It's fairly inconvenient to have to use your phone as the remote, especially when you want to do something on your phone (or watch something else) while the kids watch netflix.

We have disney+, and my TV apparently thinks we're not subscribed. My phone does, though, and I can cast from that. Yes, we can watch Encanto again, but it's very jarring when the normal interactions with the TV don't work.

>It's fairly inconvenient to have to use your phone as the remote, especially when you want to do something on your phone (or watch something else) while the kids watch netflix.

But when you cast from an application with integrated chromecast support (as e.g. Netflix) then the phone is free to use as you wish while the kids are watching. I do this all the time. I start the cast, then use my normal TV remote to pause, for volume control etc. You don't need the actual app for most things and you can use the phone/tablet for other things (I have to find translations for my wife, for example, while watching).

Let's put it another way: having to cast from the phone to the TV is like using a normal screw that requires a screwdriver. A TV where you don't need the phone is like one of those tool-less thumbscrews[1]. They are convenient because in order to use one tool (the screw) you don't have to reach for another tool (the screwdriver).

[1] http://www.baaqii.com/promanage/productimage/Ewhole/A/A678-1...

I've been able to stream Netflix, Disney+, and Prime to my TV via chromecast, and it's a weird mix. The main detriment is that for all the apps, when streaming from my phone, people watching the TV can't use the TV+Remote to do things like pick a different episode, or pick a different show -- so this makes it already a crap alternative unless I want to be involved in all the future viewing decisions.

One nice thing about the phone apps is that you can search for a different thing to watch _while_ currently watching something. Fast-forward/rewind also tends to be a little more intuitive with adraggable progress bar, except small-scale rewinds (1-2 minutes) of a movie is _harder_ because a few pixels is difficult to select cleanly.

I will say though that Prime is _freaking fantastic_ when streamed from my phone, better even than using the native TV interface. The Prime phone app lets you navigate _by scene_ in a show (e.g. Bosch) which my tv app won't let me do. I wish Netflix and D+ would/could copy that, specifically. I wish it didn't have spoilers in scene descriptions, but being able to say, "Hey go back to the start of the council of Elrond" is really nice, rather than having to use +/- 30 second increments.

Not OP, but speaking for myself, one of the biggest annoyances is that both Google and Apple actively resist the actual standard that's already there and widely supported by playback devices (Miracast), and instead push for their own proprietary walled garden solutions (Chromecast, AirPlay).

Google in particular is the worst offender here because they actually had Miracast in Android all the way up to Nexus 4 - and then deliberately removed it! Other vendors of Android devices generally reinstate it in their distros, although I do wonder how long that is going to last (probably right until Google makes not supporting it a condition of getting Google Play certified).

> I am curious, why is that undesirable for you?

Casting from a phone is a terrible experience. I want to sit down on the couch, mash some remote buttons and watch something. I don't want to find a phone to cast from. Whose phone would we use? Mine, my wifes, my relatives who are over? What if they want to change the program? Now they are figuring out all the casting business? No, pick up the remote and use it like normal.

> why is that undesirable for you?

Why is it undesirable having to go find my phone? Because I'm relaxing on the couch I guess?

Fascinating. For better or worse, my phone's basically glued to me, so casting and using my phone keyboard is preferable vs an on-screen keyboard.

I see. Pre-Covid I used to have my phone with me more often, with the whole WFH situation I don't really see a reason to use it since I have other devices in my home that give me a better experience (larger screen, physical keyboard, good speakers etc).

I treat my phone like I do Google. Every day I try to be a bit less dependent on it. I usually don't know where my phone is, physically, and only use it for banking and car navigation. I use WhatsApp through the web interface. I dream of a world without smartphones.

yeah I am like you, I even tried a PinePhone because I hate the current mobile OSes so much. (Unfortunately PinePhone is not 100% ready to be a daily driver though). Then COVID came, I haven't commuted for 2 years now and I stopped caring about phones. I carry my phone only in the weekend and only if I'm out, not if I'm e.g. bbq-ing at home.