More than a year after release, Google appears poised to refresh Chromecast (in addition to cranking away on the new Android TV platform). As to what’s improved, FCC filing details are scarce due to the typical 180 confidentiality request. Having said that, we anticipate this is a minor hardware revision given the incoming device sports the same model number as my original streaming+mirroring stick (tho the FCC ID increments from -42 to -2A) – perhaps representing a swapping of internal components for cost savings and/or performance gains.
While I rarely use my Chromecast, it’s priceless when the need arises. And, after another trip that fell mid-series Netflix binge, I sure wish all hotel televisions sported pre-configured Chromecast dongles.
Surprised that no one has cracked the code to get these dongles or boxes to work in hotels. Huge travel market out there for the taking!
I guess there’s multiple ways to crack this nut… My wife was looking at several European hotels and some had iMacs as televisions. Wonder what sort of online options would be available? Maybe I’ll find out in a month or three.
Maybe dual band wireless?
We have 3 that we use with plex every day. Sold our apple TVs and have not looked bac . Now that backdrop is here, the Chromecast now a fairly complete solution for our media consumption needs. We use a Mac mini as a Plex endpoint for streaming high bitrate content to the “big” TV.
Whoa. Does that schematic mean the FCC has to approve font choices?
I can certainly understand a concern for a minimum standard of legibility, but if true, it seem bizarrely over-specific.
@Dave – Do you mean the issue of the Chromecast having to be on the same network as the device that wants to cast to it? Cause that issue is supposed to be addressed in a future update either with ultrasoinc or code pairing. http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/27/chromecast-ultrasonic-pairing/
Still can’t use wired ethernet, still useless to me. Apple Tv and Roku’s still rule.
speaking of working in hotels, something I hadn’t noticed at first (it may not have been there at launch) the Xbox One actually lets you change its MAC address at will. Probably built in there for college campuses more than hotels, but it’s useful when traveling and would’ve saved me time if I had known it was there on my last trip.
Darnit!! And I just picked up my first Chromecast this past week. It has worked very well on my WiFi network.
I just went ahead and got two more Chromecasts while they are still around $28. I only had the first one a few days and I already had several instances where they came in handy. So I figured I might as well get some more since they seem to be a nice option to use when the need arises.
There’s an even easier way to use it in your hotel room — stream to it via the Wifi Hotspot on ur Phone. http://goo.gl/JKLpjJ
The only drawback? You have to have a third device handy in order to configure the setup (like a laptop or a tablet) but whenever I’m away from the crib I usually happen to have one….