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Microsoft announces its Chromecast competitor for $60
Microsoft has announced a new peripheral today: the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter. Boring name aside, the device is a lot like a Chromecast and easily allows you to turn nearly any display into a second screen. The device will cost around $60 when it becomes available in October and we can see how corporations will likely move towards these devices. If an enterprise has a fleet of Miracast-enabled devices, these dongles are much cheaper than a projector since most conference rooms these days have LCDs up on the wall. Or, even if they have projectors, these devices can be used to easily connect wirelessly to them and reduce the hassle of using cords. You can check out the video in this post to get a better idea how the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter works but if you are familiar with a Chromecast, the idea is very similar - although Google's iteration does cost about half the price of Microsoft's device.
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cyclone3d
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Joined: 2006-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 419
Joined: 2006-11-10
#4922230 Posted on: 09/25/2014 03:38 PM
The link in the article that is supposed to go to a list of "Miracast certified devices" just goes to a list of WiFi certified devices. The page says nothing about Miracast at all.
Also.. How is this going to sell for $60 when the Chromecast is $35? Looks to me like they do the same exact thing.
The link in the article that is supposed to go to a list of "Miracast certified devices" just goes to a list of WiFi certified devices. The page says nothing about Miracast at all.
Also.. How is this going to sell for $60 when the Chromecast is $35? Looks to me like they do the same exact thing.
sykozis
Senior Member
Posts: 21798
Joined: 2008-07-14
Senior Member
Posts: 21798
Joined: 2008-07-14
#4922233 Posted on: 09/25/2014 03:42 PM
Miracast is pretty much a fail.... There's no guarantee that any Miracast device will work with another Miracast device.
Miracast is pretty much a fail.... There's no guarantee that any Miracast device will work with another Miracast device.
Denial
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Joined: 2004-05-16
Senior Member
Posts: 13235
Joined: 2004-05-16
#4922256 Posted on: 09/25/2014 04:05 PM
The link in the article that is supposed to go to a list of "Miracast certified devices" just goes to a list of WiFi certified devices. The page says nothing about Miracast at all.
Also.. How is this going to sell for $60 when the Chromecast is $35? Looks to me like they do the same exact thing.
They don't. I wouldn't even call it a chromecast competitor honestly. Chromecast serves the video stream from a server. Miracast serves it from the device.
They both overlap in situations but Miracast is significantly better where lower latency is a must (Presentations, Game Streaming, etc). Chromecast is better when latency doesn't matter as much (Youtube videos, netflix, media). And yes I know that you can turn your device to a chromecast server and stuff but it still isn't as good.
That being said, and as sykozis stated, Miracast support is flaky.
The link in the article that is supposed to go to a list of "Miracast certified devices" just goes to a list of WiFi certified devices. The page says nothing about Miracast at all.
Also.. How is this going to sell for $60 when the Chromecast is $35? Looks to me like they do the same exact thing.
They don't. I wouldn't even call it a chromecast competitor honestly. Chromecast serves the video stream from a server. Miracast serves it from the device.
They both overlap in situations but Miracast is significantly better where lower latency is a must (Presentations, Game Streaming, etc). Chromecast is better when latency doesn't matter as much (Youtube videos, netflix, media). And yes I know that you can turn your device to a chromecast server and stuff but it still isn't as good.
That being said, and as sykozis stated, Miracast support is flaky.
sykozis
Senior Member
Posts: 21798
Joined: 2008-07-14
Senior Member
Posts: 21798
Joined: 2008-07-14
#4922303 Posted on: 09/25/2014 04:51 PM
I had 2 "Miracast compatible" devices from Samsung... Coincidentally, they were't compatible with each other because Samsung used 2 different, incompatible, Miracast implementations.....yet, that was one of the advertised features of BOTH products.
Miracast is a, more or less, open standard. Every manufacturer can change how they implement it. Since there's no standard, set in stone so to speak, there's no guarantee that any 2 Miracast capable devices will work together. Even if they come from the same vendor. Unfortunately, that's what will eventually kill off Miracast in the long run. Alternative solutions that "just work" will come along and replace it. Miracast is one of those "great in theory but poorly implemented" ideas...which is a shame considering it's possibilities. If ever handled properly, it could be among the "game changing" technologies but as it stands that'll never happen.
I had 2 "Miracast compatible" devices from Samsung... Coincidentally, they were't compatible with each other because Samsung used 2 different, incompatible, Miracast implementations.....yet, that was one of the advertised features of BOTH products.
Miracast is a, more or less, open standard. Every manufacturer can change how they implement it. Since there's no standard, set in stone so to speak, there's no guarantee that any 2 Miracast capable devices will work together. Even if they come from the same vendor. Unfortunately, that's what will eventually kill off Miracast in the long run. Alternative solutions that "just work" will come along and replace it. Miracast is one of those "great in theory but poorly implemented" ideas...which is a shame considering it's possibilities. If ever handled properly, it could be among the "game changing" technologies but as it stands that'll never happen.
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Looks very interesting. A friend of mine is looking for something similar, and Intel's WiDi standard has slowly found it's way into desktop boards with integrated WLAN/BT too now.