Google releases Cast SDK and Chromecast forums

Google has finally included Cast APIs in Google Play Services SDK (version 4.2).  If you have not heard about Google Cast before, Cast works more or less like DLNA, where you can share content from devices like smartphone, computer to your television without using cables. In Google’s terms “Google Cast is a technology that enables multi-screen experiences and lets a user send and control content like video from a small computing device like a phone, tablet, or laptop to a large display device like a television.”

While DLNA needed TV to have built-in certification, in this case, you can use Google’s chromecast device as a reciever for the TV. Developers use Cast APIs to enable application (Android, iOS and Chrome being supported platforms) send content to Chromecast which in turn will play the content on big screen. Best example here would be playing a video on youtube and sending it to big screen and while the video is on play, user can move to different app (check email, browse internet etc). The following image should give a clear picture on Cast functionality

If you need more detail, this video from Google should help

Until now, chromecast could be controlled only by Google applications but thanks to the SDK, we should be able to see many more applications take the advantage of big screen. If you are application developer, head to this  Google Developers site to learn more on Cast SDK.

To help users and devleopers get used to Chromecast and Cast SDK respectively, Google has this week created a new forum on their Product forums portal. Forum consists of videos that help users setup Chromecast, FAQs, a dozen most frequently asked queries, detail on apps available for Chromecast and also has a “Top Contributor Program”.  Top contributors are product experts (SMEs) who can answer queries from users and developers. You can head to this page to access the forum.