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by yellowapple 3034 days ago
Or when Google blocked YouTube from Fire TV devices, after which Amazon stopped selling Chromecasts. Or maybe it was the other way around.

This is - in other words - not the first time Amazon and Google got in a spat like this, and probably ain't the last.
1 comments
notatoad 3034 days ago
that was the other way around.

and amazon's rationale for not selling chromecasts was because the chromecast didn't support amazon prime video. which was, of course, a decision that amazon had made.

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scarface74 3033 days ago
It wasn't Google that didn't support Amazon Prime Video, Amazon didn't add support. It was the same reason the Amazon gave for not selling the Apple TV 3rd and 4th generations. Apple worked with dozens of other providers to add apps to the 3rd gen ATV and a time could write an app for the 4th gen TV.

The proof is that there is now an Amazon Video app for the 3rd and 4th gen ATV. It was a surprise to almost everyone that Amazon/Apple ported Amazon Video to the 3rd Gen ATV after it had been discontinued for over a year.

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karavelov 3034 days ago
I don't think it's Amazon decision to not allow Prime video on the google chromecast devices - it's available of consoles, Roku and other 3rd party devices.
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vanviegen 3034 days ago
Sure it is. Chromecast offers an API everybody can just use, without asking Google for permission.
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kuschku 3034 days ago
Nope.

Chromecast only offers an API if you already have a license to the Google Play Services, which does require Google’s permission.

And this license only allows sending Chromecast streams – it does not allow the FireTV to receive any.

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Buge 3034 days ago
I don't understand. karavelov said that Amazon Prime Video doesn't work with Chromecast. Are you saying that https://developers.google.com/cast/ is insufficient to allow Prime Video to work with Chromecast?

karavelov was not asking about FireTV receiving Chromecast. Does Roku receive Chromecast streams? If so, what's stopping FireTV, if not then it's not really relevant to this "targeted discrimination" discussion.

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kuschku 3034 days ago
> Are you saying that https://developers.google.com/cast/ is insufficient to allow Prime Video to work with Chromecast?

Correct. That SDK requires proprietary Google Play Services to be present on a device to allow Chromecast to work.

As the same Prime Video app has to work on Kindle devices, LineageOS/CopperheadOS/other third party ROMs, and on Google Play Android devices, it can’t require Google Play Services.

Regarding Roku:

Roku can not receive Chromecast streams, instead Roku, Twitch and several other companies have cooperated to work on a protocol competing with Chromecast, and Roku can receive those (as can a few of Amazon’s devices, and Amazon’s apps can send those streams as well).

You can learn more here: https://www.howtogeek.com/214943/how-to-use-your-roku-like-a...

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scarface74 3033 days ago
Chromecast support is available for a few non Google iOS apps. But I guess the blame is on Google for not opening up the protocol for nonstandard Android derived Os's.
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