Google Chromecast – The Easiest Way to Enjoy Online Video and Music on Your TV

Chromecast is an attempt by Google to make TV smarter than they are claimed to be at

present. It is a small USB device that enables users to stream videos on cotemporary TV

sets from any computing device. It is the size of a human thumb and inserts into the

HDMI port of the TV set. The other end of the dongle features a micro USB port for

wired connectivity. It is a plug-and-play device that can be setup without additional

technical expertise. It supports multiple applications such as YouTube, Netflix, Google

Play and Pandora as well as iOS, Mac, Windows and Windows Phone devices.

Despite the remarkable increase in number of the number of computers, easy Internet

accessibility and numerous online services such as YouTube and Netflix, the TV set

remains an integral part of many homes. However, the early 20th century invention has

not become as smarter as younger inventions such as computer and mobile phones

have, though TV manufacturers LG, Panasonic Samsung and Sony have significantly

transformed the device over the years. TV sets have advanced considerably in terms of

hardware and the modern ones, especially those that are called smart TV, feature HDMI

ports, which is all Google Chromecast needs.

The pack in which Google Chromecast is delivered contains the information about the

installation procedure of the device. It is not much complicated than installation of USB

modems. The device has to be integrated with the wireless network at home and

synchronised with the devices that are intended to access it. The setup window prompts

appears on the screen automatically. Once the system is setup, the application interface

is equally simple to use. Google has released a Software Development Kit (SDK) for

Google Cast technology in order to enable third-party developers to add capabilities into

their applications. Presently, only Netflix, YouTube and Google Play Movies are the

applications that the technology supports.

Once the TV is connected to the laptop or tablet, videos can be streamed on the TV with

the help of the Chromecast icon that appears on the computer as the video is chosen to

be played. The streaming starts on the TV within a few seconds after the instruction.

Interestingly, the device from which the video is streamed can be used for other

purpose while the video is plays on the TV. Users may even put the device on standby.

The YouTube application allows creation of video playlist for playing videos

successively. Adding video from a new device to the playlist interrupts the then playing

video. However, after the initial interruption, videos can be seamlessly added and

played from the new device too. Apart from a few similar minor glitches, the system

works fine and quality of the video is not compromised in any case.

Considering that Apple TV, Roku 3 and Plair thrice as expensive as Chromecast and that

mainstream satellite TVs are not undisputedly swiftest in streaming and switching

videos, Google Chromecast certainly has the potential to be “the easiest way to enjoy

online video and music on” the TV.