How to set up and use Chromecast, the Google device to transmit high-definition content on your TV. The complete guide.
Chromecast, a small accessory, light and essential for many users: the device designed by Google is able to turn any TV screen into a Smart TV, connecting via a simple HDMI port. But how to set up Google Chromecast and set it up to start streaming video content directly on your TV?
Making the setup of Google Chromecast on your old TV is really simple and starting to use the device to watch series and movies on Netflix or videos on YouTube in high definition requires only some specific steps to follow. In fact, many TVs are not equipped with Android TV and similar, but with the ability to transmit high-definition content through the appropriate attack. In fact, thanks to the Chromecast it will not be necessary to buy a new and expensive Smart TV, instead being able to re-evaluate a screen believed to be dated.
If you have purchased or received a Chromecast as a gift but do not know where to start, here is a quick guide on how to set it up and use it in the various functions available.
Chromecast: setup guide
Chromecast is characterized by its elegant shape and compact size: once removed from the box the first step to do is, of course, connect it to the TV. You can do this via the HDMI port, to be inserted in any of the dedicated inputs of your TV (even older models have more than one input) and insert the plug into the electrical socket.
Chromecast needs in fact an electric power supply, evaluate well where to connect it, being the proximity to the TV (because of the HDMI port) necessary: in case it is necessary, equip yourself in advance of a double plug or a multitude able to connect all the devices in your possession.
Once this is done, you will need to connect your Chromecast to the wireless internet. To start this type of settings, and the subsequent setup, you will need the Google Home app, available for download on both iOS and Android for smartphones and tablets.
Using a mobile device is in fact the best way to use and configure a Chromecast: once you have downloaded the app, log in with your Gmail address, if you do not have created one in a few seconds.
Once you have started and accepted the terms and conditions of use, press the icon dedicated to the devices located in the upper right: the app will detect the Chromecast in a few seconds, as long as the TV is switched on and that the cable connections indicated above have been performed correctly.
A code will appear both on the app and on your TV, confirmed the equality through the requested verification and then connect the Google device to Wi-Fi by entering the password. Once this is done, click Continue and wait for the device to restart.
Chromecast: how to use it
Playing any type of video content streaming on your TV through Chromecast is really simple: the symbol to be identified, to see if a video is able to be played on the device of Google is a rectangle that at a corner has the typical symbol of Wi -Fi, an icon that represents the transmission of the streaming signal on the television.
The symbol is present on Netflix, whose contents can be reproduced via smartphone and tablet through Chromecast: in this way mobile devices are transformed into a last generation remote control. Even YouTube, Infinity, Now TV and many others support the use of Chromecast for the reproduction of its contents: in general, all the main streaming services except Prime Video offer this possibility (Amazon prefers instead to divert its users on the Fire Stick, a device with very similar functions).
Chromecast: how to transmit PCs and smartphones
Chromecast is not limited to the only use in streaming video: the device can also be used to play the desktop of your PC or smartphone.
The function is really useful for presentations or other, and can be done in two different ways:
- from Android smartphones and tablets, just go to Settings and then Device Display, select the Cast screen item. An alternative procedure is always possible using the Google Home app, selecting from the drop-down menu Screen/Audio;
- from PC you need Google Chrome, click on the icon in the upper right corner formed by three dots and choose Cast from the drop down menu. Then select Broadcast desktop and select the reference Chromecast to duplicate what you see on the PC screen on your TV.