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Koushik just posted this on his g+ page:
Heads up. Google's latest Chromecast update*intentionallybreaks AllCast. They disabled 'video_playback' support from the ChromeCast application.Given that this is the second time they've purposefully removed/disabled[1] the ability to play media from external sources, it confirms some of my suspicions that I have had about the Chromecast developer program:The policy seems to be a heavy handed approach, where only approved content will be played through the device. The Chromecast will probably not be indie developer friendly. The Google TV team is only prepared with media companies.I'd strongly suggest holding off on buying a Chromecast until we can see how Google chooses to move forward on third party applications. There are also other (open) platforms and stacks that one could buy/support as well. (LeapCast, NodeCast, etc)
Link: https://plus.google.com/110558071969009568835/posts/ZeHgRXS6AZs
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That's really sad, but I'm happy I didn't bought my Chromecast yet.
I'll buy a Raspberry Pi, Roku or a good android usb stick instead.
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I have one. Back to Roku.
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We've known this from the beginning. And btw, it isn't that it is not indie developer friendly, it is that is not going to be hackable friendly. Google has to keep the device locked down if they want to big media companies to bring their content to it. That doesn't mean smaller companies can't develop for it. I don't see any reason Google will not approve of indie developer apps. It's just they aren't going to kill the product by making it completely open. Netflix and every other media company would leave in about a second if they did that.
bozzykid said:
We've known this from the beginning. And btw, it isn't that it is not indie developer friendly, it is that is not going to be hackable friendly. Google has to keep the device locked down if they want to big media companies to bring their content to it. That doesn't mean smaller companies can't develop for it. I don't see any reason Google will not approve of indie developer apps. It's just they aren't going to kill the product by making it completely open. Netflix and every other media company would leave in about a second if they did that.
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Why are you talking about hackable friendly?
Koushik didn't hack the device, he just released an app for the device. And he did it without using Chromecast SDK. So if what Koushik said is true then yes, it is not indie developer friendly.
If Google decide to don't make it open in order to keep big media companies supporting the device, I'm sure that lot of potential customers will decide to not buy the Chromecast.
Let's see what happens.
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titooo7 said:
Why are you talking about hackable friendly?
Koushik didn't hack the device, he just released an app for the device.
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That isn't true. He used a hack to get around the whitelist app restrictions. He wasn't using the API in a standard way. He's making a lot of assumptions based on Google closing 2 holes in the latest update. I see no reason Google will disallow apps that work using the official API when it is final.
---------- Post added at 01:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 PM ----------
titooo7 said:
If Google decide to don't make it open in order to keep big media companies supporting the device, I'm sure that lot of potential customers will decide to not buy the Chromecast.
Let's see what happens.
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I doubt that is true. Maybe some geeks around here. But not the general public. They will buy it to stream Netflix, Pandora, etc from their phone. There aren't many people actually wanting to stream downloaded movies from their phone/tablet. That is not the target audience buying it at Best Buy.
bozzykid said:
I doubt that is true. Maybe some geeks around here. But not the general public. They will buy it to stream Netflix, Pandora, etc from their phone. There aren't many people actually wanting to stream downloaded movies from their phone/tablet. That is not the target audience buying it at Best Buy.
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This is definitely one of the reasons i bought it. At least for a future possibility anyway.
Sent from my Nexus 10
I'm not allowed to post a direct link yet, so you'll have to search for "Audiour for Chromecast" on the Play Store or Github.
What is it?
Audiour is a free, open, and anonymous audio sharing platform that let's anyone quickly and easily share files without any hassles like forcing you to create an account or wade through banner ads.
Audiour for Chromecast is an beta-release app for Android that let's you explore interesting content on Audiour and play them either on your phone or tablet, or send them to your TV using a Chromecast device. You can also share content with friends, which plays instantly if they also have the app installed.
It's built using Audiour.com's public API and the source code is available on Github.com
How do I use it?
