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Matchstick - A streaming stick using Firefox OS [Kickstarter]

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4wd:
For anyone that's interested this fully funded project is down to the last ~30 hours on Kickstarter.



Image is a link to their website.

Think Chromecast without the DRM nonsense, (and cheaper).

Currently they're deciding on whether to add Local Play, (play local content without the casting silliness), or Ad-Hoc mode, (device functions as a WiFi hotspot and you just stream local content to it, eg. think hotels).

Open source software and hardware - make your own if you feel like it.

Deozaan:
First impressions:

Wow, that thing looks HUGE!

It looks like the same content has to be showing on your device in order to "mirror" it onto your TV. I can't tell if that's just for advertising purposes (so you can see the purpose of getting something that was on your device to show on your TV) or if it actually works that way. The thing I like about Chromecast is that I can cast a Netflix show/movie to my TV, then use my tablet to do other things while the TV is still showing Netflix. I'm worried that the Matchstick can't do that, but actually just mirrors content from your device onto your TV (i.e. both screens have to be showing the same thing at the same time).

Strangely, I worry that because it uses FireFox OS as its base, that it will not be very well supported, or won't be supported for very long and will end up being kind of useless after a relatively short time. Or perhaps vendors (such as Netflix) will implement their own DRM by refusing to play on the device... :-\ On the other hand, the fact that it's open could mean that it's a lot better than Chromecast as far as functionality and supported services.

4wd:
It doesn't do "mirroring" at all - you send what you want it to play and do something else with your PC/device.

From the FAQ:
Not supported. Mirroring is awesome - In theory. But for the best performance, we think the model of letting the streaming device get the content itself is the best option! It keeps your sender device free and clear for what you are doing anyway- Multitasking.
--- End quote ---

And it's about the same size as the Chromecast I've got.

My mistake, it's about 30mm longer and 10mm wider but since you'd probably need a HDMI extension, (the same that comes with the Chromecast), to get it amongst the too closely spaced HDMI sockets ... it's not really a problem.

WRT DRM from providers, is that just not a matter of providing the relevant closed software decrypter/decoder that the OS can call?

The whole OS doesn't need to locked down, hidden away, and crippled like Google tried to do and have now done with the Chromecast, (no root for the latest updates of the firmware yet).

Deozaan:
Well... I signed up to get two of them (planning to let someone else have the other one).

More from the Kickstarter FAQ:

Does Matchstick support 5GHz Wifi? 4K?
MatchStick does not support 5GHz wifi. It adds cost! Same with 4K ... Maybe V2?

Does Matchstick support DRM?
We are doing our best to make sure the requirements will be met either via the playback app itself or the OS. We're in ongoing talks...

Does it support Miracast, WiDi, DLNA and Airplay?
Nope, sorry! Not supported at this time.

Will this device be able to play media from a local source like samba, NFS, or windows file share?
Not supported yet. Sorry.
-https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-the-streaming-stick-built-on-firefox-os
--- End quote ---

CWuestefeld:
I signed up a couple weeks ago.
Will this device be able to play media from a local source like samba, NFS, or windows file share?
Not supported yet. Sorry.

--- End quote ---

This is the Local Play extension that was mentioned in the OP. Apparently they're going to let subscribers choose which of those two extensions to have added to the feature list. I sure hope it's this Local Play thing.

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