Five advanced Chromecast hacks to level up your streaming experience

Five tricks to play Chromecast to improve your streaming experience!

Google first launched the affordable, powerful Chromecast streaming device in 2013, and then launched the more powerful (and more expensive) Chromecast Ultra last year, which handles 4K resolution and HDR effects. Both versions are simple to look, have a small footprint and are easily set up via the Google Home app. However, besides the superficial simplicity, these devices have some clever hidden tricks that you can try. Here are five of our favorite ways to make the most of Chromecast.

1. Guest sharing

You may notice the ability to enable "Guest Mode" when you first set up your Chromecast. This allows your friends and family to stream media to your Chromecast even if they are not logged into the same Wi-Fi network as your device.

If you didn't enable this feature at the beginning, it's not too late now: open the Google Home app, click the "Device" button in the upper right corner, then click the three vertical dots next to the Chromecast entry, and then click "Guester Mode". When enabled, Guest Mode allows anyone to send media to your device by entering a custom PIN code displayed in the app. If you decide to block others again, you can disable guest mode by returning to the "Guest Mode" menu.

2. Connect your Google Home

Google Home smart speakers can work seamlessly with one or more Chromecasts. Once the speakers and streaming devices are set up, the Google Home app can coordinate operations between the two.

To play music, movies, or shows—no clicks or selections—just say “OK Google” and tell your Home device to play what you want to watch or listen to on your Chromecast. For example, say “OK Google, play cat videos on your living room TV”, or “OK Google, play classical music on your bedroom TV”. (If you initially gave your Chromecast a confusing or hard to pronounce, this app gives you a good reason to change it – you can rename it in the Google Home app.)

When Google Home follows your commands, it will play videos on YouTube and music on Google Play Music by default. But you can add additional options: Open the Google Home app, click on the menu button in the upper left corner, then click on "More Settings", then click on "Music" or "Videos and Photos". Here you can choose third-party applications such as Netflix and Spotify to link to your account. For more guidance on setting them, read Google's guide on playing TV shows and movies.

3. Browse the web page on the big screen

While Chromecast mainly streams audio and video directly from the app, you can also cast websites from Google Chrome browser. This is very convenient for displaying screen presentations, photo slideshows, etc. But if you plan to cast music and movies, it's better to use a specific Chromecast-compatible app.

First, make sure to connect your computer to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast. Next, open Chrome and click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the interface to access its menu. Select "Camel" from the list, select your Chromecast, and the front browser tab should appear on the large screen. Once done, stop casting by clicking on the bright blue Chromecast icon of the label itself or selecting the "Camel" option from the Chrome menu again.

4. Show personal photos

By default, when your TV is turned on but you are not actively streaming, your Chromecast will display a series of striking images planned by Google. However, you can display your own photos as a screen saver for your device.

To set it up, go to the Google Home app and click the "Device" button in the upper right corner. When the list of connected devices appears, find the name of your Chromecast and click the menu button next to it (three vertical dots). From the list that appears, select Backdrop Settings. If you want to return to the original background behavior, click the "Delete your Backdrop Preferences" entry at the end of the menu.

You can enable images from three sources: Google Photos, Facebook, and Flickr. In each case, the app prompts you to connect and verify your account so that your Chromecast can access them. Alternatively, you can choose to view artworks and space images of Google selected. And, when an image is displayed, you can get more information about any image displayed on your device by clicking on the entry for that image in the Google Home app.

5. Stream saved files

Chromecast focuses on streaming videos from online resources, but if you save video files on your computer, you can also cast them on your TV. You just need some software help.

Take the Google Chrome version of Videostream extension as an example. It allows you to select a video from your hard drive to start casting immediately and control playback from your computer or Videostream mobile app (for Android and iOS). The service is free, but you can upgrade to a premium account (starting from $1.49 per month) for additional features such as playlist and subtitle support.

Your second option is to set up the Plex software on the computer you want to use. Once you connect your computer to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast and set up Plex, you can stream your video files to your Chromecast device via the free Plex mobile app (for Android or iOS).

The above is the detailed content of Five advanced Chromecast hacks to level up your streaming experience. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!