Chromecast as a device - you must be joking me!

[Anonymous User]

Just bought a chromecast and I think you know what is coming up... Unbelievably, Sky Now regard the chromecast as one of my devices. What the hell is that about? Sorry Now, but that is crazy. I've just had to go through some stupid device reset on the live chat, and now have one fewer device. I was thinking of buying Chromecasts for all my televisions. If i do buy another single Chromecast, it's goodbye Now TV. I know I can use any device with NowTV app installed as a casting remote, but that is not the point at all as I regularly watch it away from home on my mobile device. Maybe if you offered a more reasonable number of devices on the system it would be barely acceptable, just like netflix does, but to have it as one of your four devices is insane. This is not what the cc was designed for. I can't watch content on the cc, I can't find the screen! I think this policy really needs a very urgent rethink. I also sub to netflix, and there is none of this four device restriction BS. Maybe they are more deserving of my money solely.

[Anonymous User]

Hi @Anonymous User

Thanks for your post.

The four device limit is in place due to our agreements with movie and TV studios. If we didn't have it, we might not have all of the great content that we do.

Although you control your Chromecast via your phone, it connects directly to NOW TV and streams independently of your phone once you start watching. For this reason, it has to be identified as a device, as otherwise there'd be no way of us limiting the number of streams somebody has, which again is down to licensing.

Birgit

NOW TV Team

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for your reply Birgit. I know that Now TV does have its reasons for choosing to use the chromecast as a device, but you have to see it from the customer's perspective also. Just to say I have brought four customers to now TV from my family and friends who all have seen my set up. We love Now TV.

- We in my family, like to have now tv on our mobiles as we all travel independently with unlimited data and like to watch NowTV on the move. This is essential. Three devices slots gone. We did have the living room tv with a roku now box (fourth device), but wanted them on tvs in other rooms - my daughters bedroom for example.

- In my house, I have three large televisions in various locations, all with chromecast 2 (or will shorlty as I'm so impressed with them) plugged into them. When I bought the Chromecast, I (stupidly) assumed that they would simply cast, in the same way that our netflix / iplayer casts perfectly.

- Netflix doesn't seem to have such restrictive device limits, and they are Now tvs most direct competitor. All our devices stream Netflix perfectly to our three chromecasts.

- Fundamentally, I argue that the CC is just a 'bridge' from phone to tv, it is NOT a device in its own right. You can't use or operate the CC without a registered phone device casting to it, so I never for one second thought that a CC would be regarded as a device. Stupid me.

- Surely to goodness technology bods at Sky can limit the number of streams (which I understand, though netflix is far less restrictive) to CC devices by insisting that a CC is only being cast to via a locked and registered device which is on, and stays on, the SAME wi-fi network. I'm not going around to my neighbour's house with my phone and casting them a free Now TV film to their Chromecasts - that propestrous.

- It just appears to me that Now TV is not keeping up with my technological changes and my mobile viewing habits. I don't really mind the four device limit, but each device should be authorised to cast to a CC enabled tv.

- I know you allow to install the Now app and use it to cast only, but that's ass backwards. My mobile is the centre of my digital universe, not my televisions. I don't want to 'chuck' away device slots to something that is permanently stuck to the back of my big televisions in the house!

- Now demands I sit still on ONE sofa if I want to watch on a screen larger than 5". Netflix et al allows me freedom and mobility to go where the hell I like.  To me, Now TV simply doesn't permit my multi screen, mobile lifestyle. Netflix and other Now TV competitors do. It's as simple as that.

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User if we accept that NOW TV are restricted to 4 devices, then how would me having 4 Chromecast plugged in to 4 different TVs be any different to me having 4 NOW TV/Roku boxes plugged in instead?

[Anonymous User]

Because a roku box is an independent device capable of playing content directly.

The chromecast isn't and relies absolutely on another device that is capable of playing content.

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User but you've already accepted that the casting device doesn't have to be one of your four, which makes the Chromecast the player. How about if I had 10 Chromecasts, should they really count nothing towards my device limit, compared to the house with a TV with a NOW TV box, an LG TV, one with the PS4 and a mobile?

[Anonymous User]

Then change it such that the casting device has to be one of my four. And is locked while playing. And is locked to the same ip address as the chromecast. Seems obvious to me.

No, it shouldn't count whatsoever. As long as I'm only using a registered local device to cast to it, then I couldn't give a stuff how many I or anybody else has. The number of devices remains at four with two allowed streams even if I had fifty chromecasts. How can I abuse the service if that's the case?

[Anonymous User]

I'm in the same boat. I have 3 chromecasts and a miracast system

1 for full HD projector

1 bedroom

1 living room

And

1 smart tv in kitchen via miracast. 

The players are

Note 3 phone.

S2

Note 10.1 tablet

Ps3

2 pcs and 2 laptops.

If I use my note 3 mobile phone to access now tv movies. I can't use now tv in my house let alone use any of the other transmitters.

