Are you going to buy a Chromecast or have you just bought one, then you want to be able to get the most out of it. With the Chromecast tips in this article, you will know exactly what the possibilities of Google’s streaming gadget are!
Chromecast is a two-word connection: Chrome and cast. Chrome comes from the fact that a Chromecast runs on a simplified version of Chrome OS, Google’s operating system. The word cast is derived from casting (in good Dutch “casting”), streaming content from one device to another. With a Chromecast, it is not at all difficult to stream content to your TV and you do not have to spend large amounts. Let’s first go into what a Chromecast actually is.
A Chromecast is a small device that is used to stream material from your smartphone, tablet or computer to your HD television. Suppose you have Netflix installed on your smartphone and you want to watch a movie or episode from the offer on a large screen. It is often impossible to connect a cable between your mobile device and your television. Moreover, it is much easier to do this wirelessly. All you need is a Wi-Fi network and a device that can convert the material – a Chromecast in this case.
Cast to television
You can connect the Chromecast to your television using a normal HDMI cable. You can do the casting yourself with a special cast button in the app. Many apps have such a separate cast button, with which you can stream a series of Netflix, a program from NPO Start or a YouTube video directly from the app to your TV. You simply operate the device on your mobile device. For example, if you want to fast forward or rewind, tap the respective buttons in the app; you will immediately see this displayed on your television.
Some apps don’t have a direct cast button, but that doesn’t mean you can’t send the content to your TV. There is always the possibility to mirror your complete smartphone screen on your TV. In Android, swipe down and tap Casting; your device will check if there are any Chromecast devices on your network. The quality of the content that you stream in this way to your television is of lesser quality; so it is always recommended to stream directly from an app, if possible.
Chromecast or Ultra?
The selection of Chromecast devices is very clear, in fact there are only two. The normal Chromecast costs 39 euros and is available in white and anthracite. It is a small round device with a fixed HDMI connection that you plug directly into a free HDMI port of your TV. A power cable is also included, because the Chromecast does need mains power. With the Chromecast you can stream in HD quality to your TV up to a resolution of 1080p.
The second device is the Chromecast Ultra. This looks almost identical but is only available in black. The big difference is that with the Chromecast Ultra you can stream in 4K ultra hd. So if you have a 4K television, it is advisable to spend a little more money. The Chromecast Ultra costs 79 euros. The Chromecast Ultra also has an extra connection; If your Wi-Fi network is not fast enough, you can connect the Chromecast Ultra to your router with an Ethernet cable.
Google’s smart assistants don’t directly have Chromecast technology on board, and you can’t connect them to your TV either, but these devices work great with the Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra. You need to make sure that your Chromecast, your smartphone and your Google Home are all registered on the same Wi-Fi network and that Google Home has access to all devices and apps. Enter a command like “Hey Google, play Designated Survivor on Netflix”, and your Google Home will tell your Android device to stream the series to the Chromecast via the Netflix app.
Two variants of the smart assistant are available: the Google Home and the Google Home Mini. The main difference is that the large version has two built-in speakers so you can easily play music.
Audio to speakers
The sound of the content that you stream to your Chromecast is transmitted to your television via the HDMI connection. If you want the sound to be heard over external speakers, you must connect your television with your speakers or AV receiver via an optical audio connection. This is done with a special optical cable. With this, the sound is digitally transmitted and there is therefore no loss of quality.
In some cases you have to indicate in the settings of your TV that you want the sound to flow through the external speakers. If you have an older receiver, you can buy an optical-to-tulip adapter at the electronics store and connect it to the analog tulip connection of your receiver or amplifier.
Photos and slides
Not only can you stream movies to your TV, photos and slideshows can also be easily viewed on your television with a Chromecast. You can also find the cast logo in the Photos app in Android. Tap it and now if you select a photo on your smartphone, it will show on the TV. You can simply swipe left or right on your device to show other pictures on the television.
Google Slides, aka Slides, can show presentations on your TV in the same way. You can also cast photos or presentations from an iPhone or iPad, but you must have installed Google Photos or Google Slides as an app yourself.
Cast tabs
If you have Chrome installed as a browser on your computer, you can stream Chrome tabs to your TV. This is very simple and again only requires that all your devices are registered on the same network. To stream photos from Google Photos, go to Chrome https://photos.google.com and log in to your account. click on Show, Cast to show the pictures. You can also stream other content from your Chrome tab; just click on the three dots and choose the option Casting. The contents of your tab can now be seen on the big screen of your TV. Tab streaming is done from both a PC and a Mac.
Give others access
Basically, you can only cast content to your Chromecast from the devices registered on your Wi-Fi network, but what if you want to stream content from another device to the Chromecast? If you don’t know the Wi-Fi password by heart or if you don’t want to give it away, there is always another option that we will now discuss.
Open the Google Home app on your Android device and tap the device you want to share with others, in this case a Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra. Tap the three dots and choose Guest mode. Turn on the function and your Chromecast will send a special WiFi signal. On a smartphone, go to an app that supports Chromecast, such as Netflix or YouTube, and tap the cast button. You can now connect to the Chromecast without sharing your Wi-Fi network data with this device.
Both devices are linked by inaudible high tones; this is the reason that only devices that can use this option are close to your Chromecast.
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