This is what you can do with a Chromecast
Google seems to be working on a new Chromecast. We are curious what the company has in store for changes, because Chromecast can already do a lot. These are the possibilities with the handy dongle from Google.
Stream things on your television
A Chromecast is a kind of mini box that you hang on your television. You plug it in via the HDMI port of your television, connect it to your WiFi and you can then stream content from your smartphone to your television. Think, for example, of Netflix, Discovery+ or Videoland. You do need a subscription for these streaming services and the app on your smartphone. Furthermore, you can simply watch the series that you normally watch on your phone, but then on a large scale on television. This is by far the most common way to deploy Chromecast.
Listening to music through your television
If you have great speakers on your television, such as a Sonos, you can also stream music files to your television via your Chromecast. This allows you to listen to music via your television. That’s a good idea, for example, if you’re throwing a party and want to show random images on television without sound (perhaps even the Netflix fireplace) and play music in the meantime.
Stream your computer to a television
For example, do you want to puzzle together a holiday with a group of friends, but is it quite a large group? You can then choose to cast your laptop screen to your television via the Chrome browser. This allows you to all look at the same thing on your computer screen, although you as the operator of the computer remain in control of which content is displayed.
Gaming on your television
With Chromecast it is also possible to use Google’s Stadia game service. This cloud service makes it possible to game on any platform and Chromecast makes it possible to play games on your television without a console. You can use the special Stadia controller for this.
Control your television with voice
You can connect your television with Chromecast to Google Home, so that you can say, for example: “Hey Google, play Black Mirror on Netflix on Chromecast in the living room”, which allows you to control your television with speech. It doesn’t always work flawlessly, but it’s a fun way to quickly turn on something else, especially if you can’t find the remote for a while. You can also turn the television up or down via speech when you use your Chromecast and add it to routines, for example, so that you have the entire living room ready for a date with one command.
Take a trip for entertainment
By extension, you can also take it with you on a trip. Whether you go to a holiday park in the Netherlands or to a hotel abroad, there is often a television available and if it has an HDMI port, you can enjoy streaming services that you stream to the Chromecast via your smartphone. You do need WiFi for this, but that can also be a data connection from a smartphone (note: streaming does cost a lot of data).
Chromecast can make the dumbest televisions look smart, making it a much-loved device. Precisely because it is so small, you can easily throw it in your suitcase to stream on vacation. It remains to be seen what the new Chromecast with Google TV has in store, but it is at least expected during a new Google I/O presentation, which will probably follow in May.