At the moment, the Chromecast functionality only works if you either have your Chromecast rooted with Kyocast installed, or it's white listed and you can upload the receiver to your white listed URL. Instructions to setup the receiver can be found on Github or in the app's settings screen.
If you just want to playback files on your local device, everything should work as expected.
Wouldn't it be cool if it did...
Why yes, I agree that feature sounds fantastic. I'm extremely open to feedback/suggestions/criticism/praise and would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] and I will try to respond ASAP. Also, if there are any features you'd love to see, let me know. Also, I will gladly take a look at pull requests if you want to contribute.
I have plans to support uploading music shortly, for now just go to Audiour.com, it's nice and responsive and very mobile friendly. I'm also working with the site's founder to add the ability to save a list of your favorite tracks.
Very nice to see this released to the public.
Good work and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future! Definitely going to have a play around with this.
Awesome app nathanrjones!
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Thanks for the feedback guys!
I want to re-iterate that I definitely appreciate any feedback and if there's anything you think could be changed or improved, I will definitely look into it.
If you think it's great as is, sharing it with your friends or leaving a positive review on the Play Store would be awesome.
cant wait to play around with this.
thanks
Seen this on Reddit, works pretty good for MP4 and WebM videos for sites like Vimeo.
https://dabble.me/cast
*I should mention this only works with Chrome at the moment.
I wish there was some way to use this for Amazon Prime video....casting the full tab isn't a great option for me. Of course a mobile app would be the real answer but Amazon just won't do it!
primetime34 said:
I wish there was some way to use this for Amazon Prime video....casting the full tab isn't a great option for me. Of course a mobile app would be the real answer but Amazon just won't do it!
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Agree. Amazon Instant Video is pretty much the only thing my TiVos and TV have over Chromecast for my intended use.
r00t4rd3d said:
Seen this on Reddit, works pretty good for MP4 and WebM videos for sites like Vimeo.
https://dabble.me/cast
*I should mention this only works with Chrome at the moment.
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List of working sites:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Chromecast/comments/1x5ik0/send_vimeo_ted_facebook_etc_from_the_desktop_to/
Creators Twitter:
https://twitter.com/@parterburn
Amazing, youporn works. Thanks!
I wish it would work for watchespn
uncrx2003 said:
I wish it would work for watchespn
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AMEN!! WatchESPN, along with WatchDisney Junior, are the two channels that I have been wanting more than ANY other channel out there! I'm a huge college football fan and although I've got a pretty nice channel lineup and sports package via Charter, there are still games out there that just simply aren't offered around here on Charter. In addition to WatchESPN, I have a 4 yr old son and like how I used to be when I was younger and how most other kids his age are, he LOVES to watch cartoons, especially the likes of Disney Junior, Cartoon Network, Sprout, etc. The WatchDisney Junior channel coming to the Chromecast would just make my (and my son's) day. I think the only thing holding it back is probably having to do something with licensing issues because if you've ever tried to view WatchESPN or WatchDisney on your computer, you must log-in to their service by typing in your cable tv service provider login info before being able to view those channels.
:good:
jsdecker10 said:
I think the only thing holding it back is probably having to do something with licensing issues because if you've ever tried to view WatchESPN or WatchDisney on your computer, you must log-in to their service by typing in your cable tv service provider login info before being able to view those channels.
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Likely there would be an app like HBO GO, which requires you to do the provider login on your phone/tablet during setup.
As always, be sure to contact the content provider to request support. Unlikely you'll get a response, but hopefully your vote will be counted.
It works very well for me at this www.mistreci.al with movreel and uptobox thats what i needed
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bhiga said:
Likely there would be an app like HBO GO, which requires you to do the provider login on your phone/tablet during setup.
As always, be sure to contact the content provider to request support. Unlikely you'll get a response, but hopefully your vote will be counted.
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I can tell you from my own personal knowledge that many of the content providers who rely on Cable Company Sub payments are very hesitant to release content for use on Big Screens (which CCast support basically is) which could hurt their Subscription fees later on due to the Chord Cutters taking the cheaper route to their content.
