MLB.com At Bat adds Chromecast support, lets you enjoy the game on the big screen

There’s a lot to love about the Chromecast, such as its extremely affordable price tag and how it makes it easy to watch your favorite programming from Netflix, Hulu and several other popular sources. Even better, the Chromecast recently opened up its SDK to more developers and we’ve seen a stead trickle of brand new apps.

For baseball fans, however, the Chromecast’s lack of support for MLB.com At Bat has probably been a deal breaker up until now. The good news is that this changes today, as a new update has arrived to the At Bat app, making it easy to cast games over to the big screen.

Of course there is a catch: you’ll need to pay either $24.99 a month or $129.99 for an annual membership in order to have access to an unlimited number of live MLB games. Still, if you are a potential cord cutter looking for a way to get your baseball fix without having a traditional cable subscription, today’s update for Chromecast support is certainly a major win.

To grab the latest version of the app, you’ll want to head on over to Google Play.

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Aereo Plans To Launch Chromecast Support On May 29th

Despite being in the middle of a battle to convince the Supreme Court that their service isn’t illegal, Aereo rolls on.

In case you’ve missed it: Aereo rents HDTV antennas to cordcutters for $8 a month to let them view and record live TV from their phones, tablets, and computers. The antenna stays at Aereo’s HQ, and all of the video data is piped to users across the Internet. Cable companies argue that because Aereo isn’t paying the retransmission fee that cable companies are required to pay, what Aereo is doing is illegal. They’ve dragged the matter into federal court twice now, and the courts ruled in Aereo’s favor both times; the Supreme Court is set to hear the case on April 22nd.

Following up on an informal pledge first made back in December, Aereo has just officially announced plans to support Chromecast by May 29th.

One catch: for now, at least, Aereo’s Chromecast support seems to be limited to Android. While Aereo does have an iOS app, there’s no mention of Chromecast support coming to it just yet.

Of course, this all depends on Aereo … you know, still being around by the end of May. According to Aereo investor Barry Diller, the company is more or less done for if the Supreme Court rules against them.

Aereo TV streaming service adding Chromecast support, starting May 29th

 

Aereo has received quite of attention thanks to its subscription-based model that essentially brings its users over-the-air-TV directly to the web, alongside added DVR functionality. Not all of the attention has been the good kind, though. As we speak Aereo is caught up in a legal battle to determine whether or not the service is actually legal, but Aereo isn’t letting that slow them down.

Today Aereo announced that it will be updating its Android app come May 29th, bringing Chromecast support to the mix! What this means is that you won’t just be able to watch Aereo content through your PC and Android devices, you’ll be able to stream it right back to the big screen as well.

This is a very welcome move for Chromecast users looking to cut the cord without having to revert to bunny ears, though it’s still important to note that Aereo’s service is in beta and is only available in select cities. For more details on Aereo’s plans for Chromecast or for a list of cities where its service is offered, you’ll want to head over to Aereo’s website.

How about it, anyone planning on jumping on Aereo’s $8 monthly service now that it is heading to the Chromecast? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Chromecast vs Amazon Fire TV

Buy the Chromecast for $29.99 from Amazon
Buy the Amazon Fire TV for $99 from Amazon

It’s safe to say that the Google Chromecast has had a huge impact on the way you can stream media to your TV. For as low as $30, you now have the ability to easily cast your content to the larger screen, and control it entirely from you mobile device. Amazon, in an attempt to replicate Google’s success in this area, has now jumped into the media streaming arena, albeit with a slightly different approach, with its Fire TV set top box. Given that the Fire TV launched only earlier this month, almost 8 months after the Chromecast was available, Amazon has had enough time to figure out where in the Chromecast excels, and more importantly, where it might be found lacking.

Today, I’ll be putting the two media streaming devices head to head, to help you figure out which one is the best choice for you. Here’s a look at the Chromecast vs Amazon Fire TV!

