Chromecast now available in the UK!

Rensin said:
You can play local files in chrome browser, install the chromecast add on, type the address of the file in chrome and hit the cast button.

i.e. off my homeserver i type \\server\tvshow\showname

Just a pain as most of my files are old avi's so need to convert most of them to mp4/mkv.

hope this helps.
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It doesnt play, it just downloads the file. Ive read about this and a new people have this issue when you drag the file or type in the address it just downloads it instead of playing it....

PS. BBC iPlayer quality is brilliant!!! No stuttering or lag or issues whatsoever!
 
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photoshop said:
It doesnt play, it just downloads the file. Ive read about this and a new people have this issue when you drag the file or type in the address it just downloads it instead of playing it....

PS. BBC iPlayer quality is brilliant!!! No stuttering or lag or issues whatsoever!
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I'm guessing you are trying avi file? ... mp4 & mkv work perfect although the audio has to be AAC. (not sure if this is chromecast or tv samsung 5 series)

P.S. you need the latest build for chrome too.
 
I purchased one last year and it's still in its box. I bought it on impulse and to be fair have struggled to see its value. All TVs in the house are Smart and connected to home media box. I can stream videos / music and have access to iPlayer, although not 4oD as LG still do not have an app for this.

I guess these are only really useful for older non-smart TVs?

Cheers, Paul.
 
I can see why this would appear less useful for people with smart tv's but part of the problem with smart tv's is the discoverability of content.

Let's take youtube as an example... I'm often browsing on my phone/tablet whilst the TV is on - I come across something on youtube that I want to watch and share with other people in the room. The beauty of chromecast is that I just send it to the TV there and then. I don't have to pick up my TV remote, switch to the 'smart' functionality and then use a horrible UI to search for that content on youtube.

If you add in the ability to stream music and content from other apps and services, it's a no-brainer. Discovering content on your mobile device and sending to the TV is going to be much easier than using the smart TV.
 
planty said:
Let's take youtube as an example... I'm often browsing on my phone/tablet whilst the TV is on - I come across something on youtube that I want to watch and share with other people in the room. The beauty of chromecast is that I just send it to the TV there and then. I don't have to pick up my TV remote, switch to the 'smart' functionality and then use a horrible UI to search for that content on youtube.
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You can do this with LG Smart TVs. Browse a YT video on the tablet and swipe across the screen and it instantly appears on the TV. To be honest, I discovered this entirely by accident one day and thought "that's pretty cool."
 
darkgen said:
You can do this with LG Smart TVs. Browse a YT video on the tablet and swipe across the screen and it instantly appears on the TV. To be honest, I discovered this entirely by accident one day and thought "that's pretty cool."
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Fair enough, didn't know that! Well done LG!
 
My Samsung TV is added to my YouTube on my Nexus 5 so I can watch YouTube videos easier on the TV. I have 4 different htpc's, but still picked up a Chromecast today just to check it out :D
 
Bought one myself today. Tested it across 3 different boxes. Two TVs and one of my monitors. The larger Samsung TV (belonging to my housemate) might have serious interference with the device. It causes it not to be found on the tablet or phone via wifi. It's very hit and miss. But the smaller TV and monitor have no issues at all.

Was able to test with Plex, YouTube, BBC iPlayer and Google Music/Movies. All fine. Definitely worth the £30. :)
 
darkgen said:
You can do this with LG Smart TVs. Browse a YT video on the tablet and swipe across the screen and it instantly appears on the TV. To be honest, I discovered this entirely by accident one day and thought "that's pretty cool."
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planty said:
Fair enough, didn't know that! Well done LG!
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you can do this on most smart TV's now. This chromecast is only handy if you don't have a smart tv, or the one you do have is garbage.

Mirroring would be a handy feature - officially supported that is.
 
adz7777 said:
Best to wait for Airtame.... http://airtame.com/

it's proper wireless HDMI , not limited to certain programmes like chromecast!

coming out July
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Google have released the SDK for Chromecast so the functions on Airtame are probably coming soon give then massive developer community within android.

I got one. I have a dumb TV so its a no-brainer.
 
adz7777 said:
$99 which is £59 , so double the amount , but well worth the extra coz you can use it fully without limitations! stream ANYTHING from your pc/tablet wireless. (Windows , android , ios , linux , windows phone too.)
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$99 may be £59, but if something is $99 it rarely translates at that price in the UK. $99 is usually closer to £99.....
 
Trox said:
Wondering if anyone knows the answer to the following...

Can this be used with a stand alone wireless hotspot (Huawei Mobile WiFi unit) or does it require a proper home network (network router)?
Click to expand...

Casting YouTube and Chrome Tabs seems to work OK with Huawei MIFI but video in AllCast is laggy.
 
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