Over the weekend Dick Smith let slip that it will be selling Google's Chromecast streaming video stick as of May 28 for only $49, although the page was quickly taken offline. It certainly fits with rumours that the Chromecast is destined to hit Australian shores very soon, after expanding into Europe in March.
The Chromecast has already garnered plenty of attention, thanks to its low price tag and ease of use. Support for Netflix, HuluPlus and HBO GO are the big drawcards for US users, although none of these services are officially available in Australia.
Getting US-only services like Netflix to work on the Chromecast in Australia has been complicated because the first batch of Chromecasts – only intended for the US market – were locked to Google's DNS servers. This made it more difficult, but not impossible, for Australians who imported a Chromecast to bypass geoblocking restrictions on US services.
The DNS settings reportedly aren't hardwired on the Chromecast model on sale in Europe, so hopefully the same will apply to the official Australian model. Locking foreign Chromecasts to Google's DNS servers would seem impractical, especially if it disrupted the supply of unmetered content by some ISPs.
Of course there are plenty of other ways for Australians to watch streaming video services on their television. They're generally more expensive than the Chromecast, but in return you're not forced to rely on a smartphone, tablet or computer to act as the middle man.
The Chromecast doesn't have built-in apps or even come with a remote control, it's only an HDMI dongle for your television purely designed to stream content from your other devices. Sometimes your devices hands off the streaming task to the Chromecast, but you still needed the device to launch the video. If you don't like the sound of this then you might be better off with an Apple TV or internet-enabled Blu-ray player.
Even without US video services the Chromecast could make a handy addition to your lounge room. Android users might find it the easiest way to get movies and TV shows from the Google Play store to their televisions. Support for Plex Media Server is also a welcome addition, considering it's not found in many Australian streaming media players. The Chromecast also works with Google Play Music and Rdio, making it an interesting option if you own an HDMI-capable amplifier.
Local video services such as Quickflix and Bigpond are already preparing for the Chromecast's local arrival and several other Australian services are also eyeing it off. Of course there are plenty of other ways to watch Quickflix and Bigpond content on your television, so anyone who is keen on this has probably already put something in place in their lounge room.
After the early rush, the Chromecast is most likely to appeal to Android users secretly jealous of the tight AirPlay streaming between iGadgets and the Apple TV.
Is there room for a Chromecast in your lounge room? What would you do with it?
The Chromecast has already garnered plenty of attention, thanks to its low price tag and ease of use. Support for Netflix, HuluPlus and HBO GO are the big drawcards for US users, although none of these services are officially available in Australia.
Getting US-only services like Netflix to work on the Chromecast in Australia has been complicated because the first batch of Chromecasts – only intended for the US market – were locked to Google's DNS servers. This made it more difficult, but not impossible, for Australians who imported a Chromecast to bypass geoblocking restrictions on US services.
Of course there are plenty of other ways for Australians to watch streaming video services on their television. They're generally more expensive than the Chromecast, but in return you're not forced to rely on a smartphone, tablet or computer to act as the middle man.
The Chromecast doesn't have built-in apps or even come with a remote control, it's only an HDMI dongle for your television purely designed to stream content from your other devices. Sometimes your devices hands off the streaming task to the Chromecast, but you still needed the device to launch the video. If you don't like the sound of this then you might be better off with an Apple TV or internet-enabled Blu-ray player.
Even without US video services the Chromecast could make a handy addition to your lounge room. Android users might find it the easiest way to get movies and TV shows from the Google Play store to their televisions. Support for Plex Media Server is also a welcome addition, considering it's not found in many Australian streaming media players. The Chromecast also works with Google Play Music and Rdio, making it an interesting option if you own an HDMI-capable amplifier.
Local video services such as Quickflix and Bigpond are already preparing for the Chromecast's local arrival and several other Australian services are also eyeing it off. Of course there are plenty of other ways to watch Quickflix and Bigpond content on your television, so anyone who is keen on this has probably already put something in place in their lounge room.
After the early rush, the Chromecast is most likely to appeal to Android users secretly jealous of the tight AirPlay streaming between iGadgets and the Apple TV.
Is there room for a Chromecast in your lounge room? What would you do with it?