Hardware and Setup

As mentioned before, Amazon took the set top box approach with its Fire TV, as opposed to the Chromecast dongle. All you have to do is plug in the Fire TV to a power source, connect it to the TV via HDMI, and barring any software updates, the initial boot up is quick, especially since its already logged in with your Amazon account that you used to make the purchase. Any Amazon Prime video purchases and active rentals are all ready to be watched within a few moments after starting it up.

The Chromecast is a far simpler device, and is a dongle, that is just about 3-inches long, which is designed to just stream media from your smartphone or tablet. While setting up the Chromecast is also quite fast, it’s not as quick as the Fire TV. The Chromecast plugs into the HDMI port on your TV, and is connected to a power source via the USB port on the device. A few more steps are required that you’ll see on the screen, like typing in your network password, and you should be up and running in just 5 minutes.

Ecosystem

At launch, the Fire TV supports over 30 applications, including Hulu, Show Time, Crackle, Prime Instant Videos, and a lot more. Essentially, all the big players, with the lone exception of HBO, are supported. Another additional feature of the Fire TV set top box is the ability to play 3D games, with over 100 titles already available, including some great ones like Asphalt 8 and Riptide GP, with thousands more coming. Gameplay is actually really good, with performance quite similar to what you’d expect from a high-end Android smartphone.

If you use Amazon Prime as your means of accessing media, including their cloud music offering and even photos, the Fire TV makes very easy and fast to access all of this. It is eventually cached to the box, and once you click on the file, it opens without delay, and this applies to videos as well. Another aspect of this feature, which is called ASAP, that it attempts to predict what you’ll watch next depending on your viewing habits, and downloads it to the Fire TV without the need for any user interaction.

Things get even easier if you own a Kindle Fire, using which you can easily push any Amazon media directly to your Fire TV just by flicking it over. The Kindle then serves as a second screen, and gives you additional information about the media is watching. Basically, as long as its in the Amazon realm, accessing your media is a very simple task.

All the apps available are downloadable from the dashboard. You can use the to navigate to the app you’re looking for, or voice search for it, and downloading the app just takes a few minutes. Once you get into the application though, the normal functionality of Fire TV is gone, and you’re now dependent on the capabilities of the app. For example, pressing on the menu button will yield different results, and more importantly, voice search works with only a limited number of apps.

Unlike the Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast had very limited app support at launch, and was basically limited to Google services like Play Music and Movies, Youtube, and Chrome, along with Netflix. It took Google around 6 months to open up the SDK, and once that happened, the floodgates opened, with the number of apps adding Chromecast support growing everyday. Since these are Play Store apps that you’re downloading to your mobile device, you get updates regularly. Once you launch these apps on your phone or tablet, a new icon indicates whether it works with Chromecast or not, and if it does, you can stream whatever content is that app to your TV.

Ease of Use

The Fire TV is preconfigured with the Amazon account that you’ve used to place the order. Once you turn your TV to correct input option, the Fire TV user interface shows up on the TV. The interface is quick, fluid, and looks really good, and in a lot of ways is very similar to the UI of the Kindle Fire, which falls in line with their ideology of having one interface for all their devices. There is really helpful tutorial video when you start the Fire TV for the time, that gives a good idea of how to get around, and you can always find this tutorial again via the Help menu.

From the home screen you can do a voice search for an actor, director, movie title, or as mentioned, an application. The concept seems great, and it works for the most part. But as I said, voice search isn’t a feature available with all apps and these definitely creates some problems. For example, if I want to continue to watch House of Cards on Netflix, I should be able to use a voice search to return to where I’d stopped, but instead, it takes me to a screen that gives me the option to rent House of Cards on Amazon Prime instead. It does feature Hulu results if you’re a subscriber, but this lack of integration creates inconsistencies within the experience that can become quite frustrating.

You sometimes find yourself cycling through videos to find what you’re looking for, in situations where voice search doesn’t work. There is also no way to pin items, and sometimes leaves you flipping and scrolling through menus and listings to get to exactly where you need to go.

