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Comment by thesandlord | Hacker News Reader

Regular Chromecast (Gen 2 and above) can now be added to groups too!

https://chromeunboxed.com/news/chromecast-video-and-smart-di...

This just makes no sense. A feature the community has been shouting about for years and years (literally hundreds of posts on Google product forums), and then they actually launch it less than two months before discontinuing the product line??

More like, now that regular Chromecasts can do it, why even have Chromecast Audio as a separate product any more? It's all just Chromecast now.

Regular Chromecast outputs to HDMI, Chromecast Audio outputs to 3.5mm analog stereo audio. This (the 3.5mm analog stereo audio) is very much superior for hooking up to speakers around the house.

The Chromecast Audio also supports Optical Out via TOSLINK, allowing you to bypass the built-in DAC and use your own, if you so desire.

Well, regular Chromecast only has HDMI, so there still is a gap without CC Audio.

Chromecast Audio is discontinued, not regular Chromecast

The feature that Chromecast Audio had was added to Chromecast just before Chromecast Audio (but not Chromecast) was discontinued.

Be funny if they soon release a new Chromecast that has HDMI and AUX outs; the thing that always confused me about Chromecast Audio was why it needed to be a separate thing, especially after they went to the hockey-puck with a tail rather than stick format for the regular Chromecast.

Well if regular Chromecast would have a 3.5mm port then fine, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.

Exactly. Although I do see that you can buy a female HDMI to VGA converter with 3.5mm audio out for $4; hopefully that would work. I'm assuming the VGA end isn't detecting whether something is connected or not.

Edit: meh, no, these things are Energy Star compliant so they shut down if no VGA is connected. And they don't support HDCP.

In the olden days before the CC Audio I just crammed a wire between two pins in the vga port if the adapter and put some glue on it.

There's guides for this, works flawlessly.

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