Posts for 'Chromecast'

I've been happily using my Chromecast both at home and on the road for 3 weeks now. Chromecast is not quite perfect, but it's an exemplary first version and no doubt destined to get even better. I think there are at least 6 things Google really got right with the device, as follows:

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I'm pleased to present the 189th edition of the VideoNuze weekly podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. This week we debate whether Google's new $35 Chromecast media streamer is a game-changer or not. I'm in the former category and Colin is in the latter. The caveat to my enthusiasm is that I haven't used Chromecast yet so I'm going by the Google demo and description.

As I wrote yesterday, I really like how Chromecast integrates the TV with mobile devices - something that Smart TVs hadn't achieved, but which many consumers yearn for. For many video content providers outside the pay-TV ecosystem, Chromecast offers, at last, a clear path into the living room, with increased advertising and subscription potential. If the Chromecast SDK is straightforward, I'm betting many content providers / app developers will quickly integrate it. Even with currently limited content, Chromecast sales are apparently very strong.

On the other hand, Colin is more cautious. He sees Chromecast as more of a transitional product. Colin likes how it helps the Google/YouTube ecosystem in offering an easy TV viewing solution, but doesn't see other content providers being as motivated, given other device priorities. Colin highlights the key question of how broadcasters will react to Chromecast - will they try to block its access to their online TV programs as they did with Google TV? If this is possible and they succeed, it would diminish Chromecast's value proposition.

It's a very robust debate, with no clear answers just yet. But one thing is for sure: Google has clearly stirred up the connected TV space with Chromecast. Listen in to learn more!

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By now, you've no doubt heard and/or read something about Google's clever new Chromecast HDMI device, a $35 media streamer introduced yesterday (Google's intro/demo video embedded below). Chromecast has a lot going for it, and could well become Google's first big hit product in the living room. If it does, there will be at least one significant consequence: instead of TVs continuing to become "Smart TVs," they are going to become dumb yet again. This would be a huge blow to TV manufacturers who have labored to convince consumers to spend extra to derive the benefits a Smart TV offers.

I don't think Google set out to kill Smart TVs with Chromecast, but I have no doubt the team recognized some of the serious shortcomings of today's Smart TVs and sought to capitalize on them. At the top of the list of Smart TVs' limitations are lack of integration with other devices, narrow content offerings and inability to entice developers.

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