Using the Chromecast is certainly a lot easier, as you’re using your mobile device as the host to control all the media. All you need to do is open an app, connect to the Chromecast, and from there, you can play whatever media is available in that app on your TV. You can use your smartphone or tablet to adjust the volume, play, pause, and skim through content. For people like me who always have their mobile on them, I’d always prefer this method to control my content, as opposed to using an additional remote that is required with the Fire TV.

Features

	Google Chromecast	Amazon Kindle Fire TV
Price	$35	$99
Form Factor	Dongle	Box
Voice Commands	No	Yes
Processor	Single core	Quad core
Memory	512MB	2GB
Controls	By app via mobile device	Gaming control, remote
Gaming Apps	None	100+; "thousands" more coming
Music Apps	Google Play, Vevo, Pandora, Rdio, Songza	Vevo, Pandora, Vimeo
Sports Apps	None	Watch ESPN, NBA League Pass
Video Apps	Google Play, HBO Go, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, YouTube	Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Crackle, Showtime Anywhere, Bloomberg TV
Remote	By app via mobile device	Voice search, physical remote (no line of sight needed)
Display mirroring	Yes	Only via Kindle tablets

Conclusion

In summary, the choice between the two entirely depends on how invested you are in which ecosystem. If you have a Kindle device, use Amazon Prime, and use the cloud storage offered by Amazon, there’s no easier way for you to access and stream all your media than the Fire TV, which also gives the benefit of being able to play games on the bigger screen of your TV. The Chromecast on the other hand is ideally suited for anyone you always has their Android mobile device with them, and is just looking for a simple way to stream content to the bigger screen of your TV.

Buy the Chromecast for $29.99 from Amazon
Buy the Amazon Fire TV for $99 from Amazon

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Chromecast to get a more personalized home screen?

Jacob Donley 2014-04-09T17:00:01Z22 hours ago

Jacob Donley

I'm not a developer or anything like that. I'm a consumer, just like you. I like to give my thoughts on Android products from the non-technical side. Yes, I do provide some of the technical specs and such, but really, I just want to give you the best news possible.

The Chromecast may be getting a home screen makeover. GigaOm reported that there could be weather based info and other improvements coming soon to the Chromecast home screen.

Will Chromecast get an updated home screen?   © Google

The source code for Chromecast apparently has information relating to weather updates on the home screen, including current weather and one day forecasts. While nothing is official, GigaOm stated that Google’s comment was that they are always experimenting but have nothing new to announce. The newest round of updates to the Chromecast fix volume leveling and other bugs. However, none of these new home screen features have made their way to the device yet.

The Chromecast recently gained support for Rhapsody, Napster, Rdio, and Crackle. News of more personalization to the home screen is a welcome addition. There also is mention that personal photos may be coming to the home screen. The Photowall application, an app to collect photos from whoever sends them to the Chromecast and creates a YouTube video when finished, was released on March 24.

The Chromecast team seems intent on expanding the usability of the streaming dongle. With the addition of Amazon Fire TV to the streaming video market, the Chromecast is going to need to create a niche for itself if it wants to remain relevant. Weather information and improved customization is a step in the right direction.

What features would you like to see come to the Chromecast? Is there a feature or function that you believe could make the Chromecast even better? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Via: Slash Gear Source: GigaOm

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Amazon Fire TV topples Chromecast as Amazon’s best seller

Well that didn’t take long, the Amazon Fire TV already sits at the top spot on Amazon’s Best Sellers list in the electronics category, having only just launched last week.

The Fire TV has already displaced the hugely popular Google Chromecast, which had previously booted Amazon’s own Kindle off the top spot shortly after its own launch. Amazon has never explained exactly how it calculates a products popularity, but it seems that the data must only take into account short term trends for the Fire TV to rise so fast.

