Sync My Lights: A Review - Part 1

You may have read my review of Ambee, a very necessary app for Phillips Hue lighting. You probably noticed I like to write. You probably also noticed I like to do reviews of things that I like...or don’t like for that matter.

Recently, I have declared Sync My Lights to be equally quintessential.

Sync My Lights is an app that allows the user to run a light show called a recipe whilst watching a movie, TV show, or any kind of video (including video that you create on your own). The light show essentially syncs with the video, and adds dramatic effect. And since it runs independently of the video you are showing, there's no concern about lag or issues with timing. It’s a simple app, with a complex function. Playing a recipe is easy to learn.

The light shows are produced by the users and new ones are added everyday. There is a learning curve that a user must overcome in making the various recipes. The more experienced users of course produce the best recipes, but user feedback helps overcome that learning curve. Artistic representation is also prevalent. Hence the need to write a Part I and a Part II to this review. 

So far I’ve mainly used Sync My Lights to watch movies. I’m not much for TV shows, and as of yet there are no full seasons of anything, so to me they are expository and experimental at this stage. The most recent update allows the user to filter their search based on movie, TV, music titles, etc. 

My favorites include:

• Any of the available Marvel movies
• Stardust
• Star Wars:  The Last Jedi
• Rogue One
• Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Part II of this review will discuss my own attempts at creating recipes for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Fifth Element, Hero, and others.

I’ve found that the best recipes are for movies that are visually striking; full of color and action. Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Action movies seem to have the greatest impact, are the most popular and provide the most “bang for your buck” as we say in the US.

Speaking of which, the app is free to try a selection of recipes. A membership is $1.99 US per year and you get a free year if one of your own is approved to be added to the library. This low price is overwhelmingly worth it for the value you get.

Initially, I held off on giving a rating for Sync My Lights because I really had only explored the play side and not the create side. I still don't have a lot of experience with the create side and I feel the learning curve is a bit steep, but not impossible. It just takes time and patience. So, I'm going to go ahead and give my recommendation along with a five star rating.

Click Here for More Hue-Related Articles

Plex Perplexed - The Issue of Subtiltles

Plex is one of the greatest things that ever happened to my media collection. It helps order, manage and even grow my library. But the one problem that has perplexed me since installing my server was the issue of subtitles.

Of the films I have that are either foreign-language, or contain foreign-language parts, most of them have subtitles that are "burned-in," that is the parts with foreign-language dialogue are automatically part of the film, no extra effort is required. In my region, the type that appears at the bottom of the screen is in English, but many films these days allow you to select a particular language.

However, some of the films that I purchase don’t automatically burn-in the subtitles. So the question I struggled with for so long was, how do you add them?

I decided to pose this question to Plex Pals. I got several answers. First of all, it’s important to mention that oftentimes your movies will come with a ".srt" file. This is the subtitle "script," and there are several actual formats.

The first suggestion I received was to name the .srt file the same as the movie and add it to the same Plex folder in which I stored the movie file (.mp4, .mkv, etc.), then refresh the library (I’ll explain that part later).

The second suggestion was to add a plugin called "Sub-Zero."

Neither worked for me at first, so I decided to look for help on YouTube. I found the following video very helpful in closing the gaps.

First:  here is an excellent step-by-step on how to install Sub-Zero. Keep in mind whatever agent you choose should be moved to the top.

It’s important not to forget to mention that I use a Roku to watch my movies, and the next steps are how to set this all up on a Roku device.

To get the subtitles there are a few steps to take. First, set up Sub-Zero properly and refresh metadata in your library.

Access your server using a browser > under LIBRARIES, click the three dots next to Movies, then select "Refresh All Metadata." You can also do this step on a title-by-title basis by clicking the three dots on the movie thumbnail.

Second, set up your Plex Media Server to only display the subtitles you want. For example, in a WWII movie, I only want subtitles for when they are speaking German, Russian, or French for that matter. Third, and this is the key, you must set up your Roku to utilize this set up every time you watch that movie. (I’m currently looking for an easy way to set it and forget it, but haven’t found it yet.)

Click the settings icon > go to Settings > got to Streams > choose your .srt. > click back to the main menu, then click Playback > click Roku Captions Mode > then click “ON.”

If you’ve completed all prior preparations, you should be in business. Only foreign-language translation subtitles will appear.

The correct .srt for you should be the first available and will correspond to the prior set up instructions, and should contain the words “forced,” or “embedded.”

