The Pixel phones were the highlights of the Google press event earlier, but the two smartphones were not the only things unveiled by the company there. The Chromecast Ultra has been announced at the event, which will be able to stream 4K content with ease. Consider this as an upgraded and beefed up version of the popular Chromecast 2. Along with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10, supported apps include YouTube, Vudu and Netflix for starters. It should also be able to playback Google Play Movies by November.

According to Google, users will experience a general increase in speed compared to the Chromecast 2 (1.8 times to be exact) in any stream. If you do not have a Wi-Fi connection that is fast enough to stream video content at 4K resolution, the Chromecast Ultra can also directly take in an Ethernet cable, thanks to an Ethernet port on the accompanying power adapter. As with the previous versions, Android mirroring on your TV will be supported and so will Google Home. It will go on sale in November with a price tag of $69 in the US.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Image via Flickr by The U.S. Army

What do Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Vine (now 2.0, of pretzel fame) all have in common? They are all social apps with video capabilities. With each of these platforms allowing different lengths, looks, and layouts, businesses that wish to use these apps to maximize their social media footprint have a lot of options. Video has helped these apps succeed, so businesses need to consider whether they want to add cutting-edge video tech to their own sites and apps.

Video and Voice Capabilities: More Than Just Conference Calls

When it became obvious a few years ago that video was going to be a major fixture of the social media landscape, the big social media companies jumped on it, and now it's virtually impossible for users to scroll through their feeds without their eyes being drawn to videos. If your business wants to make an impression and compete for eyeballs, you will also likely need voice and video capabilities in some form. Robust video and voice functionality has become crucial for so much more than just conference calls.

Advantages of Video Capabilities

If a company adds video to its app or site, it can reap a number of benefits. Here are just a few examples of the kinds of communication tasks where cutting-edge video can help:

• One-on-one video calling: Rather than having to transition to Skype or Facebook Messenger, customer service representatives can chat directly with clients about the issues they face.
• Multi-party calls that can accommodate thousands of participants: If, say, a company has a lot of employees, managers can hold large-scale meetings that include the possibility of two-way communication.
• Live broadcasting for any type of demonstration: Companies can show off their products to thousands of potential buyers in real time.

A company that takes advantage of these capabilities can become more streamlined on all fronts and even apply video to new situations.

What Provider Should You Choose?

If you're a software developer looking to add more communicative functionality to your apps, Agoria.io is a good option. It uses WebRTC functionalities to add video, sound, and chat communication to sites and apps. A disruptive technology, WebRTC can add not only video chat but also screen sharing, real-time chat, and document sharing to your app. If you're considering whether to add video functionality to your app, check out the Agoria.io quick start guide.

Agoria.io provides Software Development Kits (SDKs) for developers to add video and voice conferencing, interactive broadcast, and gaming communication functionalities to their apps. Over 50,000 developers are using Agoria.io to give their businesses the ability to communicate on a large scale. Its audio group calling is capable of hosting 10,000+ participants. Its multi-video party chat can include up to seven participants. And its interactive broadcasting can give a platform to up to seven active speakers and over 10,000 participants.

These are just a few of the benefits of video capabilities for modern apps. By using video in your app, you can give your company an essential boost.