The compact 2-inch device will work with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music at launch, with support for future services, including Pandora, coming soon. It's a cross-platform device, with support for both Android and iOS devices as well as the Chrome browser on both Windows and Mac computers. More details are currently available on Google's Chrome blog.
In approach the Chromecast is different from most devices on the market: it's half remote, half streaming-media box. The idea is instead of designing a TV-optimized user interface, you'll be able to select and control content from your smartphone or tablet. Browse the Netflix app, find your content, then tell it to play in your living room. The Chromecast even goes one step further, by automatically switching your TV to the correct input and giving you the ability to adjust the volume using your mobile device's built-in volume controls. The ability for Android devices to pause content without unlocking the phone first seemed particularly well-implemented.
Chromecast also includes screen-mirroring capabilities, although it's a beta feature initially. Essentially, anything that's on your Chrome browser can be broadcast to your TV, including music, photos, and, yes, even video. Google showed a demo of the feature using Vimeo, but it could conceivably also allow you to stream content from network TV sites and Hulu -- the same sources that have blocked devices from streaming content to a TV previously. The screen-mirroring strategy has proven resistant to attempts to block devices, as Apple's similar AirPlay Mirroring feature continues to work with Hulu and major networks.
Internally, the hardware supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 802.11, which isn't quite as nice as the dual-band Wi-Fi offered on Roku's Streaming Stick. The internal processor is capable of playing back full 1080p video with 5.1 surround sound.