Admittedly, it’s a bit of a pain to have to remember to go through all of this, and to remember to turn off Roku Captions Mode after watching a movie, but SOOO much better than to have to guess what the characters are saying. When I figure out how to do a one time setup, I will update this article.

For now, happy Plexing and please feel free to “Like” and “comment.”

Ambee: Hue in Living Color

Lighting has always held particular sway over me. Casting a spell, it can make or break a space, or composition, and have profound effects on my mood. Color captivates me. My earliest memories are of Christmas, with all the colored lights everywhere.

I discovered Philips Hue lighting like I imagine many people did, while watching the 2012 Apple WWDC Keynote address. Like with most new tech, I was amazed, but at the time it would not have made sense with my budget and my living arrangement. Fast forward to 2015; a lot can change in three years. New job, new career, new place.

My new place was dead when I moved in, the only sources of light being the windows and some rather clinical looking ceiling globes illuminated by cold compact fluorescent bulbs. I was starting over, and had nothing. Fortunately, there are a lot of windows to let in natural light during the day. At first, I started with a few thrift store lamps, moving them around to get the best coverage, but I really needed living light. I remembered Hue and found some great videos on YouTube that showed an entire apartment, every bulb a Hue and demonstrations several apps. But what I found most captivating were the dynamic animations. The transitions between colors were hypnotic. It was at this time that I realized I had to have this product. 

I bought the 2nd Gen starter kit, three extra bulbs, and combined that with two IKEA lamps. Finally, I had some mood lighting, and the iPhone interface was the piece de resistance. Eventually, it became an obsession, and I assimilated my entire apartment into my scheme upgrading nearly every bulb in the house except the one in the refrigerator.

I embraced this new obsession, or hobby as some may call it. I tried a lot of different apps, then I found Ambee. At the time, it was relatively new, born out of the ashes of another app called Goldee. It didn’t have many animations, but it had potential. Immediately I took to it. Whereas some apps hand you a paintbrush and a palette and let you go at it, Ambee is more like an art gallery. The animations are masterpieces created by the developer, Tomas Baran, a Slovakian man now living in the Canary Islands who makes his living in technology. Imagine a collaboration of Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali and Ludwig van Beethoven; a symphony of color and light. Before I knew it, Ambee had become my go to app for my lights.

WHAT I LIKE

1) Ready To Go Out of the Box

Ambee will automatically incorporate your zones or rooms from the Hue bridge. You can also create your own as well. I find that to be very convenient and handy. The benefit of this is that you can essentially create sub-zones. For example, maybe you have five bulbs for your living room but sometimes only want to use three for a scene. A sub-scene will allow for this.

2) You can vary the brightness of a animation.

Imagine yourself at an art gallery. You find a piece you love. You must have it. But it only comes in one size and it’s either too larger or two small for the intended space. What if you could scale it to fit any space? That’s what the brightness slider is for, and it’s particularly tuned not to affect the overall composition of the scene.

3) Broad Range of Choices Available

Ambee currently has a total of 50 compositions available so there’s something for every mood. It has dynamic animations, and static scenes as well. The static scenes are mostly intended as effective work lighting, but you can get creative with them as well.

4) Distinctiveness of Animations

Each animation is unique in color, functionality and performance. Some of the scenes incorporate a music or audio track. For example, the Bamboo Forest scene plays an audio track that sounds like a tropical rain forest. Connect your headphones or a Bluetooth speaker for a spa feeling. The Rock & Roll Drinks scene incorporates a music track featuring electric guitars.

Some of the animations are really more like light shows. One of my favorites, the Idyllic Sunset, is actually a sunset simulation. It starts out bright with subtle transitions like clouds moving in front of a sunset, then gradually dims over a period of 15 minutes with progressively warmer shades of red and orange.

5) Performance

I’ve seen a lot of jenky apps for Hue, tentative: like the developer didn’t really try very hard, rushed it, or was just not experienced enough to deliver a high quality product. Some of them have really harsh transitions on startup and stop. The lights seem to strobe into action, out of sync. Ambee as silky smooth transitions. Startup, stop, and re-selection have a soft subtle quality, the lights synchronize, and change all together at the same time.

My biggest complaint with dynamic apps is that they time-out. They are unstable. Ambee seems to have that under control. You can set a time-out, or not... And if something happens, for example if a bulb gets turned off during animation, Ambee will automatically re-sync it as soon as it reconnects with the bridge.

