Chromecast et al

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Ariègeoise
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Chromecast et al

Post by Ariègeoise »

There seem to be some very knowledgeable geeks on here :lol: so can I ask a possibly silly question?

I keep seeing Chromecast advertised on French TV, but I'm struggling to see how it would do more than I can do by plugging my laptop into the HDMI port on my TV.

Thinking about our new house in Villelongue dels Monts, is it worth me looking at a Chromecast or similar dongle rather than get an aerial installed with all the wiring issues, or not? Not looking for UK TV as I haven't seen it for years, but I do like to watch French TV from time to time (yes, I know, I'm weird).
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blackduff
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Post by blackduff »

If you're planning to get internet into your new house, it will probably include French television into the packages for Orange, Free.fr, SFR, etc.. Unless your new house is outback of beyond, you should have the TV included.

Check the internet company you plan to sign and make sure you'll have TV included.

If you're building a new house, the wiring for the TV will have a few sockets which only need a "rato" to install.

If you're using your ipad to watch British television is a waste of money. Get a G-Box or similar and pop this under the TV. Look through the various threads about what members are using. Remember, the internet can be seen in English as well as French, Italian, German, Swedish and many other languages. Don't limit your horizon with French and English.

And enjoy Les Alberes.

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Allan
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Re: Chromecast et al

Post by Allan »

Ariègeoise wrote:There seem to be some very knowledgeable geeks on here :lol: so can I ask a possibly silly question?

I keep seeing Chromecast advertised on French TV, but I'm struggling to see how it would do more than I can do by plugging my laptop into the HDMI port on my TV.
The answer is not a lot, but then many people prefer not to have wires trailing around.

There are some services which can be initiated on a PC and then continued independently on a Chromecast but currently not many exist in France.

If you just want to watch french TV then their are many easier ways of doing it.
Ariègeoise
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Post by Ariègeoise »

That's what I thought, Allan.

It's good to know that I'm not as daft as I think I'm not.
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Sue
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Post by Sue »

We have bought a Chromecast today. Providing you have wifi and your tv has an HDMI point Chromecast allows you to view You Tube, Netflix, Filmon etc without cables connecting laptop to the tv and you can change channels make the picture bigger or smaller via your laptop from where you are sitting. Also works with iphones, ipads and android phones. It works fine in the sitting room where it is not far from the livebox but not well further away in the bedroom. It needs some sort of booster.
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opas
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Post by opas »

:cry:
I am so confused by technology!

So where do I buy chromecast and will it work with a tablet, tv has HDMI but tablet doesn't

I am sick of wires, tethering , buffering that I have almost given up using the tv and watch what I want on a tablet.
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Sue
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Post by Sue »

We got ours in Boulanger but I imagine any electrical store would have them.
Quite honestly I think for 24€ more an android stick from Intermarche works better. If you download the filmon app from Google rather than just streaming it from your search engine there is little or no buffering and best of all no ads. Chromecast and the Android stick plug into the HDMI one end and electric socket the other. Either way no wires from laptop. Tablet should work fine on either.
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Post by Allan »

Sue wrote:We have bought a Chromecast today. Providing you have wifi and your tv has an HDMI point Chromecast allows you to view You Tube, Netflix, Filmon etc without cables connecting laptop to the tv and you can change channels make the picture bigger or smaller via your laptop from where you are sitting. Also works with iphones, ipads and android phones. It works fine in the sitting room where it is not far from the livebox but not well further away in the bedroom. It needs some sort of booster.
Sue, I think you are a bit over enthusiastic about the Chromecast. In the context of watching UK TV, it's main use is to permit you to view a video stream shown in a tab of the chrome browser running on a limited number of devices. Currently you cannot do this from a tablet or mobile phone.

The Chromecast has other uses but to watch UK video streams it needs to be connected to a VPN or smartDNS enabled router.

I agree that an Android TV device would be a better option. Android TV boxes generally perform better than sticks as they are usually more powerful and have better wifi.

If your device is set up properly then buffering is more a product of internet connectivity so a device that works well in one location may not work well elsewhere.
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Sue
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Post by Sue »

I can do it from my mobile phone.
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Post by Allan »

Sue wrote:I can do it from my mobile phone.
What? Can you do from your phone?
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opas
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Post by opas »

I have just set up chromcast, must have been made for me, so simple.
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Sue
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Post by Sue »

Does it work for Film on. Mine just freezes and so does a friends.
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opas
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Post by opas »

I will let you know, I set it up , marveled at the ability to fick from channel to channel and went to work.
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opas
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Post by opas »

The hour and a half we have had the tv on, it seems that the buffering depends on where the android device is placed.
I had perfect viewing ,then moved the tablet to charge, the buffering started. ,moved to a different plug socket and all is ok.
Various channels will be watched between now and 11 pm, will report back tomorrow.
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Post by opas »

So far I am very impressed, occasional buffering,but only momentarily,
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Post by Sue »

I will have to give it another go.
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