Chromecast Guides

Chromecast support was finally introduced in VLC media player 3.0. So, you can now easily use VLC media player on PC to stream music and video to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio.

This adds one more method to stream local media files to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio.

Please note, Google Home, Google Hoem Mini, and Google Home Max also support Chromecast. This means you can also use VLC media player on PC to stream music to those Google Home devices. Therefore, this guide also applies to Google Home devices.

The advantages of using VLC media player on PC to stream music and video to Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, and Google Home

If you have an extensive collection of music and movies in the hard drive, you can stream them to TV with Chromecast or Chromecast Audio with various methods.

Chromecast is officially supported in VLC media player 3.0.  So, you have one more method to stream local media (music and video) to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio.

Compared to other six methods of streaming local music and video to Chromecast and Chromcast Audio, the VLC media player method has several advantages including:

• Free.
• Open source.  If the development

… Continue to read the post....

The post How to use VLC media player on PC to stream music and video to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio? appeared first on All About Chromecast.

On October 4, 2016, Google announced a new $69 (not $35) Chromecast device: Chromecast Ultra.

This actually is the 3rd generation of Chromecast. Chromecast (1st gen) was released in  2013. Chromecast 2nd gen and Chromecast Audio (which were discontinued in 2019) were announced in 2015.

This post will try to help you understand the differences between Chromecast 2nd Gen and Chromecast Ultra, and help you decide whether you need a Chromecast Ultra.

Chromecast 3rd gen (Chromecast 2018) and Chromecast 4th gen (Chromecast 2020; Chromecast with Google TV) are also available in the market now.

Is Chromecast Ultra for 4K TV only?

One of the most prominent features of Chromecast Ultra is supporting 4K video streaming.

But this does NOT mean Chromecast Ultra is only for 4K TV owners.

If you only have a Full HD (1080p) TV, compared to Chromecast 2nd gen,  Chromecast Ultra can still offer some nice new and improved features:

• High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. Of course, HDR contents are still very limited. YouTube and Google Play will gradually join Netflix and Amazon for streaming HDR contents. HDR-ready TV is also needed to enjoy the benefits. We will discuss this in detail in

… Continue to read the post....

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Although  the Chromecast is simple to setup and simple to use, you may encounter this issue or that issue.  Google’s support is robotic.

So, we decided to start a new community for Chromecast owners and enthusiasms.

AllAboutChromecast.com will cover Chromecast news and updates. You will get the latest info on Chromecast.

Chromecast how-to guide section will teach you everything on using Chromecast for all occasions.

Chromecast manual section gives you the best guide on setup, using and troubleshooting Chromecast.

Chromecast Forum is a public forum for you to share your views on Chromecast, and discuss anything related (or even unrelated) to Chromecast.

We will also discuss the technology behind Chromecast. A lot of people confused Chromecast with Miracast or screen mirroring in Android 4.2 or later versions.   For screen mirroring, you may check this screen mirroring guide.

If you have any questions or want to leave a feedback, please leave comments in the relevant pages/posts, or use the contact us page to send your message.

Of course, the most valuable assets for you is the Chromecast Tips and Tricks, our free newsletter. You should subscribe now!… Continue to read the post....

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For most companies, you can only get some special offers or gifts when buying their product.  After paying them, you seldom get free offers from them unless you upgrade or buy a new one again.

Google is really different.

Many Chromecast owners waste free Chromecast offers for them. Are you one of them?

Google gives Chromecast owners offers after offers, including existing owners. All these Chromecast offers are offered free from Google. Some of them are just like cash rebates, e.g.,  Google Play Store credit,  which you can use for apps, music, TV, or movies. Some are free movies.  Of course, some are free trials.

But many Chromecast owners are not aware of such Chromecast offers and, therefore, let the offers expire.

This guide is to show you how to check the Chromecast offers available to you and how to claim (redeem) them from your PC or Android (or iOS) devices.

Step-by-step guide on how to check and claim Chromecast offers from your PC

Please note you can check and claim the Chromecast offers either from your PC or from a mobile device.  If you want to do this on a mobile device, you may skip this section … Continue to read the post....

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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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Update: with Chromecast app update to 1.9.6, Android screen casting (screen mirroring) is available in ALL Android devices with Android KitKat 4.4.2 or later versions. 