6) Rich Saturation

Ambee has some of the richest color saturation I have seen in any app. I don’t know if it’s the compositions that make it look that way, but I’ve had a Hue system for two years and I cannot seem to get blues and purples as deep as with Ambee.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

One trait I have always had is creativity. I like to think outside the box and try new things. I like to run a different animation in every room. I even have a Hue fireplace that I made from an old electric fireplace that I gutted. There are a few animations that I previously didn’t have much use for that work really well in the fireplace. They provide some really interesting fires with their color transitions, enough to rival the fireplaces at Hogwart’s. I like to combine animations in the same room with my sub-zones. Here are a few of my favorites:

ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD

Tomas would say that Ambee is a work in progress, constantly growing, moving forward. He is truly a gifted developer, and a visionary. In my interactions with him, he always says “there’s more to come.”

The market for smart home products is skyrocketing. New products and new apps are launching every day. Apple is playing nice with everyone, allowing HomeKit to be completely open-source for developers. Products are selling everywhere you go. In my town, BestBuy, Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond all carry Hue products. I think diversity is the key here. So many different products to choose from with even more apps available. I would love to see HomeKit integration with Ambee. I’d also like to see an Ambee widget for the Notification screen and on Apple Watch. AND an Android app as well. 

Ambee is free. It comes with 10 animations. Additional dynamic animations sell for about $2.00 US each, and are comparably priced where available in other markets globally. Static scenes are free. I would recommend Ambee over any other app to anyone interested in bringing life to their Hue system. Ambee is perfect for both novice and experienced users; I highly recommend it with a five star rating.

Click for More Hue-Related Articles

Apple Music vs. Spotify

Versus

Since 2012, I have been an avid Spotify user. Funny story how that started. I was sick of the music industry. Actually, I was sick of how iTunes would let you listen to an excerpt of a song before you bought it, but never the whole song. I think you should be entitled to listen to the whole song before you buy. And I was tired of how most music services like Pandora, in general, that wouldn't let you load up an entire album from an artist. (I don't use the service now, so I don't know if it has changed, but that's how it used to be). Instead, it would let you choose an artist and "make a station." That station would play your one song, then a playlist of "similar" songs. When I find music I like, I want to explore what the artist has to offer. I want to listen to the whole album. 

So as a half-hearted joke, I proposed to a friend that we start our own music service that would allow users to listen to whole albums, make playlists of their favorite artists, and use it on their iPhones. He replied by telling me that there was already a service that allowed all of this:  Spotify. So I checked it out. I used the free service for a about 10 minutes, then signed up for premium. I loved it. I still love it.

Then a year ago, Apple announced their own "me too" product that promised the same level of service for the same price called Apple Music. At the time, I thought, GREAT! I already have about 6500 songs on my iPhone. The main reason I tried it was to be able to integrate songs from their catalog into your own playlists (which you can actually do with Spotify). And Apple offered a three month free trial. So naturally I signed up, twice actually.

My first impression was that it was difficult to use, and not very intuitive. Upon signing up, you are immediately given a choice to merge your music with Apple Music or not be able to listen to your own stuff that you paid for, or at least not mingle it with their stuff. At least I think that's how it went. If you cancel, then you can no longer listen to your own music on your devices. I had to call Apple iPhone Support to figure out how to fix this. It was of course about a half hour on hold to talk to an agent who had probably been there for two weeks. After a half hour, I was transferred to a senior agent who basically told me what is essentially the only way to fix anything with Apple:  reinstall iOS. Pain in the ass! However, I went back to Apple Music a few months later after realizing that I could no longer play the playlists from my Spotify account on my iPhone (because I cancelled Spotify to try Apple Music). So I figured I would just rebuild them in Apple Music. Well, First of all, that's a pain in the ass in itself, Second, the catalogs don't exactly line up. This is something, as an artist, I should not have missed. Spotify and Apple Music are two separate services, so their music catalogs don't mirror each other. For example, what you may find on Spotify, you may not find on Apple Music and vice versa; it's a licensing thing. The same concept governs pay TV providers. Ever wonder why you never see a movie on HBO that's also on Showtime. Licensing:  it's the biggest racket in the world.

