Apple TV vs Chromecast VS Roku

Is netflix built into the chromecast? Or are you pushing netflix from your mobile/pc/notebook to the chromecast? If the latter is the case, I'm not really interested. I can already push content to my aTV from my iPhone via Airplay.

I like the aTV because it the major content providers apps built in, so I'm not wasting my phone's battery using it to push content from netflix or youtube or vimeo.
 
If it's anything like the Roku, it's streaming directly to your TV. You'd have to tell your subscription to enable the device. Roku calls this rendezvous authentication. I bet it works like that. How good is the quality of something streaming from your phone??
 
Do any of these devices cache data to prevent pauses during play? Are they redundant if you already have internet enabled TV?
 
hscully said:
If it's anything like the Roku, it's streaming directly to your TV. You'd have to tell your subscription to enable the device. Roku calls this rendezvous authentication. I bet it works like that. How good is the quality of something streaming from your phone??
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I have the MLS Live iPhone app to access my paid soccer subscription, so I can push 720p quality soccer games from my iphone to my apple tv. I only do this because there's no MLS Live Apple TV app (because apple, annoyingly, hasn't opened up the Apple TV to app developers.) For netflix and vimeo and others, the app is built into the Apple TV.

EDIT: you are correct about streaming directly to your TV. found this on engadget:
"Importantly though, the mirrored content isn't beamed from your local device, but is streamed from the cloud direct to the dongle when you activate mirroring on a Chromecast-compatible service like YouTube or Netflix. At that point, your PC or mobile is freed up for multi-tasking, and for working as a WiFi-based remote control for the content on the bigger display."

So I guess you're using your device to find the content and as a remote, but then the Chromecast streams the content from the internet, not from your device.
 
Apple never opens up anything to anyone.

One thing cool about the Chromecast is unlike apple TV, any smart phone is a controller so anyone that walks into your house wiht their smart phone can dial up youtube videos to watch regardless of what operating system they use. You can use your ipad, airbook, or your windows 8 laptop, android tablet, etc. so it's very flexible. There's no "hand me the controller", pretty much everyone wiht a smart phone already has one.

If you already have Roku, or Apple TV, there's no real reason to switch. I'd say this is an option for someone that doesn't have a solution already and it's pretty enticing for only $35 bucks. Since Google does open Chromecast up to app developers I'm sure we'll see lots of cool stuff being developed.
 
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Really interested in Chromecast and will probably pick one up for my TV in my room. Once the Chromecast gets some more apps (HBO, Hulu, etc.) then it's gonna be an amazing deal. By then though, Apple will probably release their SmartTV.
 
Cory Braun said:
Really interested in Chromecast and will probably pick one up for my TV in my room. Once the Chromecast gets some more apps (HBO, Hulu, etc.) then it's gonna be an amazing deal. By then though, Apple will probably release their SmartTV.
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I"m sure apps are on the way but Chromecast does do the "mirror" thing so if you pull up Hulu or HBO go in a tab you can send it to the TV already.
 
Does anyone know if you can use the Chromecast as a "bring Netflix with me where ever I want" device? Just go over to a (non netflix subscriber) friends house, plug it in and watch?
 
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