Google Chromecast

I have been itching to get my hands on a Chromecast since they were announced by Google many moons ago. Soon after the device became available in the US (why must everything Google come to just the US first?! We are a great test bed for Technology!) and most jealous was I.

Not so much about having a "gadget" to tinker around with; but rather to have something that might simplify my life, in terms of my enjoyment of films and TV. Currently (as far as film is concerned) I like to get the latest films released, and watch with my family on a "film night". After one outing with the DVD (sometimes Bluray) the DVD is promptly ripped and encoded so that I can transfer the film to a media player so the disk doesn't get scratched by careless hands. It also means that all my films are available to watch any time.

This is a real pain, sometimes my ripper of choice (DVD Shrink) fails and I have to resort to using my back-up ripper, DVD Fab. To be fair DVD Fab is very good, but I like the simplicity and control of Shrink. After this I set my aging PC to encode the film using Handbrake (very simple to use, and create presets that work well with my equipment). In the past this has not worked quite right and films end up with just stereo audio rather than 5.1 for example.

The job will be done after maybe 3 hours, after which I copy this to the player to watch.

I suppose a NAS might have been the answer, but I still need to go through the hassle of ripping and encoding, and compatibility has always been an issue. There is, of course, the cost of this equipment as well. Playback on my PS3 is generally very good; the XBox less so. I use Plex which works well as a media server but unfortunately there is no client for either of these platforms so DLNA is the only route, and this is often unsuccessful.

Plex on Android is excellent and I hope this will eventually be available for the Chromecast to stream. It would also be great if a streaming service that supported Ultraviolet would become available also.

Anyway, I managed to get a Chromecast eventually from Zavvi. Plugged it in, it connected to the network, then updated the software. Then it was ready to go - it was that simple.

Now, instead of buying DVDs I plan to purchase from the Play store. The only slight feeling of uneasiness is the fact that I do not any longer possess a physical copy of the film I have bought, or any means to permanently download it to play elsewhere. Maybe this will come in time? It would be great if the Movies/TV section worked liked the Music area, and allowed the user to upload all their stuff and then stream everything they own without the hassle of ripping/etc, though I'm not sure how if this would ever be able to be licenced. But if I could just burn a DVD of my purchase, that would be good, just to make me feel better even if it just sits in a cupboard gathering dust!

So in conclusion, if you want a cheap streaming device then look no further than the Chromecast. I haven't mentioned the streaming from Music and YouTube which is flawless; and I'm sure the device has a bright future with support from a whole host of other apps.