School me on Chromcast

**gatorboy** · 12-01-2015, 01:49 PM

What can it do....and can't?

Can I give up cable tv?
I like to watch sports...and the wife likes to watch "dancing on ice with the real housewives of Ellen"

**mcsquared** · 12-01-2015, 02:00 PM

There are a bunch of apps that are compatible with chromecast. Netflix, HBOGo, Showtime etc. You have to have a subscription to these services to use them (or know somebodies comcast login). You basically use your phone as a remote and kind of "shoot" programs from your phone onto the TV. Amazon Fire Stick is a similar product that can play all the Amazon Prime shows and movies. Sports is probably where they fall short. ESPN3 works on Chromecast but live sports aren' t happening.

**bagtagley** · 12-01-2015, 02:03 PM

Sling TV will get you live TV, including some sports. They're giving away a free Chromecast with 3 months service. I don't have Sling, but a buddy does and likes it.

We mostly use it to play music and movies/shows on Netflix, Youtube, Google Play, etc. Well worth the price, IMO. We still have cable, but only because we still have a home phone, and the three way bundles are cheaper than just phone and internet. We almost never watch regular TV, though. If I'm watching a cable show or movie, it's through the XFinity app on my tablet.

**LightRanger** · 12-01-2015, 02:06 PM

Your ability to enjoy sports while cable cutting depends heavily on your home's reception of standard broadcast signals. We're on the wrong side of hills, so we haven't done it--even though I really want to. Good antennae on Amazon for cheap.

Check here:
http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

**riser4** · 12-01-2015, 03:33 PM

Sling is tempting. Alas, no local TV (the "big" four) and no SyFy. Otherwise, I'm in. Lack of local reception is the major driver for cable here. However, this might be an affordable way to get some shit I want for less than Comcast if I pair it with a basic cable package.

**MontuckyFried** · 12-02-2015, 07:21 AM

I'm a HUGE fan of the Chromecasts, but if you're a sports fan, then it's tough to beat the DirecTV sports packages. Obviously goes against your goal of cutting the cord, but it's still (unfortunately) the best and easiest way to catch all the games. I've streamed ESPN and other channels before for live feeds, but it can sometimes be a pain, sometimes deciding not to work at the worst possible times. Always a crapshoot.

As for me however, I'm not huge into watching sports, so it was easy for me to cut the cord and save a bloody fortune every year. It all just depends on your priorities. If you can do away with live tv, the Chromecast works extremely well and is dirt cheap to boot!

**RootSkier** · 12-02-2015, 01:45 PM

Chromecast can't do shit that your computer/tablet/phone can't do on its own, except play that same shit on a TV.

There, that was simple.

**RShea** · 12-02-2015, 01:59 PM

Chromecast is a cheap way to make a non-smart TV a smart TV without having a computer, tablet, phone, or one of the specialty boxes like Roku etc. attached to it.

**Tuckerman** · 12-02-2015, 02:15 PM

Kodi

**Danno** · 12-02-2015, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by RShea

Chromecast is a cheap way to make a non-smart TV a smart TV without having a computer, tablet, phone, or one of the specialty boxes like Roku etc. attached to it.

well, you do need a device to control the chromecast, and an HDMI port on the TV. It's not really all that different than a Roku.

**jamesp** · 12-02-2015, 03:07 PM

you can control Chromecast from a phone, so the device doesn't need to stay attached to the TV.

**Tuckerman** · 12-02-2015, 03:11 PM

If you go the Kodi route you will need the sportdevil add-on to get live sports.

**2FUNKY** · 12-02-2015, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by jamesp

you can control Chromecast from a phone, so the device doesn't need to stay attached to the TV.

Say what? So then how does the media get broadcast onto the tv? Via the hdmi dongle from the device. The phone/tablet does control Chromecast via an app and then shoots the info to the device which then broadcasts it to the tv via the hdmi. So the device does need to be connected to the tv's hdmi port.

**davieboot** · 12-02-2015, 05:04 PM

You can still watch some sports. I have the MLB app and can watch every baseball game, with either the home or away broadcast. EXCEPT, I can't watch local games. Dumb.

**jamesp** · 12-02-2015, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by 2FUNKY

Say what? So then how does the media get broadcast onto the tv? Via the hdmi dongle from the device. The phone/tablet does control Chromecast via an app and then shoots the info to the device which then broadcasts it to the tv via the hdmi. So the device does need to be connected to the tv's hdmi port.

do you know how they work?

Yes the Chromecast device stays on the TV, but you can stream/via anything in Chrome on a smartphone & display it on the TV via Chromecast, I meant you smartphone device doesn't need to stay attached to the TV.