Apple music messes up your library. It duplicates everything, all your songs. Then adds more in that don't work. In order to make a playlist tonight, I had to call Apple iPhone Support again and spend an hour of my time holding, only to talk to two different inept agents. Ultimately I found the answer to my question myself. Basically what you have to do is delete all the songs with an iCloud icon with an "x," then delete all the ones with the iCloud icon with the slashes through them, then download all the ones with the iCloud/arrow, then search your computer and relink all the ones that Apple Music deleted. Then there's another pop-up message that says something about music in iCloud, and won't let you add the song to your playlist. WTF? The hell with it!

By comparison, Spotify offers the same level of service as Apple Music. You download the free software and sign up. For some reason, I chose the "Sign In With Facebook" option. You can search and listen to your favorite artists, whole songs, even the whole albums in most cases. One of the greatest benefits is music discovery. Find a song you like, listen to it; listen to the whole album; listen to other complete albums by the artists. You can create radio stations from your favorites songs and discover new artists. Spotfy's interface is a bit like iTunes, when it was actually easy to use. The main screen has a similar music discovery algorithm that makes suggestions for artists or songs. Another thing that I noticed is that Spotify seem to offer a more comprehensive selection of music. That is, it seems to have more complete albums and the radio function is much better. Apple Music's radio offering is very limited. For example, the Electronic genre offers only three stations, none of which offer any consistently good Trance*. There are so many breakdowns of Trance music, it's like giving you a spoon and a pair of chopsticks and telling you these are the only utensils you can ever use to eat your meals. If you do a genre search on Apple Music, it will come up with some very disappointing results. They boast that they actually have live people, DJs I suppose, creating playlists. My question is why? In the four or five months I've used Apple Music, I have seen no benefit to this. And who's to say that Spotify wasn't already doing the same thing? I never really researched that aspect, mainly because I don't really care. Spotify is currently $9.99/month for premium. Apple music is the same price, but offers a family pack for $14.99 - Does Spotify? Again, I never researched that, because I don't really care. I have no family, and splitting the billing among friends would be a major pain in the ass. Overall, Spotify is easier to use, more intuitive and much faster, especially on mobile devices.

*[[OK, I just checked, and to be fair, Spotify's radio station offering is about the same as Apple Music. Neither are functions I regularly use.]]

Spotify had an offer for three months free to get people back. So I signed up. And this is my review of Apple Music. Another example of Apple putting a new spin on something that already exists, and acting like they came up with an original idea. Apple Music is a mess. The integration with iTunes is a nightmare, and I think a lot of people are scratching their heads trying to figure out the difference between iTunes, Apple Music and iCloud Music Library. I'm still finding albums with missing songs or iCloud icon bullshit. I'm going to ad a link to my page that will take you to the three month trial offer of Spotify. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it.

Hue vs. WeMo

In our digital age you hear the terms smart home, connected home, home automation and others to describe an ability to control the lights, heating, locks, security systems and a host of other devices through your home WiFi network and over the internet. More specifically, it means that you can use your smart phone, tablet or computer to turn on your lights, set your home security system, or a number of other tasks at home or from anywhere. Want to turn all the lights out before you hit the sack? Boom! "There's an app for that;" forget to turn on your security system en route to your dream destination? Boom! "There's an app for that."

These buzz-phrases, if you will, are becoming ever present. While there are a host of choices for products in this relatively new category, I wanted to do a review on the Phillips Hue lighting system, and Belkin's WeMo home automation suite.

HERE IS THE BASIC BREAKDOWN:

Phillips Hue is marketed as "personal wireless lighting." It is a completely custom lighting system. Phillips manufactures a wide variety of electrical and electronic products including wireless "smart" light bulbs. The Hue system is a line of lighting products which include smart RGBW LED bulbs, RGBW LED light strips, white smart bulbs, and a variety of other unique lighting products and accessories that can be controlled from a smart device via WiFi or over the internet.

WeMo however, is a bit broader and simpler at the same time. Belkin designed the system to interface with a number of devices, of various brands and manufacturers. For example, the WeMo hub and products are designed to integrate with Lightify products, a Sylvania product product line. Similarly, which of course begs the question:  is Phillips planning on eventually interfacing with more?. WeMo also has a broad selection of switches and outlets that can be integrated into their ecosystem as well.

