Chromecast

Hotels are notorious for blocking guests' ability to connect their own devices to in-room TVs, and that includes streaming sticks and Google Chromecast devices. AT&T is helping change this alongside SONIFI Solutions' StayCast, allowing hotels with DirecTV service to order StayCast for their rooms. Hotels that take advantage of this will enable guests to cast content from their phone or tablet to their hotel room's television.

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TVs are getting smarter, either via an extra dongle like a Chromecast or through their own power. While Samsung, LG, Sony, and Sharp may be the household names when it comes to smart TVs, Vizio isn’t one that can be easily ignored. It’s practice of offering “bang for buck” premium features at affordable prices has put it in the sights of Chinese entertainment giant LeEco. Vizio definitely dodged the bullet there, but it served to highlight Vizio’s market potential.

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Those of you with a Gear VR will probably like to hear that Samsung and Oculus have brought Chromecast functionality to the VR headset today. With this new functionality, you'll be able to stream the content you see through Chromecast, for instance allowing you to broadcast what you're currently experiencing through your TV.

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Google Home is getting four new features, making the smart speaker's assistant more proactive and flexible, and throwing in free hands-free calling. Announced at Google I/O 2017 this morning, the company's annual developer event, the new functionality marks a significant upgrade on the connected speaker which is itself only six months old. It comes ahead of Apple's expected Siri speaker, which will embody the iPhone's virtual assistant in its own standalone device.

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This morning VIZIO revealed its 2017 collection of displays and audio products. In this collection were (and are) a wide array of new technologies and resolutions as well as both wired and wireless pieces of equipment. Both the VIZIO SmartCast P-Series Ultra HD HDR XLED Pro and M-Series Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus Display collections have been revealed alongside the VIZIO SmartCast Crave Go Multi-Room Wireless Speaker and a set of sound-bars for HDTVs.

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While still an underdog in the streaming music market, SoundCloud is still pushing ahead with new updates and features. Or, in the case of their iOS app, an update with an old feature that's been on Android for some time now. The streaming service's app for iPhone and iPad has just been updated to support Google Chromecast, allowing users to play music through more devices. At least it's better late than never.

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The Google Home app, formerly known as Google Cast, is the user’s only visible gateway to Google’s screen-less devices, like the Chromecast, Cast-enabled speakers, and, of course, the Google Home. As a gateway, however, it’s pretty basic and doesn’t exactly make some action convenient. Like looking for music to cast to devices, for example, which you’d have to do in each and every app on your own. Not anymore. Google has just inserted a new Listen tab to the app to make concocting the perfect playlist a breeze.

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Grace Digital already offers products that play nice with Chromecasts, but perhaps not at this level: its new radio, called the Mondo+, has a Chromecast built-in. Those of you who are familiar with the original Mondo will feel right at home here, as the Mondo+ doesn't offer too many aesthetic differences. Functionality is similar as well, but with a built-in Chromecast, your streaming options expand quite significantly.

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VIZIO has announced that its range of SmartCast devices will now play nice with Google Home. Using this new functionality, you can control your TVs, soundbars, and speakers with your voice, with a variety of different commands centered around "OK Google" available. As some of you already know, SmartCast devices are built on Google's own Chromecast technology, which basically makes Google Home support a no-brainer.

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VIZIO is a brand better known for its TVs, both traditional and smart, but of late it has been making huge strides to leave a mark in the connect speaker market segment. Last September, it unveiled its Crave 360 and Crave Pro Cast-enabled multi-room speakers, encroaching on Sonos’ territory. Now VIZIO, which is being acquired by Chinese tech giant LeEco, is stepping up its challenge by striking a partnership with Spotify. Starting today, actually starting last Christmas, owners of Crave 360 and Crave Pro speakers will be able to cast their Spotify tunes to the speakers just as easily as any Chromecast-enabled device.

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TVs have changed a great deal in just the last few years or so. And we're not just referring to curved screens or quantum dot buzzwords. TVs, especially the smart ones, have become capable of sourcing content from a wide variety of sources, including from our smartphones. Or in this case, through our smartphones. That seems to be the path Samsung Smart TVs are traveling. Based on screenshots of its companion Smart View app, Samsung might be including a feature similar to Google Chromecast in its next Smart TVs.

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Google Home might be a smart speaker but, by itself, it isn’t exactly going to rock your house in terms of audio quality or even volume. And don’t even think about playing video directly on it. For those use cases, you’ll need dedicated audio and video equipment to make the best out of the experience. And what better way to do that than with equipment powered by Google’s technology as well. Sony has just announced that, thanks to a firmware upgrade, a number of its “Chromecast built-in” speakers and 4K HDR Android TVs now integrate with Google Home and, consequently, Google Assistant.

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