ANKUR KUMAR , COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CHROMECAST SEMINAR 2015
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CUCEK
COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
COCHIN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, KUTTANAD
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SEMINAR REPORT 2015
ON
“CHROMECAST”
ANKUR KUMAR
REG NO: 14130209
COCHIN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, KUTTANAD
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the seminar report entitled “CHROMECAST” submitted by “ANKUR
KUMAR” REG NO: 14130209 in partial fulfillment with requirements for the award of Degree
of Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology of Cochin University of Science and
Technology is a bona-fide record of the work carried out by him under our supervision.
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT SEMINAR COORDINATOR
Mrs. JAYAPRABHA.P Mrs. JAYAPRABHA.P
Place: Pulincunnoo
Date: 13-08-2015
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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My express thanks and gratitude and thanks to Almighty God, my parents and other family
members and friends without whose uncontained support, I could not have made this career in B-
Tech.
I wish to place on my record my deep sense of gratitude to Dr. SREEJITH (principal CUCEK),
then I place my gratitude to my seminar guide, Mrs. JAYAPRABHA (HOD of IT), CUCEK for
their constant motivation and valuable help through the project work. I also extend my thanks to
other Faculties for their Cooperation during my Course.
Finally I would like to thank my friends for their cooperation to complete this project.
ABSTRACT
Chromecast is a small HDMI device which is “72mm” long dongle that provides users with an
easy way to stream online videos and music to the TV. This dongle comes with 2.4 GHZ wireless

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frequency to communicate with mobile phone and tablets. It does not run on low battery. It comes
with a micro USB cable and an adapter for the source of energy. This device will be able to provide
integration of services using different sources. The Chromecast out-of-box experience (OOBE)
has been lauded by reviewers and consumers for its simplicity and ease of use. Even though setting
up Chromecast is pretty simple, we found that without proper guidance there were several ways
that users could fail. This case study will present the different challenges the team faced in
designing the Chromecast OOBE and the different options the team explored. We will also
describe our user research process and how the user experience team worked with engineers and
product managers to implement a simple and easy OOBE. The Chromecast packaging comes with
four components: a Chromecast device, a USB power cable, a power supply, and an optional
HDMI extender. To set up Chromecast, the user connects the USB power cable to the Chromecast
device and power supply, connects the power supply to a power outlet, and then connects the
Chromecast into an HDMI port on a TV. After turning on the TV and switching inputs to the
correct HDMI port of the Chromecast, users are prompted to visit a setup website to download a
setup application. The application configures Chromecast and connects it to a user’s Wi-Fi
network. Once Chromecast has been configured, users can then use any Chromecast compatible
application (such as YouTube, Netflix, or HBO Go), tap the Cast icon, and then the content will
play on the TV.
CONTENTS
SI.NO TOPIC TITLE PAGE NO.
1. INTRODUCTION 1

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2. ARCHITECTURE 2-6
2.1 ALIGNED THUMBNAILS 3
2.2 SYNCHRONIZATION 4
2.3 USER INTERFACE FOR MOBILE DEVICE 5
2.4 IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPERIMENT 5-6
3. TECHNICALSPECIFICATIONS 7-10
3.1 OPERATING SYSTEM 8
3.2 SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM 9-10
4. DEVICE DISCOVERYPROTOCOLS 11
5. CHROMECAST INSTALLATION 12-18
5.1 CROMECAST COMPONENTS 12-13
5.2 SETUP 13-18
6. CHROMECAST WORKING 19
7. SUPPORTED APPLICATIONS 20-21
8. ADVANTAGES 22
9. DISADVANTAGES 23
10. FUTURE SCOPE 24
11. CONCLUSION 25
12. REFERENCES 26

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1. INTRODUCTION
Chromecast Measuring 2.83 inches (72 mm), dongle that plugs into the HDMI port of a high-
definition television or monitor, while the power is supplied by connecting the device's micro-
USB port to an external power supply or a USB port. By default, the device connects to the Internet
through a Wi-Fi connection to the user's local network; a standalone Ethernet adapter/USB power
supply, Chromecast offers two methods to stream content to a television: the first employs mobile
apps and web apps that support the Google Cast technology; the second allows mirroring of content
displayed by 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 controlling device. If the television's HDMI ports support the Consumer Electronics Control
(CEC) feature, pressing the cast button will also result in the Chromecast automatically switching
the television's active audio/video input using the CEC command "One Touch Playback".
The primary method of playing media on the device is through Google Cast–enabled mobile apps
and web apps, which control program selection, playback, and volume. The Chromecast itself
streams the media from the web within a local version of the Chrome browser, thus freeing the
controlling device up for other tasks, such as answering a call or using another application, without
disrupting playback. Mobile apps enabled for Chromecast are available for both Android 2.3+ and
iOS 6.0+; web apps enabled for Chromecast are available on computers running Google Chrome
(on Microsoft Windows 7+, Mac OS 10.7+, and Chrome OS for Chromebooks running Chrome
28+) 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 controlling device's local storage.
Application that provide access to the latter include Castbox, AllCast, Avia, and Plex.

