However, what the promotional materials for Chromecast seem to gloss over is that it's not self-powered, so it does requires a separate USB power cable. Compared to the $99 Apple TV, which is a set-top-box (albeit a small one), Google's offering is less noticeable and almost a third of the price. That diminutive price tag nets users a tiny, 2' HDMI dongle that completely hides itself behind the TV. Where Chromecast really innovates is in its price point unlike the failed Nexus Q, which was priced at an eye-popping $299, the Chromecast only costs $35. Think of all the 'Did You See THIS?!' parties you could have! You could easily start up a Netflix movie, send it to your TV, and then be free to peruse IMDB and see what else your favorite actor has starred in (or re-think watching it at all, based on the RottenTomatoes ratings).Ĭhromecasting can even be a shared event, since friends only need to be connected to the same WiFi network to use it Chromecast doesn't require a separate login or registration process, so anyone invited over can easily queue up videos to the 'now playing' list. The Chromecast user is free to walk away or browse other websites, as no content is actually being streamed from the device the device merely sends a signal to the dongle, which in turn accesses the content from the cloud. What's more, the content that is cast from the remote device to the TV doesn't depend on the user or the device itself being present after initiation. ( Update: Since getting our hands on one, we now know that casting of Hulu and Amazon Instant Video tabs from a Chrome browser is not currently supported check out our Chromecast review for more details.) (Pop Sci calls this process ' slinging,' which is a helpful visualization.) And since Chromecast is also compatible with Google Play Movies, TV, Music, and Pandora, as well as Netflix via in-browser streaming, it may be possible to also send Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, or any other streaming web content straight to a big-screen TV. Just plug in the dongle to an HDMI port, load the content you want to play on the remote device, and then select the in-app or in-browser 'Cast' button to start the mirroring. Unlike Apple's service, however, the Chromecast is compatible with devices from every manufacturer, since it is integrated with Google's Chrome browser as well as YouTube smartphone apps. Like AirPlay, Chromecast easily allows a user to send video content from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to a TV.

(That is, unless you're familiar with Apple's AirPlay then it's a lot like something you've used before.) All this, and it will only cost a mere $35. Both a software service and a hardware device, this USB drive-looking device has the potential to change the way we stream media on an HDTV. On Wednesday morning during a breakfast get-together with reporters, Google announced Chromecast.

Google chromecast media player