Alticast HDMI Stick Shown Running Cox UI and Android

Alticast HDMI Media Express Stick with Cox guide and apps

HDMI streaming sticks are everywhere now, but a new one powered by Alticast, and shown for the first time at CES, comes with an interesting twist. The HDMI Media Express Stick includes both the Reference Design Kit (RDK) software bundle developed by Comcast (and now jointly managed with Time Warner), and Android support. That means it can be used as a set-top alternative by cable companies while also including access to Android apps.

Alticast CTO John Carlucci ran through a demo that showed multiple cable UIs running on the streaming stick. One was Korean (Alticast is headquartered in Korea), but one was the Cox Trio guide.

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Chromecast Screen Mirroring vs. Miracast

Fellow tech enthusiast and DC neighbor Joel Ward continues his role as a ZNF contributor. Beyond Zatz Not Funny, Joel can be found at Joel Explains It All and @joelsef on Twitter.

When the Google Chromecast came out over the summer, one of the first things many of us wanted to use it for was phone, laptop, and tablet screen mirroring. Basically, something like Miracast (or WiDi). Alas, I was under the impression that Google’s initial implementation only allowed for mirroring of tabs in the Google Chrome browser…on a computer, not a tablet or phone. Of course there’s the baked in support for Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora and a handful of other apps beyond the Chrome tab mirroring, but I wasn’t aware of official full screen sharing.

chromecast-screensharing

As it turns out, Google includes an experimental feature that allows full screen mirroring — only on desktop operating systems, via a Chrome browser plugin, and currently without audio. We can assume this experimental feature will eventually become an official feature, and hopefully include full audio, better performance, and Android support.

We have been playing with the Chromecast ($35) screen mirroring and comparing it to Miracast, and it seems to work in a very similar way, though with some differences.

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Apps Up Next for Chromecast

Google Chromecast apps

Google announced a slate of new apps for Chromecast last week, but as most were less than compelling, it’s time to speculate on what else might be in the pipeline. According to Janko Roettgers over at GigaOM, Google plans to launch further “waves of Chromecast apps” in the near future. Here are a few guesses as to what they’ll be.

Mari’s Purely Speculative Chromecast App List

First up, Aereo! The little streaming-start-up-that-could is reportedly making a profit in some markets, and CEO Chet Kanojia has said publicly that Chromecast support is on the way. Given the limited reach of Aereo, Chromecast integration isn’t likely to be on anyone’s make-or-break list. But with Aereo already available on Roku and Apple TV (via Airplay), Google’s streaming stick would be a natural platform extension.

Second app: Time Warner Cable.

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Chromecast Update Arrives, Vevo & Plex Streaming In Tow

Chromcast update 14651 has arrived. And, with it, a refreshed TV home screen that does away with the WiFi signal strength meter. Under the hood, we find the requisite bug fixes plus an enhanced SDK to support new curated partners and their apps. Of the 10 new streaming partners, you need only concern yourself with … Read more