Device Management with Chromecast

[Anonymous User]

Hi,

I was wondering why the chromecast option takes up a device management slot, as we need a registered device to cast from...? This means to watch nowtv via chromecast, I need to use 2 of the 4 available slots.
Are there any plans to increase the device number limit or remove the registered device requirement for the chromecast?

[Anonymous User]

I have 4x chromecast, can I put them all on
and use androids / iphones purely as casting remotes ?

I never watch on phones, just TV(chromecast)

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User yup you can do just that.

[Anonymous User]

It's is really stupid as it's not like you can use Chromecast as a stand alone device. Sort it out please.

[Anonymous User]

Yes please allow chromecast without using up a device slot as I gave now TV on different devices in different rooms such as xboxes and ps4's which are all used at some point or another so disabling one for a month doesn't work. I put the now TV app on my phone so I could chromecast it to my TV but I can't. If this is not possible I'll cancel this as Netflix is cheaper and more flexible

[commanda6]

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@Anonymous User wrote:
Yes please allow chromecast without using up a device slot as I gave now TV on different devices in different rooms such as xboxes and ps4's which are all used at some point or another so disabling one for a month doesn't work. I put the now TV app on my phone so I could chromecast it to my TV but I can't. If this is not possible I'll cancel this as Netflix is cheaper and more flexible

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Hi @Anonymous User

Now TV isn't really any more restrictive than any other services with regards to chromecast the way now TV handles crime cast is just slightly different to other services that's all. Usually with most services it is the control device that is registered as the device (your phone or tablet) . However, with nowTV the chromecast itself is registered. This isn't a problem as long as you put the nowTV app on your phone or tablet into cast mode before you start streaming then only the chromecast is registered and not your control device and not your phone or tablet A Chromecast is reasonably easy to move around. In fact, the way now TV do it means you can use any control device you like in order to control your chromecast.

Other services such as blinkbox (now known as talktalk TV store) . Register the control device

I grant you, Netflix is slightly different because they don't register devices currently

[Anonymous User]

They have known about this for years and done nothing. WIth the new boxws and service could i encourage them to think again?

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User it's not something we can change. As I explained here, Chromecast has to use a device slot on your account. Our agreements with content providers set restrictions on how many different devices people can watch on.

Thanks,

Tom

[Anonymous User]

"Usually with most services it is the control device that is registered as the device (your phone or tablet) . However, with nowTV the chromecast itself is registered."

There is a reason for that. You can carry your phone, iPad or tablet to wherever the TV with Chromecast is. Unplugging and replugging Chromecast sticks isn't very user friendly. The whole model of seeing things on whatever screen is best at the time is screwed up now.

The only reason for device limitation is to act as a stand in for user limitation. Limiting number of controlling devices (that also can act as viewing devices) will do this without limiting what TVs the user wants to watch on for the moment.

Do you screw up the Apple Air Play model similarly? Or perhaps you don't support Air Play to Apple TV?

i think most people see casting as just a temporary transfer of the video for a small device to a bigger screen, and that's EXACTLY how it's meant to work. So why don't you implement it that way?

"This isn't a problem as long as you put the nowTV app on your phone or tablet into cast mode.."

If there happens to be a free slot it is pretty much bound to be accidentally filled by anyone trying to do this a few times. Your automatic registering model isn't a good idea.

Annoyance, and more annoyance. Guess NowTV staff don't actually use the product?

[Anonymous User]

I'm quitting NowTV at the end of the month due to this chromecast limitation. I've already allowed the movies pass to expire, the tv pass expires shortly. I'll stick to Netflix which has none of these issues. It's really odd that now tv claim that the issue is contractual when Netflix and Amazon show some of the same content without the same limitations. I think it's a lie. It's really just a way to ensure that sky maximise profits. Then customer satisfaction has never been a concern for sky... I'm a software developer and can imagine that it would be very easy to code the device management software to acknowledge that the device in use is a Chromecast and therefore check to see if either the Chromecast itself is a registered device OR if the transmitting device is registered. That would be sensible however so I can't see it happening...

[Anonymous User]

This is not a contractual issue but an issue with the now tv software.