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2. ARCHITECTURE
We present a system which has server-side modules and client side interfaces for media service on
second screen environment. Server-side has two servers which are webserver and media server.
Web server has Chromecast receiver that is a HTML web page showing video content using video
player. This web page is working on web browser of the Chromecast. Media server has two
modules which are Aligned Thumbnails Creator (ATC) and Synchronize Manager (SM).
ATC creates and stores thumbnails to the Thumbnail Store, and then SM performs synchronization
between sliding interface on mobile device and currently playing video on TV. Client-side has two
devices which are Chromecast connected TV and mobile device as a user interface. The mobile
device is used as a second screen for showing aligned thumbnails on sliding interface for video
browsing.
Fig. 2. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

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2.1 ALIGNED THUMBNAILS:
Aligned thumbnails are representing thumbnails of shot sequences. Aligned thumbnails make user
can easily access to their wanting contents by reducing search space. ATC creates aligned
thumbnails to be used by sliding interface as shown in Fig. 2.1. First, ATC extracts frames from
stored video. Then it detects shots using color histogram based shot boundary detection algorithm.
After shots are detected, ATC uses first frames such as a1, a75, and b1 of shots as key frames.
Then ATC aligns the similar shots using shot sequence alignment algorithm. Finally, The ATC
selects first key frames of the shot sequences as aligned thumbnails such as A1, B1, and C1 as
shown in Fig. 2.1.
Fig. 2.1. Aligned Thumbnails Creation

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2.2 SYNCHRONIZATION:
SM synchronizes between the sliding interface on mobile device and currently playing video on
TV. Its role is to keep the video player’s current time to be the same as the current time of the
displayed thumbnail. It aids users who are finding nearby scenes from current scene. Before
playing video, video player sends player’s current time to the SM. Then SM sends the thumbnail
metadata which is composed by pairs of thumbnail images that are taken from Thumbnail Store
with its respective current time to the mobile Application. Then images of each thumbnail are
loaded and added to sliding interface.
Fig. 2.2. Hierarchical Sliding Interface

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2.3 USER INTERFACE FOR MOBILE DEVICE:
To access detailed thumbnails such as B2, B3, D2, we present hierarchical sliding interface. As
illustrated in Fig. 3, hierarchical sliding interface has a video navigation module and a video
browsing module. Navigation module is located in the right side of browsing interface. It contains
video navigation buttons, such as play, pause, and so on. Browsing module has a sliding interface
showing aligned thumbnails without the time slider. Users who use sliding interface can slide
left/right for finding contents. When they slide to right thumbnail C1 from B1, the video player on
TV will play a particular time 00:32:43 which is represented by the thumbnail C1. Moreover, when
users want to jump to detailed shot such as B2 or B3, they can click current showing thumbnail
B1.Then sliding interface provides detail shots as shown in Fig. 2.2.
2.4 IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPERIMENT:
The implementation of this system includes the development of client and server side applications,
the Chromecast device, HDMI capable TV, and an android phone. The client application is
implemented as an android application for providing hierarchical sliding interface as shown in Fig.
3. It uses Chromecast API to communicate with a Chromecast device in order to synchronize and
interact with playing video on TV. The final implementation is shown in Fig. 2.4. The
experimentation uses three videos (V1, V2, and V3) from a popular TV series.
TABLE 1.0

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As shown is Table 1, we successfully decrease the average search space into 98 thumbnails by
using our aligned thumbnails creation method. Compare to video browsing method that using key
frames of shots as their search space has reduced 69% of the search space due to the smaller search
space.
Fig. 2.4. Final implementation of proposed system (a) Finding specific scene (b) Synchronized
between the sliding interface on mobile device and currently playing video on TV

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3. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Chromecast contains the Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-mini) system on a chip, which
includes codecs for hardware decoding of the VP8 and H.264 video compression formats. Radio
communication is handled by Azure Wave NH–387 Wi-Fi which implements 802.11b/g/n (2.4
GHz). The device has 512 MB of Micron DDR3L RAM and 2 GB of flash storage. The model
number H2G2-42 is likely a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy abbreviation
"H2G2"—in the novel, the number 42 is the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the
Universe, and Everything." The bundled power adapter bears the model number MST3K-US,
likely a reference to Mystery Science Theater 3000.

