You can run Quake® III on your TV with Chromecast.
At Google I/O 2020, a new Google Cast Remote Display API was announced for Android and iOS, which will allow developers of applications and games with powerful graphics to cast images to Chromecast. Google took the existing Android port of Quake III Arena and modified it for use with Chromecast. You can control it from your smartphone, but you can also use Bluetooth or a USB joystick, or the usual keyboard and mouse. Would you say the idea is useless? I know people for whom Quake III support will be the final argument for purchase. I'm like that myself :).
Description
Before purchasing, it is important to study the capabilities and characteristics of the device. The device runs on the Chrome OS platform. This is how it differs from various television set-top boxes. The OS update occurs automatically every time you connect to the Internet and after discovering new firmware versions.
How the gadget works:
- Google Chromecast can be connected via an HDMI connector to a TV, via a USB port to the main power source.
- Immediately after connection, the media player must be configured so that in the future you can easily connect to your home local network and the Internet. To do this, use a Wi-Fi wireless connection.
- You can save any media file to the player. A connected television device will help you view it. You can start broadcasting a file from a smartphone or PC.
- The media player is controlled using a standard television remote control.
- You can change your account using a smartphone or PC.
Another advantage of such devices is that the process of receiving data from the Internet does not affect the normal operation of a smartphone or PC. You can simultaneously view content, surf the web, launch applications and make calls.
The quality of the files being viewed depends entirely on the power of the personal computer. It is easy to achieve good quality of reproduced images on a PC with low power. It is necessary to adjust the clarity (the value is not higher than 480). This mainly applies to devices released in the early 2000s.
Full review and player setup in the following video:
You can cast one desktop to multiple Chromecast devices
The solution is not very elegant, but it works. You need to create several profiles in Google Chrome (according to the number of devices) and broadcast from each profile. One of the users shares his success in simultaneous broadcasting to 7 devices. This can be useful for various kinds of meeting rooms and presentations. Of course, all devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
What it is?
Chromecast is a special media player that connects to the HDMI port of a TV, connects to your home Wi-Fi network and allows you to stream (broadcast) content from a personal computer (Google Chrome browser), tablet or phone (via a special application). Watch movies, listen to music and so on. It should be noted that this type of television format is not new. Online television via Android TV technology can be watched via m8s amlogic s812 or similar receiver models.
What is Google Chromecast and how to set it up
Details Category: Hardware questions Published: 02/15/2019 08:55 Author: Alexey
Many people have heard of Google Chromecast, but not everyone knows what it is and how to use it. To be brief, this is an HDMI device that will allow you to turn an ordinary TV into a full-fledged media set-top box for convenient viewing of videos and photos from the global network and from a smartphone/tablet connected to it. The most important thing you need to know is that for full operation you will need a home Wi-Fi network, preferably unlimited.
Connection
Launching Google Chromecast is really very easy. But in case the process does not seem intuitive to the user, the developers have placed a connection diagram on the back of the packaging lid.
The main connector of the gadget is HDMI, we find the corresponding socket and plug it into it.
Note: if your TV has several HDMI outputs, be sure to remember the number to which you connected the Chromecast.
Now it's time to connect the power. There are two ways to do this:
The list of resources is constantly expanding.
Instead of a remote control, the device from which the Chromecast was connected and configured is used.
In order to broadcast data from a computer or phone, you need to install Google Cast - this is a browser plugin. After installing it, a button will appear in the upper right corner, clicking on which will begin duplicating everything that happens on the transmitting computer or smartphone on the TV screen.
A lot of software has already been released for Chromecast, expanding its functionality. An overview of these applications can be found on the official Google page:
https://www.google.com/intl/ru_ru/chrome/devices/chromecast/apps.html
Chromecast
The Chromecast digital media player was officially introduced in July 2013. In 4 years, these devices have sold 50 million copies and are becoming more and more popular every year. That is why the developers of many browsers are trying to add support for these media players to their products. Some managed to do it earlier, while others took a little longer. In Opera, Chromecast support will appear only in version 50, but you can try the new feature now by installing the beta version of the browser. You can enable video streaming in your web browser settings. There you need to find the “Browser” category, select “User Interface” and check the box next to the “Enable Chromecast support” function.
Thanks to the update, the user will be able to transfer to the TV an image of the desktop screen, tabs open in the browser, as well as broadcast streaming video. Video broadcasting today is supported by most sites that have a large base of multimedia content, including the popular video hosting YouTube. He even added an additional button to the control panel of his player so that users could start broadcasting the selected video to their TV with one click.
So far, Chromecast support has appeared only in some regions, but the company promises to expand geography.
