Matter Casting - new/upcoming open protocol standard (so far only supported by Amazon)

[Hedda]

Not as interesting as if adding support for Apple AirPlay casting, but request consider also looking into Matter Casting support someday.

"Matter Casting" is a new open protocol standard that is only a small part of the currently much-hyped Matter standard suite for IoT which is being lead and developed by the CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance) and its very impressive list of member companies:

https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip/blob/master/examples/tv-casting-app/APIs.md

https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip/tree/master/examples/tv-casting-app

FYI, this is just an informal feature quest as an open discussion about this new open protocol that might become eventually a larger industry standard in the future as it is not proprietary like the competing Google Cast / Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay.

"Matter Casting" is a technology that allows you to cast video and/or audio content from your smartphone, tablet, and computer to your TV or smart display. From an end-users point-of-view it will work the same thing as Google Cast and Apple AirPlay with one major difference: Matter Casting is a royaltee free and open protocol standward and will be based on common open-source code. That means it is a "free" casting standard designed from the ground up for cross-platform compatibility (with both Android, iOS devices, and various computer operating-systems being compatible from the start), allowing any developer to implement it into its products. Hopefullyy eventually ensureing wider-spread compatibility between devices of different manufacturers.

So the reason why I think this is interesting is that it is the first attempt by a large technology consortium (the Matter) to create also an open standard for local video and audio casting that is meant for broader adoption across different ecosystems for interoperability:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matter_(standard)

https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/building-a-standard-that-really-matters/

https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/

Matter in general already has hundreds of member companies, but understand that not everyone has publicly commited to every part of that standard, as most have only announced support for the IoT parts that is controlling smart devices, however support for additonal device types is now being announced regularly

https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/matter-1-2-arrives-with-nine-new-device-types-improvements-across-the-board/

https://csa-iot.org/members/

Anyway, Matter Casting has so far 'only' been adopted by Amazon who announced that they will first add support to newer Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Echo Show series of smart display devices, and even it sounds as if they might initially only implement video streaming?

This is just hot from the press of the CES 2024 (Consumer Electronics Show, which is the lagest tech event in the world).

More interestingly, Amazon has now stated that they will not add support for Google Cast or Apple AirPlay casting to their devices:

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/amazon-ces-2024-announcements

https://csa-iot.org/csa_product/amazon-casting-video-player/

"Amazon is a long-time supporter of using open technology standards to give customers more choice over the devices and services they use in their homes. That’s also why Amazon is a founding member and key contributor to the Matter Standard. At CES, Amazon announced Matter Casting, which enables customers to cast content to Fire TV and Echo Show 15 devices directly from supported streaming apps on iOS and Android. Customers can begin watching a movie or browse for their next favorite show from Prime Video on their phone, and cast it to their compatible Fire TV device or Echo Show 15. This is an industry-first demonstration of implementing Matter Casting.

We are excited to work with Amazon to bring Matter Casting to the STARZ app. Matter has been easy to integrate and will provide even more options for customers to enjoy our extensive collection of original series and popular films on their device of choice,” said Alison Hoffman, STARZ President of Domestic Networks.

Matter Casting is available now for customers around the world who want to cast Prime Video content from iOS and Android devices to Echo Show 15. It will be coming to compatible Fire TV devices in the coming months, including smart TVs from Panasonic with Fire TV built in. We’re working with Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, STARZ, and ZDF to add Matter Casting support later this year."

https://www.engadget.com/amazon-wont-support-airplay-or-chromecast-but-will-adopt-matter-casting-instead-161933813.html

https://www.pocket-lint.com/what-is-matter-casting-amazon-open-casting-standard/

https://9to5google.com/2024/01/09/amazon-fire-tv-matter-casting/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/24030324/amazon-matter-casting-echo-show-fire-tv-prime-video

https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/09/amazon-adds-matter-casting-to-its-smart-displays-and-tvs/

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/09/amazon-unveils-matter-casting/

Disclaimer: Simply posted this for discussion since hoping for industry-wide adoption of an open standard for video and audio streaming in the future. I do not own any Amazon devices myself and do not plan on buying any (as personally already deeply invested in Google hardware, but if I ever migrate to a different ecosystem then decided it must be based on open standards).