The media and content lineup for the popular Google Chromecast streaming adapter has expanded with the recent additions of Rdio, VUDU, Photowall, and Crackle, the online movie and TV movie service owned by Sony Pictures Television.
The addition of Rdio gives the Chromecast access to about 20 million tracks and “hundreds of personalized stations. VUDU, the Walmart-owned electronic sell-through service, signaled earlier this month that it would soon join the Chromecast lineup.
Photowall is billed as a “new Chrome Experiment that lets you collaborate with images on your TV.”
The $35 Chromecast, which launched in the U.S. last July, is now available in 12 countries, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
Google hasn’t announced shipment figures for the device, but Google SVP of Android and Chrom Sundar Pichai told the SWSW show in March that sales had reached the “millions.”
The Google Chromecast is currently optimized for several services, including Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Pandora, YouTube, Google Play TV & Movies, Google Play Music, Vevo, Red Bull.TV, Songza, Plex, PostTV (videos from The Washington Post), Viki, and RealPlayer Cloud. Users can also cast a Chrome browser tab from their PCs or laptops to the TV.
That lineup is expected to expand rapidly following the release of the Google Cast Software Development Kit in January.
Google is also starting to beef its Chromecast lineup as competition in the product category continues to become more heated. Already battling for share with devices such as the new Roku Streaming Stick and the Apple TV, it’s also poised to face off with a new video device from Amazon that’s expected to be introduced this Wednesday (April 2).