The tagline for the Hue system is "paint with light." And that's exactly what you can do. I'm not sure of the gamut specifications and all the particulars that are generally irrelevant except to the occasional eccentric techie nerd or art school graduate, but the interface looks just like the color palette on Adobe Photoshop. To get into the system, you must first purchase a starter kit that includes a wired bridge you connect to your router which now comes with four RGBW LED light bulbs. (Similar starter kits are sold separately for white bulbs, light strips and other products. RGBW LED bubls are bulbs that allow for the full gamut of visible light, 16 million beautiful colors, as well as the subtle color temperatures of white light:  warm or cool (Red+Green+Blue & White). As with any piece of electronics these days, there is of course, no instructions except to plug in the bulbs and the bridge, and download the app. I will say that if you are not a technical person, and don't fancy watching YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error , the Hue system may not be for you. The Hue website doesn't really offer much except basic teaser info, and most of the stuff I found on YouTube is mainly demos and basic unboxing and initial set up; I didn't really find much in the realm of troubleshooting or guidance. However, Philips has a support phone with a dedicated line for Hue products. In the US the number is 800-555-0500.

It is most certainly worth the trouble of figuring it out. The range of color is amazing, but coming into it with a knowledge of additive color systems helps to reduce the frustration. It takes a little time to learn these things and some of the colors seem to run together, or seem to be missing (1st and 2nd generation color bulbs). For example, blues and greens initially were a bit limited to more of a lime and cyan, but that has since been corrected with the 3rd generation bulbs. The apps available are outstanding. There are a few (free ones) that create a light show with your set up. It's completely mesmerizing. [Ambee; Lighter]

The WeMo system is similar in that you have to run a wireless hub that connects to your router to allow the interface. The WeMo hub is wireless. The WeMo system also offers a starter kit that includes the hub and only two bulbs, albeit for a lesser price. Belkin originally started the line by marketing it's own smart bulbs, but then shifted gears and began using the Osram Lightify bulbs made by Sylvania. They are "tunable" white light only. That is, the color temperature can be varied to suit your setting or mood, but it will never be anything but white. However, I should mention, that that does not detract from the value.  The range is good from warm to cool (yellow to blue), and suitable to set a number of moods. The WeMo system also allows you to add light switches and a device called an "Insight Switch" to control other devices like heaters/air conditioners and pretty much anything you can can plug in or control with a switch. It's essentially a WiFi electrical outlet, similar to the WeMo Switch which is a multi-function light switch. Put them all together and you could literally control everything in your house (for the most part) from anywhere. 

VERSUS

Both systems can be controlled remotely and/or onsite with your smart device. The Phillips system however seems to be much more robust as far as connectivity, that is, the incidence of connection issues and errors is much less than on the Hue system. This I suspect is a result of two factors :  1) the Hue bridge is wired directly to your router so it NEVER loses connectivity. 2) Any time a manufacturer makes both the product (hardware) and the software that runs said product, you generally get a better overall experience, i.e. Apple productsn -- because Apple makes both their devices and the software that runs them, vs. Google which makes software to run any number of devices manufactured by any number of manufacturers. This of course is only a theory of mine.

Like the WeMo app, the Hue app has to connect to the bridge over cellular or WiFi away from home. Because the app is designed not to hog all your bandwidth and battery life, this takes a few seconds and most of the time entails hitting "retry" a few times. Then it connects and you're good to go to turn your lights on or off using the scenes. WeMo does the same thing, however, connectivity is rather unpredictable, although WeMo allows you to do pretty much everything away from your network that you could do at home:  adjusting brightness, color temperature and varying which lights to turn on or off.. The downside with WeMo is that you can be at home standing five feet away from your hub and it still says it can't find your lights. Then, to make matters worse, the whole system will crash from time to time requiring you unplug the hub, reset it using the button on the bottom, or simply restart the app. What happens if ALL the lights in your home are WeMo or Hue lights and you lose your internet connection? There is a saving grace. In either system, (and I'm guessing all systems) the bulbs still work as regular lights, and I've seen online that the WeMo switches still function as switches. I'm assuming the Insight Switches will allow for you to still control other devices until normal function is restored.

{ additive color refers to colored light; whereas subtractive color refers to pigments and paints. (Basic Color Theory - my expensive art school education finally put to good use) Colors of light are additive in that when you add them together you get white light. Pigments and paints are subtractive because essentially the more you add together the further away from white (or actually reflected white light) you get. So when you're playing with colored lights yellow and blue don't necessarily make green, etc. Colored light is more complicated. The light primaries are red, green, and blue (RGB), as opposed to red, blue and yellow as we are taught in second grade. Sometimes what you see on the palette doesn't always shine through the bulb. Which is why you have to have patience and be willing to try a few things. Also, if you are an Adobe user, one thing to think about is that fact that although the color palettes look similar, the color palette in Photoshop is designed to imitate subtractive color. The software adjusts for hue and saturation, as well as brightness and other aspects, whereas with light, there's not really a lot of control over these things until you start introducing shadow. It seems the brighter the bulb burns, the more de-saturated the colors become; the closer they start to look like white light. } 

