Chrome Blog
The latest news from the Google Chrome team
Introducing the VIZIO P-series with Google Cast
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Last year, we
brought
the magic of Google Cast, the technology behind Chromecast, to speakers, Android TVs, game consoles and set-up boxes. Today, we’re excited to start casting to VIZIO’s new SmartCast
P-Series
displays as well as to VIZIO soundbars and speakers.
The P-series now comes with Google Cast built in, which means you can use your smartphone or tablet as your remote to cast your favorite entertainment directly to the big screen. Simply tap the Cast button from apps like Netflix to watch
Daredevil
, YouTube to stream
daredevil stunts
, or Google Play Music to
get pumped
for your own stunts. You can also mirror any website from the Chrome browser on your laptop. So whether you’re planning your next vacation and looking through flights and hotels with the family, or want to share a video from your last epic trip, just look for the
Google Cast extension
in the corner of your desktop browser.
The VIZIO P-Series also supports casting Ultra HD (up to 4K) and High Dynamic Range with Dolby Vision content (bright, clear colors!). Included with every P-series is VIZIO’s 6” Android tablet remote, a tablet that lives in the living room and can cast all your favorite content.
We’re also changing the name of the Chromecast app to Google Cast app, to better reflect that Google Cast technology is now supported across a wide range of devices such as Chromecast, TVs, displays and speakers. The Google Cast app makes it easy for you to discover great stuff to watch, find more apps, customize backdrop, and more. The updated Google Cast app will be rolling out this week on Android & iOS.
To learn more about Google Cast and the Google Cast app, visit our
new website
.
Adam Champy, Product Manager, Daily Daily Show Caster
Introducing Chrome Music Lab
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
This year, for
Music in Our Schools Month
, we wanted to help make learning about music a bit more accessible to everyone by using technology that’s open to everyone: the web. We built a set of experiments that let anyone explore how music works. It’s called Chrome Music Lab, and you can check it out at
g.co/musiclab
.
You can play with sound, rhythm, melody, and more. Chrome Music Lab is all built for the web, so you can start playing instantly, whether you’re on a tablet, phone, or laptop. Just like today’s
Clara Rockmore doodle
, the experiments are all built with the Web Audio API, a freely-accessible, open web standard that lets developers create and manipulate sound right in the browser. We’re also providing open-source code so that others can build new experiments based on what we’ve started.
Exploring music can help spark curiosity in all kinds of ways. We hope these experiments inspire you – whether they give you a new perspective on music, make you more curious about math and science, or even make you think of new ways to teach or code.
So crank up the volume and start playing at
g.co/musiclab
.
Posted by Alex Chen, Coder and Weekend Ukelele Hobbyist
New year, new Chrome
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Chrome gives you a fast and secure way to explore the web, no matter what device you’re using. To keep all of our users safe and to help them save on data usage, we now show 5 million
Safe Browsing
warning messages every day and have over 100 million people using
Data Saver mode
in Chrome on Android. This saves up to 100 Terabytes of data a day — enough data to store the complete works of Shakespeare, 10 million times!
The latest version of Chrome brings some fresh updates for the new year to get you moving faster and stay secure.
Speed and stability on iOS
The
latest Chrome for iOS
is significantly faster and more stable, so you can pick up where you left off browsing (on any device) without worrying about Chrome crashing on misbehaving webpages. In fact, tests show that the latest version reduces Chrome’s crash rate by 70 percent and speeds up JavaScript execution significantly.
These improvements will gradually be rolled out starting today—just
update Chrome
to get rolling. (If you want a peek under the hood, check out this update in the
Chromium blog
.)
Keep an eye on your data usage
If you’re using your computer at a library or coffee shop with spotty public WiFi, it’s helpful to be able to manage your data usage—which is why we created Chrome’s new
Data Saver extension
. It reduces the data your computer needs to access websites using the same compression technology as Chrome for Android’s Data Saver mode. Clicking on “Details” will tell how much data you’ve saved, and which websites are scooping up most data.
Keeping Chromies secure online
Of course, even with all the features Chrome offers to help you stay secure online, there's a lot you can do too to protect yourself. A few pro-tips:
If you just got a new Windows computer over the holidays, your first step is to
download Chrome
and make it your
default browser
;)
Keep your computer free of unwanted software with the
Chrome Cleanup Tool
. This program sweeps through your computer for software that’s been identified by Google and our industry partners as unhelpful or malicious. To date, 40 million people have successfully cleaned up their computers with this tool.
Starting in this latest release, you’ll begin to see all extensions to the right of the URL bar, so you can easily remove anything you don’t recognize. Just right click the extension icon and select “Remove from Chrome.”
Posted by AbdelKarim Mardini, Product Manager and New Year's Resolver
More fun in the living room with Android TV and with Google Cast speakers
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Android TV
and
Google Cast for audio
devices were introduced to give you more freedom and control over your entertainment. Today we’re bringing even more TV and speaker makers onboard for both Android TV and Google Cast.
When it comes to home entertainment, the living room is more connected than ever. Approximately 88% of consumer electronic devices shipped in 2015 were Internet-enabled.¹ When devices in the home are connected, it’s important to have platforms that make it easy for you to stream your favorite digital music and movies.
Android TV
Android TV brings apps, games, movies, shows, music and more to the biggest screen in your home. From smart TVs to cable box operators, many devices support the Android TV experience. Now you’ve got even more options to find the device that’s right for you. If you’re looking for a new TV, you can select an Android TV from Sony, Sharp and Philips. Later this year, Android TV will be available from Arcelik, Vestel, RCA, Hisense, TCL and Bang & Olufsen. And, for our users in Indonesia, Linknet now has an Android TV offering.