As announced in Google I/O 2014, Chromecast would get some nice updates and new features. We will discuss these new features in later posts once they are available publicly.

Screen mirroring with Chromecast Arrives: cast your Android screen without relying on apps

One of the most exciting new features of Chromecast is screen mirroring (or screencasting) for Android devices.  You can mirror whatever is on your  Android devices to a TV without using any apps (of course, for non-Nexus devices, you need the Chromecast app), including audio.

Now, with the Chromecast app update (to 1.7.4), screen mirroring with Chromecast is now fully working on some selected (models) Android devices.

Please note screen mirroring is different from the wireless display that has been introduced to Android since Jelly Bean 4.2. Wireless display in Android uses Miracast technology. To use this feature, you need a receiver (usually a TV) that supports Miracast.  Currently, only some high-end smart TVs support Miracast. Otherwise, you need to get a Miracast dongle/adapter (for example, Netgear Push2TV Wireless Display … Continue to read the post....

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Update: a mini user guide is available on how to use the Ethernet adapter for Chromecast.

Google quietly released a $15 Ethernet adapter for Chromecast on July 8.

The adapter will not only improve the network performance of Chromecast, especially if your WiFi network signal (strength and quality) is not so good, but also may introduce new uses for Chromecast.

I will share with you why this $15 Ethernet adapter for Chromecast is actually a big thing for the $35 Chromecast.

Will $15 Ethernet adapter for Chromecast drag you back to the wired era?

The $35 Chromecast is supposed to be very simple to set up and use.

Most of the time, it is.  But not always.

Some Chromecast owners have faced such problems:

• Weak WiFi signal or poor WiFi signal quality near the TV.
• No idea how to connect the Chromecast to the wireless network.
• Very old wireless router only supporting 802.11b.
• No WiFi in the office.
• Poor network performance of Chromecast.

Ethernet adapter for Chromecast will surely solve these problems.

Why?

1. Ethernet connection is far more stable than WiFi. Even the  10M/100M Ethernet ports in some aged routers usually can offer better and smoother streaming than 5G Hz wireless AC  connection

… Continue to read the post....

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This is the online version of Chromecast manual. You can get the Kindle eBook version of this book on Amazon Kindle Book store.

The Chromecast manual here is to help you set up and enjoy the $35 HDMI dongle.  I try to make it as simple as possible.  Of course, the PDF version of the Chromecast manual will be more comprehensive.

If you want to include more contents or topics in this online Chromecast manual, please let us know in the comment box below. We will update this Chromecast manual regularly.

Update 2: Google discontinued the support of setting up Chromecast through the Chrome browser on the PC/Mac. So, you have to set up a new Chromecast on an Android or iOS device through the Google Home app.

But this does NOT affect the casting functions of Chrome browser on a PC or Mac. You can still cast a tab, or the desktop, or a file from the browser directly as explained in this guide. In fact, you do not need to install any extensions on the PC/Mac.

Update 1: Chromecast app is renamed as Google Home app, which manages both Chromecast and Google Home devices.… Continue to read the post....

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Where is the Chromecast Audio LED indicator

You may notice that next to the micro USB port (which is for power), there is a small LED.

Don’f overlook this tiny LED.

This is the Chromecast Audio LED indicator.

The status of this LED indicator tells you the status of Chromecast Audio device.

Why Chromecast Audio LED indicator is so important?

Unlike Chromecast which can show status on the TV screen, Chromecast Audio can only output audio.

But Google has not implemented any audio notifications on Chromecast Audio.

So, Chromecast Audio relies on this tiny Chromecast Audio LED indicator to tell you what it is doing or going on, for example, booting, updating, casting.

If there are any problems with the device, the LED will give you the corresponding signals.

So, it is important to know the meaning of Chromecast Audio LED colors when Chromecast does not work as expected.

Meaning of Chromecast Audio LED colors

There are two colors of the LED: white or orange.

And there are 2 statuses : solid or pulsing (flashing).

So, in total, Chromecast Audio LED indicator can indicate 4 statuses.

1. Pulsing orange: not ready

If the Chromecast Audio LED is orange … Continue to read the post....

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