Amazon Fire TV and Echo Show are great devices, but they lacked one major functionality so far. The ability to cast content from mobile devices. So far, Amazon has not exactly been a fan of Google Chromecast or even Apple’s AirPlay. But this is set to change. Amazon has announced Matter Casting support for Fire TV and Echo Show 15 at CES 2024. Here is everything you need to know and what it means for users.
What is Matter Casting?
Matter Casting is an open-source content casting standard, which itself is a feature of the Matter smart home standard. The latter is developed in collaboration between Google, Apple, Samsung, and Amazon. It helps smart home devices and accessories communicate with each other locally and without requiring cloud connectivity.
As one would expect, Matter Casting lets users cast content from their smartphone or tablet to televisions. It works the same way Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay do. The biggest difference here is that Matter Casting is an open-source standard. It can be used by any device maker and app developer regardless of the platform they work on.
Amazon has added Matter Casting support for the Echo Show 15, but will expand to Fire TV devices soon. It is currently available only on the Prime Video app available on Android and iOS. It means users will only be able to cast Prime Video content to a compatible Fire TV and Echo Show 15.
How to Use Matter Casting on Echo Show 15?
The process of setting up and using Matter Casting is pretty straightforward. All you need is an Echo Show 15 and Prime Video app installed on your Android or iOS device.
The next step is to ensure both these devices are connected to the same WiFi network. You also need to sign into the same Amazon account on both devices.
- Launch the Prime Video on your Android/iOS device and play the content you wish to cast.
- Select the Cast option which will bring a list of all available devices.
- Choose Echo Show 15 from the list and casting will begin.
- Tap the Cast option again whenever you want to stop casting.
Even though Amazon is the only big name that supports Matter Casting now, it announced multiple partners will roll out support soon. These include Panasonic Fire TV Smart TVs, Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, STARZ, and ZDF. The support is expected to arrive by the end of the year.
