So, its finally here... After more than a year of rip roaring success globally, the Chromecast has finally landed on Indian soil. I managed to get my hands on this $35 streaming dongle way back at the start of this year from the US, but its now available in India for Rs.2999 (about $50).
So here's a short FAQ on what exactly the Chromecast is and why I think you should buy one...
What exactly is the Chromecast?
The Google Chromecast is a wireless HDMI streaming dongle. While its not the only ones in the category (the Amazon Fire Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick are the others), the Chromecast practically invented this category. It is basically a WiFi enabled dongle which plugs into the HDMI port of your TV and enables you to stream almost any web-based content from your smartphone / tablet / laptop on to your TV.
Sounds complicated. Maybe I should get that engineering degree after all...
Pardon the jargon. Simply put, the Chromecast is a cheap way of making your not-so-smart TV smart and connected. Just plug it into the HDMI port, connect the included charger (either to the power socket or to the USB port of most TVs) and download the Chromecast app on any Android or iOS device and you are all set. The Chromecast mobile app will guide you through a simple process where you select your WiFi network, enter the credentials and voila, your Chromecast should be set up. Its as simple as that.
What all can you stream?
Short answer, almost everything you can think of.
Now, the longer answer, almost all web based content and then some more. Google has supposedly made it really simple for developers to add Chromecast support to their apps and once you fire up the app, you should see the below icon.
Click on it, select your Chromecast device and you should see your TV screen refresh and the video should start playing on the TV. Easiest way to check? Head on to youtube.com on your laptop and hunt around for the cast icon above and get cracking.
But the beauty of the dongle is that it is not just limited to web based streaming. Using Plex Media Server and its companion mobile apps will also help you stream your local media files. So if you have any video / movie files downloaded on your hard disk (ahem ahem!!) you can now watch them quite easily on the big screen. With the Google Cast extension for Chrome and upcoming Chromecast support on the Firefox browser as well, you can even cast and then browse, websites using your TV as a second screen.
What's more, Google recently even threw open the Cast Screen option on certain mobile phones, so that you can even mirror your mobile / tablet screen using the Chromecast (similar to the much simpler Airplay Mirroring on iOS devices).
Sounds too good to be true.. All this for less than Rs.3k?
Well, you do get what you pay for, in a sense. Mirroring (either browser or screen mirroring) is somewhat laggy and performance will vary depending upon the hardware of the laptop / mobile device you are using and your WiFi network speeds. Cast implementation across apps is inconsistent, to say the least, and certain nowhere near as intuitive as Airplay for Mac / iOS devices.
That being said, app support and performance are miles ahead now compared to even a few months ago. At the end, it comes down to whether you think Rs.3000 is too much to spend on a Google sponsored brain surgery for your TV. As for me, I haven't looked back since I first got my hands on it.
Why not just buy a HDMI cable, plug in your laptop to you TV using the cable? How would Chromecast be different from this?
ReplyDeleteSeveral reasons. 1. Chromecast is wireless which means you are not tethered to your tv and can stream from anywhere within your WiFi network (a recent update means that you can even not be logged in to the WiFi network to cast to the device). Wireless is cool, wired is not.
Delete2. Chromecast works with your laptop, mobile and tablets (across iOS and Android). While the HDMI cable will do for your laptop, working with mobiles and tablets will require additional investment in accessories / adapters. Considering that we are consuming more and more content on our mobile devices, this is an advantage.
3. Casting content from a particular tab of a browser / app, leaves your laptop / mobile free to work on other stuff. I regularly browse other tabs while casting something from youtube. While there is a work around for this while using HDMI cable, it is definitely not as intuitive.
4. Cost. A good HDMI cable will set you back around $10 and if you want something longer than usual might cost a bit more. Whereas, the Chromecast is available for as less as $25.