Much like everyone else, we have been trying to figure out which of the two devices is the best deal. After much debate, it’s not hard to see why Amazon’s device is proving to be so popular, considering all of the Fire TV’s additional features. Not to mention that Amazon has a massive advertisement up on its homepage too.

If you’ve resisted temptation so far, the Amazon Fire TV is available for $99 and still appears to be in stock.

Are you surprised by the Fire TV’s shot to popularity?

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Chromecast homescreen may eventually add weather info and customizable wallpaper

Right now if you were to turn on your TV and go to the right video source for your Chromecast, you would be greeted by a relatively modest-looking homescreen that contains the time, a Google-chosen rotating selection of wallpaper and very little else. Most of the time, we aren’t on the the homescreen long enough to notice how limited it is, but for those wishing the homescreen offered more? You might soon get your wish.

According to Reddit user asjmcguire, poking around the Chromecast homescreen source code has turned up several javascript references relating to the gathering of temperature and other basic weather data. Additionally, weather-oriented icons have also been discovered. Based on the limited info we have, we speculate Google could be preparing a simple weather system for the homescreen that tells us the temperature and then gives us a symbol relating to just how cold it is, whether its raining, etc.

Although the weather info is the only major change spotted in the source code, asjmcguire has also found photo descriptions and locations of photos that indicate we may eventually have more choices when it comes to the homescreen’s wallpaper as well. Whether that simply means more options or the ability to user-define the background, remains unseen.

Now it’s important to note that just because these changes have been spotted, doesn’t mean Google is planning to bring them to the Chromecast right away. Of course, neither of these new ‘features’ are exactly world-changing, but it looks like another step in the right direction for the little-dongle-that-could.

Here’s to hoping this is just the beginning of an even ‘smarter’ Chromecast, as I’m sure there are many users out there that would love reminders, notifications and Google Now-like cards right on their Homescreen. In the meantime, for those looking to ‘upgrade’ their Chromecast experience, you might want to check out the Tasker-based AutoCast.

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AutoCast brings the power of Tasker to Chromecast: multi-tasking, voice control and more

Ever since Google released its official SDK for the Chromecast we’ve seen a major increase in the number of apps that support the media streamer, and in turn the Chromecast’s functionality has greatly improved.

Think your Chromecast is already more than impressive? AutoCast takes your casting experience to a whole new level and puts just about every other app to shame! AutoCast is by the same developer as the impressive Tasker plugin, AutoPebble and largely works the same way.

With AutoCast, you can can not only cast video, audio and images from sources such as Dropbox, VIMEO and other locations, but you can also receive notifications from your smartphone directly over to your Chromecast’s screen. There’s even the ability to cast multiple different types of content at once — such as showing off a slideshow while playing music.

Equally impressive, AutoCast allows you to control the entire experience using your own voice, giving you the ability to fastforward and rewind content, do Youtube searches and so much more.

Out of the box, Chromecast might not offer nearly as much functionality as Roku, Apple TV and the new Fire TV, but efforts like AutoCast illustrate just how flexible the Chromecast can be. It’s hard not to be impressed when you consider that the Chromecast is less than half the price of its biggest competitors.

To check out AutoCast for yourself, you’ll want to give the fry app a try. Keep in mind, the free version only works with select content and is designed to give you a better idea of what to expect before buying the premium version. Thankfully, the paid app is very affordable, and can be unlocked for just $1.37.

What do you think of AutoCast, impressed? Anyone try it out yet, if so, what do you think so far?

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Rhapsody and Napster subscribers can now send music to their Chromecast

Rhapsody and Napster subscribers on Android can now send music to their TV through Chromecast. Rhapsody and Napster are two more in a long line of apps that have added support for the Google Chromecast since the cast sdk was released in February. And with each new app, users gain a greater bang for their buck from this $35 streaming device.

Napster, now owned by Rhapsody, along with Rhapsody itself, offer users a music catalogue of over 18 million songs for a $10/month subscription fee. Music is streamed to your devices, but can also be downloaded for offline use. Users control what they want to listen to and experience it ad-free.