Alternative options:
Google Chromecast 2 (2015)
For fans of Google products who want to spend less money, there is an opportunity to opt for Google Chromecast 2. The previously mentioned predecessor - with the exception of 4K support - is similar in equipment and functionality, but costs almost half as much.
Apple TV 4 64GB
The fourth-generation Apple TV costs much more than Google's new Chromecast Ultra media player. Like Google's model, it offers 4K support and can be expanded with apps from the App Store. Among other things, with games from there it can even be used as a gaming console.
Everything you wanted to know about Chromecast or how to make a regular TV a little smarter for $35
Introductory
The purpose of this post is to update information about a wonderful device from Google, namely Chromecast. Due to the latest updates from Google, this device has received much more functionality than previously described on Habré in the review from zvic and the review from khoroshev. According to reviews on the Internet, many are disappointed in this device, many have it in a drawer, and many simply got rid of it because... they didn't find a use for it. Looking ahead, I will say that one of the main advantages of the device is playing local files from a phone/tablet/computer located on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also stream online videos from various programs to your TV. Interesting? Then I ask under cat.
Where it all began
If you looked just for the sake of Chromecast, then you can safely skip the next part and go to the “Application” section. A lyrical digression with a bunch of wires in the apartment
In connection with moving to a new apartment, the question arose: “how to watch movies from a computer located in essentially my wife’s closet/workshop on a small Samsung monitor in the bedroom and on an old LG in the living room?” Having examined all the boxes and nearby stores for wires and adapters, we ended up with a rather cumbersome structure consisting of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card + a computer monitor via DVI and 10 meters of HDMI to LG in the hall. Moreover, due to the peculiarities of the layout and the lack of skirting boards, it was not possible to place the wire unnoticed at all. The wire ran along the walls under the linoleum, and across the entire hall to the wall - under the rug. In addition, the length was not enough, and I had to extend another wire through the splitter to the TV, twisting the excess under the bedside table. The small monitor in the bedroom generally received 10 meters of Svideo coming out of the second Albatron 7600GT (yes, yes. Cleaned, blew out, lubricated. Still works). Total: a separate monitor in the bedroom (movies were dragged beyond the border of the monitor and played there) and a duplicate desktop of the main BenQ monitor and TV in the living room. In order not to constantly run to the computer to pause, I bought a wireless mouse, the side buttons of which were assigned the spacebar (in many players this is a pause) and “left” (in many players this is rewind by 5/10 seconds). The mouse pierced through 2 walls + a wardrobe with things, often fell off, the keys worked 3-5 times, but it gave me the opportunity to lie on the sofa and not run to the computer. To watch video in the bedroom, another active speakers were connected through the splitter and extender, and to stream sound to the TV in the living room, I had to constantly crawl under the table and pull the wire from the speakers/headphones out of the socket to get the sound via HDMI to work. The design lasted for about a year, after which the need for a small monitor completely disappeared.
When all of the above once again became terribly annoying, it was decided to purchase a device that would make life easier. Many options were considered, from branded media centers to Chinese TV sticks on Android. At the time of the announcement of the new Nexus 5, an irresistible desire arose to get a device for myself, and when making a purchase on Google Play, this wonderful device was noticed.
Purchase
I won’t describe it in detail. There are instructions on Habré for purchasing phones/tablets from Google Play and it’s no different. Ordered for $35 along with Nexus 5 through Polar Express. Delivery with the phone cost $44. The other day, the promotion on Amazon ended for the second time with a price of $29.99. There is also a discount promotion for students who have email in the .edu domain, but it was not possible to figure out the current way to get it. Those two institutes that gave out addresses for free seem to be on the blacklist. Delivery costs $23, but sometimes difficulties arise, as described earlier in the comments.
What do we have on hand?
For shortening, the device is usually called XK = ChromeCast, by analogy with English-speaking CC = ChromeCast.
It is stated that HC supports limited video transmission: Hidden text
Video codecs: H.264 High Profile Level 4.1, 4.2 and 5, VP8 Audio decoding: HE-AAC, LC-AAC, CELT/Opus, MP3, Vorbis Containers: MP4/CENC, WebM, MPEG-DASH, SmoothStreaming Level 1 DRM support: Widevine, PlayReady Subtitles: TTML - Timed Text Markup Language WebVTT - Web Video Text Tracks
additionally all launched .mkvs played normally.
