Amazon, a founding force behind Matter, takes the helm by introducing Matter casting—a game-changer in the smart home landscape. At CES, Amazon unveiled its groundbreaking move: integrating Matter casting support into its Prime Video app, enabling users to cast content to Amazon hardware devices effortlessly.
This feature's inauguration is on the Echo Show 15, Amazon's grandest smart display that doubles as a Fire TV. Soon, Fire TVs, including Panasonic smart TVs with Fire TV integration, will follow suit. It's as simple as opening the Prime Video app on your phone or tablet, tapping the cast button, and choosing to cast to an Echo Show 15 (if available). More apps, like Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF, will join the Matter casting roster later this year.
Matter casting operates on an open protocol, freeing it from hardware constraints. It's akin to Apple's AirPlay or Google's Chromecast but universally accessible for any app or hardware manufacturer to integrate, transcending specific phone OSes or partnerships.
Chris DeCenzo, an Amazon principal engineer overseeing Alexa devices, affirms their commitment to widespread Matter casting adoption. He emphasizes its seamless functionality, replicating all controls from the phone app onto the TV interface. As other hardware brands embrace Matter casting, Amazon content will extend its casting support to compatible apps on these devices.
Despite Amazon's pioneering move, Google and Apple—two other Matter founders—retain their established casting methods. Yet, for Amazon, previously lacking a proprietary casting avenue, Matter casting marks a significant breakthrough.
DeCenzo highlights the potential of universal Matter casting adoption, simplifying app development under a unified protocol—the essence of the Matter smart home standard's inception. "Open standards simplify developer efforts," he emphasizes, envisioning a future where app casting works universally across streaming boxes, TVs, and smart displays, irrespective of hardware specifications.
While this vision seems promising, the journey towards universal adoption, as with Matter's broader scope, appears to be a gradual progression.
