Did Google gloss over Chromecast needing USB power? Not hardly

I know this is an old post but I just thought I would point out this is incorrect to anyone that might see this. It CANNOT be powered errands HDMI.

Thank you. I'm so tired of seeing articles saying they're hiding the fact. Posted via Android Central App

Also heaven forbid a device need a power supply... F*CK Posted via Android Central App

I think what a lot of people are seeing is that they show the dongle just plugged into the HDMI port with no ugly USB (or power) cable hanging off the back and plugged in elsewhere.

This. All of their commercials showed the device without the USB connection. Google definitely told people that they need a USB connection for power, but didn't really show them. Apparently people are better at watching then listening.

Yeah, this is where the deception comes in I think. All the media pictures and stuff show it without and the design even looks like it isn't supposed to have anything else hanging from it.

Shh Posted via Android Central App

How many times do you see a Mac in a commercial without any power cord in the middle of a studio on a glass desk. It is not new. Companies do it for years. But in the meantime, everyone have a Wii, PS3 or an XBox along with the mother of all clusterf*ck of cables just to get your 5.1 sound, but they complain about a 35$ HDMI USB key-like device that will probably remain hidden behind the TV. So what there is a USB cable to power it? Posted via Android Central App

+1

+5000 Posted via Android Central App

+OVER 9,000 Posted via Android Central App

You don't have to plug it in with usb if you have a hdmi 1.4 tv you just plug it in exactly how Google showed.

exactly because HDMI does in fact provide a 5volt charge

That has been an issue with most small devices connecting to HDMI. Even the MHL-to-HDMI capable phones and tablets needed USB power.
People should know this by now, but they don't, and there was no reason Google had to shoot those ads showing no USB power connection. They brought the grousing on themselves. The good thing is that most modern TVs with HDMI ports have USB ports as well, so you might not even need another plug in. There is an article about the limitations
http://www.cepro.com/article/for_hdmi_power_is_still_an_issue/

Google's ad for the Moto X event shows a Moto X, but it doesn't show it plugged in. I guess we should just assume it doesn't need to ever be plugged in and will be powered by magic...smh

Ummm, that's because it has battery power. The Chromecast does not. It has to be plugged in to work. The Moto X doesn't. Posted via Android Central App

Fuck you with your sensible logic!

lol *brain explodes*

And when the battery dies you won't have to plug it in because its recharged by magic

This has to be one of the dumbest comments I've seen.

Turn on your sarcasm detector or look up what smh means....

How do you know that the X has to be plugged in?

Wireless charging.

Exactly. But you set the fanboys into a frenzy when you bring up that obvious fact.Look at the two pictures on the bottom in the Play store page and tell me they aren't glossing over it. They are out and out hiding it. https://www.androidcentral.com/e?link=https2F2F... "Get started in 3 easy steps.
Plug Chromecast into your HDTV, connect it to WiFi, then cast videos and more from your smartphone, tablet or laptop to your TV." There are also two pictures showing it plugged into a TV but no power adaptor. Get real people.

You can plug it into an hdmi1.4 tv and it doesn't need power.

because HDMI provides 5v power supply and if you read the technical specs instead of looking at the pretty pictures you would see that they do in fact state USB power.

This is exactly what I was thinking. No, they never "hid" it while talking about it, but all the graphics and animations of it flying around and into a TV, they never show the USB power needing to be plugged in. Do I know better? Sure, but I can see how some are a little irked.

So? Except for when they are specifically touting a feature, they almost never mention that cars need gas in car commercials either. I really think it's just stupid people that get irked about it. It's not news that electronics are powered by electricity.

that's because the Dongle doesn't *need* USB power. it just needs to be "powered". HDMI V1.4 already *has* power. the USB power port on the back is for older TV's with older versions of HDMI that don't already have power. you can power the dongle with: A)modern power-providing HDMI V1.4
B)USB from either the TV or a nearby media-center PC or USB hub you may have...
C)the included power adapter. There is no deception, it's simply a choice to show the dongle working in it's most likely scenario with modern HDMI 1.4 TV's.

Thanks, that was informative. I was wondering why a USB power in conjunction with HDMI. I'm getting a clearer picture in the crystal ball now. I have no idea if my HP plasma TV has HDMI v1.4? I suppose there is one sure way to find out. I will have to cruise some more and figure out what good it is. So, the boobtube is jacked into WiFi, Now I need some Android apps for the SGH-i727, and for the desktop to pump video to the TV via the WiFi to the apportioned HDMI input to be selected with the remote. What displays the video file? The Dongle or Winderz media player?

