Can anyone tell me what the iOS app is like for Chromecast?
Do you need to download a separate app from the App Store in order to use your iPhone or iPad to control the apps within Chromecast or do you alternatively go into the separate apps on your iPhone and configure from there - i.e. open up YouTube app on iPhone and configure it to work with Chromecast from within the YouTube app?
Can anyone tell me what the iOS app is like for Chromecast?
Do you need to download a separate app from the App Store in order to use your iPhone or iPad to control the apps within Chromecast or do you alternatively go into the separate apps on your iPhone and configure from there - i.e. open up YouTube app on iPhone and configure it to work with Chromecast from within the YouTube app?
I downloaded the iOS app yesterday as it was the only way I could set it up with my sky hub. it's merely a functional app that doesn't actually affect any of the other apps directly (as far as I can see).
the YouTube app already has the functionality built in so when you're playing a video you can tap the cast icon and it'll squirt it to your TV - same with Netflix.
I decided to buy one now they're official in the UK (heard about too many limitations on the imported ones), but I'm not finding it to be very good.
First up, I tried to set it up on my Xperia Z1 (just updated to 4.4, so this could play a part) and it kept losing the connection. So much so, I gave up and got out my Nexus 5. Surely a Google device will work?
And, yes, it did. Set up in no time. Then it downloaded a firmware update and all good to go.
But so far I've had Play Movies work fine with it. Netflix gave errors, and BBC iPlayer also times out.
What's more, I have a dual-band router. The Chromecast can only connect to it on 2.4GHz, but most of my other devices use 5GHz.
Problem is, my phone can't 'see' the Chromecast unless I switch to 2.4GHz. Now, I am not sure if renaming the SSID of both would fix this, but that introduces other problems so I really don't want to change my wireless set up for the sake of this.
Isn't the Chromecast the same kinda thing as Apple TV though? Don't the 2 do the same thing..?!
Apple tv is only useful if you have a ios device or buy content through apple TV. Chromecast works perfectly fine for both android and ios and it seems easier for developers to add a chromecast extension to their app (ios or Android) then try and get apple to add a native apple TV app. If apple added a app store to the apple TV then that would be great.
I sold my apple TV a week after having chromecast because I couldn't see what I was going to use apple TV for.
My Apple TV (1080 version) is in a drawer and has been for ages. I use Netflix, but don't buy stuff on iTunes (never have, despite having numerous iOS devices and being a Mac user) so that's about all I could do with it - or perhaps view photos from my Mac.
Once I could either watch Netflix via a MHL cable from my phone, and now use Miracast (shame not all apps let you do this, like Sky Go etc) then it seemed silly to be powering a box that looked nice but did so little.
The AirPlay Mirroring was also crap. Tried to hook up my MacBook Air to the TV, using a wireless keyboard and mouse, but the lag made it impossible to type or select things without doing it all in slow motion!
But, if Apple comes up with a new Apple TV box that can run iOS apps and play games with a game controller, I will rapidly reconsider using it. For now, Apple TV is really not up to the job for a lot of users. And nor is it even that cheap, given the cost of a Chromecast, or if you wanted to get something like Now TV, just £9.99 for a box! Obviously no Netflix there, but you can then sign up for Sky TV, movies or sport which many people will find even better.
Just randomly tried the Netflix app on my iPhone and cast a cartoon to the TV. Started playing and I swiped up on the Netflix app to 'kill' it and the cartoon really did continue without a hitch. Nice
Could arguably see me using this more than the app on my smart bluray player as it's so much quicker to access. it's also handy as i've managed to dig out a coax cable to plug my tv directly into my surround system to get the 'full' experience ..
Quick question to those that already have the Chromecast:
I think I read somewhere that the device never switches off (it stays on all of the time so you just have to find the correct input channel on the tv to watch it) - is this correct?
Quick question to those that already have the Chromecast:
I think I read somewhere that the device never switches off (it stays on all of the time so you just have to find the correct input channel on the tv to watch it) - is this correct?
pretty much, yep. Mine gets power from the TV usb, so when I turn off the tv, it turns off chromecast. (short boot animation when it comes back on). But if you're plugging into the mains its always on.
There's certainly no obvious way of turning it off.
Quick question to those that already have the Chromecast:
I think I read somewhere that the device never switches off (it stays on all of the time so you just have to find the correct input channel on the tv to watch it) - is this correct?
I'm powering mine from my TV's USB port so the TV on/off button becomes the Chromecast's.
pretty much, yep. Mine gets power from the TV usb, so when I turn off the tv, it turns off chromecast. (short boot animation when it comes back on). But if you're plugging into the mains its always on.
There's certainly no obvious way of turning it off.
I know I could get one from the high-street, but I ordered via Google Play and paid the £5.99 for expedited delivery and it was with me the next morning (7.30am to be precise).
I'm having a few problems still. Namely apps that freeze and force a reboot - except that when it freezes, it won't respond to a reboot request via the Chromecast app. That means having to pull the power (my TV doesn't provide power via HDMI it seems) and I can see will be a PITA in the future if a firmware update doesn't make it more reliable.
iPlayer likes to say it's ready to cast, and do nothing. Not often, but doing it even occasionally still means having to reboot.
