Set Up and Use Google Chromecast to Stream Video to Your TV
Edited by Batkingnz, Lynn, estrella sacragon, Eng and 6 others
If you've ever wanted to stream online videos and music from your PC to your HDTV, you might have been at a loss to find an easy way to go about it. Sure, many laptops and tablets, and even phones these days have HDMI outputs, but how practical is it to have your device connected to your TV with a cable? Not very. Today we will take you through setting up and using Google's Chromecast, a tiny wireless device that lets you stream media straight to your TV without cables, and without a big price tag.
What Is Chromecast and What Will I Need?
Chromecast is a streaming media player that connects directly to your TV through the HDMI port. The device has built in 802.11a/g/n wireless, which connects to the internet via your wireless router. You can control the Chromecast from the chrome browser or from your Smartphone to play YouTube, Google Play movies, Google Play music and Netflix videos. In addition to this, you can also stream the tab you are viewing in Chrome to your TV. To use Chromecast you will need the following;
- A Google Chromecast.
- A compatible TV with an HDMI port.
- A Laptop or desktop computer running Google Chrome browser.
- An Android device running Android 2.3 or later.
- An Apple device running iOS 6 or later.
Setting Up Chromecast On Your Mac or PC
- 1
- 2This app will search for and identify your Chromecast connected to the TV.You will need to download and install the small Chromecast setup application.
- 3The next step is to set up your wireless network on your Chromecast.
- You will need your WiFi password for this.
- You can see the available networks on your screen; just press refresh if yours hasn't been located.
- Once you have selected your network, you can enter the password, and on this same screen you can give a personalized name to your Chromecast.
- Once you're done, just press "Continue".
- 4This extension is what will allow you to use the browser to play content on your TV. You can download the extension here. Just click the "+" button on the top right of this page to install the extension.The final step is to add the Google Cast extension to your Chrome browser.
Using Chromecast With Your PC
Once you've completed the above steps, you can now stream tabs from your browser or use your browser to control the Chromecast device (playing supported content). Chromecast is currently limited to YouTube and Netflix playback.
- 1To stream a tab to your TV, click on the Chromecast icon on the top of your Chrome browser as shown in the image.
Tips, Tricks & Warnings
- Chromecast is still in its early stages. As more partners come on board, the list of supported apps will grow.
- While casting from apps and players like YouTube are fully realized features, casting your screen from a Mac or PC is still an experimental feature. You may notice lags and intermittent issues when casting your screen.
- Because Chromecast relies on your WiFi connection to operate, the speed of this connection will impact your experience. If you have a slow connection and often experience buffering or low quality issues in video and music playback, these issues will apply to Chromecast playback as well.
Questions and Answers
Can you use Chromecast directly from your smartphone?
Yes, Chromecast is an application that can be downloaded for free onto your Android device successfully. Simply visit the Google Play store>>>input Google Chromecast>>>>>then simply tap on the option to download the application. But this will not be able to connect to your TV if your TV does not have the Chromecast Software hooked up successfully through the USB.
Yes, there is an application for Chromecast in your Google Play store. You can in fact download this application for use on your device.
How to use Chromecast to stream web?
This will work by opening up the software on your television and using the internet through the Chromecast to stream any type of media that the Google Chromecast will allow you to view.
On your Android phone or Tablet, make sure you have a compatible adobe flash player installed. If you need them, here are the downloads from adobe's site:
With the flash player installed, you'll also need to install the Google Cast extension for your Chrome browser HERE.
This will only work using the chrome browser. Chromecast also comes with other streaming apps you can use. The current lineup includes:
- Red Bull TV
- Netflix
- HBO GO
- Hulu Plus
- Pandora
- YouTube
- Google Play TV, Movies and Music
- Vevo
- Songza
- Plex
- PostTV
- Viki
- Realplayer Cloud
Why did my Chromecast icon stop appearing in BBC iPlayer?
As above, why did my Chromecast icon stop appearing in BBC iPlayer?. I have tried: Not a great user interface is it? I think it was caused by: Have you ever tried using it?
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