I don't think I have seen to many commercial for anything that showed that you needed to plug it in to a power source!

Are you freaking kidding me?? Google mentioned this on demo that you need to power it via USB. Its also common sense that an HDMI cant power a device.

That is not common sense at all and in fact is incorrect.

Incorrect how? Oh, right, because a small segment of the population has 1.4... Honestly, this is just people looking for something to bitch about. This device is so good, it may as well be made of magical unicorn horns and be given away for free. It's that good. And folks are bitching because the damn thing needs to be plugged in. Wahhhh!

I was of the understanding that HDMI 1.4 can power the device.

Yes it can power this device as well if you have it you don't need usb.

I would say the only place they downplayed it was in their commercial advertisement. It shows people just simply plugging it in without the USB power cord as if that is all you have to do. However, personally this doesn't bother me at all.

commercials always gloss over everything,
Ever see a commercial for McDonalds and got exactly what you saw in the commercial?Since when does anyone believe exactly whats advertised any more?

Haha very true, again it is isn't something that really bothers me. I wouldn't expect them to show someone do the complete setup in the commercial. Just stating it is a little misleading. I got mine yesterday and the fact that you have to plug it in doesn't really change anything at all about the product.

"Glossing over"-2. To make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment. One brief mention compared to many a picture without showing any such power supply I'm pretty sure fits the definition of glossing over.

Have you really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like? Those last three words in the article are for you.

Yes I know, those definitions, just so damn hard to understand.
If he wanted to say that some said Google never mentioned it, fine. But on the PR shots and even the chromecast page, one of the sections is "Plug in and Play", no "plug in, plug in, and play". That is glossing over.

I completely agree with you. It's also important to keep in mind that the promotional material (which implies a lack of need for USB power, even if it's not directly stated) is what most people are going to see. Sure, all of us Android Central users watched the announcement video, but most people who will end up buying this probably didn't see it, and they're not going to think "Hey, the product in this commercial looks neat. Better go look up the product announcement video on YouTube to make sure I understand it correctly."

Look at the box for any device that has an external power supply. How many show the power supply attached? Exactly. Either every single other device maker is glossing things over or Google is being unfairly slammed by dolts clutching for something to express butthurt about. Posted via Android Central App

Good Point! Posted via Android Central App

They didn't gloss over it they used a tv with hdmi 1.4 which doesn't need a usb cord

DERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP

If you have a TV that is fully MHL-compliant, as in you can just plug in your smartphone to the HDMI port via a USB to MHL cable and your phone displays and charges, is that enough to power the Chromecast dangle-dingleberry whatever thing?

I was a little fuzzy on the details after the Breakfast..I heard him mention "powered by USB" but given they never showed it connected via USB, I can certainly understand why less technological people would feel deceived.

Just to add a little more fuel to the fire. Here is what is on the Google Chromecast page: "Get started in 3 easy steps: plug Chromecast into any HDTV, connect it to WiFi, then send videos and more from your smartphone, tablet or laptop to your TV with the press of a button" (notice the lack of mention of the power cable?).
Personally I don' care so long as the included USB cable is long enough.

In my mind, plugging it into my TV includes the USB power. They're just generalizing the steps. They don't say "download the app to Chrome or Android to configure the Chromecast for WiFi access to your network," but that's a key step under "connect to WiFi". They don't say that you have to launch an app to send videos (Netflix, YouTube, or Chrome). It's just a generalization of the steps.
This whole debacle is so stupid. Did people think this had a built in nuclear reactor core??? Solar powered??? Has there ever been any device actually released in the general consumer market that runs off of the minimalistic power from an HDMI port?

No, but there's been a ton of devices released to the general consumer market that run off of the power from a USB port. And what does the chromecast look like? A USB thumb drive. Do you honestly think the average consumer is going to know that most HDMI ports aren't capable of supplying the same amount of power as a USB port? And of course all the promotional pictures that show it plugged in to an HDMI port without the usb power cable hanging off are going to reinforce the idea that this thing works much like a usb thumb drive. Just plug it in and go.