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3.1 OPERATING SYSTEM:
Chromecast is "running a simplified version of Chrome OS. Subsequently, a team of hackers
reported that the device is "more android than Chrome OS" and appears to be adapted from
software embedded in Google TV. As with Chrome OS devices, Chromecast operating system
updates are downloaded automatically without notification.
TABLE 2.0 FIRMWARE VERSON AND RELEASE DATE

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3.2 SUPPORTEDOPERATING SYSTEM:
The whole premise of the Chromecast is to stream content from the web to your television, from
another device. Google is being very open when it comes to device support. Supported operating
systems for Chromecast are Android 2.3 and higher, iOS 6 and higher, Windows 7 and higher,
Mac OS 10.7 and higher and the Chromebook Pixel (more Chromebooks coming soon). Sorry,
Windows Phone.
• Android 4.1 and higher.
• iOS 7.0 and higher.
• Windows 7 and higher.
• Mac OS 10.7 and higher.
• Chrome OS (on a Chromebook running Chrome 28 & higher).
Android iOS
Android 2.3 or higher. IOS 6 or higher.

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Windows MAC OS
Windows 7 or higher. MAC OS 10.7 or higher.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS 28 or higher.

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4. DEVICE DISCOVERY PROTOCOLS
Chromecast uses the mDNS (multicast Domain Name System) protocol to search for available
devices on a Wi-Fi network. Chromecast previously used the DIAL (Discovery And Launch)
protocol, co-developed by Netflix and YouTube.
MULTICAST DNS (mDNS):
In computer networking, the multicast Domain Name System (mDNS) resolves host names to IP
addresses within small networks that do not include a local name server. It is a zero-configuration
service, using essentially the same programming interfaces, packet formats and operating
semantics as the unicast Domain Name System (DNS).
DISCOVER AND LAUNCH (DIAL):
It is a mechanism for discovering and launching applications on a single subnet, typically a home
network. It relies on Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP),
and HTTP protocols. The protocol works without requiring a pairing between devices. It was
formerly used by the Chromecast media streaming adapter that was introduced in July 2013 by
Google. (Chromecast instead uses mDNS.) DIAL enables so-called "2nd screen" devices, such as
tablet computers and mobile phones to send content to "1st screen" devices, such as televisions,
Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes.
Fig. 4.0. DIAL OPERATION IN CHROMECAST

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5. CHROMECAST INSTALLATION
Chromecast is an inexpensive way to stream media from online to your HDTV over your
home Wi-Fi network, using your computer or mobile device as a bridge. It's not as simple
as plugging it in, though. That's where this guide comes in. The setup process is very
straightforward, but if you need a little more help, this guide can walk you through each
step and make sure you get everything working properly on the first try.
5.1 CROMECAST COMPONENTS:
Fig. 5.1 CHROMECAST COMPONENTS
1. CHROMECAST: Chromecast plugs into any HDMI port on your TV and uses your existing
Wi-Fi network to stream video from the internet to your TV. Chromecast is controlled from
devices on the same Wi-Fi network, such as smartphones, tablets, or computers, and is powered
using the USB cable.

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2. USB POWER CABLE: The USB power cable provides power to your Chromecast. One end
plugs into your Chromecast and the other end plugs into either a USB port on your TV or the
power supply.
3. POWER SUPPLY (OPTIONAL): The power supply is optional and can be used with the
USB cable to power your Chromecast if your TV does not have a USB port.
4. HDMI EXTENDER (OPTIONAL): The HDMI extender is optional and can be used if your
Chromecast does not fit directly into your TV. The HDMI extender may be used to improve
your Wi-FI reception, and if recommended for your set up, you may see a notification on your
TV screen to use the extender. The HDMI extender should be connected to the TV first, then
to the Chromecast.
5.2 SETUP:
1. PLUG YOUR CHROMECAST INTO YOUR TV:
This step is self-explanatory, but good luck getting your Chromecast to work without performing
it. Plug the Chromecast into an HDMI port and its power cable into a USB port. If your TV lacks
a USB port, you can use a power adapter (not included) and plug it into the wall instead. Turn your
TV on, and select the appropriate input.
2. Connect your computer to your Wi-Fi network:
You'll need your computer and your Chromecast to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network in
order to set it up, so boot up your computer, and make sure it's connected to the Wi-Fi network
you intend to use for streaming content.

