Hasta La Gadget!

HBO GO has added Chromecast support to its Android and iOS apps, allowing viewers to stream content directly to Google’s discrete dongle. Promised back in August, the newly added functionality is also supported from the Chrome browser or a Chromebook. HBO’s streaming service is offered to existing HBO subscribers, at no extra charge. Titles include […]

Google has just announced that HBO Go is now available on Chromecast.

This means that Chromecast owners with an HBO Go subscription can now stream HBO’s content from their Android or iOS device, as well as the HBO Go web app.

Chromecast is Google’s $35 answer to the Apple TV, Roku, etc., letting users stream content from YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and more to their HDTVs from any device. It looks a bit like a USB dongle, and functions similarly to AirPlay in that users can control the TV from multiple devices, throwing content from an Android phone or tablet direct to the TV.

Here is what HBO’s CTO Otto Berkes has to say about it:

Google’s Chromecast is one of the newest, more exciting devices in the marketplace today, so we are very happy to bring this capability to our subscribers. From the beginning, our goal has been to bring HBO GO to the devices where viewers want to watch it and Chromecast definitely falls into that category.

[via Chrome Blog]

See, when the Chromecast first launched, it was intriguing primarily because of its exceptionally low price point. People who ran out and bought one (which included more than a few Engadget editors) were investing in promised future functionality, not its current feature set. Well, it’s safe to say that money was not wasted. With today’s announcement that HBO Go will now support Chromecast, Google has brought most of the major non-sports streaming properties to its tiny dongle, including Netflix and Hulu. It’s particularly impressive given how notoriously slow HBO has been to bring its streaming service to “new” platforms. Now Google-loving nerds across the US will be able to get their “Game of Thrones” fix on demand on their TV simply by tapping an icon on their Android or iOS tablet. Of course, that is if you’re an HBO subscriber. The update is already hitting both the iTunes App Store and Google Play, so go download it now.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Google

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Source: Google

Motorola has been under Google’s wings for quite some time now, and it does seem as though Google has gotten some assistance from Motorola in order to sell Google’s very own Chromecast TV streaming dongle from the former’s very own web site directly. How will some of Google’s Android device manufacturing partners see this situation? It would mean that there is a fast growing level of interconnectedness between the companies, and with Motorola being a viable outlet for consumers to pick up the Chromecast dongle, apart from other outlets such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Google Play.

We have spent some time in a demo walkthrough of the Chromecast right after it was launched (not to mention covering the launch event, too). Sure, Chromecast has its fair share of advantages within the entire Google ecosystem, but it has not really become an indispensable piece of consumer electronics hardware that would require every Tom, Dick and Harry to rush out from their homes just to pick one up. This move by Google to market the Chromecast dongle on Motorola’s site does seem to resemble more of a strategic marketing move, something that those behind boardrooms will discuss more than impacting the end user. If anything, it just opens up another channel for end users to pick up the Chromecast dongle

Motorola Sells Chromecast Dongle Now original content from Ubergizmo.

Many streaming-savvy DVRs either lean heavily on cloud services or are linked to traditional TV — neither of which is ideal for cord cutters trying to lower their long-term costs. Nuvyyo is promising what could be a more affordable option with its upcoming Tablo DVR. The upcoming, partly crowdfunded set-top box streams both live and locally recorded over-the-air broadcasts to seemingly any internet-capable platform, including Android, iOS, Roku players and web browsers. In theory, it’s as cheap and convenient as internet-only video while delivering the wider content selection of traditional TV. We’ve had hands-on time with a Tablo prototype that suggests the company has at least latched on to a good (if imperfect) idea — read on to see what we mean. %Gallery-slideshow122001%

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: Indiegogo, Tablo