDK) as the GoogleTV boxes and uses a binned version of the Marvell 3100 SoC (with one core disabled).

If anyone missed out on the Netflix deal, I just saw on slickdeals that BestBuy brought back the NetFlix + Chromecast deal:

http://slickdeals.net/f/6189116-Goo...3-Month-Netflix-Subscription-35-Free-Shipping

 

[dlock13]

I bought a second one from Best Buy. I'm not sure if I'll keep them both, but hopefully, I get a Netflix promo from one of them (Amazon or BB).

 

[AustinInDallas]

I hope this thing gets native Plex soon.

what does paying for plex get you?

 

[shocksyde]

what does paying for plex get you?

https://my.plexapp.com/subscription/about

 

[lopri]

Do any local store carry this? Bestbuy, Target, Radioshack, Staples, etc.

 

[lopri]

Hmm.. I never heard of Plex. Can someone give a link to a bit more detailed description on what kind of service is? Is it similar to Netflix?

 

[Red Storm]

Hmm.. I never heard of Plex. Can someone give a link to a bit more detailed description on what kind of service is? Is it similar to Netflix?

You store your own media on a computer/server at home, and then with Plex you can access it anywhere.

 

[lopri]

I see. So it's sort of like multimedia RDP.

 

[cronos]

I see. So it's sort of like multimedia RDP.

Plex/Web actually works pretty much exactly like your own personal Netflix. You access it from the web, it shows you all the movies you stored on your server, and you can play them right there on the browser or from any of your favorite clients (android, iOS, roku, etc).