I thought rshea/danno was saying a tablet or computer needed to stay connected to the TV to use Roku? Maybe I mis-understood, I don't know about roku's.

In any case I got a chromecast recently. Works great, slick, easy to use, recommended. I can either stream from my laptop or phone depending what is easier at the time.

**PNWbrit** · 12-02-2015, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by jamesp

I thought rshea/danno was saying a tablet or computer needed to stay connected to the TV to use Roku? Maybe I mis-understood, I don't know about roku's.

No they don't.

**2FUNKY** · 12-02-2015, 05:27 PM

Yes I do, exactly as I stated above. You made it sound like the device didn't need to stay connected to the tv.

**Tippster** · 12-02-2015, 10:50 PM

I have both - Chromecast and Roku (on 2 different TVs.) Here's the DL:

Chromecast needs a phone or laptop to tell it what to look at. Some streaming services, like Youtube, Netflix, and yes even Pornhub, it will pull directly from the web vi its WiFi connection. These services will stream at 1080p if you have the bandwidth.

However, there are plenty of services that will not stream directly to your chromecast, most notably Amazon Prime. For those you have to play them on your phone or laptop and stream the browser window to your TV. That signal is pretty crappy (mainly because it eats a shitload of your router capacity) and maxes out at 720p. It will likely artifact like hell too, especially if you have other clients, like your phone(s), tablet, etc. connected your wifi.

Roku has a shitload of apps that it uses to stream directly to the unit itself - no different than the apps on your phone or tablet. Not all apps are available but I have yet to see one that they didn't have vs. Chromecast besides casting the Chrome browser window. No outside computer is needed - just turn on the TV and use the Roku remote. We use it for Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime. All look great. I've barely scratched the surface apps-wise with the Roku so don't know what other services you can get. I know SlingTV is one but I have cable so fuck that.

Oh, our Roku3 also has a USB port and will play Movies from a memory stick. I've ripped or torrented our collection and will just bump whatever we want to watch to a thumb drive. That works really well.

**Lindahl** · 12-03-2015, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by Tippster

Oh, our Roku3 also has a USB port and will play Movies from a memory stick. I've ripped or torrented our collection and will just bump whatever we want to watch to a thumb drive. That works really well.

Try Plex for streaming your movie collection. Its free. I love it.

**Tippster** · 12-03-2015, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Try Plex for streaming your movie collection. Its free. I love it.

Huh - will it do full 1080 and surround sound?

**PNWbrit** · 12-03-2015, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Tippster

Huh - will it do full 1080 and surround sound?

Yep.

**bagtagley** · 12-03-2015, 09:44 AM

I actually prefer the Roku because it's more versatile and the remote means the kids aren't messing with my phone or tablet. Unfortunately, ours took a dump a few months ago after less than a year of use. It was given to us, so we didn't have purchase information for warranty. I'm hesitant to get another.

I can't imagine why we use these things, though. The entire family crowding to watch a laptop is so much better than the TV and stereo and personal space.

**Johnny Utah** · 12-03-2015, 09:50 AM

Chromecast is a pretty jenky product and is priced accordingly. Worth buying it to see for yourself, but you could put that $25 towards a roku that will be much less finicky.

**Tippster** · 12-03-2015, 09:50 AM

Sorry for causing thread-drift, but what are you guys using for a Plex server? I don't have a dedicatable desktop that has these specs:

Recommended Configuration — transcoding HD Content:
Intel Core 2 Duo processor 2.4 GHz or better
If transcoding for multiple devices, a faster CPU may be required
At least 2GB RAM
Windows: Vista SP2 or later
OS X: Snow Leopard 10.6.3 or later (64-bit)
Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS or SuSE Linux

Any suggestions? I really don't see spending $500+ just to avoid using a thumb drive.

**MontuckyFried** · 12-03-2015, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Tippster

Sorry for causing thread-drift, but what are you guys using for a Plex server? I don't have a dedicatable desktop that has these specs:

Truth is you can use Plex with far lower specs than that. However, that depends on what you're playing as it needs to transcode what you're "streaming." If you're just trying to stream some music or basic video files, then you'll have no problem. However their recommended specs probably have to do with using it more to its full potential. Like the specs you posted say, those are for "transcoding HD content," which does indeed require a bit more horsepower.

But then again, Tippster. Seriously. It's 2015 (almost 2016) and you don't have something with at least 2 gigs of ram, better than a Core 2 Duo, or Windows Vista/Snow Leopard 10.6.3? Those are pretty ancient specs, dude. Even my crappiest old HP laptop from 2007 that sits in a closet has better specs than that and runs Plex no problem. I thought you were a Mac guy? Certainly you have something that could run it without a hitch. Well, I suppose you should just try out their free version and see how well it does.