As Foxtel’s Presto Struggles Google’s Chromecast Gets High Res Upgrade

Overnight Google announced that the $49 dongle is set to get
new 1080p tab casting.

Currently users can configure the device to cast in one of
three different qualities: Standard (480p), High (720p) and Extreme (720p with
a higher bitrate).

By downloading the beta Google Cast extension and after
removing the public build from the browser, users will be able to get access to
additional options under “custom mirroring settings.”

Along with minimum and maximum bitrate fields, there are
three new resolution options: 854 x 480, 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080.

The new update for Chromecast, version 19084, will be
available this week.

The automatic update also includes TV queue support for
YouTube casting, some improvements for casting from Chrome and some general bug
fixes which deliver improvements to stability.

An option to adjust
the frame rate that is being captured was also added, with a cap set at 60
frames per second (fps). It’s noted that 60fps and 1080p video cannot be used
at the same time.

Mozilla announced last week that it has been working on
developing multi-screen capabilities for Firefox for Android.

The upgraded browser allows users to send videos from the
device to a streaming stick, automatically launching the Firefox channel in the
process.

Recently Foxtel has slashed the cost of its movie streaming
service Presto by half amid rumours it has struggled to gain subscribers,
admitting the market has “continued to evolve quickly” since it was originally
conceived a year ago.

Launched with some fanfare in March the pay-tv company’s
streaming service was priced at $19.99 per month, but today the price has been
slashed to $9.95.

The move comes as Nine Entertainment Co is preparing to
launch its own offering StreamCo in the coming months, which will be priced at
around the $10 mark, while rumours persist US giant Netflix will launch in the
market early next year, with hundreds of thousands of Australians already
thought to be accessing the service.