Tag: chromecast

Chromecast Now Syncs With Google Home Speakers For Multi-Room Playback

With the latest update, which is already rolling out, Google has added multi-room playback support for the Chromecast, when it is paired with Google Home speakers. This will add the Chromecast to the Home ecosystem and allow you to play a song, a playlist, a podcast or even an audiobook. The Chromecast will then let you play it across all speakers and other Chromecast-connected devices in your house.

Earlier, the Home ecosystem only allowed for speaker groups to be made with audio devices. Obviously, this did not include the Chromecast. The speaker support for Chromecast had been announced by Google way back in October. The feature is already available for users who are a part of google’s preview program. Working on all the generations of Chromecast, the update is expected to reach almost every device soon. Some users reported that there were not able to see the option even after the update. It was later found out that this issue will be resolved after rebooting the device.

The speaker group can be setup through the Google Home app. The speaker group also includes televisions, which can now be aded to the groups. For example, when a TV, which is connected to a Chromecast is synced to a speaker group, you can view the song information on the screen. This is displayed against a background of rotating images.

Also Read : Motorola’s Next Flagship Will Have Snapdragon 8150 And 5G Moto Mod Support

The new grouping also includes smart displays including the Google Home Hub and the recently launched LG Xboom WK9. Along with this, Google had also added support to pair bluetooth speakers with the Home App. This was done earlier this year and enables users to add voice control to the sound system.

November 20, 2018
ACT Fibernet To Launch An Amazon Fire TV Stick Competitor Streaming Device

Buying an Amazon Fire TV Stick is one of the best ways to convert your standard television into a smart television. The only competition it has is the Google Chromecast. However, both devices suffer over copyright issues, as the Chromecast does not have access to Amazon Prime Video and the Fire TV Stick misses out from native YouTube support. ACT Broadband is getting ready to launch the Android-powered ACTTV+ streaming device, which might solve these problems.

Buying an ACTTV+ might be a one-stop solution, as ACT being an internet service provider (ISP) has partnered with different streaming services. The company has partnered with online content providers like HOOQ, Hungama, ALTBalaji, Yupp TV, and Fastfilmz. As of now, the company is offering a free trial for all these services.

As this is an Android-powered streaming device, users should be able to install apps like Prime Video and YouTube using Google Play Store. Services like ALTBalaji is already available for ACT Broadband users for a free trial. The company is beta testing the ACTTV+ in some of the metro cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. The brand is also inviting the existing customers to take part in a trial run. The company is yet to announce the price of the device and additional charges to access different services.

Conclusion

The recent launch of smart televisions from companies like Xiaomi and Vu might threaten the OEMs of streaming devices. However, the Smart TV market is still at a nascent stage. Existing TV owners are likely to choose an add-on accessory, instead of buying a new Smart TV.

This would be a huge blow to Amazon and Google. As ACT being ISP can offer ACTTV+ stick at a discounted rate to its existing customers. However, Reliance Jio is also gearing up for its’s broadband service launch, which includes free live TV streaming, Movies, and Music. However, pricing of the ACTTV+ will also play an important role in the adoption of this streaming device.

March 19, 2018
Convert Your Dumb TV Into A Smart TV Using These Accessories

Xiaomi recently launched the Mi Smart TV 4 and 4A in India at very competitive pricing. These televisions are powered Android operating system with support for Wi-Fi. The USP of these TV is the “Smart TV” status, which differentiates them from the competition.

People, those who bought a new TV without the smart features might feel sad about their decision after Xiaomi smart TV launch. However, worry not, as you have three ways to convert your normal television into a smart television in less than Rs 5000.

To convert your standard television into a smart television, just plug-in the device and go through the on-screen setup process.

However, it is worth noting that your TV should have an HDMI port and a high-speed Wi-Fi connection.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick is available on Amazon for Rs 3,999. The device has received a massive response for its compact form factor and easy UI. One needs to have Amazon account and to access the contents of Amazon Prime Music and Prime Video. Similarly, the device comes with a pre-installed browser, which can be used to access the internet. The retail package also includes a remote, which can be used for the UI navigation. The device comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, which can stream content up to 1080p.

