Chromecast Compatibility?

[Motleyscrew]

Greetings.
I.am close to pulling the trigger and getting a SP3 Pro.
But for presentations, and my own use I need to know if I can mirror the screen using Chromecast.
Thanks!

 

[hughlle]

Welcome motleyscrew

The SP3 is a regular computer. So if chromecase is compatible with windows, then there is absolutely no reason it would not be compatible with the SP3. Just install chrome and you're away. Of course you will be limited to the capabilities of the chromecast dongle, which may not be screen mirroring, and just broser mirroring (never used one, can't advise on what it is really capabe of)

I personally went with the microsoft wireless display adaptor as while a touch more expensive, just seems so much more versatile. Works great.

 

[agt499]

Short answer is yes you can.
I have an SP3 and Chromecast, and it works - the SP3 works as well with the Chromecast as anything will.

Longer answer is that screen mirroring is the thing that the Chromecast does least well. If you already have a Chromecast, you could use it for this, but it's not great. I'm also note sure how well the Chromecast 'travels' between different Wifi if that's an issue for you.
Note I have also read (but not tried) that Google Slides now has Chromecast support. If you can import your presentation, that would probably work better than screen mirroring.

If presentation is a key thing for you, the Microsoft WDA will likely be much more robust for screen mirroring.
For the things Chromecast is really good at (movies and music), it's much better than the WDA.

For anyone less familiar with the chromecast, what it does in order of effectiveness is:

1. Acts as a dumb output device for video and sound 10/10
   Here something like Youtube/Netflix/Pandora is sent a message from your SP3/Phone that says "Please play this Cat Video/Movie/Playlist to my Chromecast".
   The video or song is then sent straight from the server to the chromecast, and your SP3 can turn off or leave the building as it's doing nothing. This mode uses no processing power or battery drain on the SP3, and performance is good because the media goes straight from the server to the chromecast without any extra processing.
   Works really well for video and music, as a 0.1 or 1 or even 10 second delay is no big deal.
   
   
   
2. "Cast This Tab" from Chrome 8/10
   Can use on any website.
   Unlike (1) you device needs to stay on.
   I don't know if it actually sends the HTML to be re-rendered by a 'mini-chrome' renderer on the Chromecast, but it works well with very little lag.
   
   
   
3. "Cast Screen/Window (Experimental)" 4/10
   Will actually send the whole screen and whatever is on it from any program, this is what you'd need for presentations using say Powerpoint to present.
   In this mode it sends screen frames, from your SP3 to Chromecast. In my experience it works, but has quite a bit of lag.
   Possibly OK if you want to click to the next slide, and are OK with that happening 1-2 seconds later. If you want to actually use a mouse while looking at the Casted screen, it's very frustrating and I wouldn't recommend.

 

[wookiee2cu]

Last fall I picked up a Chromecast to play around with mirroring and honestly it was pretty clunky and not user friendly. There may have been updates since but if wanting to cast something from the internet you had to use Chrome browser and once it was open I had to make one or two selections in order for it to cast. Again, there may have been an update since then but I haven't bothered to check. I picked up a Microsoft Wireless Display adapter when they finally became available and it just works... using what ever browser you want to. I liked it so much that I bought a second one; I leave one connected to my home TV and the other one stays in my laptop bag so I always have it with me. The only negative to the Microsoft WD is the cost but again it just works so to me it is worth it. It's probably my favorite accessory after the Microsoft Arc Mouse.

 

[agt499]

Last fall I picked up a Chromecast to play around with mirroring and honestly it was pretty clunky and not user friendly. There may have been updates since but if wanting to cast something from the internet you had to use Chrome browser and once it was open I had to make one or two selections in order for it to cast. Again, there may have been an update since then but I haven't bothered to check. I picked up a Microsoft Wireless Display adapter when they finally became available and it just works... using what ever browser you want to. I liked it so much that I bought a second one; I leave one connected to my home TV and the other one stays in my laptop bag so I always have it with me. The only negative to the Microsoft WD is the cost but again it just works so to me it is worth it. It's probably my favorite accessory after the Microsoft Arc Mouse.

No, there haven't been any serious updates for the Chromecast - Mirroring remains an 'Experimental' feature, which means it's ranked below Googles frequently 'Beta' products. The Chromecast is a winner of online video from a supported service, but it's barely there for mirroring.
Good to hear you're finding the WDA robust, sometimes it's hard to find feedback from people once the novelty's worn off.

 

[sillieidiot]

No, there haven't been any serious updates for the Chromecast - Mirroring remains an 'Experimental' feature, which means it's ranked below Googles frequently 'Beta' products. The Chromecast is a winner of online video from a supported service, but it's barely there for mirroring.
Good to hear you're finding the WDA robust, sometimes it's hard to find feedback from people once the novelty's worn off.

Well there are good reviews on it online as well. Only downside I see is cost as someone else mentioned. But you can use a student discount on it which sort of helps lol

I love mines, I use it pretty much all the time. It's quick and painless like how things should be. It does get pretty hot when using it for a long time, but I've been using it constantly for over a month now and it's still running strong.