Chromecast Guides

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Chromecast is one of the most innovative gadgets in 2013.  It makes it easy to enjoy contents in a large screen at an affordable price of $35.

But what holds most enthusiasts from ordering the device is that only limited apps are supported before the Google Cast SDK  is open to public. Only selected partners (e.g., Hulu, HBO, Plex…) are allowed to release apps with Chrome cast support.

The Google Cast SDK (it is branded as Google Cast in most situations, although the product name is still Chromecast)  was initially for preview only: developers are not allowed to release their apps per the terms.

This week, Google finally officially open the Google Cast SDK to the public. All developers now can make their apps work with Chromecast officially.

This brings infinite opportunities for our Chromecast, and for our mobile devices

We will see more and more apps work with Chromecast. For example, if you want to stream local contents to  a TV, currently, you have to use Chrome browser (with Google Cast extension) in a laptop or a PC (you may refer to this guide if you still want to know how to do it).  But since the Google Cast … Continue to read the post....

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From July 2019, Amazon Prime Video finally supports Chromecast and you can easily chromecast Amazon Prime Video to your TV.

Now, you can enjoy the Prime videos on the TV without a fire TV dongle/box/cube. Chromecast and the Amazon Prime Video app are the only requirements.

This Chromecast how-to guide explains to you how to use Chromecast to stream Amazon Prime videos, and the difference between Chromecast and Watch on Second Screen.

Fire TV vs. Chromecast

For a long time, Amazon has fought against Google on all fronts.

Chromecast was banned on the Amazon platform. Fire tablets removed anything related to Google. Amazon used Bing, instead of Google, as the default search engine on their devices.

Google fought back by removing YouTube support on all Amazon devices (Fire tablet, Fire TV,  Fire TV Cube, and Echo Show).

In July 2019, two adults finally stopped hostility.  Amazon started to sell Chromecast (and other Google gadgets) and add Chromecast support to Prime Video app.

So, you can now use Chromecast to stream Amazon Prime Video from your mobile devices or PC to your TV without using a Fire TV.

In the past, you have three options … Continue to read the post....

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Voice remote for Chromecast with Google TV is one of the signature features of the latest Chromecast device.  It transforms the casting dongle into a full-featured setup box.

You can still cast videos from any mobile device to the Chromecast with Google TV as you did with previous generations Chromecast (Chromecast, Chromecast 2nd gen/2015, and Chromecast 3rd gen/2018), or Chromecast Ultra.  But the Google TV interface adds tons of new features and possibilities. The voice remote is an indispensable accessory to enjoy these new features.

This Chromecast guide explains what the voice remote for Chromecast with Google TV can do, the layout of the voice remote and the functions of each button/part, and how to control Chromecast with Google TV if you cannot find the voice remote.

What can Voice Remote for Chromecast with Google TV do?

If you use Chromecast with Google TV as a passive receiving device, you probably do not need the remote. But you missed a lot of features of the dongle.

The voice remote helps you use the Chromecast with Google TV as a full-featured Android TV setup box.

Search your favourites with your voice (Google Assistant)

The remote control was … Continue to read the post....

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Update 1: Now there are six methods. The new approach is to use Android screen cast.

Update 2: Added the image illustrating the differences of the six methods to stream local media files with Chromecast from the book: Chromecast 101: How to stream local media files with Chromecast (Kindle Edition, released November 2014, ASIN: B00Q7TSL3G).

Update 3: with the release of VLC 3.0 on February 9, 2018, Chromecast is now supported.

You can use VLC media player to stream local media files from a PC or an Android phone without using any additional apps or servers.  On Android phones, you may check this guide on how to use VLC for Android to stream local media files to Chromecast device.

Chromecast can not only stream internet contents, e.g., YouTube, Netflix, but also can it stream local contents, your videos, music, and photos to your  TV. It can also turn your TV into your remote monitor for your PC!

There are several methods for streaming local media files to Chromecast.  Each has its strength and weakness.