I HAVE A CONFESSION:

I did my research. I was sold on Hue. As a person with bipolar disorder, I have noticed over the years that my moods can be significantly improved with the right lighting and with color. I first heard of Hue some years ago during an Apple Keynote. Originally the Hue system was sold exclusively through The Apple Store. At the time, I could see myself owning one "someday" but I was going through a rough time and really couldn't justify forking over the cash for some "fun" lights. Fast forward to 2015, I bought one. Took it home, and threw up my hands in frustration. The mistake I made was in  buying it after a long day at work, when I had a headache. I hooked it all up and missed a few things; totally overlooked things I should have thought about. Plus, I didn't really have a plan yet on how I wanted to set it up, so when I turned them on, the set up made no sense...if that makes sense. I replaced it with a WeMo system which was very easy to learn. Both systems allow you to control multiple bulbs by grouping them together in the app. However, the Hue system allows you to create "scenes," and use "light recipes:" pre-formatted scenes that are meant for things like relaxation and concentration. The Hue system allows you to create your own personal settings, save, and recall them later. Scenes are basically your own custom mix of which bulbs are illuminated, what color, and brightness.

The Hue system and the WeMo system both have their benefits. Ultimately I went back to the Hue system, not just because I wasn't 100% satisfied with the WeMo's performance because Hue was really what I wanted in the first place, and I have always felt that you shouldn't settle for second best, get what you want and you'll be happier. It was well worth it. I would recommend both, however, I'd lean toward the Hue system in my recommendation, that is unless, you're looking to integrate your whole house into one ecosystem.  The reliability of the Hue system is unsurpassed in my experience, and it's extremely fun and easy to use once you take the time to learn a few basics; and it's absolutely worth the investment!

Here are a couple really cool videos that I watched at least a few times.

"And one more thing..." Hue is now compatible with Apple HomeKit, which means that you can control your lights with Siri which is TOTALLY awesome! More to come...

Keep watching Titanium Toast for reviews and insight on Hue apps, links and demos.

NOTE:  T/his article was originally written in November of 2015. 

A lot has changed since then within both ecosystems.

Click Here for more Articles on Hue

Chromecast: Perplexed

No sooner than I wrote my previous article on Chromecast, my Chromecast seemed to go completely sideways. The cast icon began disappearing and reappearing; I wasn't able to cast; I was able to initiate but not control casts; error messages; lost casts and apps crashing.

And there's really no good support for any of this. You can actually call Google, they have a 24/7 line set up for Chromecast - (855) 836-3987 - but they're not much help. They just basically tell you to unplug the unit, restart your router, reset the device, and reinstall the apps, including the Chromecast app. All things I thought of and tried before I called them. There is a tiny reset button on the device, and on one call they told me to press and hold it for 25 seconds, then go through the initial set up process again. I tried this and then was unable to set it up at all, kept getting some kind of fail message.

So, I thought I'd take the device back to the store and exchange it for a new one. Set it up without incident. Same problem. So far I've called Google and my ISP, Frontier. After going through all the steps I mentioned previously, they said I must have some kind of network problem; the device and the network aren't communicating properly. Frontier seemed to have no idea what a Chromecast was and provided absolutely no support. I haven't called Apple yet because I'm pretty certain they'll just tell me they don't support third-party apps.

When I did my initial research, I read the reviews of the Chromecast app. It had 2.5 stars. I was pretty surprised considering the glowing reviews I had read online. There were more 1 star reviews than any other, and I read through them. Seemed like a lot of frustration people had with setting up the device and casting. Well, I went back and read through some of them again. Almost all of them said the same thing I said:  the device worked perfectly for a short time, then seemed to just go haywire.

I'm still able to cast from my desktop, and since I don't know anyone else who has a Chromecast, let alone anyone who uses it with and Android device so I have no way to know if it's just an iOS issue. 

At this time, I'm going to suspend my recommendation of this device until I can further research the problem and find a solution.