One of the Major hold ups with Time Warner and CBS in that last contract battle was over rights to Internet streaming.
Time Warner wanted the rights to them but CBS wanted to hold on to it for further sales to companies like NetFlix and Hulu or even for their own sites (which the three major nets do now) To a OTA broadcaster it's easier to keep their content free because the content has already been paid for via the Advertising and the goal is to hook more viewers to the shows on their Network.
But someone like ESPN, HBO and SHOWTIME, they are highly dependent on Cable Subs and therefore can't just put the content out there so will likely require a Cable Subscription/Login to view because if they did it on their own without such a subscription or tried to do subscriptions on their own it would be cutting off their nose to spite their face plus add the cost of a Subscription support department they have to pay to maintain their own sub service. So those companies are likely to remain a Cable Sub only service.
This is the one thing Chord Cutters will have to deal with, Sure you can get the OTA stuff and some stuff from low rated networks trying to lure people to their content but the stuff you REALLY want will almost always require a Cable Sub to get.
I have been in quite a few meetings where this is discussed and while the greed makes them think about offering their own ala carte subscription model they quickly realize that no one is going to pay as much for HBO on HBO's website as they currently get from the Cable companies themselves.
And if the Cable companies decide they are not worth having on their system anymore these companies like HBO stand to lose their shirts!
So they back down quickly.
Just a quick comment on the Amazon Prime thing....
I think this may be a sign that things between Google and Amazon are not as rosy as they probably should be.
You would think Amazon Prime was all over this from day one but apparently not.
Now that the SDK is public I expect to see something from them in the future.
Good points. It's not easy to understand the policies and actions of all the parties involved unless you know something about the business model from their point of view.
BTW, it's "cord cutters", not "chord cutters", as in cable = cord. Chord usually refers to music or geometry, but in any case nothing to do with this topic.
Re: Amazon - I wonder if they are coming up with a media box solution too. Could explain their reluctance.
WhisperCast?
Of course Canadians ignore them because they offer no media content here. Which is strange as they're selling these walled-garden Amazon tablets with beautiful screens in Canadian stores, and nothing but Netflix & YouTube to watch on them.
You knew it was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to fill their wallets off users by annoying them to death..
http://bgr.com/2014/02/12/chromecast-ads-coming-soon/
I will copy and paste a reply I left about this on Reddit
I can see it now for apps like Plex when Casting goes free (whenever that happens)
"We will Cast your content right after this short advertisement"
So sick of in app ads, so sick of freemium, so sick of subscription services (ie: PlexPass etc), so sick of pay to win games, so sick of every Android developer (not every, but you get the point) nickel and diming the piss out of users either with ads or micro-transactions. Enough.. Just follow the PC software model that has worked for decades. A set price, minor upgrades are free, major revisions you re-pay. The Android software market is the biggest racket.
styckx said:
So sick of in app ads, so sick of freemium, so sick of subscription services (ie: PlexPass etc), so sick of pay to win games, so sick of every Android developer (not every, but you get the point) nickel and diming the piss out of users either with ads or micro-transactions. Enough.. Just follow the PC software model that has worked for decades. A set price, minor upgrades are free, major revisions you re-pay. The Android software market is the biggest racket.
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While I agree, the trouble is that video content doesn't really work like software. Every new episode would be a "major" release. It's not like you can release a movie in 2-minute segments. Well, maybe if you're J.J. Abrams...
I don't mind ads as long as I have the option to pay to get rid of them. Even Netflix could opt for a cheaper ad-supported tier if they wanted to.
To be honest, I like apps that are free with ads and paid without as it gives me a way to try the app for a period longer than the Play Store's 15 minutes.
[HOWTO] Chromecast/Netflix outside USA without VPN
Ad Blocking - DD-WRT Wiki
bhiga said:
To be honest, I like apps that are free with ads and paid without as it gives me a way to try the app for a period longer than the Play Store's 15 minutes.
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Or that too.
Brightcove is pretty big VOD provider, but yeah, that would work as long as the stuff you want to watch isn't hosted there.
