As pointed out by a Reddit user (via Janko Roettgers on Medium) earlier this week, Google Chromecast has been found to support media buttons on TV remote controls for various apps like WatchESPN, HBO Go, Chrome Web videos, YouTube, Google Play Music, and more.
According to Roettgers, a recent update (27946 firmware) to Google's media streaming stick added the pause and resume functionality to Chromecast's list of features based on the HDMI-CEC protocol.
As Roettgers notes, Chromecast has supported HDMI-CEC from day one, and previously allowed it to turn on the TV, switch sources, and more. Android Police separately notes that the 27946 firmware update to Google Chromecast added support for "Deck Control" commands (play, pause, next, etc.), and passes these instructions on to the currently running app to control playback.
As yet, Google hasn't said anything about the reports, but considering that the support is already available for many apps, we might see other developers implement the HDMI-CEC based media player controls similarly. Of course, the TV also needs to support the HDMI-CEC protocol for the feature to work.
Google recently brought its Chromecast to India at Rs. 2,999. The dongle-shaped device is exclusively available via Snapdeal. Google has also tied up with Airtel to offer up to 60GB broadband data free with every purchase of Chromecast. The 60GB free data is also available to existing Airtel broadband subscribers.
(Also see: Google Chromecast Review: Simple Streaming, Now in India)
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