Netflix won't play ball at all. Just times out and gives an error code, which I must look up.
Just a quick question..All I want to be able to do is play my android games such as Dead trigger 2 wirelessly on my tv. I have virgin tivo so I already have netflix. so not really bothered about streaming. Can someone tell me whether the chromecast will let me cast games or would a miracast dongle be better?
Thanks in advance
M
I'm not sure chromecast is up to quick trigger gaming. there is a small amount of lag between e.g. pressing pause and the video pausing. Not enough to be a problem on videos, but I can't imagine it would be suitable for those sorts of games.
Plus, the chromecast is about streaming stuff from the internet, not from your devices. It would be possible to build games that work on your chromecast, in the same way as OnLive or the Playstation streaming service will work, but I don't think it will come for regular games for a while. That said, something like Angry birds would be suitable...
It all works on mine. I've had an imported one for a while now. I had no problems setting it up and it works with Netflix, YouTube, play movies and music.
I tried it with iplayer the other day and watched an hour and a half show without any problems. I've also been able to cast my own pictures and videos.
It works with my note 3 and iPad.
I've also got an Apple TV. I buy quite a lot of stuff from iTunes and use airplay for game so I've no intention of getting rid of it despite how well the chromecast works.
Just a quick question..All I want to be able to do is play my android games such as Dead trigger 2 wirelessly on my tv. I have virgin tivo so I already have netflix. so not really bothered about streaming. Can someone tell me whether the chromecast will let me cast games or would a miracast dongle be better?
Thanks in advance
M
Neither of them are going to be any good to be honest. Anything like that is going to involve enough encoding that the lag would make it unplayable in practice.
Just a quick question..All I want to be able to do is play my android games such as Dead trigger 2 wirelessly on my tv. I have virgin tivo so I already have netflix. so not really bothered about streaming. Can someone tell me whether the chromecast will let me cast games or would a miracast dongle be better?
Thanks in advance
M
There are some Cast games available. Nothing as fancy as Dead Trigger but they are around. Usually simple games like Connect 4 or Hangman.
What's more, I have a dual-band router. The Chromecast can only connect to it on 2.4GHz, but most of my other devices use 5GHz.
Problem is, my phone can't 'see' the Chromecast unless I switch to 2.4GHz. Now, I am not sure if renaming the SSID of both would fix this, but that introduces other problems so I really don't want to change my wireless set up for the sake of this.
I found that the phone/tablet etc had to be connected to the 2.4GHz network for the initial set up of the Chromecast, but afterwards I switched them back to 5GHz and it all still worked. Both networks have different SSIDs..
Well I got mine today. After a bit of hassle (ie time!) I was up and running. Tried casting YouTube first- no problem at all. Then tried Netflix again no problem either. When husband came home difficult to prize the bloody iPad off him, YouTube- music and cats on the big screen -nice.
No problem with connectivity even though my router is upstairs and the TV downstairs. Haven't bothered with iplayer as sky has it on catch up.
£30 well spent
One thing i've already found very handy and very easy to do on this is browsing through youtube for new music. if you've already got something casting and you select another video, you just tap to add to the queue and keep going.
since i had nothing better to do, i timed how long it would take me to turn my bluray player on, load the youtube app and search for and play a video (Slipknot's "Before I Forget" for the record..) against how long it would take me to do the same using the YouTube app on my iPhone.
It took 1 minute, 50 seconds from the time i picked up the remote to change the tv channel to the bluray player to actually finding and playing the video.
Using the iPhone and Chromecast, starting the same way and picking up the remote to change the TV channel to finding and playing the video took 36 seconds
Anyway, since i'm clearly bored enough to time myself doing something like that, i'd better get out into the fresh air .. heh
It took 1 minute, 50 seconds from the time i picked up the remote to change the tv channel to the bluray player to actually finding and playing the video.
Using the iPhone and Chromecast, starting the same way and picking up the remote to change the TV channel to finding and playing the video took 36 seconds
yep thats it. i have my tv hooked up to my pc, so have always been able to watch youtube/netflix etc on it, but its just a damn sight more convenient with Chromecast.
Comments
Do you need to download a separate app from the App Store in order to use your iPhone or iPad to control the apps within Chromecast or do you alternatively go into the separate apps on your iPhone and configure from there - i.e. open up YouTube app on iPhone and configure it to work with Chromecast from within the YouTube app?
I downloaded the iOS app yesterday as it was the only way I could set it up with my sky hub. it's merely a functional app that doesn't actually affect any of the other apps directly (as far as I can see).
the YouTube app already has the functionality built in so when you're playing a video you can tap the cast icon and it'll squirt it to your TV - same with Netflix.
First up, I tried to set it up on my Xperia Z1 (just updated to 4.4, so this could play a part) and it kept losing the connection. So much so, I gave up and got out my Nexus 5. Surely a Google device will work?
And, yes, it did. Set up in no time. Then it downloaded a firmware update and all good to go.
But so far I've had Play Movies work fine with it. Netflix gave errors, and BBC iPlayer also times out.