There are also difficulties with bitrates of more than 10Mbps and in general it is recommended not to use video with a bitrate of more than 4Mbps. Videos shot on the Nexus 5 in 1080p lag terribly and are constantly cached. Shot in 720p behaves differently. Moreover, the same files in 720p launched from the wife’s Galaxy Note 10.1 went fine. Perhaps there was a download going on in the background on the computer, perhaps the reason was magnetic storms. Much also depends on the Internet speed/bandwidth. If, when working with Youtube and other official online applications, the stream goes directly to HC (in fact, only the link for the stream is transmitted, after which the phone can be turned off altogether), then with online films everything is worse. Traffic first goes to the phone/tablet, and then from it to the HK, so the throughput drops by at least half. “So why spend money on HC at all if there are so many problems?” - you ask. This is where the fun begins.
Application
So the box is in your hands. First of all, we look at the serial number. If it starts from 3921 and below, congratulations, you are lucky. With a very high probability, XK can be rooted and custom firmware installed. By the way, mine was 3918. There are several exceptions to these numbers that do not root, but several cases have been recorded so far. If the number starts with 3922, then the chances are approximately 50/50. The numbers above those listed are not currently rutting, because... they come pre-installed with a new version of the bootloader with a closed vulnerability. If the serial number is correct and you want to install root, then under no circumstances should you allow the HK to go online. At the same time, it will automatically download the update from Google and further manipulations with the firmware can no longer be carried out. Why do we need root and custom firmware on XK? The main features are changing DNS, using services not available in Russia, using applications not officially supported by Google (customizable whitelist), regular OTA updates, various splash images (in development), a convenient web-panel for control and many more interesting things in plans. I'll add the firmware process itself if the topic arouses interest. I note that at the moment the most popular firmware Eureka ROM has 1000+ installations. In total, under all the spoilers there are about 25 MB of large pictures (screenshots), a little later I’ll grab
a couple of pictures
Officially supported programs
List of officially supported applications:
Chromecast
Application for initial device setup. Available on google play. There is an analogue for Windows if you don’t have a device at hand.
YouTube
One of the most frequently used.
If the HK is online, then the corresponding icon appears in the application. While the video is playing on the TV, you can add other videos to the queue. You can adjust the sound using the volume buttons on the device. The lock screen displays a picture and control buttons (pause, previous/next video). Google is probably not particularly friendly with Russians, and the program displays “pushed” (or is Shch’s stick cut off or did they want to say that the video is “pushed” by the word push?). Some videos are not available on a mobile device, some cannot be viewed on a TV. I didn’t catch the pattern of the latter. In the notification panel there is a picture from the video and also control buttons. Screenshots
A short video that ends when the stream is redirected to the chromecast. I'll try to retake it a little later.
Plex for android
Plex for android is the main tool for playing any video from your computer. To function, you must have Plex Media Server installed on your computer. Configurable via web interface. After specifying the catalog, it scans all the videos, pulls posters and descriptions from the internet. Several databases are available (there are no Russian ones). Advantages: can highlight photos, series, add videos to the queue. You can add channels. You can choose the video quality. The main advantage: it transcodes any video into a format that HK understands. Only through it you can watch .avi Disadvantages: to work with HC you need a paid PlexPass subscription for $3.99 per month, $29.99 per year or $74.99 for life. They promise to make HC support without premium in the future. You can download the broken version from a well-known site. Another big minus is that the posters and titles are in English, and if the film is called differently in Russian, sometimes it is difficult to find it or figure out what kind of film it is from the poster. There are plugins for linking the Kinopoisk database, which practically eliminates all the shortcomings.
(Thanks for the tip Nerten) I’ll write about the results a little later. Screenshots
A short video:
aVia
aVia is the second most important tool for watching content on your TV after Plex.
Unblocking access to HK occurs from the application, costs $3. The broken version can also be downloaded from a well-known resource. Allows you to launch compatible video formats from the device (including those shot by the devices themselves). Sees any DLNA servers (in the screenshots, in addition to Plex, I also have Twonky installed for testing). It also allows you to manage videos, view pictures/photos, have a slideshow, sort by date, etc. Allows you to view content from facebook, dropbox, G+. The main advantage is the ability to work with other applications that allow you to choose a third-party player. aVia is displayed in the list of available players and allows you to play video on XC. There is still the same format limitation. Some of the video runs fine, some produces an error. Screenshots
Example of work:
Working as a third-party player from the TV Series program (ShowBox). The video shows that the video did not start, although AllCast is broadcasting normally. In principle, the support there is adequate, you can send logs, they promise to fix it promptly.
Working as a third-party player from the Online Movies program:
Other features and applications
I described only the main, most frequently used ones.
