It goes without saying that wireless screen sharing has opened business guests up to a hassle free world where they can present from anywhere in the room, easily switching between other presenters with the click without the need to be passing cable connectors around the room. However, with so many different wireless screen sharing devices on the market, it is increasingly difficult for professionals & business owners to make the right choice. Why should you buy SCRIPTCAST Pro, instead of the cheaper Chromecast? What really is the difference?
Well, they’re both wireless screen sharing devices that offer streaming between a laptop/PC or a mobile device to TV screens and projectors with HDMI ports. In other words, they both allow you to mirror your device to a screen but this is where the similarities end.
Highlights
- SCRIPTCAST Pro works with any TV and multiple platforms (Apple, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome OS). Chromecast has limited support for Apple & only works with laptops/PCs via Chrome Browser
- SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II does not require an app in order to mirror Apple & Android mobile phones. Chromecast requires the Google Home app for setup
- SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II offers a free ProCast app for mirroring content to an unlimited number of devices from one central location. Chromecast does not offer a multi-screen mirroring tool.
- SCRIPTCAST Pro offers a free B2B app (EzCast Pro) with a range of features, specifically tailored for use in your meeting facilities, such as split screen, host control, white board, wireless notes, AirView and more. Chromecast does not offer any conference features
- With the Pro Dongle II, you can mirror in 3 easy steps any content from your laptop/PC using the EzCast Pro app. Chromecast only allows for casting Chrome Browser on PCs & Laptops, not locally stored files, taking over 6-clicks to get your content across.
- If you are looking for a casting device for your home, Chromecast is great choice.
- If you need a mirroring device for your office, meeting rooms or educational classrooms, SCRIPTCAST Pro is a much better choice, specifically designed to be used in a business environment
Chromecast for residential use, SCRIPTCAST Pro for commercial use
One of the main differences between Chromecast & SCRIPTCAST Pro is that Chromecast is designed for casting apps & streaming at home. It does not offer any B2B features and is not very user friendly when used by multiple people in a meeting environment.
SCRIPTCAST Pro, on the other hand, is optimised to be used in meeting rooms, conference rooms & educational classrooms. It is easy to use, has much stronger Wi-Fi connectivity and supports mirroring of any files from any device, whether Apple/Android mobile phone or Mac/Windows/Chrome OS laptop/PC.
Furthermore, SCRIPTCAST Pro, working with the EzCast Pro application, offers users a range of exclusive conference features to help conduct meetings better:
- Split Screen: the screen can be split among up to 4 delegates, who can share screen simultaneously
- AirView: ideal for large conference rooms – delegates can see the main presentation on their personal device
- Host Control: The host can control who connects to the device & who can mirror to the screen, he/she can also manage the device
- EzBoard: digital white board where delegates can take notes
- EzNote: each delegate can write notes on their individual device and save locally
- Cloud Storage: the presenter can access files from their Dropbox or Google Drive to show on the main screen
- Photos/Music/Video: show any multimedia stored on your personal device on the big screen
On the other hand, Chromecast does not offer any conference features as it is simply not built for such use.
Chromecast for Casting, SCRIPTCAST Pro for mirroring
Chromecast and SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II use two different ways of sharing content. Chromecast takes content from the internet (casting) and SCRIPTCAST Pro takes content from your computer’s screen (mirroring). In other words, casting enables you to stream content from certain cast-enabled apps (Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, etc.) whereas mirroring streams everything that is on your device’s screen live.
If you are trying to share content from your desktop/laptop, which is the case in most meetings or conferences, casting is even less reliable. When using Chromecast, you can only cast with the Chrome browser and the Chromecast app. The Chromecast device streams content from your online apps (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, etc.) and cast it to the TV.
While you can still use your device for other things while the app is being cast to the TV, you are limited to using the cast-enabled sites/apps or accessing online content only.
With mirroring, you can access anything that is on your local device and send it to the big screen. Whether you are sharing a PowerPoint presentation, PDF files, Excel Spreadsheets, Email logs or locally stored photos or videos, the possibilities are endless. Furthermore, SCRIPTCAST Pro is specifically designed to offer quicker, more stable, screen mirroring with easy 3-step connection. With the new 802.11ac 5G 2T2R Wi-Fi transceiver, SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II creates faster and more stable Wi-Fi performance.
In addition, both Chromecast & SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II offer 4K Streaming, but 4K casting is not available with Chromecast on laptops/PCs, but is downgraded to 1080p
How easy it is to connect…
While both devices have a homepage when you are not streaming, Chromecast has a generic full-screen background image without any instructions. When the Chromecast device is not in use, you can change the background photo to another of your choice using the Google Home app. However, there is not much room for customization of the content that appears.
SCRIPTCAST Pro, on the other hand, shows a homepage with easy-to-follow instructions, ensuring anyone can connect without hassle.
In terms of how you stream, with Chromecast & Guest Mode, your guests can connect to your Chromecast by entering a 4-digit pin to cast their apps. The Chromecast, however, has to be set up to your local Internet network and set in Guest Mode to do that. Without local internet, there is nothing you can do with the device.
While SCRIPTCAST Pro also requires local internet, when you are trying to mirror online content (websites, cloud drive, emails), it can also work offline. With SCRIPTCAST Pro, you can connect to the Wi-Fi credentials shown on the screen and press to mirror locally, no need for additional setup or apps, ideal for mirroring presentations, PDFs and other documents when internet may not be available.
Multi-screen mirroring
Chromecast does not offer multi-screen streaming. In fact, since it’s unlikely for home users to use large number of devices, Chromecast simply does not offer any multi-device management & multi-screen sharing. In other words, you can only connect & cast to one Chromecast from your device.
With SCRIPTCAST Pro and the ProCast app you can screen share to multiple Pro dongles at the same time from one laptop/PC! This app is easy to use and designed to wirelessly screen mirror 1-to-many screens from your local device. This feature is extremely useful in large conference rooms or lecture theatres with multiple screens or can even be used as a digital signage solution! Simply connect your SCRIPTCAST Pro dongles to the screens, open the ProCast app on your desktop/laptop and press ‘Mirror’.
Mobile OS Support
If you are using an Android device, you can either cast your mobile screen using the Google Home app or cast to the TV with any cast-enabled app. If you are using an iOS device, Chromecast can only stream from certain apps that have built-in casting.
With SCRIPTCAST Pro Dongle II you can mirror from both Apple & Android without even using the EzCast Pro app. All you need to do is connect to the Pro Dongle’s Wi-Fi credentials, swipe up/down and press AirPlay/Smart View/Screen Mirroring (depending on your device).
All in all, Chromecast & SCRIPTCAST Pro are two products designed with a very different purpose. While Chromecast is the more inexpensive solution, it’s simply not good enough in a B2B environment.