Small screens are intimidating when it comes to watching movies; at least, I don’t want to watch videos on a smartphone unless it’s the last device on this planet. If you think the same, Chromecast is your best companion in this need of the hour.
Chromecast lets you stream media files to your TV. It’s a life-saving device for movie and TV shows enthusiasts. I compiled these Chromecast hacks to help you take full advantage of this valuable device.
Before we start, ensure that your Chromecast is set up with your TV and that the device you’ll use to control it (smartphone/tablet) and Chromecast are on the same Wi-Fi network. Also, download the Google Home app for Android and iOS to set up and control Google Chromecast.
Here are some Chromecast hacks that you can try:
1. Control Chromecast with your Voice
With Google Assistant, you can summon videos to your TV screen using the powers of Google Chromecast. First, you must say the magic phrase, and Google Assistant will follow the commands. For example, with the “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” voice command, you can ask Google Assistant to play movies, songs, or News on your TV.
Just say “Play Stranger Things on TV,” and the next thing you’ll see is Stranger Things playing on your TV. Of course, you have to connect your Netflix account with Chromecast first. You can do it within the Google Home app, which controls Chromecast and other home devices.
Google Assistant can also play songs from Spotify, SoundCloud, and other streaming services with voice commands; you have to connect these services to the Google Home app.
2. Cast Facebook videos
The Facebook app also lets you cast videos on the Chromecast. With this Chromecast hack, you can watch Facebook videos on a large screen just a click away. Find the cast button and select your device to start streaming.
3. Cast from YouTube
Watching videos from YouTube on a big screen brings relief. You can cast popular videos of your crowned YouTubers with just a press of a button. Open the YouTube app and play a video, press the cast button that appears on top of the video, and then select your device.
You can also create a YouTube video queue and watch it on the big screen with Chromecast.
4. Cast from Netflix
Movies and TV shows from Netflix can also be played on your TV with the help of Chromecast. Just play the movie or TV show on your phone or tablet that you want to play on the big screen and look for the cast icon, click on it and select the Chromecast device that you want to stream to, the movie will start streaming on the large screen.
As explained earlier, connecting the Netflix account with Google Assistant will enable you to stream movies and TV shows using voice commands. Ask Google Assistant to play, and it’ll play that particular video on your big screen.
5. Cast from VLC
VLC supports Chromecast streaming, and you can watch movies straight from your PC or Mac by following our guide to cast a video from VLC to Chromecast. Then, just play any video on VLC and follow the instructions in the given link to start streaming movies to your big screen.
6. Cast from a local Media Server
Chromecast lets you stream movies directly to your TV screen. You can try different media servers and other ways to stream your favorite shows on the big screen. Another tip is that you can configure Kodi to play videos on your Chromecast.
Here are some apps you can use to enjoy video content on the big screen.
7. Cast from Plex
Plex media server serves movie geeks the right way with the ability to cast photos, movies, and songs that are present on your local server to the large screen. The premium version (Plex Pass) comes with more perks, but the free version works fine with casting movies to Chromecast.
After installing the Plex Media Server on your PC, organize your media files to stream videos to other devices as well as to Chromecast. You can follow the official website to set up Plex and then cast movies to Chromecast-enabled TV.
8. Stream Music
With Chromecast, you can stream songs on your TV speakers or the Home theatre system. But, first, you must connect your favorite music streaming service, and it’ll play music from your playlists on your Chromecast-enabled device.
Music streaming services like SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube Music can be connected with Chromecast for Music streaming. You can stream music to your TV speakers or the home theatre system using Chromecast.
9. Cast from Google Photos
You can feast your eyes with memories of vacations that you enjoyed with the family. Cast photos to the big screen using Google Photos app and Chromecast. Google Photos supports Chromecast and lets you watch photos and videos on the supported device.
10. Cast from Google Chrome
With the Cast option built-in, chrome lets you enjoy the web browser’s content on the big screen. You can cast tabs from the Chrome browser or videos you’re playing online (on supported websites like YouTube) to the Chromecast. Here’s how this Chromecast tip will work:
- Press the three-dot menu on the upper right corner of Chrome
- Navigate to Cast and click it
- Select your device from the pop-up
- Start streaming the content or the tab of the Chrome browser
11. Backdrop in Chromecast
When you connect and set up your Chromecast, you’ll see a backdrop, a Chromecast home screen. It shows weather, news headlines, and selected photos as wallpapers from your favorite service or Google Photos. You can configure the latest news headlines and weather information on the Google Home app.
12. Guest Mode
If you want guests to stop interrupting your movies on Chromecast, you can enable guest mode in Chromecast. Only you can cast to the device when the guest mode is enabled, and others will have to ask permission to get limited access. You can grant or deny access from the Google Home app.
This Chromecast tip will save you the pain of asking everyone to stop messing with the video you’re watching on the big screen.
13. Cast Presentations
Play presentations on your TV using Google Slide for the web. You can cast the tab from Google Chrome and show your slides on a big screen without wires and projectors.
These are the tips for your Chromecast that you can try to improve the streaming experience. If you’ve something more to add, you can share your favorite Chromecast hacks and uses in the comments section below.
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