A lot of Chromecast owners get confused on these methods after we illustrated different possible ways.

The purpose of this comparison is to guide … Continue to read the post....

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You can launch Videostream just like other Chrome apps

As explained in this page, Videostream for Google cast is one of the best solutions to stream local contents to Chromecast.

It is both powerful enough and simple enough for most Chromecast owners. We also published a detailed guide on how to use Videostream extension to stream local contents to Chromecast.

But one of the most common questions asked is how to launch Videosteram after initial installation.

Videosteram for Google cast is just a normal Chrome app. So, you can launch Videostream just like launching other Chrome apps.

This is a simple job for Chromebook users, or seasoned Chrome users.

But for many new and casual Chrome users, it can be very confusing about how to launch Chrome app after the installation.

This guide will show you how to launch Videosteram for Google cast app easily. You can even create a shortcut of Chrome apps on desktop.

There are at least 3 different methods to launch Videostream for Google cast from your PC. We will cover all of them one by one.

After Google removed Chrome App launcher for PC (Windows, PC, and Linux) earlier this year, you cannot … Continue to read the post....

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Why do we need one more solution (robust and free) of streaming local media to Chromecast?

To stream local media to Chromecast is not as simple as many expected. Google intends to make Chromecast an internet thing, not a local media player.

If you used Chromecast for online streaming, you probably are very happy with this $35 device. It works with more and more services, and the online streaming quality is quite impressive most of the time.

But if you have a lot of media files in the hard drive of your PC, you may feel the pain to stream local media to Chromecast  (to watch on the big screen).

In the Chromecast how-to guides section, I shared two methods of streaming local media to Chromecast:

1. Stream local video to Chromecast through a Chrome browser tab.
2. Share the whole desktop screen (and audio) to Chromecast through desktop sharing.

Both of the methods are not robust, with obvious limitations.

Using a Chrome tab to stream local media to Chromecast is the simplest method. But it is severely limited by the media formats that you can play through Chrome browser. Very often, the user has to install additional software or … Continue to read the post....

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Update 1: there are several other methods of streaming local media to Chromecast. The desktop sharing method illustrated below is mainly for turning your TV into your second screen of your PC. It is not good for video streaming (at least, for video streaming, there are some other better methods). You may check this guide: Comparison of 5 methods for streaming local media files to Chromecast.

You can share the whole desktop screen to Chromecast (and watch it on TV)

Almost every Chromecast owner knows you can cast any Chrome browser tab to your TV through Chromecast. What you need is just the Google Cast extension.

You can even stream local video, music or photos to the TV as I showed you in this guide: How to stream local video to Chromecast?

But you may not know you can share the whole desktop to Chromecast, and watch it on the TV. Even better, the audio output can also be transferred to TV!

When will you need desktop sharing to Chromecast?

Sharing your desktop with Chromecast is not only for fun. It solves a lot of practical issues.

Scenario 1: Media format is not supported by Chrome browser

If the … Continue to read the post....

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What is the Google Home and Chromecast casting notification?

With the release of Google Home, the Google cast app was renamed as Google Home app.

Now, Chromecast (including Chromecast Ultra), Chromecast Audio and Google Home are all managed by the same Google Home app.

One of the new features in Google Home app (through Google Play services on the phone) is the Google Home and Chromecast casting notification (remote control notifications) in all mobile devices that are connected to the same network as the casting devices.

This means, by default, all mobile devices (with a Google account and the latest Google app) in the same network as casting devices now get the casting notification (remote control notification) when any of the casting devices is casting.

Here casting devices include Chromecast, Chromecast 2nd Gen, Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast Audio and Google Home.

For example, when Google Play music is playing music to Chromecast Audio, you will see the notification in other Android  phones as shown below.

This notification appears not only on the device you initiated the casting, but also all other mobile devices in the same network, by default.

So, any devices can control the playback remotely through … Continue to read the post....

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