The inexpensive Google Chromecast TV set offers you the ability to view your computer's videos and photos on TV without having to use wires and cables, quickly and easily. We have seen in the guide to cheats and applications for the Chromecast many ways to use it, to broadcast movies on TV also streaming from the internet, to play games or to watch photos with friends.
To pick up from that article, we see here 6 other less known Chromecast functions, in a certain way also very curious and useful, which may require some additional configuration, but which are within everyone's reach.
1) Turn on the TV without remote control
I recently discovered that the Chromecast can turn on my TV, so that I can stream something from my PC or smartphone without having to use the remote control to turn on the TV.
This works on all televisions that have a setting called HDMI-CEC, which can be activated from the TV options.
This function can have different names depending on the brand and can be found in the instruction booklet.
For example, on Samsung it's called Anynet +, Sony calls it Bravia Link or Bravia Sync, on LG it's called Simplink, Panasonic - Viera link, Toshiba - Regza link .
The Chromecast must then be connected to the power outlet via the power supply (and not connected to the USB port on the TV).
At that point, just start a broadcast from the application or from Google Cast on Chrome to turn on the TV.
In another article, how to activate the HDMI-CEC function and why .
2) Use the Chromecast in the hotel
It is not possible to use the Chromecast in a hotel room if the wifi connection is blocked.
It is therefore necessary to have a portable travel router, which can cost as little as 20 Euros and connect it to the room's ethernet socket to create a connection between PC or mobile phone and Chromecast, to watch each film without paying, via the internet.
In another article, the guide to configuring the Chromecast in the hotel.
3) Use Guest mode to connect guests without having to give them the wifi key .
If a friend comes to our house and wants to show us the photos of the holidays taken with the smartphone, he can show them to us on our TV equipped with Chromecast without having to connect to the home's wifi network.
To do this, just enable the guest mode of the Chromecast.
4) Video Chat on the big screen
Thanks to the ability to transmit anything you see on Chrome from your PC or Android smartphone, it becomes easy to project the video call window on TV from any app.
The broadcast on TV works better, of course, using the Google Hangouts videochat app which has the transmission button to the integrated chromecast.
5) Listen to the audio of the TV with the headphones of the phone's headset to create a kind of wifi headset
If you are watching a movie on TV using Chromecast and streaming from an Android smartphone or tablet, you can use an app called Localcast which allows you to watch videos from your PC (via SMB connection) or from the phone itself.
When you see a video with Localcast, you can transmit the audio to the phone and thus obtain, through the simple headset or normal headphones, hear the audio without disturbing those around you, as if they were wifi headphones.
6) Connect the Chromecast to a stereo system to listen to streaming music.
Using streaming music apps like Spotify or Tunein from your mobile phone, you can connect the Chromecast to the stereo to hear it better and at high volume.
To do this you must use a VGA to HDMI adapter with Audio adapter that should work (I have not tried it personally, but I have seen videos and articles about it).