What's more, I have a dual-band router. The Chromecast can only connect to it on 2.4GHz, but most of my other devices use 5GHz.
Problem is, my phone can't 'see' the Chromecast unless I switch to 2.4GHz. Now, I am not sure if renaming the SSID of both would fix this, but that introduces other problems so I really don't want to change my wireless set up for the sake of this.
Apple tv is only useful if you have a ios device or buy content through apple TV. Chromecast works perfectly fine for both android and ios and it seems easier for developers to add a chromecast extension to their app (ios or Android) then try and get apple to add a native apple TV app. If apple added a app store to the apple TV then that would be great.
I sold my apple TV a week after having chromecast because I couldn't see what I was going to use apple TV for.
Once I could either watch Netflix via a MHL cable from my phone, and now use Miracast (shame not all apps let you do this, like Sky Go etc) then it seemed silly to be powering a box that looked nice but did so little.
The AirPlay Mirroring was also crap. Tried to hook up my MacBook Air to the TV, using a wireless keyboard and mouse, but the lag made it impossible to type or select things without doing it all in slow motion!
But, if Apple comes up with a new Apple TV box that can run iOS apps and play games with a game controller, I will rapidly reconsider using it. For now, Apple TV is really not up to the job for a lot of users. And nor is it even that cheap, given the cost of a Chromecast, or if you wanted to get something like Now TV, just £9.99 for a box! Obviously no Netflix there, but you can then sign up for Sky TV, movies or sport which many people will find even better.
Could arguably see me using this more than the app on my smart bluray player as it's so much quicker to access. it's also handy as i've managed to dig out a coax cable to plug my tv directly into my surround system to get the 'full' experience ..
Now I need to see if it supports my Chromebook which would be a major bonus.
I think I read somewhere that the device never switches off (it stays on all of the time so you just have to find the correct input channel on the tv to watch it) - is this correct?
pretty much, yep. Mine gets power from the TV usb, so when I turn off the tv, it turns off chromecast. (short boot animation when it comes back on). But if you're plugging into the mains its always on.
There's certainly no obvious way of turning it off.
I'm powering mine from my TV's USB port so the TV on/off button becomes the Chromecast's.
.....perfect - cheers guys!
Think I'm gonna get one - for £30, you can't really go wrong.....!!! ;-)
I know I could get one from the high-street, but I ordered via Google Play and paid the £5.99 for expedited delivery and it was with me the next morning (7.30am to be precise).
I'm having a few problems still. Namely apps that freeze and force a reboot - except that when it freezes, it won't respond to a reboot request via the Chromecast app. That means having to pull the power (my TV doesn't provide power via HDMI it seems) and I can see will be a PITA in the future if a firmware update doesn't make it more reliable.
iPlayer likes to say it's ready to cast, and do nothing. Not often, but doing it even occasionally still means having to reboot.
Netflix won't play ball at all. Just times out and gives an error code, which I must look up.
YouTube and Play Movies works every time.
Thanks in advance
M
Plus, the chromecast is about streaming stuff from the internet, not from your devices. It would be possible to build games that work on your chromecast, in the same way as OnLive or the Playstation streaming service will work, but I don't think it will come for regular games for a while. That said, something like Angry birds would be suitable...
I tried it with iplayer the other day and watched an hour and a half show without any problems. I've also been able to cast my own pictures and videos.
It works with my note 3 and iPad.
I've also got an Apple TV. I buy quite a lot of stuff from iTunes and use airplay for game so I've no intention of getting rid of it despite how well the chromecast works.
Neither of them are going to be any good to be honest. Anything like that is going to involve enough encoding that the lag would make it unplayable in practice.
There are some Cast games available. Nothing as fancy as Dead Trigger but they are around. Usually simple games like Connect 4 or Hangman.
Take a look at the below link for a catalogue of cast compatible apps:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=goko.gcs
I found that the phone/tablet etc had to be connected to the 2.4GHz network for the initial set up of the Chromecast, but afterwards I switched them back to 5GHz and it all still worked. Both networks have different SSIDs..
No problem with connectivity even though my router is upstairs and the TV downstairs. Haven't bothered with iplayer as sky has it on catch up.
£30 well spent
Just in case it's relevant to anyone reading this, Chromebook (mine is the Samsung Arm S3) is indeed supported.
It's a simple matter of installing the Google Cast extension on the CB, opening the tab you want to cast and clicking the icon on the extension bar.
Very handy.
since i had nothing better to do, i timed how long it would take me to turn my bluray player on, load the youtube app and search for and play a video (Slipknot's "Before I Forget" for the record..) against how long it would take me to do the same using the YouTube app on my iPhone.
It took 1 minute, 50 seconds from the time i picked up the remote to change the tv channel to the bluray player to actually finding and playing the video.
Using the iPhone and Chromecast, starting the same way and picking up the remote to change the TV channel to finding and playing the video took 36 seconds
Anyway, since i'm clearly bored enough to time myself doing something like that, i'd better get out into the fresh air .. heh
yep thats it. i have my tv hooked up to my pc, so have always been able to watch youtube/netflix etc on it, but its just a damn sight more convenient with Chromecast.