From the rest of the list of currently supported applications Netflix app and Netflix.com, Google Play Movies & TV Google Play Music, Hulu Plus, Pandora, HBOGo, Vevo, Red Bull.TV, Songza, PostTV, Viki, RealPlayer Cloud, Revision3, BeyondPod almost everything is in English, most are not available in Russia, some are paid. Play Movies showed that HD is not supported. That is, when buying a movie in HD on HK, only SD is available, and the support service replied “sorry guys” maybe later... Play Music plays fine, but it takes me a long time to load before it starts. The screen displays the title and album cover, if any. Vevo is not available for HC in our country. Through a proxy, I personally simply lose the XK button. RealPlayer Cloud allows you to stream previously uploaded video to the cloud, but there are capacity limitations. Several pictures
There is also an add-on for Google Chrome that allows you to cast a tab on your TV. You can also cast the entire desktop (experimental function), but the mouse is not visible and the video is delayed for a couple of seconds, watching movies is problematic, because there are problems with sound. Some download the “File Manager” extension and open the video directly in Chrome, but again only compatible formats. You can simply drag the video into the browser and click the Cast button. But with the help of the official extension you can make presentations, show slides, photos, etc. And with the help of simple manipulations given in the video below, you can also control the buffer size, bitrate, fps, etc.
Cheapcast
The Cheapcast application allows you to emulate XC on any device. Those. By installing, for example, on a tablet you can transfer an image from your phone. It is in deep beta and may not work. I haven't found any use for it.
Additionally:
You can listen to music through the Spotify web application. Mini review here.
If root is received and custom firmware is installed
When installing custom firmware, as mentioned earlier, you can use programs that Google has not officially included as allowed.
AllCast
AllCast from Koushik Dutta aka Koush, founder of Cyanogen Inc and creator of the Helium, Rom Manager, Superuser programs, as well as the ClockWorkMod recovery. In the version from Google Play, support for HC has been removed, because The program is not included in the official ones. In general, to see it, you need to join the G+ community of beta testers. But XDA and the well-known resource retained the old broken version of AllCast with XC support and the 2-day usage limit removed. You can route some videos that aVia doesn't play via the "share" or "open with" button. The video shows an example of the direction of the video from the gallery and it is clear that it lags. As mentioned earlier, this was shot on a Nexus 5 at 1080p.
Vbukit
In a recent whitelist update from Team Eureka, the ability to use the Vbukit application was added, which allows you to display on the screen from the cloud (for example Dropbox and Google Drive), videos, music, PDF, Powerpoint, Word, Excel, picture slideshows, etc. the same pages from the Internet. This support in this firmware (as well as Mono - a music listening service) was added by adding a line to the whitelist by friend kDnZP
from the well-known site: {"use_channel":true,"allow_empty_post_data":true,"app_id":" 2a467dc6-045b-4a0c-9cc7-8d1f0fecaa90″,”url”:”QRhttps://www.vbukit.com”,”dial_enabled”:true} By the way, in this firmware you can choose where this list is stored, on the Team Eureka server or locally. You can store it on your computer and edit it. The 2 mentioned applications were added to the general list after testing their functionality. To add support for HK, it is necessary, in addition to the desire of the developer, to know the app_id of the application and address. You can also launch compatible videos from your computer via Fling 0.3.jar.
Similar devices
There are currently similar devices on the market, some of which offer more functionality.
ASUS Miracast Dongle offers dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, 1080p, FOTA. Allows you to duplicate the device screen on your TV. Declared compatibility with the following devices manufactured by ASUS only: Hidden text
ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7/ME173X ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10/ME302C ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 LTE/ME302KL Nexus 7 (2013)/ME571K/KL ASUS Transformer Pad/TF701T ASUS Fonepad 7/ME372CG ASUS MeMO Pad 10/ME102A ASUS MeMO Pad 8/ME180A ASUS MeMO Pad 7 3G/ME175X ASUS Fonepad Note6/ME560CG ASUS The new Padfone Infinity
NETGEAR Push2TV Wireless Display HDMI Adapter with Miracast is similar to the previous one, but is certified exclusively for Kindle Fire HDX.
Tronsmart T1000 supports Miracast, DLNA, Airplay, and has an external antenna. Works with Android phones/tablets, Apple iOS iPhone/iPad (limited), Windows PC/Note, Mac; PC/Notebook. Can be connected to a projector. Supported data formats: Video: avi, .divx, .mkv, .ts, .dat, .vob, .mpg, .mpeg, .mov, .mp4, .rm, .rmvb, .wmv, etc. Audio:MP1/MP2,/MP3， WMA, OGG, ADPCM-WAV, PCM-WAV, AAC, etc. Pictures: JPEG, BMP, PNG, etc. Documents: Adobe PDF, MS Word, Ms Excel, Ms Powerpoint, etc. Compatible devices from the link above. Video review.
ezCast duplicates HC in form. Cross-platform. Similar to the previous one, it allows you to transfer documents, videos, pictures, and duplicate the screen to a TV, for example for games. Video review.