The addition of Chromecast support continues the ad-free experience on the big screen in your home. In the words of Paul Springer, SVP of Americas and Chief Product Officer, “adding support for Google Chromecast is another example of our commitment to giving music lovers more ways to easily enjoy the music they love in the comfort of their own home without interruption.”

We recently had a debate whether Chromecast was destined to be king of the TV, or if the new Amazon Fire TV was the next big thing. Feel free to go join in that debate, but one thing is for certain, with more and more services like Rhapsody and Napster coming to Chromecast, Google appears to have a bit of a hit device on their hands, and for $35, it is something that most of us can afford to enjoy.

Update Rhapsody in the Play Store app on your Android device, or grab the Rhapsody app from the Google Play Store.

Current Rhapsody and Napster users – is Chromecast support one of the key features you’ve been desperately waiting for? If you’ve been on the fence about using Rhapsody and Napster, is Chromecast support a deciding factor?

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Amazon launches Amazon Fire TV to compete with Chromecast, Apple TV

Kris Carlon 2014-04-02T15:53:27Z22 hours ago

Kris Carlon

Putting down roots in Berlin after six years of traveling is a major step for Kris Carlon, who has spent more time living out of a tent lately than sitting at a desk. Kris comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent writing on art and culture in Australia and other places he has lived. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since.

Amazon has just announced its very own streaming television service in the battle for your living room, after the weekend's rumor of a Amazon set-top box. Couch commandos can rejoice at the addition of a new service, especially one as well connected as Amazon's platform, Fire TV. The launch cleanly wraps up Amazon's control of content, making their licensing of Amazon Instant Video software to third-party hardware manufacturers like Roku no longer necessary.

Amazon Fire TV is officially here to compete for your streaming living room content. / © Amazon

The streaming set-top box setup will bring you not only television and movies, but also gaming. As Google pushes Chromecast, free apps pop up left right and center in the Play Store, and Apple TV continues to expand its empire, Amazon has a nicely thrown down gauntlet to set its sights on. But if anyone knows how to push content it has got to be Amazon.

This is the controller recently seen at a Brazilian regulatory agency, now confirmed. / © Amazon/Anatel

Amazon presented three problematic areas of current devices: search, performance and a ''closed'' ecosystem, clearly taking shots at their competitors in the set-top box world. Fire TV will feature apps like Hulu Plus, Netflix, Crackle and Pandora amongst others. The set-top box features a quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM and dual-band MiMo Wi-Fi to handle all that buffering, which, incidentally, will reportedly give it triple the speeds of Chromecast, Apple TV and Roku. You can control all that 1080p content with the Bluetooth remote, which you can also talk to for voice search. An average paid game on Fire TV will cost $1.85, and there are over 1,000 free games.

Amazon's Fire TV costs 99 USD and ships today. 

What are your thoughts on Fire TV? Would you prefer Amazon's effort to Google's or Apple's?

Via: The Verge Source: Amazon

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Streaming Stick Faceoff: Roku vs. Chromecast

S

Google's Chromecast made waves when it offered a home entertainment solution for $35, letting you stream all sorts of content to a tiny little HDMI-capable stick. Roku decided to take it head on with a stick of its own. Which one is better? We decided to take a head on look.

We've had our hands on a Chromecast for awhile, and though initial abilities weren't all that impressive it has since evolved into a pretty capable little device—so long as you have a phone or tablet to control it. Roku just started shipping their streaming stick for only $15 more, including the full Roku platform without the need for separate device. Each option has its own set of pros and cons, but this shootout intends to find a winner. Let's take at which device is worth the money.

Both Are Equally Portable

If you want to know if one might travel better than the other, don't. Both the Roku and the Chromecast are equally tiny with USB power connectors. While the Chromecast has a bulge at its base and the Roku doesn't, that tiny bit of extra mass doesn't really make a difference when you're tossing either one in a bag. Either device will serve you equally well for travel purposes.