YouTube could be uber sneaky and host the ads on YouTube itself so then it would be all-or-nothing.
On the plus side, YouTube could become the resurrection of AdCritic. I miss that site...
Talk about a blast from the past. Have you seen -
http://creativity-online.com/
I think everybody is struggling to find ways to make money from this technology. Google doesn't make any money on the hardware, and consumers just don't want to pay much for software (which is why the old PC software business model is gradually failing, and you see even companies like Microsoft going to Office 365-type subscriptions). So the result is they have to find a way to make money from subscriptions, fees, and/or advertising.
Google aren't the only ones considering advertising. Mozilla just announced that they're going to start putting ads in Firefox, inserted in the page of recent sites that appears when you open a new tab.
DJames1 said:
you see even companies like Microsoft going to Office 365-type subscriptions). So the result is they have to find a way to make money from subscriptions, fees, and/or advertising.
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The worst thing I've encountered so far with the subscription model is how it virally forces others to buy in.
Case-in-point, I got an Adobe InDesign file that I needed to look at. Fine, I have InDesign CS6. I load it up, and it tells me I can't open it because it was made in InDesign CS7.5
At least Microsoft has Office viewers. I was stuck with the InDesign thing - either go back and ask for a flattened version or subscribe, luckily I had the opportunity to just ignore it.
Like freedom, free software truly isn't free - at least not as long as people need to eat and pay bills. Renewable energy and homesteading may be the zero-cash way, but then we won't have enough time to code!
Maybe we need to come up with some "business productive" games. People-powered OCR Hangman?
Well I'll repeat something else I said
I'm guilty of being an old timer. I came into Android with 1.5 (CupCake).. The Market and Android community used to be a thriving community of freeware, innovation and great discussion.. I just hate what it turned into. It's like a gold rush and the end user is the gold and everyone is trying to sell you their bridge. I just hate how it got like this. I don't mind paying for stuff but it seem anymore it's a constant and quality has taken a back seat. It's like people stopped doing this for fun and a hobby and started trying to make a business.. Anything that is anything that is in demand someone will find a way to charge you for now a days.
P.S. I don't mind subscription services like Netflix etc. Dumb stuff like Plex Pass is a joke though. You're subbing monthly to unlock in-app features. Doesn't make any sense..
DJames1 said:
I think everybody is struggling to find ways to make money from this technology. Google doesn't make any money on the hardware...
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Do we really know that?
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...tions-despite-strong-nexus-5-chromecast-sales
Biggest seller or a best seller in Q4 2013, depending how you take that article.
The packaging probably costs nearly as much as the product.
True, when it's easy for lots of people to make apps, the market gets crowded and confused.
Doesn't help that the rating system doesn't take into account that people use ratings maliciously to complain or penalize the developer for things often that are user error or out of the dev's control.
PlexPass gives other things like their cloud thing, but yeah, it is kind of "pay to be in the beta club" but hey, if it works for them, funds their continued development, and people are willing to pay, I don't have to like it, but I can't really criticize them either.
And with the $75 PlexPass lifetime, it's the same cost as a mid-range piece of software.
On Google profits, I'm sure Chromecast sold well, we can see from the lack of rootable units on shelves...
Of course they won't tell us how much they're making (or losing) on each sale. I bet most of the profit was Google Play.
I just doubt that they lost any money at $35 a pop - until the accountants got involved, because their job is to cover that up. Not whining or ranting, just stating a known part of the corporate income game.
EarlyMon said:
I just doubt that they lost any money at $35 a pop - until the accountants got involved, because their job is to cover that up. Not whining or ranting, just stating a known part of the corporate income game.
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True. Especially given the volume they produced at, I'm sure they negotiated some killer discounts with the manufacturers. :good:
bhiga said:
True. Especially given the volume they produced at, I'm sure they negotiated some killer discounts with the manufacturers. :good:
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http://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/7070288
Job's open.