Belkin Miracast Video Adapter is not similar to the previous ones. The list of supported devices is here.
The main difference between Chromecast and devices using Miracast technology is compatibility. Requires 2 compatible devices to work. The work is based on Wi-Fi Direct and Miracast support is available on a limited number of relatively new phones/tablets. The last one from Belkin’s list, for example, does not work with the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. The Nexus 5 has support and you can launch the image on a compatible TV from the screen settings/wireless monitor. Chromecast will work with any Android 2.3 and higher (as well as iOS® 6+, Windows® 7+, Mac OS® 10.7+, Chrome OS)
Well, you can find many devices that are similar in functionality (and not so similar) by googling Android stick.
Conclusion
Google announced the start of Chromecast sales outside the United States.
Russia most likely will not be included in the list of countries, because... We do not currently have a “devices” section on Google Play. Services are constantly evolving, and more and more applications are appearing that are officially supported by Google. Personally, I ordered one more HK for myself and 2 as a gift. The project from Team Eureka is developing, the guys listen to wishes and add new functionality to their firmware. They promise to download their wallpapers through the panel and much more interesting things. One of the requests to developers is to attach to the web panel the ability to confirm login to the Wi-Fi network. Then another application will appear - use in public places, where to start working on the Internet you need to press a button in the phone/tablet browser. Well, in hotel chains for those who often travel on business and want to watch videos from the device on TV. By the way, Koush wrote the Mirror application, with which you can stream/cast an image to your computer. You just need to enter IP:port in the browser. If the topic is of interest, I will add/translate a large FAQ from XDA on the device, add a video with sound, and add instructions for the firmware. All this is on XDA and Youtube, and if there is a need, it will be here with translation.
(all corrections to the original text are marked with strikethrough and italics
)
UPD1:
Eureka ROM topic on XDA with instructions for firmware.
Large FAQ on XDA on Chromecast capabilities. Added about Cheapcast Added Kinopoisk plugins for Plex Media Server (thanks to Nerten) UPD2:
Added description of Vbukit Added similar devices from comments Added links to programs
UPD3:
At the moment (01/31/2014) the current version of the official firmware is 15250. Noticeable changes:
Hidden text
Removal of v2mirrioring binary Updated eureka_shell that prevents custom whitelisting Addition of mdnsd service Build version moved up to 1.4 New Kernel Loading Image (Now says Chromecast... instead of Loading Chromecast...) Updated WiFi Drivers Added bootloader boot/error images New Image Signing keys?!
In this article, ValdikSS examines the principle of operation. By the way, after updating the HK, you can run video from the browser, even if the computer is not connected via Wi-Fi, but there is a wire to the router. After updating aVia, you can stream video directly to HK. Let me remind you that before the video was first downloaded to the smart phone, then went to the HC, and therefore the channel capacity dropped by half. Now aVia works similarly to YouTube, that is, it throws a link and after that the phone can be turned off altogether if control is not needed. It is very comfortable to watch videos from online cinemas and ShowBox.
From the latest news:
The EvaVision developers promised to look into why aVia is not displayed in available players.
There is an application TicTacToe for Chromecast that allows you to connect 2 devices to play tic-tac-toe on your TV. Moreover, one of the devices or both can be an iPhone or an iPad.
Playboy plans to release its HC app with adult content. They are waiting for approval from Google.
The extension for Chrome allows you to watch videos with subtitles (including offline).
Synology will soon add XC support to DiskStation Manager 5.0Beta
HC support now available in BeyondPod podcast manager
Dell has released Wyse Cloud Connect, a $129 dongle that was previously codenamed Project Ophelia. Official page.
UPD4:
For lovers of good sound, you can plug the HK into the HDMI Audio Extractor and boost the sound up to 7.1
UPD5:
The “Google Cast Software Development Kit” (Chromecast SDK) has been announced, and Google Play Services is being simultaneously updated to version 4.2, which means that device owners will soon see a significant increase in applications that support HC. Any developer will be able to add XC support to their application. Well, a picture for the topic of the day, Koush himself is going crazy and promises to update AllCast soon
Hidden text
Overview of features:
Continuation of the article, discussion of the SDK and new interesting opportunities that the release opens - in the next article.