Chromecast Streams More Stuff from Your Mobile Devices

Since all Chromecast does is stream content from mobile devices and computers, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it handles these tasks better and offers more choices. For starters, that includes your web browser, your phone's screen, podcasts, photos, music, and even content from Plex. Thanks to AllCast, you can also streaming any DLNA-capable media with ease (though Roku can, too).

Roku can only stream photos, videos, and apps using its own app and content from Netflix and YouTube. It makes up for these limitations with apps—something we'll get to in a moment—but if you prefer streaming from a device in your hand then the Chromecast covers far more ground.

Roku Offers Actual Apps

While you can download Chromecast-capable apps to stream content from your mobile to your device, you can download actual apps onto your Roku just like the full-sized set top boxes. This includes several content music and video channels, the full home media center app Plex, and even a small selection of casual games. Because these all exist on the device, they're ready to go once you start using the streaming stick. With Chromecast, you have to pull something up on your phone to get started.

Chromecast Is a Better Group Device

Chromecast accepts streams from mobile devices and laptops on your local network. That means if you want to share a YouTube video and have a friend share one afterwards, it's simply a matter of taking turns (so long as you're all sharing the same Wi-Fi). This is great for sharing media together, if that's something you want to do. While you can technically sync up several devices to contribute content to your Roku, their streaming stick wasn't really made for group activities.

Roku Offers More Methods of Control

Chromecast requires another device to provide it with content. Roku can use a mobile device, but it also includes a standard remote control. This gives you the option of controlling the device the way you like. If you like the feel of a physical controller with buttons, this is a big deal and easily worth the extra $15 to get the Roku. If you prefer controlling things from your smartphone, it's not.

Roku Offers Dual-Band Wi-Fi

While the tiny antennae in these streaming sticks might make it a moot point, technically the Roku offers greater Wi-Fi capabilities than the Chromecast. This is solely a result of dual-band. Both streaming sticks support 802.11n, but the Roku can use both the 2.4 and 5.0 GHz spectrums, while the Chromecast is limited to the former.

Chromecast Can Stream Anything via Google Chrome

While Roku has a lot of channels, it doesn't have everything. If there isn't an app for the content you want, you're out of luck. If Chromecast doesn't have an app capable of streaming the content you desire, you can fill in the gaps by streaming from Chrome. Using the Google Cast extension, you can mirror any browser tab on your television screen. As great as this sounds, it's far from perfect. The quality isn't phenomenal and there's a bit of lag. That said, it's far better than nothing at all.

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There you have it. While both are capable devices and worth their respective price tags, I personally liked the Roku a bit better—it offers a bit more out of the box for an extra $15. You get apps on the device, a remote, more content choices, and pretty much all the streaming capabilities you'd want in a tiny little package. Most importantly, however, you get choice. If you like remotes, you get a remote. If you like controlling with your smartphone, you can use that instead. The Chromecast costs a bit less, though, and if you like streaming stuff from your mobile device, it might be the ideal choice for you instead.

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PlayOn joining the Chromecast crowd (beta)

Jacob Donley 2014-03-31T21:00:00Z18 hours ago

Jacob Donley

I'm not a developer or anything like that. I'm a consumer, just like you. I like to give my thoughts on Android products from the non-technical side. Yes, I do provide some of the technical specs and such, but really, I just want to give you the best news possible.

PlayOn recently announced they are providing Chromecast support in their latest beta version. The PlayOn app already allows subscribers to view multiple video channels directly on their device.

PlayOn announces Chromecast support  © AndroidPIT

The biggest advantage to having Chromecast support is being able to cast videos to your television screen. PlayON has access to 60+ channels including:  ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, ESPN Live, and many more. Their service is limited to the web only content barring no cable provider account. PlayOn is a Windows media server that gives users access via a PC to TV, smartphone, or tablet connection. Adding Chromecast support gives users the smartphone and tablet to TV connection that they have been missing.

