We’ve used the new chromecast for the past couple of weeks and we feel like we have a
decent handle on how most intricate things work with the new chromecast.We’ve seen
the chromecast setup guide ,mirroring smartphones and casting youtube videos before but after
enough time with it we wanted to pass some of that new found knowledge onto you .
So Chrome up! (“what a lovely day” clip from mad max fury road) Here are our Best
tips and tricks for your chromecast.
----- Mirror Your Computer
Starting with something simple, so you might already know you can cast your smartphone
screen to chromecast using the native cast feature.
But do you know you can also cast your chrome browser tab directly to chromecast?
There is no need to download any additional app.
For instance, you want to give a presentation to your client, all you need to do is, make
sure your computer and chromecast are on a same wifi network.
Then open chrome (you can import your slides to Google slides) and then the click on three
dots in the upper right corner of Chrome to open the menu, then choose “Cast.”
And Boom—tab casted.
Or if you want to cast your entire desktop, click the “Cast to” drop-down and choose
“Cast Screen instead.
Boom Roasted
Watch Local Videos from Your PC
Ideally, if you have videos on your PC that you want to be able to stream to your TV,
you have to use a HDMI cable, but thankfully, with chromecast, you can stream your views
over WiFi.
All you need is a do is install a Chrome app, Videostream for Google Chromecast.
And it can automatically pick a local video file on your computer and send them to your
Chromecast.
The video playback is also much smoother than what you would have got from Chromecast tab
casting.
Oh yeah, by the way, you can also Stream From VLC to Your Chromecast.
Just make sure you have the latest version of VLC media player, and look for Renderer,
or Scan optoin under playback.
Limit data usage on chromecast
So, here is something I learned the hard way.
Your chromecast download those high-resolution backdrops every 30 seconds or so.
Which is cool, we all like it after all.
But, here is the thing, even if your TV is OFF, your chromecast will still download those
images in the background, which could be an issue if you don’t have an unlimited data
at the house.
Sounds weird, right?
So, why does your chromecast is still awake when the TV is OFF.
Well, the most TV supports HDMI-CES (we’ll come to that later one) but in simple words,
what it does is, it lets you control your tv even when it’s OFF.
For example, you can say, “Hey Google, turn on the TV”
It sounds cool, doesn’t it?
But in case you don't’ need this features, and have limited wifi bandwidth, it’s better
to connect your chromecast power supply with your TV USB port, this way, whenever you turn
off your TV, the chromecast will be OFF as well
Control Chromecast with TV remote
Okay, so this is best one and I’m pretty sure you don’t already know about it.
Unlike Firestick and Roku, chromecast doesn’t come with its own remote.
But, guess what, if you have a new TV, you can kind of use it’s remote to control chromecast
playback.
All you need is a TV that supports HDMI-CEC (which most modern Television do), although,
they just called it with a different name, so you might have to google that part.
Anyways, in our LG smart TV, we find this option under Simplink.
Simply turn it ON and now you can pause and play your chromecast video.
Similarly, if you have a Firestick or some other streaming device, you would be able
to control that from TV remote and vice versa.
Play Games
While Chromecast is no match for Console like Nvidia Shield TV but turns out, you can actually
play simple games on your Chromecast.
Most of these games can be easily found on Google Play Store with a simple search of
‘Chromecast games’
Some of my favorites include - Cardcast, card-matching party game.
Or if you are looking for something that everyone can enjoy check out, Just Dance Now.
It uses your phone, which acts as a motion-based controller.
And the best part is, it works for all Android TV, not just chromecast.
Offers
More often than not, your chromecast comes with offers like free YouTube red subscription,
free movies on Google Play etc.
While there is no guarantee, you have an offer, but it’s worth checking out every once in
a while.
Make sure your chromecast is a plug to your TV and then open the newly designed Google
Home app, Tap on your profile tab at the bottom right on the top right to bring up settings
and then choose Offers from there.
Here you should see offers, again, as I said, I don’t have any offers right now, but most
users do.
I recently got one, where they were offering a huge discount on Google home mini.
Get Faster Internet
Unlike most Android TV and Apple TV (which supports ethernet port for faster internet),
Chromecast is only designed to work on WiFi.
But if you have a flaky internet connection or your TV is too far from the router, then
it’s best to use a ethernet adapter with your chromecast.
Yes, my friend, all version of chromecast supports Ethernet adapter, we got one off
of Amazon and it works pretty dam well for both chromecast and firestick.
But no unforunatly not for Roku stick.
We have dedicated video on how to set it up.
Check it out.
Reboot or Factory Reset Your Google Chromecast
Finally, if you are chromecast is stuck or if you are planning it to sell it, then you
can easily reboot and reset it directly from your Google home app.
Though, the options are buried deep under settings.
Open the Google home app, find your chromecast there, next click on the gear icon on the
top right to bring up chromecast settings, next again click on the 3 vertical dots option
on the top right, there you should find both reboot and factory reset option.
---
Are there tricks up ur sleeve that you know about ,if so let us know in the comments below.
While you're at it ,check out our other videos on how to get more out of your firestick.
If you’re new here ,welcome to the club and consider joining up SDP which lets you
stream geo restricted content.Like Netflix us.
I’m vamsi ,thanx for watching ,Bye