At CES 2024, Amazon announced that its TVs and smart displays will gain support for a Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay rival called Matter open casting, and that it could finally simplify the confusing world of exclusive video casting standards.
If you have a Google Pixel phone, you can only cast video to a screen using Google Chromecast, only iPhones and other Apple gadgets can cast via AirPlay, and this annoying exclusivity can keep you from getting the most out of your technology if you don’t remain exclusive to one ecosystem.
Amazon is taking a step toward unifying these systems by bringing Matter casting to its Prime Video app and various Amazon gadgets. So when you fire up the Prime Video app and tap the Cast icon, regardless of which phone you have, you should see a wider selection of compatible hardware that you can stream video to. Matter casting can bypass hardware limitations because it uses app-to-app communication according to Chris DeCenzo, a principal engineer at Amazon (via The edge).
The feature is first rolling out to the Echo Show 15 smart display, and Amazon says Fire TVs should also have access to Matter casting soon. Later this year, other streaming platforms, including Pluto TV, Plex, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF, will follow Prime Video in adding support on the software side — not the biggest hitters from our list of the best streaming services, but a start nonetheless.
If the name Matter rings a bell, that’s because it’s more than just an open-source casting standard: it’s an open-source all-smart-home standard. But don’t expect Google and Amazon to rush to support Matter casting as they have other Matter interconnectivity.
What is matter?
Matter is an open-source smart home protocol supported by a host of companies – including Amazon, Apple and Google – that aims to make your smart home easier to set up and interconnected.
Previously, you had a number of smart home gadgets that communicated exclusively with Alexa, Google Assitant or Amazon’s Apple Homekit. This made finding the right products needlessly confusing, and sometimes meant you lost access to the best smart home appliance because it was only compatible with an ecosystem you’re not part of.
With Matter, all your smart home gadgets (well, the ones that support it) can be integrated into one unified system. Unfortunately, we don’t expect Apple and Google to play as well with Matter casting as they do with other Matter systems.
In its CES announcements, Google revealed that all new LG TVs will have built-in Chromecast capabilities – and will also be generic Matter smart hubs – but didn’t specifically mention Matter casting. Apple has always preferred the walled garden approach and is unlikely to want to give up its exclusive AirPlay compatibility with gadgets like Sonos speakers.
Never say never. The companies have performed well in the past, and now that Matter casting is mostly software, if there are enough third-party apps for it, Google and Apple may eventually have to give in to the standard’s popularity.