Chrome box?
 

I need to get a Christmas gift for someone that wants to stream their browser, or anything from their computer, to their TV. I thought a Chrome box might be a good solution, but I don't know much about them. What exactly can they do? Can I get a good one for around $150?

I see that most of the PC majors are putting them out now. Any particular brands nailing it?

I know some bad ass android usb's for tv, and for 150$ you get fast stuff

I have a Vizio co-star that I enjoy. It costs just under $100 USD. Mine is wired, but you can connect it wirelessly to your network for the purposes you mention, or import media with a flash drive via the USB port.

What I like most about the costar is that it has a full browser built in. The remote contains a touchpad for cursor control, and the flip side has a full qwerty keyboard and gaming buttons. It also comes with popular apps already installed such as hulu, amazon, netflix, vudu, etc, but you can add more through googleplay. It also comes with multiple free trials to try out several of those streaming services.

Doesn't Chromecast do all that as well? What's the difference?

Chromecast is for streaming from Computer / Phone to TV. It costs under $35.

Chrome TV is more like a Roku. Can connect to the main streaming services and has other "channels" you can watch content from.

I have a question, perhaps you or someone else can help.

I have 2 TVs in my office where I want to stream Bloomberg, straight from their website. Can I open that streaming page on a Chrome browser from computers in the office and have them stream, on full size player, and meanwhile work on those same computers on different browsers?

Will the chrome playback on the TV (via Chromecast) remain on full size and does it matter if I minimize it and use other browsers?

Thanks,

Yes, this is exactly how a Chromecast works. Best $35 or so ($23 at Staples when I was there the other day) you can spend.

Go to ebay.. Type in XBMC
Then go to youtube and type xbmc to see what it does..
You can buy a settop xbmc box for $60-150...

You can also download it to a pc/laptop if you want to play with it before you buy it..
The software is free...

Sorry to bump (and especially sorry to Sly if you bought the co-star on my recommendation), but I wanted to rescind my recommendation. To be fair, I thoroughly enjoyed my co-star while it was working and under warranty. Unfortunately neither no longer apply.

If anyone has one of these, do not attempt the factory reset - that's what I did and I have not been able to use it since. Searching for a solution online reveals that I am not alone, either.