Google Cast for speakers
Google Cast, the same technology built into Chromecast, is now embedded directly into speakers, sound bars, and A/V receivers so you can cast music from your favorite app on your phone or any music streaming website on Chrome. Throughout 2016, you’ll be able to enjoy Google Cast speakers from B&O Play, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Philips, Pioneer, and Raumfeld.
Sony
and
LG
, who were among the first to include Google Cast in their speakers, are also refreshing their speaker lineups. Cast-enabled software and hardware from Frontier Silicon and StreamUnlimited will make it easier for more audio companies to join the Google Cast family.
Recently, we announced that multi-room synchronization is available on Chromecast Audio. Multi-room sync lets you group speakers connected to Chromecast Audio devices together so you can listen to the same song throughout the house. In 2016, multi-room sync functionality will come to Google Cast speakers, allowing you to mix and match Cast-enabled speakers from your favorite brands with speakers connected to Chromecast Audio.
Check back for more hardware and content news throughout the year.
Posted by Adrienne McCallister, Streaming Media Maven
¹/
Strategy Analytics Connected CE Devices Market Forecast, July 2015
Endless fun for this holiday season
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Whether you’re cozied up at home or on the road, Chromecast has a bunch of new goodies for you and the family. Just in time for the holidays, we’re adding more Chromecast-enabled games for both Android and iOS to the list.
Now casting is Rovio’s
Angry Birds Friends
, featuring everyone’s favorite red bird, where you can compete in weekly tournaments. Also available is Ubisoft’s
Driver Speedboat Paradise
, where you race your boat through beautiful canals and waterways around the world.
Angry Birds Friends, by Rovio
We’re also introducing several new family-friendly Hasbro games which have been remastered for the big screen experience, including
Monopoly Here & Now, Yahtzee Blitz, The Game of Life,
and
Scrabble Blitz 2.0
. These are perfect companions for the downtime before that ball drops this New Year’s Eve. And lastly, we’re excited to introduce a new way to play
Risk
-- on Chromecast. Now you can compete for world domination with friends and family. (Hasbro games available in the US and CA only)
With Chromecast, you can get a great split-screen experience for your mobile games. For example, if you are playing
Monopoly Here & Now
, only you can see your cards on your phone while the moves you decide to make get displayed on the big screen. It unlocks fun multiplayer experiences, and the ability for you to use your phone or tablet as the controller while gameplay takes place on the TV.
Monopoly Here & Now Big Screen, by Hasbro
Many games now work with Chromecast, and many more will continue to be made available.
So whether you’re playing with friends or by yourself, you can now play mobile games on the biggest screen in the house. Check out these great games and more on
chromecast.com/apps
.
Posted by Wendi Zhang, Chromecast Business Development Games Lead and Ultimate Bird Caster
Wield your lightsaber to escape the First Order
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
You don’t need to be a Jedi to master a lightsaber — just go to
g.co/lightsaber
on your phone or desktop to wield your very own lightsaber in our latest Chrome Experiment, “
Lightsaber Escape
,” built for your phone and computer.
Inspired by
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
, “Lightsaber Escape” immerses you in a galaxy far, far away, bringing the film to life through modern web technologies. Your adventure begins in a Star Destroyer, where you’ll need to use your phone as a lightsaber to escape the First Order.
The experience was developed in collaboration with Disney, Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. The rich 3D graphics were built with
WebGL
, enabling beautiful, high fidelity 3D renders within the browser. We’re also using
WebRTC
and
WebSockets
to enable high accuracy, real-time communication between your mobile and desktop devices, reducing latency and improving interactivity. Plus, building with web standards means the experience works across browsers, and without plug-ins. For a more in-depth tech overview, you can check out our
technical case study
on developers.google.com.
Visit
google.com/starwars
to experience
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
across your favorite Google apps and explore Jakku Spy, a Google Cardboard Experience.
May the Force be with you!
Posted by Paul Irish, Product Manager & T-70 X-Wing Cadet
Even more to love about Chromecast Audio
Thursday, December 10, 2015
A couple of months ago we launched
Chromecast Audio
to provide an easy way to stream your favorite tunes from your phone, tablet, or laptop to your existing speakers. At $35, Chromecast Audio is an affordable way to connect your speakers via WiFi so you can stream tons of popular apps including Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play Music from anywhere in your home. Today we’re starting to add two new features to the latest software update to elevate your listening experience.
Introducing Hi-Res audio support
Close your eyes and imagine the musician is playing in the room. Today we’re rolling out high-resolution audio support, which gives you even higher quality music playback using Chromecast Audio. With support of up to 96KHz/24bit lossless audio playback, you can enjoy higher-than-CD-quality audio on your existing high fidelity audio equipment.
Blast the same song in every room
Now you can easily fill every room in your home—bedroom, kitchen, living room, or wherever you have a Chromecast Audio connected—with synchronous music. Multi-room lets you group Chromecast Audio devices together so you can listen to the same song on multiple speakers.
Setup is simple. Connect and setup a Chromecast Audio device for each of your speakers, then use the latest
Chromecast app
to create a group. You can cast to the group the exact same way you would cast to a single Chromecast device. Since anyone with a phone can easily cast without pairing, you can sync your home speakers together and invite your friends to be the DJ.
So grab your hairbrush microphone, dust off your tennis racket guitar, and jam out to your favorite tunes at amazing quality and in every room of your house.
Posted by Tomer Shekel, Product Manager and Patron of Loud Music
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