Surely each screen with a chromecast is the receiver and the mobile phone is the transmitter.

If have a 2 month free now tv pass which is useless. 

I won't be paying for nowtv in january  which I want to subscribe to, as i will have to use netflix instead.

I can't even miracast from the phones screen to the chromecast because nowtv has that option disabled as well.

All I want to do is watch one stream at a time but on any device I choose.

Can you develop another package option for chromecast users?

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User of course you can use your Chromecast, however just like any other household with 4+ devices you need to pick which four you want to use. If that's a mobile, a playstation and two chromecasts you can do that, or if you want just the pc and three chromecasts you have do that instead.

[Anonymous User]

With Netflix I can cast to any device I want. Why can we not do that with nowtv? I know your hands are tied with contracts but using 2 devices slots to play one movie is down right silly.

at least I should be able to have 4 playing devices and then even if I had 10 chromecasts it should not matter.

Do you understand. My point now?

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User but it's not two slots if you don't want to watch on your mobile, as long as you cast before playing it won't count.

[Anonymous User]

I can understand the licensing position for standard Chromecast if the Chromecast is independent of the phone; though it is a pain for users and perhaps Sky should talk to Chromecast about making a continous connection to the phone necessary for the NowTV App/Server?

I am not familiar with Miracast but surely if the video is being mirrored to the Chromcast the phone is needed and is the only device that needs to be registered?

I came back to my NowTV account after over a year to find that all the slots were used up by my phone and my Chromecasts and it will take 3 months to move them over to devices I want to use. As I never knew that the chromecasts were taking a device slot (did it say with a message as they took a slot; I can't remember if it did?), I did not rename them. I have many chromecasts I might of used a year or more ago I find it more difficult than it could be to know which ones I am deleting, as I have two homes and cannot trry them all out to reset the last use date. Surely it would not have been difficult to dispay the MAC address or Chromcast name in the device list.

Does NowTV work on Apple TV? If so does that take a device slot?

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User live chat can sort out your device limit as a one off, but when you look at your devices within My Account it does show the last used date so you should be able to pin point which chromecast is each. You can then either delete it as it's no longer in use or rename it to something more useful.

[Anonymous User]

Hi @Anonymous User

Thanks for posting, sorry for any confusion over the device management rules. Can you try and watch on your desired devices now please. f you have issues please let us know.

Also the Apple TV would count as a device on your account.

Cheers

Ranj

NOW TV Team

[Anonymous User]

No.

This is still infuriating me after several months.

Now TV can't keep pace with my modern multi-screen mobile lifestyle.

Netflix and all the others can.

Now TV's loss.

[Anonymous User]

Surely Now TV via chromecast is no different to me connecting to the TV via a HDMI cable - without the wires.
I have just authorised my mobile and tried to cast it and hit 2 problems - one I am now at my 4 device limit (ios,android,now tv box,xbox) so don't have space for chromecast and second I can only add 1 device a month - I have to delete one device and then wait a month to add the chromecast. INSANE.

The phone is the registered device not the chromecast - I can't cast unless I am signed in on my phone. It would be better to limit the streams. Welcome to 2016 Sky...

[Anonymous User]

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@Anonymous User wrote:
The phone is the registered device not the chromecast - I can't cast unless I am signed in on my phone.

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Whilst you need to be signed in on your phone, it doesn't need to be one of the four, your mobile only counts if you actually watch NOW TV on it. If you hit cast before playing it'll never register and so you could use the rooted phone or one of the rubbish tablets as your controller if you really wanted.

[Anonymous User]

Just found out about this dreaded problem with chromecast and google cast being counted as seperate devices.

At least I can use chromecast from the other main online media providers with no issue. 

After the free two months movies pass has expired I will look at cancelling Now TV.

[Anonymous User]

All you Chromecast users are missing the point. The Chromecast (even with Netflix) is a player. Your phone is a remote. It why it need to take a device slot. Cause on all you can only stream 1, 2 or 4 devices at the same time. (Nowtv is 2 Netflix depending on plan sign up). If they didn't log it as a device than you could have say 10 chromecast put it on say sky sports 1 , sky movies premier , sky one and leave it all streaming live. 

So they can't have not be registered as a device. The real problem here is the 4 device on account / 1 device change per month. For some and seem op is one it too restrictive.  The answer is a) need account for himself and account for children. Yes cost twice as much but it does increase number of streaming and only way nowtv can keep latest content which prime and Netflix don't have. Or nowtv come out like Netflix done and pay extra £3 say a month and get 8 device slot plus 3/4 live stream at same time. This extra £3 is to cover extra cost to get rights from content providers to do it. (Might be less might be more). But on technical side the way they doing Chromecast is afaird correct. 

[Anonymous User]

If a phone is remote, where can I download the Now TV Remote app.

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User you use the normal NOW TV app and make sure that you press cast before playing.