CES 2024: Amazon Unveils Matter Casting Standard as Interoperable Alternative to AirPlay

[MacRumors]

Amazon today announced Matter Casting, an interoperable rival to Apple's AirPlay feature, at CES 2024 (via Bloomberg).

Matter Casting will initially only support streaming content from Amazon's Prime Video app to Echo Show devices, but the feature will support Fire TV in the coming months. Later in the year, it will work across a range of other video services, including Plex, Starz, Pluto TV, Sling TV, and ZDF.

AirPlay allows Apple device users to wirelessly stream video from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an Apple TV or another Mac, as well as stream audio from almost any Apple device to any HomePod, Apple TV, or compatible third-party speaker. Google has a similar equivalent for its Chromecast devices called Google Cast. Both AirPlay and Google Cast are proprietary technologies, so Amazon's new feature is designed to be interoperable across platforms.

Apple and Google worked with Amazon on the Matter home standard, but they have not yet announced any plans to support Matter Casting and could choose to remain uninvolved. Nevertheless, it is clearly Amazon's wish to make video streaming apps and TV accessories work together more seamlessly, regardless of their platform.

Article Link: CES 2024: Amazon Unveils Matter Casting Standard as Interoperable Alternative to AirPlay

 

[targetnovember]

Isn't this what DLNA is supposed to have done for the past 20 years? Maybe people have figured out better ways to do this since then, and it's easier to make something new than fix DLNA which doesn't work the best, but maybe not.

 

[brijazz]

"Anything you cast will be interrupted by an ad every 20 minutes unless you give us an extra $2.99/month." - Amazon in six months, probably

 

[G5isAlive]

Isn't this what DLNA is supposed to have done for the past 20 years? Maybe people have figured out better ways to do this since then, and it's easier to make something new than fix DLNA which doesn't work the best, but maybe not.

The implementations of DLNA that I have seen are more like being a file server than serving files directly (if that makes sense). In other words it allowed me to browser around on different devices but not really just do it directly.

Anyway, here's hoping Apple adopts this without necessarily giving up its own tech, the same way they are broadening the use of Messages.

 

[brijazz]

Anyway, here's hoping Apple adopts this without necessarily giving up its own tech, the same way they are broadening the use of Messages

Forgive my cynicism, but I feel like Apple is only implementing the RCS as a means of staving off accusations of anti-competitiveness. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to implement another protocol (if they even can... this is proprietary I'd assume).

 

[wanha]

Considering how badly the usability of AirPlay suffered from version 1 to version 2 (it used to be so simple and just WORKED), I would rejoice if Apple adopted/implemented this technology in their products.

As it stands, it's a pain point to not be able to easily stream content to a device that doesn't have AirPlay support, especially when I go to a friend's house.

Time will tell whether Apple considers AirPlay important enough to keep siloed, but I personally see that silo as more of a limitation than an advantage.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Forgive my cynicism, but I feel like Apple is only implementing the RCS as a means of staving off accusations of anti-competitiveness. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to implement another protocol (if they even can... this is proprietary I'd assume).

I have the opposite feeling here. Matter is in its name, but Amazon is the one to be cynical of here. All my HomeKit devices play nicely with Matter, I can control them with Alexa commands. Anything “Made for Alexa” though… no way to set it up to Matter. There’s a Matter section in the app, but it’s to add external Matter devices to its device list, not to connect it to the service to open up its devices to other assistants. Even 3rd party devices I linked to my Hue hub that were previously no bueno on Home are now there with Philips adding Matter. It’s not really inspiring confidence here.

 

[nuckinfutz]

I can see it now. You're streaming that great new song and suddenly an annoying 5 second "matter cast" advertisement interrupts your music. How annoying but such is the life for a cheap tard that accepts whatever crap burger Amazon shovels down their Prime infected gullet.

 

[SoldOnApple]

On my iPhone a lot of apps support Chromecast, but the local Australian ABC News 24 app doesn't support it. There's a Chromecast in the shed that I use that I don't want to spend an Apple TV on when there's already a Chromecast. I can kinda understand why Apple TV app doesn't support it, kinda..

 

[zach-coleman]

I can see it now. You're streaming that great new song and suddenly an annoying 5 second "matter cast" advertisement interrupts your music. How annoying but such is the life for a cheap tard that accepts whatever crap burger Amazon shovels down their Prime infected gullet.

Good thing it’s an interoperable standard so other companies could just not implement the ads if this was added...

 

[clebingames]

Forgive my cynicism, but I feel like Apple is only implementing the RCS as a means of staving off accusations of anti-competitiveness. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to implement another protocol (if they even can... this is proprietary I'd assume).

I'd assume not, but we'll have to wait to hear more.

