Chromecast is a digital media player and a micro-console
developed by Google. This device for a change is not a set-top box but it is a 2.83 inches HDMI Dongle that plays audio/video content on an HD
television or any other HD display which can be directly streamed by a
wireless connection. Users choose the media to play utilizing mobile apps and web apps that support Chrome Cast Technology.
Chromecast celebrates its first birthday in July 2014
and if we look back, it had definitely a great and successful one year.
This small, affordable HDMI stick and its method of streaming all your
favorite shows, music, and games are so effortless that you can enjoy it
very much.
Chromecast has been quite famous among the people who are using it. Those who still have to decide about it must have a lot of questions regarding this tiny HDMI dongle. We have tried to cover all the queries regarding the same.
How does this device work?
Using apps from your mobile device and computer, you actually hands-off or cast to Chromecast. Applying the information it gets about what you wish to watch, the Chromecast searches all the materials on the internet and streams it directly to your TV. This way your phone or tablet's resources aren't gobbled up with streaming tasks and you can save your battery life in a simpler way. Your Mobile and device your computer will be the remote control for the Chromecast.
Which devices work with Chromecast?
Chromecast can run on all the Android phones, tablets,
iPhones, iPads and Chrome for Windows and Mac. Blackberry and Windows phones have hard luck when It comes to Chromecast. But recently, a brand new app called Tube Cast was created which provides some limited Youtube Functionality on Windows Phones over Chromecast.
Google opened it's Software Development Kit, which provides developers a path to handle “Second screen interactions” and making their apps Chromecastenabled. Everything you love is now on your TV that is what you can say when we talk about Chromecast.
It works with an increasing number of apps including some famous ones such as Netflix, HBO GO, Youtube, WatchESPN, Hulu Plus, and much more.
You can also mirror your own Android phone or tablet to the attached TV
and enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies. If you are working on your laptop, you can cast any website in Chrome. This is as simple as that.
Using Chromecast has become very easy that you can use it with the devices you already have including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Chromecast gets updated automatically and adds the apps which are newly introduced by Google. So you don't have to worry at all just sit back and enjoy together with your friends and family.
We at Nadcab Technology devote our whole expertise to our client needs. If your need is to build the most creative and unique Chromecast
App then we are the best solution for you. Our developers can serve you what you exactly want, using the best available technologies and resources. Contact us to create something best in class.
Chromecast and React Native
Chromecast is one of the most well-known and used entertainment devices today: over 36 million people in the US alone use it. It grants
easy access to entertainment as just by plugging in a small device you
can enjoy streaming content and games on any TV or monitor that has an
HDMI port. You can use Chromecast from your smartphone, tablet, React
Native App or even from your laptop or PC using the Google Chrome browser.
If you are thinking about, or already are, developing an application
that focuses on streaming video and/or music content, the possibility of
including support for Chromecast within your application will certainly
be crucial if you want your app to grow and offer users the best
possible experience.
The React Native Library
In order to include Chromecast, we recommend using
react-native-google-cast, a React Native library that allows you to
easily integrate and provide your app with the streaming features that
Chromecast includes and that also works for both mobile platforms,
Android and iOS.
The library is based on a wrapper or trimmed version of the official
SDK that Google provides for the use of your device. It includes a
casting button, which is only rendered and shown if a Chromecast device is available on the phone connected network. When pressed, the button displays a list of the available devices and then the connection is ready to send content to the selected device. Once connected, the icon will be shown in color to indicate this. Moreover, it also has an introductory Overlay that highlights the Cast button for new users when they are near a Chromecast device for the first time. The native framework ensures that the user is only shown this once the first time the application is opened.
To be able to take control of the streaming, the library also offers expanded media control, which consists of a full-screen panel with the necessary controls to manage the streaming, such as a play/pause button,
volume control and connection with the Chromecast device, as well as letting you see the cover image, title, and subtitle of the content that is currently being played.
The library also owns and supports three types of events: session events, casting events, and channel events. Let’s take a look a closer look at them.
Session events
Session events are based specifically on the connection-type
communication between the device and the application, such as connection established, connection failed, trying to reconnect, and others.
Media events
Media events refer to reproduction-type events, where you can find and cache states such as media started, media ended, and media progress updated.
Channel events
These are a specific type of events to exchange messages between the sender device—which is the one that owns the app—and a receiver device—i.e. the Chromecast device. This allows several Chromecast devices to subscribe to the same reception channel making the connection multipoint.
The library also offers the possibility of linking the playback
controls to certain actions, as it provides methods such as
GoogleCast.play(), GoogleCast.pause(), GoogleCast.setVolume(volume), google cast.stop () and many more.
You can see the complete list and other documentation in this link.
Below, you’ll be able to see a more visual step-by-step guide of the installation and setup process for both iOS and Android.
As we’ve said, if you plan to develop a React Native app
meant to play any type of video or audio content, adding Chromecast
will open the door to a lot more possibilities and users and is
something you should definitely consider. We hope this tutorial was
helpful and you can take advantage of this and many other tools the
React Native community has to offer.