My issue is not with the ads being there, this is a Google device so ads were to be expected be it from Google or someone else. My issue is with it being video ads, my DSL line is shaped during the day and I don't need this hogging the bandwidth preloading videos while I am trying to browse the web. I wish my country would get "first" world in terms of broadband just so this [email protected] stops bugging me...
/fingers crossed Eureka guys ad-block this .
EarlyMon said:
I just doubt that they lost any money at $35 a pop
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I don't think Google is losing money on the Chromecast hardware, at least not deliberately. But I do think they priced it not to make any money on the hardware.
Think about it:
- Google is not a hardware company. They deliberately try to stay out of the hardware business because they realize that the margins are really low. They make their money on fees and services. They only introduce hardware products as an enabler to get new things started.
- They are undercutting everybody else on price to have the cheapest brand-name media streamer. It's in the same price range as the cheapest Chinese no-name Android TV sticks.
- They introduced the Chromecast with an offer for 3 months free Netflix, which is 2 months more than Netflix normally offers. That's a $16 value for which Google undoubtedly compensated Netflix, although probably at a discounted rate. When Chromecast sales took off the first day, Google canceled that offer immediately, indicating both that they had allocated a limited budget for it, and that the price of the Chromecast would not bear it without losing money.
I'm very confused. So someone created a SDK for developers to include ads on Chromecast apps and people here are upset by this? Please tell me why.
We should keep in mind here, it's not Google inserting ads here, it's Brightcove who is enabling developers to insert video ads compatible with Chromecast. As the title of the linked article says, "Third Party Provides Way For Developers To Add Ads To Chromecast"
I doubt Google will see any of this revenue as Brightcove built this technology using the Cast SDK for their engine.
The key part here, and I could be totally off-base, is that it sounds like a library that a developer would add to their app - essentially using Brightcove's "Cast" function and player. That makes sense since Brightcove has an HTML5 player already in use by sites on the web.
For example, instead of developing my own HTML5 page that Chromecast would go to in order to play a video, I would just trigger the Brightcove "Cast" function, passing it the location and my key/ID. Chromecast would then run the Brightcove player app which plays the video content I chose with inserted ads. The fact that it's being advertised as "seamless" tells me the ads are being stitched into the video content and delivered as a single stream, rather than a playlist drawing from separate sources.
Aside from ad revenue, the huge plus for developers here is that Chromecast-enabled apps wouldn't even need to use the Cast SDK directly, because they're using the Brightcove casting engine. That means the specific Chromecast-enabled app wouldn't need to be on the whitelist or register with Google because it's really the Brightcove app that Chromecast is running. Brightcove is responsible for making sure the engine keeps up with Chromecast updates and changes so that's another burden off the developer.
A "no ads" version of an app that uses the Brightcove player may use the same request to Brightcove, just with a flag saying not to insert the ads. The "gotcha" here is that because Brightcove is the player for the video content the app uses, blocking Brightcove or the Brightcove app would block all casted video from the app.
Of course Brightcove probably shares in the ad revenue, so maybe they won't allow developers to use their engine without ads, in which case the theorized advantages to the developer go away for a "no ads" version as they'd still need to register and use the Cast SDK directly.
But likely Brightcove may take the gamble that enough people are cheap and use ad-supported versions that it covers the paid apps that aren't showing ads. Or maybe part of their developer agreement makes the developer pay for non-ad versions somehow. Just theorizing from the business perspective...
styckx said:
So sick of in app ads, so sick of freemium, so sick of subscription services (ie: PlexPass etc), so sick of pay to win games, so sick of every Android developer (not every, but you get the point) nickel and diming the piss out of users either with ads or micro-transactions. Enough.. Just follow the PC software model that has worked for decades. A set price, minor upgrades are free, major revisions you re-pay. The Android software market is the biggest racket.
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Thank you Sir, these are true words. I agree you to 100%
styckx said:
Just follow the PC software model that has worked for decades.
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The PC software model had very few ongoing costs. You boxed up a CD and after that, the costs you incurred were mostly just support costs. Streaming video is not cheap. If you plan on charging once in a lifetime, then you will be out of business very quickly.