Chromecast: Two Months Later

About two months ago I bought a Chromcast. It was then, and remains to be, the best $35 I have spent in 2015. As far as tech goes, it continues to amaze me. To be honest, I still don't understand exactly HOW it works. But I can at least explain it:  basically the Chromecast dongle communicates with your router on your home network, and interfaces with apps you have on your smart device, or computer. Your devices initiate a stream called a "cast" and then hand it off to your router, allowing you to continue using the device for other things while streaming content to your TV.

However, I have found that like many tech gadgets, it has become very glitchy. I don't know what it is about me and tech, but I buy something and it works perfectly for the first few weeks; then all of a sudden, I get the weirdest glitches and it can become rather frustrating if you don't know how to resolve the issues. I don't understand why this happens, but it seems to be universal.

For example, I bought Logitech Harmony 650 universal remote control a few years ago. When I set it up, it was perfect. I couldn't believe how easy it was to set it up and how ingenious and intuitive it was. Then after a few weeks, it started having glitches. The TV mode wouldn't start on the right HDMI setting, the whole remote would crash, or all of a sudden revert to the home screen. I was constantly having to revert to using the factory remotes. So, I decided to upgrade to the Harmony Smart Control; another universal remote that allowed you to use your smart phone or tablet as the remote. This worked much better, but again it had it's issues. It became cumbersome to have to swipe from screen to screen to get to what you wanted to control and anytime you wanted to make changes, you had to take the hub and connect it to the computer. In addition, I just could never get used to tapping glass to raise or lower the volume. For the most part, the remote app worked pretty well, but sometimes making a change would cause you to have to start over from scratch; reprogram all the screens. That was a pain in the ass.

Chromecast is unfortunately not without it's drawbacks either. But before I explain the problems, I want to go on record and say that for all it's faults, it's still worth it.

The problems I've encountered include:  the Chromecast icon not appearing in the apps - therefore you are unable to cast; error messages that say there is no Chromecast device on the network; an occasional failed cast; and other minor issues, all of them which can be remedied by rebooting Chromecast and/or restarting the apps you want to cast from. 

So I thought I would include some of the fixes that have worked for me.

Issue 1 - Cast icon missing; unable to cast from app:

Resolutions:

• Close the app you are trying to cast from and re-open it.
• Go to the Chromecast app, click the settings (gear icon) and select "reboot," select YES to reboot. STOP. The screen may say there is no Chromecast device for a few seconds. DO NOT try to go through the initial setup again. Chromecast will do everything it needs to do by itself.
• Power cycle your router (if necessary).
• Power cycle your Chromcast dongle (I've never done this, but it couldn't hurt, if necessary).

Issue 2 - Error occurs during the cast:

Resolutions:

• Nine times out of ten, I'd tell you to ignore it. Chances are, if you still have a stable stream, you should be OK. Sometimes you may have to go through the steps in Issue 1, but Chromecast will usually remember where you left off in your stream and allow you to resume from that point.

Issue 3 - No Chromcast Device Found:

Resolutions:

• This is a tricky one. When this happened to me, I think I power cycled my router and it fixed it, though one time after I restored my iPhone, I did have to go through the initial set up.

One thing I want to stress is don't get stressed. It truly is a smart device, and it seems like less is more; that is, you may only have to try one or two of these fixes to get back on track, and in most cases, Chromecast will fix itself. And also in most cases, you won't lose your stream. Alternatively, you can always try Googling your problem.

Again, I really don't know the cause of these issues, but I can say that Chromecast serves as the interface between several hardware devices, and software applications. The problem might not actually be with Chromecast, it might be with the app you are casting from, or the devices you are using; for example, I've seen problems with some apps but not others, and I've never seen any problems with Backdrop, which is all Chromecast and not connected with any app.

Knowing these little fixes certainly does help. I'd still recommend Chromecast, but only to those techie kind of people who are willing to put up with the nonsense, those willing to see past the issues to what Chromecast truly is:  a marvel of technology that is both truly useful and fun. That said, I still fully recommend the device, but not to those who aren't tech savvy, or get easily frustrated with issues from time to time.

...Stay tuned for a review of the apps I use.

Chromecast Review

If you've been following my posts, you know that I have cut the cable. I'll never have Comcast again. But I did miss my movies, which prompted me to look for alternative solutions. Netflix is a good option, but, I will admit, I can be moody, and sometimes I just can't find what I want. Plus, you can't get current seasons of your favorite shows. Netflix's movie selection has historically been so so, but lately it has been pretty good.  

Enter Chromecast. A tiny device that allows you to stream content from the web to your TV. It turns any TV into a smart TV. 

