The Chromecast has quickly become a successful product for Google, and as I’ve said many times, at $35 it’s really no surprise when you think about it. For such a small device, the Chromecast packs a lot inside, and now Marvell have shed some light on just what the device is capable of. Or at least, they’re letting us all know what their Armada 1500-mini – that’s at the heart of the Chromecast – is capable of. For such a diminutive piece of silicon, it has a laundry list of codecs that it can deal with. Take a look at the full list from the Press Release below:
- H.264 high profile @ Level 4.1, 4.2 and 5
- VC-1
- MPEG2/4
- WMV9 MP
- VP6/8 SD & HD
- DIVX-HD
- Dolby Digital (AC3)
- Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby TrueHD
- DST HD-MA
- DTS digital surround
- DTS-HD
- AAC/AAC+
- WMA
- MPEG1 Layer 1/2/3, MPEG2 Layer 2, AC3, E-AC3, HE-AAC v1L2 & v2L4, MPEG2-LC
- MP3, MPEG audio
- AC3 & DTS encode over SPDIF
No matter how you look at it, that’s a long, long list for a device like the Chromecast. Of course, this is more about Marvell flexing their muscle, as they’re hoping that the Chromecast is going to be their “in” with other manufacturers and partners. With the idea that Google want TV manufacturers to put Chromecast in their sets, Marvell are understandably keen to get their name out there.
It’s perhaps the support for pesky DRM solutions that make the Armada 1500-mini such an attractive option, as it allows services like Netflix to be used on the device without the bigwigs worrying too much about piracy. Not just that but, the support for a great many Dolby formats makes the Chromecast a decent device for watching movies on as well, and with word that we’ll soon be sharing our own content to the device, the Chromecast just keeps on getting better and better.
How many of you snagged one up at just $35? Let us know how you’re liking it in the comments below.