@DJames1 - those are good points, I'd like to counter with what the market will bear.
After the Google TV and Nexus Q flops, I don't think that Chromecast could have done better at a higher price point, even if it started out with more apps and features. I think that they had to plan for this price point and knew that going in.
As for the initial Netflix deal, I don't know if anyone besides the accountants know how that worked. Not a personal criticism, just saying - Netflix has a vested interest in DIAL succeeding. It makes secure delivery easy for them. Their revenue models for this sort of thing aren't trivial, see Roku's license deal for example.
Netflix will give newcomers a free month for watching Philip DeFranco on YouTube.
So between their giveaway budget for promotions, surely compensated in part by the content providers and anything paid back by Google in the form of free advertising, I think that entire initial allocation for Netflix with Google was all virtual money, if such a thing exists. Iow, lots of return on investment on both sides but actual investment costs in real dollars - closer to zero.
@bhiga - agree. This reminds me of the AirPush SDK, and quite a few others who seek out devs with revenue schemes.
Pretty simply, after seeing the requirements and the limitations for normal html5 development on the Chromecast, and paying my $5 admission fee.... it's ridiculous.
So if anyone wants to jumpstart their development of an app for Android or Chrome and they already have a Receiver app hosted on an https site (apparently even Google Docs will do), I'll publish your app myself.
Here's a list of things I'd need to know for publishing a Receiver and Sender app. Message me there, or here, if you're interested. I try to keep my Hangouts invites visible.
Things to note:
In Chrome, both a Sender URL and a Receiver URL are required. The sender can be site specific (e.g. if your application is hosted at mysubdomain.site.com/folder/page.html, the sender URL will get shortened to mysubdomain.site.com.)
For the above reason, you can't send Web requests from locally hosted sites. Google needs direct access to them, so they forbid it.
The Receiver URL must be a single page, however. This is what gets displayed on the screen. Because of the restrictions of the Chromecast, even Google considers it safe to assume your content should be hosted in a single 1280x720 rectangle.
All Receiver URLs must go to an https site. There's a way to use Google Drive/Docs to house a Receiver via https. You'll probably have to search around the Chrome store for a reliable Google Drive html editor if you need to go this route, so I would recommend Drive only as a last resort.
OT but to add up. You think that's ridiculous. Play Store admission fee is $20. And for iOS devices only access to SDK is $100.
I am looking to make CC app of my own. Will keep you in mind.
ppero196 said:
OT but to add up. You think that's ridiculous. Play Store admission fee is $20. And for iOS devices only access to SDK is $100.
I am looking to make CC app of my own. Will keep you in mind.
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It cost me $25 usd when I signed up last week, is there seriously another fee to pay on top of that to publish cc apps?
ppero196 said:
OT but to add up. You think that's ridiculous. Play Store admission fee is $20. And for iOS devices only access to SDK is $100.
I am looking to make CC app of my own. Will keep you in mind.
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I think it's ridiculous that all apps, regardless of target audience, must pass through Google's censors, yes. Previously the only way to have an app available was to publicly list it on their website. No developer account, no app testing... Period. Unlike the Google Play Store, this account is mandatory to do anything.
idone said:
It cost me $25 usd when I signed up last week, is there seriously another fee to pay on top of that to publish cc apps?
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Yep.
Not just to publish but to start developing, debugging, or testing.
Google Corporation has recently sent me a threat over email, added a strike to my Google+ account for daring to post this message online.
So I guess I'll amend my words. I'll "partner" with anyone who wants to publish or develop or test a Chromecast app. In said partnership I'll assume no ownership of your stuff. You make it, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you can run it on any Chromecast you want.
If Google hates me, I must be doing some good.
Final update:
Google recently realized their loophole here and closed it, adding a clause to their developer agreement that states that helping anyone with unfortunate circumstances can get you removed from their whitelist.
I guess my developing days are over, and remember: buy a Kindle Fire Stick instead!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G530AZ using Tapatalk
Yet another reason I regret buying a CC