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2. CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER TO YOUR WI-FI NETWORK:
You'll need your computer and your Chromecast to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network in
order to set it up, so boot up your computer, and make sure it's connected to the Wi-Fi network
you intend to use for streaming content.
3. VISIT THE CHROMECAST SETUP SITE:
At this point, your TV should be instructing you to visit chromecast/setup.

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4. DOWNLOAD THE CHROMECAST APP:
Follow the prompt to download and install the Chromecast app on your computer.
5. START CHROMECAST ON YOUR COMPUTER:
The Chromecast app should start automatically. If not, double-click the Chromecast shortcut on
your desktop, or navigate to the location where you installed it.

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6. CHECK YOUR CODE:
At this point, both your TV and your computer will display a randomized Chromecast code.
Ensure that the two codes match, then click "That's My Code."
7. ENTER YOUR WI-FI CREDENTIALS:
On your computer, enter your Wi-Fi network's password (its name should already be there, but if
not, enter that, too). You can also name your Chromecast, if you like.

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8. GET THE GOOGLE CAST EXTENSION:
Follow the link to download the Google Cast extension. This will allow you to broadcast content
from your computer to your TV via Chromecast. Keep in mind that you will need the Google
Chrome browser to use this extension.
To install the Google Cast extension, simply click the "+Free" button. You will get a notification
once the installation is complete.

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For everything else, you can mirror what you see on the small screen to the big screen. If you’re
on your laptop, you can cast any website in Chrome; and from your Android phone or tablet, you
can mirror your screen to the TV.
With Chromecast, your phone is your personalised remote control. You can use it to search and
browse, play, pause, rewind, control the volume and even make playlists. While casting, you’re
free to use your phone for other things. Your friends and family can cast to the TV using their
own phone or tablet too – with no additional setup required. Everyone can sit back and enjoy
together on the biggest screen in the home.

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6. CHROMECAST WORKING
The Chromecast works in two ways:
1. USE OF MOBILE APPS AND WEB APPS
• Use of local version of chrome browser.
• Supported apps: Android and iOS mobile apps.
• While using of other functions-
• User can answer phone call
• Can use other apps
• No disruption of playback.
2. TAB CASTING
• This beta feature can mirror most content from the web browser google chrome.
• The quality of the image depends on the processing power of the computer and minimum
system requirements apply to video streaming.

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7. SUPPORTED APPLICATIONS
At the time of Chromecast's launch, four 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.
The Google Cast software development kit (SDK), which gives developers a way of handling
"second-screen interactions" and making their apps Chromecast enabled, was released as a
preview. Google advised interested developers to create and test Chromecast-enabled apps, but
not distribute them until the company released the production version of the device's SDK. While
that admonition remained in force, Chromecast-enabled applications for Hulu Plus and Pandora
Radio were released in October 2013, and HBO GO in November.
The development framework has two components: a sender app and a receiver app, both of which
make use of APIs provided by the SDK.
The sender app is based on a vendor's existing Android or iOS mobile app, or desktop Web app,
and provides users with content discovery and media controls, including the ability to select to
which device content is streamed. Under the hood, sender apps can detect receiver devices on the
same local network, establish a secure channel, and exchange messages.
The receiver app is a web app executing in a Chrome browser-like environment resident on the
cast receiver device. Receiver apps of varying complexities can be developed depending on the
variety of content formats the app can play. For example, a simple receiver app might just play
HTML5 content, whereas custom receiver apps, which require more programming effort, can take
a variety of streaming protocols, including MPEG-DASH, HTTP Live Streaming, and the
Microsoft Smooth Streaming Protocol.

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7. LIST OF SUPPORTED APPS:
NETFLIX HBO GO HULU PLUS
PANDORA YOU TUBE CRACKLE
RADIO PLEX RED BULL TV

