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Apple's AirPlay feature has bridged the living room/mobile handset divide for a while now, but Android smartphones have become extremely capable multimedia devices in their own right too. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, advanced audio and video players plus plenty of memory for storage, they now tackle the same multimedia tricks as the vaunted iPhone. Factor in how modern Android phones connect to myriad online entertainment services, and it’s easy to see the appeal of a product like the $99.99 Samsung AllShare Cast Hub. The AllShare is built to push audio and video content from Samsung’s latest handsets, including the Galaxy S III, to HDTVs without wires. While the accessory isn’t cheap, and initial setup tricky, the AllShare Cast Hub gets the job done.
Design
A rather nondescript black box, the small Samsung AllShare Cast Hub sports smoothly curved edges with no visible markings or controls. Weighing a mere 1.6 ounces, the AllShare’s light weight could conceivably qualify it as a mobile product. A full-size HDMI port and connection to an AC power adapter around the back of the device though say otherwise. Also placed on back of the AllShare Cast is a tiny reset button and is the device’s only physical control.
On back is a lone HDMI port, power connecter, and reset button.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Features and performance
Essentially the AllShare Cast Hub is a very simple accessory made to accomplish one primary task. Using Wi-Fi direct technology, it mirrors what is displayed on the Samsung handset’s screen to a compatible HDTV. The AllShare also does this in real time and without stringing wires between phone and display. Keep in mind that the product is only compatible with Samsung’s Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Note 10.1 devices.
Physically setting up the AllShare was a snap. First I connected the supplied AC adapter and HDMI cable to the back of the Hub. Next I plugged the Hub’s power source to an AC outlet and then attached its HDMI cable to a free port on my test TV, the 55-inch Philips PFL5907.
Mirror your Galaxy S3 interface on big HDTV screens.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)After I switched the TV set to the correct input, I was greeted by a slick setup animation that cycled through various steps to get the AllShare Cast Hub up and running. Unfortunately, while the graphics were stylish and clearly indicated what I had to do visually, their accompanying written captions were anything but straightforward.
