• thezeesystem@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Me - Ok Google, give me a open source way to turn my raspberry pi into a 4k streaming box.

    Google - Got it. Playing Tyler Swift on living room tv

    Me - wtf?

    • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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      1 month ago

      KDE Plasma Big screen looks promising. Combine it with TV friendly apps like Jellyfin and plasma tube, and it should be pretty competitive and actually receive updates.

      • Jeena@piefed.jeena.net
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        1 month ago

        Thanks for mentioning KDE Plasma Big Screen it’s an interesting attempt. It’s written in Qt, like many of the TV UIs today anyway. I need to check it out.

        • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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          1 month ago

          Yeah, I’m thinking of trying it out once my fan less N100 box arrives from china. Should have much better AV1 performance and subtitle rendering performance than my Google TV.

          I had a “fun” experience the other month with my Google TV where it was refusing to connect to my Jellyfin server. Turns out Google hasn’t updated the HTTPS CAs in over 2 years, and it was no longer compatible with the latest Let’s Encrypt X2 certificates which was announced back in 2020. Android TV has some good apps, but it is a software, ads, and security nightmare.

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      HardKernel makesa a few ODROID models that come with available Android TV builds. Some have the same chipset as the AMLogic on the CCwGTV 4K and they aren’t terribly expensive. If I wanted an open source Chromecast replacement I’d go for that.

  • variants@possumpat.io
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    1 month ago

    Damm I’ve used these to stream my security cameras to portable monitors around the house. I hope they keep working

  • Crampon@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Switched to apple TV already. Googles lame ad infused cheap plastic remote did the trick on me. They have to pay ME if they want a Youtube and Netflix ad laying on my table at home.

      • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Won’t Chromecast still exist as a service? Just because they aren’t making the dongle doesn’t mean all the Chromecast enabled devices are just going to stop working or even being made. Just about every display that’s made has Chromecast built in now.

        • Natanael@slrpnk.net
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          1 month ago

          The casting protocol? Yes. Those devices? No. They’re moving to Android TV devices with different branding

    • MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Eh, not really. This product had a full run, will continue to work and the features are all still available in their newer products. Killed by Google usually implies they have a service that just ceases to exist.

  • exanime@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    This is why I’d never invest in anything Google.

    It’s already rolling the dice to see if they enshitify things fast enough to ruin it for me, but now you know they will just kill whatever you have been using on a whim

    • ours@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I’ll stick to my Nvida Shield thank you very much. They are slow as hell with updates but when they do they even update the old 2017 devices.

    • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Isn’t Chromecast built into most devices now? Why would someone need a dongle to do what the TV can do natively? Otherwise something like an Nvidia Shield is a better option anyway.

      • abcdqfr@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Because some smart TVs will up and brick themselves by irreparably filling their storage with various updates to the point of no longer being able to install or even update anything on the TV whatsoever THANK YOU Samsung)

      • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 month ago

        Old, dumb or smart TVs without a connection to the internet but still want to either vast to or browse on.

        I use mine to avoid using the Samsung UI which I also piholed the hell out of for Samsung ad services…

      • IdleSheep@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 month ago

        No? Some of the most popular TV brands like LG and Samsung don’t. And if your TV doesn’t have Android, buying a Chromecast is a super cheap way to get it.

        I have an amazing 4k oled TV but it doesn’t have android so I still had to buy a Chromecast for it because otherwise I had no way to watch TV.

  • _pete_@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I feel the original Chromecast was probably the last truly great original Google product, it was simple, it was inexpensive and it worked - you just plugged it in, joined your network and you were off, there really wasn’t anything like it at the time.

    I really hate what they’ve become.

      • _pete_@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I feels like they either badly copy (see Gemini) or don’t think about what they’re offering (see Stadia’s busted business model) they’re content to milk the existing services they’ve already got and make them worse by cramming in more ads (see YouTube, Google’s search result pages) and they cut out or dictate the web through their monopolies (see AMP and Chrome) rather than working with other parties to make good products.

        They feel like Hooli in Silicon Valley, basically the definition of a fat tech giant who doesn’t do any innovation of their own.

        • ealoe@ani.social
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          1 month ago

          Badly copy (see Gemini)

          Tf are you smoking dude, Google has been working on AI long before ChatGPT was a twinkle in Sam Altman’s eye. They didn’t release any public models because they wanted to go about it safely and not just dump the world’s best misinformation creator on the open market for anyone to use with little safeguards. All that went out the window when ChatGPT got all the press and google decided they wanted a piece of the hype, but pretending they “didn’t do any innovation of their own” in regards to AI is ludicrous. They have been at the forefront of AI development for the last decade, and the fact you think otherwise shows your only knowledge about AI is from after ChatGPT headlines started coming out.

      • CameronDev@programming.dev
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        1 month ago

        Chromecast with Google TV made the “simple” casting worse for some apps like Netflix. Instead of it casting directly, it would spawn the Netflix app and make you use the remote to reselect the show you wanted to see.

        • jpeps@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Yeah I got one of the newer ones after having a ton of the earlier models and I was disgusted by that change. Instantly returned it and bought one of the discontinued Ultras for 4K.

        • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          Also they made it reliant on the Google Home app, which makes it really hard to change WiFi networks. It’s a pain in the ass if you have multiple WiFi networks setup at your house.

          • CameronDev@programming.dev
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            1 month ago

            Remind me, what app did it use before? I have had Chromecast since gen 1, can’t remember any other app, but that’s probably my memory failing.

            • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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              1 month ago

              Honestly I don’t remember. I had a gen 1 Chromecast as well and I think it was just a Chromecast app. Now it’s all integrated with Google Home.

              Edit: I tried googling it and under the Wikipedia page description it showed the following. But what’s funny is if you go to the Wikipedia page, that text is no longer there.

              Originally called simply “Chromecast”, the app was released concurrently with the original Chromecast video model …

            • CameronDev@programming.dev
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              1 month ago

              I take my Chromecast on holiday, you basically have to factory reset it every time to change network. But my recollection is that you’ve always had to do that.

              • FrederikNJS@lemm.ee
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                1 month ago

                That makes perfect sense, and switching is definitely annoying then… But the person I responded to said they had multiple WiFi networks at home… E.g. Not on holiday

              • tjhart85@programming.dev
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                1 month ago

                My solution: get a travel router and have it broadcast the same SSID (and use the same password) as you use at home.

                All your devices should successfully connect to it and you don’t need to factory reset them.

                Many of them have the ability to navigate through a captive portal too (since I got mine all the hotels I’ve gone to have just needed a password, so i haven’t needed to test that).

            • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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              1 month ago

              I personally have a Comcast router/modem with its own network. I have a network switch that I plug into the router that I use for hard coded stuff. Mostly my PC and a couple other things that I want to run fast instead of convenient. Then I have a WiFi mesh network that I run for most of my other devices, including my phone.

              So for my Chromecast, if I want to stream from my phone on the mesh network, I have it on one network. But if I want to stream from my PC, I have it on another network. While with most devices, changing the network you’re connected to is simple, it’s a massive pain in the ass with a Chromecast.

              • FrederikNJS@lemm.ee
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                1 month ago

                So as far as I understand, you have

                • Outer router (Comcast), which has WiFi enabled
                • Inner router (your own), which has WiFi enabled, and further meshes with other WiFi mesh devices (or is the mesh separate?)
                • A plain switch, for stuff you want cabled and fast

                Is that correct?

                Why not get the WiFi in the Comcast router disabled, and use your inner network exclusively, such that both WiFi and ethernet devices are on the same network?

                That’s what I did with my network, and I even got the ISP to put their modem/router into bridge mode, so it’s completely transparent.

                • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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                  1 month ago

                  I could, but I like having the router network as an option to connect to. I know the point of a mesh network is to improve WiFi connectivity overall, but every once in a while it will get a bit laggy when streaming a video. Probably because I’ve got like 90 some devices connected to it. I like having the option to switch my phone to the router network and go upstream of all the other stuff.

            • foggenbooty@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              I have a trusted network, an IoT network (where the CC would go), and a guest network.

              I know most people aren’t going to have the time or knowledge set up network segmentation, but it’s still good practice.

    • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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      1 month ago

      What’s funny is that was actually the start of them becoming who they are now. There’s a litany of evidence they stole the Chromecast technology

      • Natanael@slrpnk.net
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        1 month ago

        The remote playback control over network patents? I can’t see why those patents should be valid, everything there has prior art done in the 80’s

        What I’m more pissed about is how Google killed Miracast (it’s technically still around but Google removed it from default Android and OEMs have to choose to enable it) and how they fought against 3rd party implementations to keep the Chromecast protocol closed.

        I see there’s ongoing work for a Matter based standard for casting, I really hope that ends up getting broad support. We need something better than DLNA (and Miracast is technically DLNA over WiFi Direct). We need an open casting standard supporting Chromecast-like remote interactive content (the device is essentially a remote controlled web browser)

  • Wrench@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    It didn’t have planned obsolescence in it. People bought the 3 devices they needed for their house, and have been coasting off them for a decade. Maybe with the occasional refresh for 4k or a worn out USB port or whatever.

    Just corporate greed on display here. People stopped buying them because the product was simple and did what it was supposed to for a long time. Gotta enshitify it so we see those $$$ roll in again.

    Edit - they also probably thought it would be a revenue stream for buying videos through Google or get their cut from some android app, but people instead watched their media from sources outside their pay umbrella

    • WarlordSdocy@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Yeah I’ve had the same Chromecast since close to when they first came out. Haven’t had any problems outside of apps not supporting it very well sometimes, which isnt really a problem with the device itself. Still works perfectly even with pretty constant use as I use it for having videos on while I fall asleep.

  • Anonymousllama@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’ve never even seen this thing? All the Chromecast I’ve seen over the last 4-5 years have been in-built modules in Android TVs.

  • jpeps@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Uggggggghhhhhh another one for the pile. I love Chromecasts but to be fair the latest one with Google TV was a sign that things were getting shitty soon. 22% more CPU for a YouTube machine? Who cares? A home hub that needs my TV to work? Who cares? It’s like the tech industry regrets putting everything on your phone and now they want to separate it out again. Fuck off.

    • blackbirdbiryani@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Idk about you but I have a newish chromecast with google tv and it’s laggy af. So it’ll be good to have something with better specs.

    • pufferfisherpowder@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      The one with Google tv is an excellent ship for sailing the Black Sea. Get yourself a vpn, streamio, and realdebrid, and you’re set. Not that I would know

  • WarlordSdocy@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Don’t know anything about newer Chromecast but I really love my older one. Its just a dumb stick with no apps built in that I can cast stuff from my phone to. The only recent annoying thing with it is that the YouTube app changed the behaviour when you’re connected, so now instead of tapping on a video to bring up a menu asking whether to play it now or add it to the queue it now just defaults playing it now when you tap on it. Makes setting up a queue of videos really annoying now cause you have to tap on the three dots to add it to the queue now.