REAL PLAYER CLOUD VEVO GOOGLE PLAY MOVIE
AND TV

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8. ADVANTAGES
 It's the smallest device around: Unlike other set top boxes, the Chromecast takes up
virtually no space. If you have an open HDMI port and a place to plug in the power,
you'll never even see the little device.
 Your phone is your remote: While remote controls have been one of the most beloved
technological advances of the 20th century, they're also very rudimentary and easy to
lose. We tend to be much better at keeping up with our phones. While Apple TV users
can download a remote app for the iPhone, the Chromecast remotes tend to be cross
platform.
 More importantly, your app is your remote: With the Chromecast, your "remote
control" is the native app of whatever you're watching rather than some direction pad and
set of buttons. It's an app designed for mobile, and instead of clicking around a menu,
you're picking your media from the app's normal menus. It's a much nicer experience.
While not every company does this perfectly, the big names like Netflix, Hulu, and
YouTube have done a good job. Note also that some devices like the Roku have
smartphone-based remote control apps, but few are terribly well designed.
 (Some) apps are group activities: It's inevitable: when you have company over, one
person wants to play a YouTube video, then everyone wants to join in. One of the neat
things about how the YouTube app handles the Chromecast is that anyone can do so, and
they can even add a video to a shared playlist to make things easy.
 Tab casting is always a fallback: While the feature can be a bit wonky, the Chromecast
is able to stream video from any Chrome tab on your PC to your TV. It's not an ideal
solution, but if you want to play videos from a less popular streaming site (say, a
television network's own video player), tab casting is always an option. On an Apple TV
or Roku, if a service isn't supported you're just out of luck.
 It's insanely cheap: It should go without saying that the biggest advantage the
Chromecast has is its price. Not only is it normally $35, which is about the cheapest you
can get for a device like this, but you can often find deals where you get a discount or
even a free Chromecast with the purchase of something else.

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9. DISADVANTAGES
 Many apps are still missing: Want to watch Amazon Instant Video on your TV? Sorry.
You're currently out of luck. Tab casting may be a decent solution if you want to pull out
a laptop, but not all apps are so lucky. The advent of the Chromecast SDK means that we
may see a flood of new options, but for now, there are still some areas where it's a
waiting game.
 You have no physical remote: Yes, this very thing was listed as a feature in the previous
section, but it cuts both ways. If you have a member of the house that doesn't own a
smartphone (for example, your children), it won't be easy for them to use the Chromecast.
 It lacks a native interface: One of the silent advantages to using a standalone streaming
box is that everyone can browse together. A big wall of Netflix movies is visible to
everyone in the room and each person can offer their input as you look for something to
watch. With a Chromecast, everyone has to crowd around the phone or tablet to see
what's available, which isn't exactly ideal.
 You might already have a set top box: Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the
Chromecast is that it came out in 2013, years after devices like the Apple TV and the
Roku were already in living rooms. For those that haven't bought one already, many Blu-
Ray players and TVs also have many of these same functions built in. $35 may be a
pittance to pay for what the Chromecast can do, but if you already have the ability to do
so, the money isn't very well spent.

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10. FUTURE SCOPE
Look out for an open SDK, international expansion and new devices from Google's Chromecast
system over the coming year. The search giant is planning to bring its streaming dongle to a number
of international markets the idea is to persuade app publishers around the world to make their apps
Chromecast-compatible, so that users will be able to access more content using the device.
"There will be an expectation from consumers that any and every app will be “castable” To that
end, an open SDK will be launched during 2014. Right now a preview is available to developers,
but it's not yet possible to distribute apps with the functionality. The eventual goal is to make
Chromecast an ecosystem in its own right, persuading consumer electronics manufacturers to build
it in to devices as standard.
• Casting will be supported to more applications
• SDK (Software Development kit) will be available to all developers.
• Bringing the Chrome casting technology to other devices.
• In future Android smartphone and tablet owners will be able to mirror their devices' screens
to their televisions through Chromecast's Android app.

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11. CONCLUSION
While there are plenty of alternatives out there to make an older television smart, Chromecast is
one of the most affordable yet functional. What it lacks in apps now is made up for by its support
for browser tab sharing. And the fact it works for both Android and iOS opens up its potential user
base even wider.
With a little time, after it is released internationally, it could be the new device developers can't
ignore when making apps. Its simplicity of use makes Chromecast a viable upgrade for anyone
that enjoys streaming online video, music and photos.

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12. REFERENCES
[1] Designing the Chromecast Out-of-Box Experience by: Noor Ali-Hasan.
[2] Chromecast for Business: Five Smart Things to Stream on Your Screen by Mathew Guay.
[3] Chromecast Available at mailto http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromecast.
[4] Forensic analysis of Chromecast and Miracast devices by Peter van Bolhuis, Cedric Van
Bockhaven.
[5] Chromecast Deployment Guide, Release 7.6, First Published: March, 2014.
[6] CHROMECAST by Ryan Ferro, john marsh.

ANKUR KUMAR , COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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