It also doesn't "send videos" from the phone to TV. The video must first be online at Google Play. It doesn't "send" anything except a request of the TV to go and load the file.

I wonder how this will behave when I plug it into the MHL port on my A/V receiver. I'll find out tonight. If it doesn't work from that port, I've got half a dozen other ports I can use.

I read somewhere that tv's with hdmi 1.4 and above will power the device without any external power. I dunno if am rumour mongering here or will actually work Posted via Android Central App

I looked up the specs on my TV and it lists the home 1.4 but when I disconnected the USB, it powered off. Posted via Android Central App

There's a review on the Amazon page that claims to be from a dev who has had early access to the hardware for a few weeks. He claims that he's managed to power it off of several different HDMI ports. This is theoretically possible - the spec does allow for 5v/50ma power delivery over HDMI and evidently some range extenders and switches try to utilize this power. The spec also requires them to support an external power supply because there's no guarantee that enough power will be available. So it's conceivable that the external USB power is optional. We won't know until enough get out there for hands on testing. http://www.amazon.com/review/RA1DUT58FNLNX/ref=cm_cd_pg_next?ie=UTF8&asi...

The design is kind of stupid since it needs the cord. But, who cares, it is only $35.

The design is also kind of necessary since most HDMI ports can't power it. I'd hardly call it stupid to design the device in a way that's necessary for it to function.

Some people are a PITA. Make that a lot of people.

Alex Martonik's article about setup and first impressions also alludes to possibility of powering the device with just the HDMI port. Is this not a possibility at all? Posted via Android Central App

It is. You need HDMI 1.4 Posted via Android Central App

Even on the Google Play Chromecast page, it says that a USB power unit comes with the dang thing. I know, reading's hard...

The Chromecast requires USB power on all (3) of my tv's. But all of my tv's also has usb ports no big deal. The Chromecast works great!!! Even all of my iOS devices instantly worked on the youtube apps. My son walked in with his ipad and was watching youtube and said it had a popup saying Watch in Living room and didn't know what it was. I said click it and it started playing. LOL

Many people "assumed" many things with the device without actually listening to what was being said.

I have one and its sweet. I'm also one of the luck few to get Netflix free for 3 months so I only paid $11. Posted via Android Central App

One of the lucky thousands* Posted via Android Central App

Yeah exactly, they didn't show it in the video. They never showed the USB port was powered.

I just bought a new car. None of the advertisements ever showed it at a gas station. I'm gonna be pissed if I ever have o buy gas!!!

10/10 Posted via Android Central App

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE! Electronics need ELECTRIC DAMN YOU GOOGLE. This is your fault and your little Nexus too.

A little tip, most cable boxes have a USB port on them. They aren't active to do anything but they do have power. I use mind to charge my cell phones and I'm going to plug my Chromecast in to my cable box for power!

I have a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD cable box..it has a front facing usb port..anyone know if it will work for this Posted via Android Central App

Yup it will

LOL why is this even a thing? Do people have wirelessly powered TVs that are nowhere near power outlets?

Because it is one more damn cable I have to hide/route behind my wall mounted tv.

Everyone who is mad about this needs to get a TV with both hdmi and usb #boom problem solved! It's not Google's fault that you need a better TV :-P Posted From my HTC One running PlayBook 3.0 via Android Central App

No problem for me, already have features that Chromecast brings on my LG Smart TV. Really not sure what all the excitement is about. With my PS3 or XBox 360 or Tivo also have most of these features. But hey, enjoy it folks!

A $35 Chromecast is cheaper than everything you just mentioned. Posted via Android Central App

The primary appeal, for people who don't have a smart TV or any of those kinds of devices, is that you can get this thing for just $35. Like my parents. They've got a 360, for when my kids come over, but it's attached to a 27" upstairs. Something like this would work great for their 60" downstairs.

If you are mad about an extra wire... Puhlease! Posted From my HTC One running PlayBook 3.0 via Android Central App

Man so they hid the power cable. show me one xbox commercial that shows all its power cords coming out the back of it in sight.... you won't find one. Its called advertising they gotta make it look pretty.

Of course they did gloss over it and they hid it on the web site.

Correct ne if im wrong dont most hdtvs have a usb port for pictudes or maintnance? Why not simply connect it to that alwags on usb port i used to charge ny phone off my cousins when i stayed at his house when i was too drunk to drive home XD

Are you drunk now? Just asking...no reason...