If Amazon were trying to co-opt the "Matter" brand for a proprietary protocol, their partners in the Connectivity Standards Alliance are going to be very upset about it. If it came down to it, I'm sure there are very strong legal grounds to prevent Amazon using the word Matter in this way. Maybe they are just inviting the challenge to see what they can get away with.

Matter is our only hope of clearing up the proprietary mess that is the smart home today. To allow Amazon or anyone else to employ embrace-extend-extinguish tricks on it itself would be disastrous for us as consumers.

 

[clebingames]

Some crucial differences in how The Verge present this.

MacRumors: "Amazon today announced Matter Casting, an interoperable rival to Apple's AirPlay feature"

The Verge: "Amazon, one of the founders of Matter, is the first to add support for Matter casting, a feature of the Matter smart home standard"

Elsewhere (Techhive): "The new open casting standard is called Matter Casting, and yes, it’s part of the Matter smart home standard. At CES this week, Amazon announced that it will roll out Matter Casting to Fire TV and Echo Show 15 devices."

Seems like sloppy wording at the top of this article.

 

[Sorinut]

I'd rather there be a fully open, non-patented or proprietary casting protocol that everyone implements, on device, but Google and Apple don't want to let you out of the ecosystem. I don't see this helping too much. Matter doesn't seem to matter (ha) much, either, since it's not being implimented in a meaningful way.

We have Google Nest audio at our house... I can't send music with Apple Music, from my phone, to the device (I use Spotify now). I have an Homepod in my office, but my wife can't send music to it with her Pixel.

It's a garbage landscape, currently.

 

[jvchappy]

I'm into this, I think more should be built on the matter platform

 

[The Phazer]

Is this just DIAL with Matter's device discovery protocol hot glued on the side?

 

[munpip214]

Seriously, we get matter casting before we get matter cameras?! Nobody asked for that

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Considering how badly the usability of AirPlLay suffered from version 1 to version 2 (it was simple and it just WORKED), I would rejoice if Apple adopted/implemented this technology in their products.

As it stands, it's a pain point to not be able to easily stream content to a device that doesn't have AirPlay support.

Time will tell whether Apple considers AirPlay important enough to keep siloed, but I personally see that as more of a limitation than an advantage.

If they did that, they might as well as just enable bluetooth streaming on their homepods too.

 

[wanha]

I'd rather there be a fully open, non-patented or proprietary casting protocol that everyone implements, on device, but Google and Apple don't want to let you out of the ecosystem. I don't see this helping too much. Matter doesn't seem to matter (ha) much, either, since it's not being implimented in a meaningful way.

We have Google Nest audio at our house... I can't send music with Apple Music, from my phone, to the device (I use Spotify now). I have an Homepod in my office, but my wife can't send music to it with her Pixel.

It's a garbage landscape, currently.

Agree, and this is exactly the scenario I hope gets solved eventually, be it using Matter or something else. But I'm not holding my breath

 

[Porco]

The xkcd that never stops being relevant…

 

[coolfactor]

Forgive my cynicism, but I feel like Apple is only implementing the RCS as a means of staving off accusations of anti-competitiveness. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to implement another protocol (if they even can... this is proprietary I'd assume).

Calling it "Matter Casting" gives the impression that it's part of the Matter standard, but it's still proprietary to Amazon. It sounds like Amazon wants to "gift" it as an psuedo-open standard, but how much control will they maintain over it, much like Google controls the "open" Android?

They should not be allowed to use the name "Matter" unless it's truly an open standard for anybody to adopt.

 

[DonutHands]

If they did that, they might as well as just enable bluetooth streaming on their homepods too.

That would be nice too.

 

[coolfactor]

I'd rather there be a fully open, non-patented or proprietary casting protocol that everyone implements, on device, but Google and Apple don't want to let you out of the ecosystem. I don't see this helping too much. Matter doesn't seem to matter (ha) much, either, since it's not being implimented in a meaningful way.

We have Google Nest audio at our house... I can't send music with Apple Music, from my phone, to the device (I use Spotify now). I have an Homepod in my office, but my wife can't send music to it with her Pixel.

It's a garbage landscape, currently.

Agreed. All off-device networking should be based on open standards, just like the greater internet is.

 

[nutmac]

It would've been nicer if Amazon submitted Matter Casting to Matter first. This reminds me of Samsung hijacking the "HDR10" name by creating HDR10+ without getting HDR10 standards body (Consumer Technology Association) involved.

 

[jent]

Matter (Casting), USB speeds and names, I swear this stuff is getting more confusing, not less.

 

[GimmeDatApple]

"Matter Casting will initially only support streaming content from Amazon's Prime Video app to Echo Show devices..."

Then it is just a proprietary access method. Literally no one is asking for this.