There are actually a lot of devices that will allow you to access streaming content on the web. In fact, some TVs and Blu-Ray players actually come with apps built-in. And there are devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV that all offer similar features. However the two that seem to pack the most punch are Apple TV and Chromecast. 

Apple came out with it's product several years ago, they were the first to hit the market, allowing you to interface your TV with you Mac an iOS devices. But the catch is, you really have to have a Mac to get the full benefit. Apple TV turns your TV into a smart TV allowing you to utilize various apps to watch movies, TV shows and sports. In addition, Air Play allows you to play content from any of your iOS devices or Macs. 

Roku and Amazon Fire TV are very similar to each other and similar to Apple TV in some respects, however not all apps are available on each platform. In addition, Roku and Amazon offer limited ability to play local content from your PC, and none at all from your handheld device. Of course there are benefits and drawbacks to any choice.

Chromecast allows you to stream from apps just like the others, but it's interface is your handheld smart device:  be it iOS or Android. The apps are installed on you iPhone or Android phone for example, and when you open the app, a tiny icon appears at the top which you select to begin "casting." I don't fully understand the technology yet, but the iPhone simply sets up the connection with Chromecast, and then hands it off to your network:  it simply tells it where to play. The streaming comes directly from your wifi network allowing you to still utilize your device with full functionality. You can initiate a cast and then talk on the phone or surf the net while watching your program. These are all really great features but the two main features that sold me were the compatible apps, and the ability to cast a tab of Chrome from your PC.

When I was shopping, I noticed that all of them offered HBO GO, Netflix, and Hulu, but only Chromecast offered SHO Anytime, Starz Play, Encore Play and Epix. Since I'm really a movie guy, this was a big benefit.

Casting a tab of Chrome....? Google offers a free extension to their browser Chrome that will allow you to cast a tab to your TV. That means you literally see whatever is on that tab, which is great for content that doesn't have an app you can cast from. And it offers a free app for your PC that allows you to cast your own video. The one thing that Chromecast doesn't come with is a remote (since you use your own device). This could be a drawback, even a deal breaker for some, but not for me. I'm fine with using my iPhone.

It's ironic that Chromecast offers the most and cost the least. At just $35, it undersells (and in my opinion outperforms) the competition.

So far this is the best $35 I have spent in years when it comes to entertainment. And I have only begun to scratch the surface. I have only downloaded a few apps and am only beginning to learn what kind of tips, tricks and hacks there are out there for Chromecast.

The Music Stream

For those of you who have not yet discovered Spotify, I emplore you to do so. Spotify is simply the best thing that has ever happened to music.

It's a streaming music service that allows you to use it on your computer and your smartphone depending on what plan you choose. But it doesn't stop there.

Even the free version allows you to browse/search for artists. You can also add artists/albums/tracks and make your own playlists. And, if you have your own music on your computer (managed by iTunes or another app) you'll see those tracks in Spotify and you can add them to playlists too.

Spotify will interface with iTunes and Facebook. You can see what your friends are listening to and make suggestions or playlists for eachother. And there's a radio feature as well!

One of the best features is the discovery page. Spotify will gather information about what you're listening to and make suggestions.

Years ago I got in on the tail end of Napster. Who whouldn't? Free music 24/7/365. That was the thinking back then, it seemed we momentarily lost sight of the importance of the work to the artists, and paying them. Then the music industry shut it down and we were back to buying CDs. There was no iTunes then, only a handful of places you could buy in .mp3 format.

There was WinMX which was around the time Napster got the ax, (it could take days to get one .mp3, and I think LimeWire is still around in and in use.

I really don't know where Spotify came from, but it seems to be a lot like Napster 2.0 and Rhapsody were, though I never used them. Simply sign up and pay a monthly service fee for access to it's whole library. I never used either. A friend turned me onto Spotify in a passing conversation. I've been in love ever since. In fact, I haven't bought any music in over a year. I'm a music fanatic so I was buying on average two albums a month, spending roughly $10-20/month at least.

The great thing about Spotify, that you could never do with iTunes, is that you can load the application on different devices. And you have access to all your playlists everywhere you go if you subscribe to the premium service.

I wish there were a way to set Spotify as my default music player on my iPhone. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the stupid glitch in my stereo that always defaults to the first song in iTunes whenever I plug it in.

Anyway...

It's worth the $9.99/month, it's at least worth checking out the FREE version to see if you like it. I think I've already converted a few friends.



  Get Spotify