I instead took a rather minimalist approach to streaming control.
When I first read about Chromecast, it appeared to me that I could use my phone for all media control. So I bought a couple of 2.4 G models, hooked them up to my TV’s, and started using my Android phone and Chromecast for streaming movies, videos, music; and to display anything and everything I could access from my phone, ranging from Skype sessions, to photos and surfing contests, casting the whole Android screen if need be.
It was great, and there was usually no load on my phone, since the video traffic was most often direct from my router to the Chromecast device to the TV; exactly what I wanted. It was very general and very orthogonal – could handle most anything, but with all apps installed only on my phone, to the extent that my whole digital world was with me on my phone, whether home or away.
Along the way, I had acquired several HDTVs. But I was unhappy with the quality of soccer games via cable, so I also acquired some HD antennas.
Then I read about Tablo, and noted that it supported Chromecast, which completed the picture. So I purchased a 4 tuner Tablo and a lifetime guide subscription.
I had read that Tablo was more Beta quality than a polished product, so suitable for early adapters rather than general consumers. But I had no idea how rough the Chromecast support was.
But I stuck with it, beta tested one of the releases to see if I could help with Chromecast stability, and acquired Chromecast Ultras to smooth out the streaming; but I was still having navigation problems, up until September 10th.
On September 10th, a whole bunch of the navigation problems went away. I still have no idea what cured these problems, and would be very interested if anyone has insight into this matter. My best guess is the fixes where in a Google Play Services release, but it might also have been a Tablo release I didn’t spot. My recent post regarding the resolution of navigation issues is here:
The other major milestone was in December 2016, when I upgraded from Chromecast 5Gs to Chromecast Ultras. This basically cured all of my streaming issues, even at the highest quality recording level.
So, as of September 10th, Tablo with Android and Chromecast Ultras is working very nicely. There are still a few little glitches, and I haven’t checked everything on my list, but Tablo is vastly improved.