Google Chromecast 2

Google Chromecast 2 works in a similar fashion with additional advantages. The device is priced at Rs 3,399 on Flipkart, which is a bit cheaper than the Amazon’s offering. One can connect their smartphone or laptop to the same network and can stream anything from games to movies. As this is developed by Google, the app support is also quite extensive. However, the retail package does not include a dedicated remote, as any smartphone can be used as a remote.

Xiaomi Mi TV Box

The Xiaomi Mi Tv Box is currently available on GearBest for US$ 67.5 (Rs 4387). Do note that, the shipping charges are also included in the price. The device runs on custom Android OS with 2GB RAM and 8GB Storage. This has an advantage over the other two devices, as the Xiaomi Mi TV Box can stream content up to 4K resolution. The device also has an additional USB port, which can read most of the video formats.

Buy the Mi TV Box here

March 10, 2018
A Chromecast Upgrade, a New App and Much More

Google has announced a bunch of new devices at it’s event tonight, from the Nexus 6P to the Android Marshmallow. Among these, they have also announced a new Chromecast and another Chromecast Audio along with a Chromecast App.

So let’s have a look at all of them one by one.

The Chromecast: has been one of Google’s most successful ventures and it has decided to bring in a second option, an upgrade. The new Chromecast comes in a circular shape instead of a dongle shape. It also comes with an HDMI cable and various colours such as – lemonade, coral and black.

The new device comes with a new adaptive antenna system which allows it to stream higher resolution videos and can also support up to 5GHz Wi-Fi now. As mentioned earlier, there were speculations that it might come with a ‘fast play’ feature – well it does. This feature gives it the ability to establish a connection with the TV set much faster than the original version.

Google has also announced that you will now be able to use Spotify on your TV and Google Photos too. The Chromecast will go on sale starting today in 17 countries on Google Store, Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Obviously, you’ll get the best deal on Google Store.

The Chromecast Audio : is an extension that Google has created, for a higher audio experience. It looks almost like the new Chromecast except with a 3.5mm audio port instead of an HDMI. This audio port will conveniently plug directly into the back of your speaker, allowing you to stream audio over Wi-Fi from all your existing apps.

The Chromecast Audio will also support and cast music from Spotify, Play Music or Pandora and is expected to come with a multi-room audio streaming soon.

The Chromecast App: This app is pronounced as being “completely redesigned”. How? Well firstly, it shows you the popular activities on their ‘partner’ apps like – Twitch, ESPN, YouTube, Hulu, Netflix. Then, it also shows you content from apps you have installed on your smartphone. The company also announced that most of the apps would be cast-enabled, along with this, they’ve also added some playback controls on the app which should make accessing it much easier. You can also use voice search to access things within the Chromecast app and is universal across all services. The ‘Fast Play’ feature will allow you to pre-fetch video streams on the Chromecast app.

As if this wasn’t enough, the new app can also guess what you might want to watch as soon as you open an app, and will start caching the stream in the background. How cool is that? Oh, and did we mention that the app also supports Netflix (for those of you who have access to it). However, they have mentioned that some of the content prediction features will roll out next year. The new app will be rolling out on the Android and iOS devices soon.

September 30, 2015
Everything You Can Expect Google’s Upcoming Nexus Event

Here’s some exciting news for today – Google has an event on the 29th of September 2015 where they will be releasing the new Nexus phones along with revealing more details about Android Marshmallow. Google will reportedly reveal the new Chromecast and a partnership with Spotify.

Here are a few details about what we know about the upcoming products so far via public reports and rumours.

Nexus 5X

Firstly, the LG Nexus 5X is expected to come with a bigger 5.2 inch display and a 1080p resolution. The second feature that has been suggested by leaked images, is a support for fingerprint scanners. On the camera front, the Nexus 5X seems to provide a protruding camera, however it is one that will have an increased 13MP sensor. Apart from that, there could also be a 5MP front camera. This handset is rumoured to be powered by the Snapdragon 808 processor with a 2 or 3 GB RAM along with storage options that are expected to be 16GB and 32GB. The smartphone might also come with a USB Type-C.

