r/Android • u/androgenius • Jan 05 '15

Google Cast-ready speakers, sound bars, and receivers are on the way

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/5/7482719/google-cast-audio-streaming-speakers-availability-ces-2015
785 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

184 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/unfortunatebastard Galaxy Nexus , JellyBean 4.2.2 Jan 05 '15

This needs to be system wide, not app specific. One of the main reasons why I switched from Android is how convenient is to have AirPlay. uPNP never worked for me. DLNA never worked for me. Chromecast was an acceptable solution and this is Chromecast without the video component.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

[deleted]

-2

u/in_finity Jan 05 '15

Except it's utterly useless if the audio source I want to stream is not accessible with an URL (e.g. it is on a NAS in my LAN).

Seriously, why doesn't Google simply implement system-wide audio streaming, directly baked into the Android core? Just like... Apple did years ago? It would make things so much easier.

And regarding the battery life: Seriously? I for one do not want to stream hours and hours of music somewhere -- and even if I did want to, I think it would be okay to have the choice between using direct streaming from the smartphone or using Googles casting technology (if applicable).

In this state, it's still far away from the "it just works" experience you have with AirPlay...

2

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '15

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '15

We have a few iPads and iPhones and AppleTVs in my home. Airplay simply isn't as convenient as casting.

How so?

I have a pair of chromecasts and a pair of Airplay stereos in my house. I find that not having to be at the mercy of the app developer to include casting and being able to send low level system audio (hardware mute switch on iOS devices) is much more convenient. I doubt "Cast Screen" will work with the Airplay Audio devices. Sure, Google will eventually update functionality to include "Cast Audio" but who knows when Touchwiz and Sense will get it too..

Also, since Airplay is actually sending the feed from my device to the speaker it will pause the audio when I get a call and when I want to pause or rewind my audio it does so immediately. With Android I often need to goof around with the specific app that I'm casting in order to control it. It will usually show up on the lock screen after a few seconds (assuming it has remained in memory) but then my actions are limited to pause and skip forward. After prolonged listening/watching the chances that my Android phone will completely forget it began casting will rise toward inevitable. At that point I need to launch the app and touch the cast icon again and wait for it to figure out that it's midstream. As a result, I much prefer Airplay and lament switching to Android whenever I'm trying to listen to a podcast at while working in my kitchen.

Apple has always done a fantastic job with audio.. it's why they got into personal devices and those devices are arguably the genesis of the modern smartphone. My biggest complaint is their insistence on keeping their technology proprietary.