In order to use the PlayOn update for Chromecast support, users will need to download the beta version to their PC and have the PlayOn app installed on their smartphone or tablet. PlayOn is available for Android, iOS, and Blackberry. If casting from a PC, a browser extension may be needed.

PlayOn is looking for users to test out their beta version. Now is a great time for current and future users to check out how Chromecast works with their service. Since it is in beta right now, there will most likely be some bugs. But, PlayOn is actively looking for feedback to improve the Chromecast experience with their services. The PlayOn blog has more information on the step-by-step instructions to use their beta product release.

This is a great new addition to the Chromecast family and is proof that Chromecast is growing in popularity by software and service providers.

Do you currently use PlayOn? How well does their software work for you? Not a PlayOn user yet, does adding Chromecast support make you want to check out their services?

Via: TalkAndroid Source: PlayOn

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Google Launches Photowall, An iOS App For Beaming Collaborative Galleries To Chromecast

Google has launched a new iOS app with Chromecast-specific features called Photowall. The app, as detailed by 9to5Mac, lets users send photos from their device to their Chromecast-connected TV, and works with either one iPhone user or a group on the same network. There are also photo editing features that let you doodle and make notes on images displayed on the big screen. Finally, the app can generate a YouTube montage from your photo wall creation for easy sharing.

Others participating in the fun don’t even have to have the app installed – they can add photos from their phone or tablet using a web-based interface, as well as doodle or add annotations. It’s iOS-only for now, but I’d expect this app to come to Android, too. This seems like a fun take on the slideshow of old, and a more participatory version that hopefully isn’t quite as boring as sitting around watching vacation photos passively.

The Chromecast is Google’s $35 TV streaming connected dongle, for those who haven’t yet caught wind of the mobile accessory. Google recently expanded its availability, so more people around the world should be able to take advantage of new software that comes out for the streaming stick. There’s also a powerful third-party API for the gadget, but it’s good to see Google still exploring first-party apps for its pet media project, too.

Chromecast and its competitors: what are your options?

When Chromecast burst onto the scene in July last year, making TVs smart for just $35, it was something of a surprise hit. The diminutive device from Google plugs into any free HDMI port and allows you to stream content using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop as a remote control. You can get a closer look in our Chromecast review.

Now that it has gone international, launching in 11 countries, we thought we’d take a look at how Chromecast measures up to the competition and what might be next in this space.

Why buy Chromecast?

The strongest case for buying Chromecast is if you have an older TV (not too old as it will need an HDMI port) and it doesn’t have any smart TV features providing access to apps for streaming content, or the ability to stream photos or video from your smartphone.

Here’s a list of the main Chromecast apps. More are being developed all the time and you can find a complete, searchable directory of supported apps by using the Cast Store. You can play content from Google Play stores, so it’s ideal if you’re invested in that already. You’ll also be able to enjoy Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube. Support for Plex was just added, so you can share your own media files, including video, audio, and photos between devices and even access them in the cloud. It’s doubtful that HBO Go and Hulu Plus will be made available outside the US.

You can also use a Chrome extension to send anything on your browser to the big screen, but it doesn’t work perfectly and it doesn’t support Silverlight, which means Amazon Instant Video won’t work properly and neither will Sky Player in the UK. We expect the Chrome browser streaming functionality to improve over time.

The SDK is out there and so the app list will continue to grow. More than 3,000 developers have already signed up. We know that BBC iPlayer is available in the UK, France TV Pluzz and SFR TV in France, and Watchever in Germany, and other services will roll out apps for it in the coming days.

How does it work?

You can plug Chromecast into any available HDMI port. It does require power, but if your TV has a spare USB port you can plug the provided cable in there and draw power through it, otherwise it will need a socket for the power adaptor.