Nexus 6P

The next device which is the Huawei Nexus 6P will come with a new design, if reports are to be believed. The leaked images show a rectangular frame with curved edges and a flat metal pack, and is expected to come in four colour variants of silver, black, white and gold. The phone will also come with a new fingerprint scanner but a smaller display of an estimate 5.7 inches. The Nexus 6P could be powered by Snapdragon 810 and can come with a 3GB RAM. The storage of this device is expected to start at 32GB and go all the way up to 128GB. However, the camera seems to be lower in quality with an 11MP sensor at the rear but a rather impressive 7MP on the front.

Android Marshmallow

The other exciting thing that is going to be announced at the event is the launching of Android Marshmallow. Google is expected to give us a date for the release of this version. Let’s see whether Google has anything else to add apart from what we know.

Chromecast Second Gen & Audio

Google is also expected to release two new chromecast devices – the second gen chromecast and the chromecast audio. The new Chromecast second gen is expected to come with a new rounder looking design, thereby doing away with the whole ‘dongle’ look. Other upgrades include faster WiFi and something called Fast Play. The Chromecast Audio, on the other hand, supports every feature that a music lover might need, like podcasts, radio, and a multi-room audio. This device is also rumoured to partner with Spotify and thereby enhancing its features.

That is all that we know till now. So stay tuned and we’ll bring you all the latest updates from the Google evnt on the 29th of September 2015.

September 27, 2015
Google Expected To Finally Upgrade Chromecast After Two Years

According to 9to5Google, via some ‘internal documents’, Google is planning to unveil a new Chromecast streaming-media device at their upcoming San Francisco event on the 29th of September 2015.

Chromecast is a pen-drive type device that you can connect to the back of your TV in order to stream content from your laptop or phone. It was a great hit back when it was announced in 2013, and has continued to thrive because of its 35$ price tag; that’s a mere Rs.2,305 approximately, as compared to other similar devices which are priced between 50 to 100 dollars.

The new Chromecast is also expected to come with a new rounder looking design, thereby doing away with the whole ‘dongle’ look.Other upgrades include faster WiFi and something called Fast Play. We should also note that Google’s competitors, Amazon and Apple have since unveiled new streaming-media boxes, in the two years that Google did not upgrade theirs. So let us wait and watch how successful this new Chromecast will be, especially with the holiday season around the corner.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://9to5google.com/2015/09/17/exclusive-this-is-the-2nd-gen-chromecast-w-backdrop-feeds-better-wifi-fast-play-more/”]9to5Google[/tw-button]

September 19, 2015
Top Tech-Toys For a Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Every mom in this world is special, and we would always want to take that extra step to make here time worthwhile. A bouquet of flowers, a hand-made card, all add up to it. What we have here are some tech-savvy gifts that may make your mom’s life a little easier.

Check out our list of some tech gadgets you can gift to her:

Fitness Band:

Fitness bands are really cool. Especially for someone who works around the clock for the betterment of the family and have almost negligible time to keep a check on health. Cheap and easily available, these bands make for handy gifts. When coupled up with the corresponding fitness app, this wearable can give details on the heart rate and sleep cycles. Also, some are available in different color variations too.

At the IFA 2014, Garmin, modern in-car navigation systems maker, introduced a new wearable device that combines the communication features of a smartwatch with the fitness-centric abilities of an activity tracker. The Vivosmart does what regular activity trackers do best, along with which it borrows some of the key features typically found in smartwatches. It also tracks your sleep, based on movement, and offers daily reports on how much time you spent moving. In fact, through the Garmin Connect app, all your activity data gets rendered into easier-to-understand charts and graphs.

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Chromecast:

Chromecast is a thumb-sized medium through which you can easily shift viewing from your laptop, Android phone and tablet to TV. For this, your mobile becomes your personalized remote control.You can browse your favourite movies, videos and more and cast it on your TV. You can pause, play, rewind, create playlists and can even control the volume. Just plug in, connect and enjoy. In short, it’s a whole new way for your mom to enjoy video viewing.

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Camera:

Memories are the best gifts ever! And what would be more impressive than gifting your mom a device to capture and store happy moments? Cameras are one of the best surprises that can ever be offered. Buy that camera, and click the first selfie with your mom.

The Sony-DSCRX10 Cybershot Digital Camera can capture sharp images and full-HD video clips in pretty much any lighting condition, with a vast focal range.

