computer science

Google Cast

Google Cast is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Google Cast rather than just read about it. In short: Google Cast is a proprietary protocol developed by Google for playing locally stored or Internet-streamed audiovisual content on a compatible consumer device. The protocol is used to initiate and control playback of content on digital media players, high-definition televisions, and home audio systems using a mobile device, personal computer, or smart speaker.

Key takeaways

Google Cast belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Google Cast to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Google Cast from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Google Cast is a proprietary protocol developed by Google for playing locally stored or Internet-streamed audiovisual content on a compatible consumer device. The protocol is used to initiate and control playback of content on digital media players, high-definition televisions, and home audio systems using a mobile device, personal computer, or smart speaker. The protocol was first launched on July 24, 2013, to support Google's first-generation Chromecast player. The Google Cast SDK was released on February 3, 2014, allowing third parties to modify their software to support the protocol. According to Google, over 20,000 Google Cast-ready apps were available as of May 2015. Support for Google Cast has since been integrated into subsequent devices, such as the Nexus Player and other Android TV devices (such as televisions), as well as soundbars, speakers, and later models of the Chromecast. Consumer devices that natively support the protocol were marketed as Chromecast built-in from 2016 to 2024, after which the branding reverted back to the Google Cast name. As of October 2017, over 55 million Google Cast-enabled devices have been sold.

Operation Google Cast receivers can stream content via two methods: the first employs mobile and web apps that support the Google Cast technology; the second allows mirroring of content from the web browser Google Chrome running on a personal computer, as well as content displayed on some Android devices. In both cases, playback is initiated through the "cast" button on the sender device.

The primary method of playing media on the device is through Google Cast–enabled mobile and web apps, which control program selection, playback, and volume. Google Cast receiver devices stream the media from the web within a local version of the Chrome browser, thus freeing the sender device up for other tasks, such as answering a call or using another application, without disrupting playback. Mobile apps enabled for Google Cast are available for both Android 4.1+ and iOS 7.0+; web apps enabled for Google Cast are available on computers running Google Chrome version 72 or later (on Microsoft Windows 7+, macOS 10.7+, and ChromeOS) through the installation of the "Cast extension" in the browser. Streamed content can be Internet-based, as provided by specific apps, or reside on the sender device's local storage. Content can also be mirrored from a tab of the Chrome browser (with the Cast extension) on a personal computer or from the screen of some Android 4.4+ devices. In the case of "tab casting", the quality of the image depends on the processing power of the device, and minimum system requirements apply to video streaming. Content that uses plug-ins, such as Silverlight and QuickTime, does not fully work, as the stream may lack sound or image. Similarly, screen images mirrored from Android devices are typically degraded, reflecting the fact that video displayed on the smaller screens of tablets and smartphones is usually downscaled. Sender devices previously needed to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as a Google Cast receiver device to cast content, until the addition of a "guest mode" feature on December 10, 2014. When enabled, the feature allows sender devices to discover a nearby player by detecting ultrasonic audio emitted by the television or speaker system to which the player is connected; alternatively, the sender device can be paired with the receiver device using a four-digit PIN code. Guest mode is only available for Chromecasts; the Nexus Player and Android TV devices do not support the feature.

SDK and compatible apps

Release and distribution When the first-generation Chromecast was released, four Google Cast-compatible apps were available: YouTube and Netflix were supported as Android, iOS, and Chrome web apps; Google Play Music and Google Play Movies & TV were also supported, but originally only as Android apps. Additional apps supporting casting would require access to the Google Cast software development kit (SDK). The SDK was first released as a preview version on July 24, 2013. Google advised interested developers to use the SDK to create and test apps, but not distribute them. While that admonition remained in force, Google Cast-enabled applications for Hulu Plus and Pandora Radio were released in October 2013, and HBO GO in November. Google invited developers to a two-day hackathon on December 7 at Googleplex, its Mountain View headquarters, offering the opportunity to test drive the SDK's "upcoming release". The session attracted 40 developers from 30 companies and was followed by 10 additional apps, including Plex, Avia, and Realplayer Cloud. Google opened the SDK to all developers on February 3, 2014. In its introductory documentation and video presentation, Google said the SDK worked with both Chromecast devices and other unnamed "cast receiver devices". Chromecast product manager Rish Chandra said that Google used the intervening time to improve the SDK's reliability and accommodate those developers who sought a quick and easy way to cast a photo to a television without a lot of coding. Google also made the SDK a part of the Google Play Services framework, thereby giving users access to new apps without having to update Android itself. Over time, many more applications have been updated to support Google Cast. At Google I/O 2014, the company announced that 6,000 registered developers were working on 10,000 Google Cast–ready apps; by the following year's conference, the number of compatible apps had doubled. Google has published case studies documenting Google Cast integration by Comedy Central, Just Dance Now, Haystack News and Fitnet.

Framework The development framework has two components: a sender app and a receiver app, both of which make use of APIs provided by the SDK.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Google Cast

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Google Cast claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Google Cast before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Google Cast ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Google Cast

In research: Google Cast appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Google Cast in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Google Cast is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Google software, Streaming media systems, Wireless display technologies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Google Cast outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Google Cast in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Google Cast means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Google Cast out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Google Cast in simple terms?

Why does Google Cast matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Google Cast?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Google Cast.