Hate yjr playa not the game Posted via Android Central App

I didn't know you did until I watched an unboxing video. Then again I never watched the announcement either. Posted via Android Central App

Thanks Phil! I was getting tired of people cribbing about a perceived downplaying by Google, when they were very clear on the need for USB power! Posted via Android Central App

damn, i know this is an android site, but can we get some decent reporting without the fanboyism. mentioning the requirement in one sentence vs. hundreds of promos with just the dongle are hardly equivalent.

Who cares? Plug in the magic stick! Posted via Android Central App

I'm really angry. I just bought a six-pack of cheap American beer, and so far not a single bikini model has dropped in with her girlfriends to shoot pool with me. Those ads are misleading! For that matter, where's my pool table? Do they expect me to provide everything?! Posted via Android Central App

How about the fact that you apparently need to have a TV with HDMI input. I can't seem to find that on the back of my CRT TV. (Yes, I still watch on a CRT. I also have two CRT monitors plugged into my computer. I'd have three, but I don't have the desktop space for three.)

Has anyone ever seen an advert that does not "gloss over" the facts? No? Be quiet then... Posted via Android Central App

They dind't "gloss over," they lied. An even bigger lie was the claim you could cast from Chrome on your phone to your TV. This is a bald-faced lie- there is no such functionality whatsoever. From a Chrome tab on Android, you cannot cast. There is no peer-to-peer. All you can do is ask the device to go to the Internet to a supported site (there are only 3). And, on your phone, with Google Play, if you try to play a song file local to your phone, it will not work, saying you cannot cast "sideloaded files." Google are liars, and this site, "Android Central," is by nature hesitant to call them out.

It in an icon on chrome.. It works. It was clear that it was about supported apps and files on your phone could not be Cast.. Posted via Android Central App

He dumb? Posted via Android Central App

And some TVs don't need the USB port. Posted via Android Central App

Did they illustrate that it had to be powered by usb. You can't use an audio clip to defend a visual presentation. But then this isn't journalism.

OK BB fanboy! Posted via Android Central App

What a lack of intelligence.

It's your own name. You gave everyone all the ammo to attack you when you picked it.

Anyone who uses my name to attack me is an idiot. If my argument is sound that is all that matters. Like I said "a lack of intelligence".

Next time we troll the BlackBerry forums with a name like Android4Eva you may have a point. However, poking fun at BlackBerry fans is a little cruel at this point. Like shooting fish in a barrel....a very, very small school of fish in a shrinking barrel.

+1000 Posted via Android Central App

Anyone buys this and feels taken for a ride because the Chromecast (in most cases) requires power over USB should:
(1) Return the Chromecast and put their $35 toward the purchase of a more expensive device that does the same thing, sits under the TV and also cannot be powered over USB or
(2) realize that it's not Google's fault if your TV is incapable of powering any device over USB because it uses an older standard. This is like complaining if you saw a computer using wifi in an add and getting mad at the manufacturer after you bring it home because it didn't occur to you that you also need a wifi router.

You mean CNET don't you lol. I called them out on their article bashing the Chromecast and all their bullshit reasons like the power & they said Google should have made it to support more apps WHAT???? Do they even know what the hell they're talking about? Devs for each app have to make their apps work with it not freaking Google Dumb Asses. They're just bashing it and making up bullshit because they're apple fans and Apple can't compete with Google pricing or features, so he'll they'll just make shit up about it lol. They wrote a very pathetic article showing they know nothing about mobile..

A guy saying it needs power in one sentence hardly means they have been openly advertising it. Its not a big deal but with a product like this people see just the device and no cables and assume thats how it works. Its not deception its just showing the unit working in best case scenario as opposed to worst case. Blowing it out of proportions seems like the work of google haters. But to use this guys comment as a comeback is pretty lame also. Why not just let the trolls troll and be the better blog.

If people rushed to buy this without researching it, it's nobody's fault but their own Posted via Android Central App

This is what I've gathered the chrome cast needs 5v/850ma to power the unit. HDMI 1.4 is 5v/50ma also mhl is 5v/500ma neither one is enough to power it. Unless there's a newer version of either then u need to have it powered by the USB port.

What if your tv doesn't have a usb port? Does that mean my tv has HDMI 1.4? I have a Vizio that's only about a year old.