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E-Reader:

Designed mainly for reading purposes, this device may help your mom avoid the heated summer shopping for magazines. The hefty burden of carrying books or managing her library. Just a single tab can hold a number of books and magazines for your mom to read. It will be a fantastic gift for your mom if she is a bookworm and save her precious time spent on regular travels to the bookstore.

Amazon’s Kindle is the most prominent of all readers, and it has been in India for quite some time now. It has a 300 ppi display that is claimed to have the highest resolution, contrast, and brightness till date. To give a natural book reading experience, the Kindle has haptic actuator that create advanced vibrations when a page is turned.

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Portable Phone Charger:

An excellent source of power when you do not have any access to any electricity. Your mom will never have to worry about low-charged mobile phones while traveling or otherwise. It is small and portable, and can be carried along anywhere she goes.

Until the OnePlus power bank is available, the CP-F5 is a 10,000 mAh portable charger from Sony and is rechargeable for 1,000 times and capable of retaining 90 percent of battery capacity even after 1,000 charges. This silver USB portable charger requires a charging time of 7 hours via an AC adapter and 23 hours through a standard USB port.

May 10, 2015
Latest Google Chromecast Update Adds a Super Useful New Feature

The Google Chromecast has given a new meaning to entertainment by allowing us to stream content onto our television sets with minimum difficulty. The only minute problem with this had been, that you could only control the content using your smartphone or laptop, by opening the app you are running on Chromecast and put in the commands like play/pause. But now, for the first time, Google’s Chromecast allows you to pause and play videos using your television’s infrared signals, thanks to the device’s 27946 firmware update. So basically, you can now control Google Chromecast using your TV’s remote.

The device works on HDMI-CEC, the same modus operandi which allows the Chromecast to turn on the Smart TV. This feature was tested with selected applications like WatchESPN, HBO Go, YouTube, Google Play Music.

For this to work, you can check whether your television has HDMI-CEC enabled from the manual, and a remote with a dedicated play/pause button. The HDMI-CEC enabled device, the Chromecast or the TV, can then be controlled using the one remote without any further setting up.

Chromecast already supported HDMI-CEC from day one, but the feature was limited only to switching on/off the television set or switch inputs to cast media. Also the fact that there was no surety whether it would work on all the television sets since not all sets are HDMI-CEC enabled.

March 17, 2015
CES 2015 : Intel’s Compute Stick is a Windows 8.1 PC on a Stick

In a time when mobile devices are gaining prominence over computer, its time for the good old computers to stand up and fight back. Intel seems to have a solution, and it’s an entire computer that fits in your hands. Meet Intel’s Compute Stick, a device that can turn your regular TV into a computer and costs just $150.

There are at present many devices such as Google’s Chromecast and Amazon Fire Stick that provide streaming services, but the Compute Stick goes a little further. This device plugs into the HDMI port of your television and transforms it into a computer. It is available in Windows and Linux variants. The Linux variant comes at a price of $89.

The Windows version of the Compute Stick comes with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB Flash storage. On the other hand, the Linux version comes with 1 GB RAM and 8GB storage. Both devices are powered by a quad-core Atom CPU.

The stick sports a USB port, micro USB port, and supports Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. You can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and begin your task where ever you go. The company claims that this will help in bringing low-cost computing to schools, institutions and individuals too.

The device will come to market in March and is a good option if you own an HDMI capable TV and are in need of a low-cost computer. You should, though, know that this is no-frills computing and don’t expect to play any high-quality games on it. Intel plans to bring an upgrade to the device that will feature a Core M processor to increase performance. In our view, what it should really provide is storage expansion through a micro SD card, as 32 GB is comparatively less for modern computing needs. Overall, this looks like a great effort by Intel.

January 8, 2015
Exclusive: Google Chromecast Arrives in India Tomorrow Exclusively via Snapdeal

A source close to iGyaan has revealed that Google Chromecast is now going to be available for purchase in India. The unique device that helps mirror everything from your tablet and smartphone to your TV is arriving on 9th December i.e. tomorrow. Google Chromecast is the perfect device for those who enjoy the luxuries of big screen viewing.