One of the strengths is that it can stream content directly through your Wi-Fi. Even though you select content on your smartphone or tablet, it streams direct to the Chromecast. It requires your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to act as a remote control, there’s no separate remote.

The Chromecast is capable of outputting full HD 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound. The Chrome browser tab casting is limited to 720p.

The current competition

Roku is one of the big names in this space and it already offers a range of fairly cheap set-top boxes. It also just announced a Streaming Stick, which is a similar size to Chromecast. Roku has its own interface and comes with a remote control so you don’t need a smartphone, tablet or laptop to control it, though it does offer an app if you want to do that. It also has a really handy cross-platform search function that you won’t find elsewhere.

Roku currently has a much larger selection of apps with more than 1,200 on offer. If you opt for one of the boxes, like the Roku 3 then you get a remote control that you can plug headphones into, which automatically mutes the TV. Roku has promised that streaming from your browser will be added in the future, but it’s not currently supported. The Streaming Stick is $50 and the Roku 3 box is $100, compared to $35 for the Chromecast.

If you have a lot of iOS devices and you buy content through iTunes then Apple TV is the obvious choice. You can use AirPlay to stream music, photos, or videos from an iPhone or iPad to the big screen via Apple TV. It has an interface and a remote control, but you can control it via your iPhone and iPad as well. It does have a decent choice of apps (less than Roku, more than Chromecast), but unless you are buying into the Apple ecosystem and using iOS devices, it doesn’t do enough to justify the $100 outlay. Unsurprisingly there’s no official support for Android, although there are ways around that.

There are lots of other competitors entering the market. NETGEAR showed off the NeoMediacast HDMI Dongle at CES. It looks similar, and it supports Android 4.2 and up, but it also uses Miracast and Bluetooth 4, and it has a remote unit. This is aimed at service providers and will likely be branded and offered as part of existing cable or satellite subscriber services.

If you’re interested in Miracast and want to be able to mirror your smartphone screen then the Belkin Miracast might be worth considering. It’s pricey at $80, but it works well, as we found out when we compared Chromecast vs Belkin Miracast.

At $50 the PLAiR 2 comes close to matching Chromecast’s value and it offers full access to the Google Play store, but reviews have not been favorable. It looks like the hardware doesn’t deliver and the experience is glitchy compared to the competition.

If you want to mirror your PC or laptop screen then AIRTAME might interest you. The USP for it is the ability to stream your PC screen to multiple TVs, projectors, or monitors. It’s available for pre-order right now at $99.

Buy now, or wait for something better?

This space is definitely about to get a lot more competitive. We’ve heard strong rumors that Amazon will launch a Chromecast competitor and it might just be capable of streaming games from your PC, or possibly from a cloud gaming service.  There has also been a lot of buzz about a new version of Apple TV which will also support gaming and potentially act as a wireless access point. You can bet there will be a few others.

As it stands right now, Roku offers more, and if it can roll out support for browser streaming in time for the launch of the Streaming Stick next month, then it might be a better buy than the Chromecast. On the other hand, we think it won’t be long until Chromecast catches up in terms of apps, and it is cheaper at $35.

It is more expensive in the UK at £30, but the Roku Streaming Stick is going to be £50 in the UK, so Chromecast is still the cheaper option. If you want to spend even less and you’re looking for an alternative in the UK then Sky’s NOW TV box, based on the Roku, is just £10 and you can sideload Plex with a little fiddling. You won’t find anything cheaper, as Sky is subsidizing the cost of the box hoping to tempt you to buy content from them once you have it, but you don’t need to.

If you’re excited about the new Android Wear SDK and planning on getting a new smartwatch then you might be swayed towards the Chromecast after Google mentioned the ability to select a movie on your watch using voice commands and have it play on the big screen via Chromecast. If the remote is strapped to your wrist then surely you can’t lose it.

What do you think? Will you be buying a Chromecast? Do you already have one? What is it lacking? Do you prefer any of the competition, or are you waiting for something better?

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