Sources also revealed that the news will be announced at the Google Online Shopping Festival and the device will be available exclusively on Snapdeal. The company is also building a development platform for Chromecast users for easy viewing on smartphones. Google has partnered with telecommunication giant Airtel to provide customers cost-effective data packs for the same.

A Little About Chromecast

Chromecast is a thumb-sized medium through which you can easily transfer viewing from your laptop, Android phone and tablet to TV. For this, your mobile becomes your personalised remote control. You can browse your favourite movies, videos and more and cast it on your TV. You can pause, play, rewind, make playlists and can even control the volume. Just plug in, connect and enjoy. In short, it’s a whole new way to enjoy video viewing.

December 8, 2014
Intel Plans to Launch Thumb-sized Gadget that Turns Your Smart Devices into a PC

Intel, in an event yesterday, disclosed its plans to release thumb-sized ‘compute sticks’ next year. This thumb-sized technology will plug into smart TVs or monitors, and promises to bring more than typical content streaming capabilities. Even though, there are a handful of such products such as Chromecast from Google that lets you stream your content from your android phone to smart TVs, they are limited to just simple streaming.

Unveiled by Kirk Skaugen, Intel PC Client Group General Manager, the shrinked PC is expected to feature the company’s Atom processor. Along with that, it will come with a chunk of memory with a USB input for power, an HDMI output for display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for network and peripheral connectivity. If that sounds familiar, that’s because numerous companies have released near-identical devices as add-ons for TVs, typically using system-on-chip processors based on the ARM instruction set architecture and Google’s Android operating system.

Intel has subtly hinted that this thumb-sized stick is so much more than the simple streaming device. Intel has already been playing cards against ARM and its multitudinous licensees in the mobile market as expected, and it appears that the ‘smart-stick’ market is next. However, Skaugen did not get into the details of the operating system that will run on the gadget when it launches next year.

What he said was that the devices will be an extension to laptops and mini-desktops. It will bring x86 computing to fanless designs. It is quite obvious that the device will run on low-power Atom processors that could also be used into TV sticks like Google Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV stick.

Thumb PCs have been already available and typically run on Android OS and ARM processors. They might be quite late to enter the market but based on what Skaugen said, it seems like the company is in with more interesting and general-purpose plans.

November 21, 2014
Chromecast 1.7 Finally Allows Screen Mirroring From Your Phone

The new update of Chromecast is the first step of introduction to some awesome features Google unveiled at this years I/O. The Chromecast 1.7 update for Android smartphone and tablet users will have the ability to mirror their screens.

The new update not only allows users to display their Android homescreens on a Chromecast-connected TV or other device, but you can also use any application now on your television through the pocket-friendly streaming dongle.

Upon downloading the new update, you can find the ‘Cast Screen’ option on the left drag navigation menu in the Chromecast app. Nexus devices will see a toggle for screencasting directly in the Android quick settings menu. Once enabled, the user can navigate their phone in the normal manner with a one-to-one projection appearing via Chromecast.

It is still considered to be a beta version and it is sadly not available for everyone immediately. Google said that Samsung, HTC, LG and some others will be first to roll out the new capabilities of Chromecast soon. Though you may not have the device that is on Google’s compatibility list, but don’t worry too much. We hear there are third-party mirroring apps will solve this problem soon. The company also pointed out the new update will be available at Google Play store soon.

July 10, 2014
YouTube Testing Chromecast support

Anyone wanting to stream YouTube videos through a Chromecast currently has to visit YouTube’s website or run one of its mobile apps. However, YouTube has started to add support for Chromecast to its embedded web player, allowing Chromecast users to beam videos displayed on third-party websites straight from their browser to their TV.

Google has confirmed to GigaOM that it is publicly testing Chromecast support for embedded YouTube clips on third-party web pages. Currently, the access to stream YouTube videos is random, as the (send to) button shows up some times, and may not be available for everyone.

The company says it is monitoring feedback from these experiments and it could offer embedded video support to more Chromecast owners if all goes well. As said by a YouTube spokesperson:

With more videos coming to YouTube every minute we’re always experimenting with ways to help people more easily find, watch and share the videos that matter most to them. As always, we’ll consider rolling changes out more broadly based on feedback on these experiments.”

September 17, 2013