We’ve been seeing it more and more lately: a Chromecast built-in (Chromecast which is built into a television). This means you don’t have to attach a separate Chromecast to your television, but the box is built into your device, as it were. This allows you to stream from your phone, tablet, laptop or computer.
Built-in Chromecast
Chromecast is Google’s media streaming technology. You can buy Chromecast as a separate device, where you plug it into your television and then stream a series of Netflix on a television from, for example, your phone. The advantage of this is that you can make a dumb television smart with it. However, there are also many televisions that are smart by themselves and they are often – but certainly not always – equipped with a built-in Chromecast.
Chromecast built-in
That is the short explanation about Chromecast built-in, but there is of course more to tell about this technology. First, Chromecast is a way to wirelessly stream media from a laptop or smartphone to a television. Think of photos, but also films and series (possibly via streaming services) or even just audio (for example via Spotify). You can then pause or stop content via your smartphone, or via the remote control of your television. Voice control is also an option. You can recognize Chromecast by the icon of a square with the three WiFi waves in the bottom left corner.
If you don’t see that icon, first check whether your device with built-in Chromecast is on the same network as the smartphone, laptop or tablet you want to stream from. This is often the WiFi connection in the house. Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi channel to use the Chromecast feature. Many apps have a Chromecast option built into them, including YouTube, Videoland, Amazon Prime Video, Deezer, Tidal, Disney+, Spotify and Netflix. However, that’s just a drop in the ocean: there are hundreds, if not thousands, of applications equipped with Chromecast capabilities.
Cast from your smartphone, laptop or tablet
You know that a device has a built-in Chromecast when you look at the box: ‘Chromecast Built-In’ or ‘Google Cast’ are often the terms that indicate that you do not need a separate Chromecast to cast on the device. Examples of brands that make such devices are the televisions from Philips, LG, Sharp and Sony. Google’s speakers also support it, of course, in addition to smart speakers from Harman Kardon and smart speakers from LG and JBL.
While the focus of Chromecast is often on casting content, it has two additional features that are very useful for those with a smart home. Thanks to Chromecast, you can record your television in your smarthome. That means you can add it in the Google Home app, for example, and then ask Google to play Stranger Things on Netflix, after which it actually does that. And here comes the second side effect: you can also use voice control through Chromecast.
From stupid to smart
It is therefore not only useful for streaming content directly: you can add your television to your smart home through this technology and thus also include it in routines. If you always want the television to turn on when you come home from work, you can also arrange that thanks to such a built-in Chromecast (but also a non-built-in Chromecast). In addition to these big pluses, however, the operation of a built-in Chromecast is completely the same as that of a separate Chromecast. The only drawback is that you can’t replace a built-in Chromecast with a new one, and you can with a separate one. In addition to the fact that a separate Chromecast can be useful, for example, to take to a holiday address, where you may have to deal with a ‘dumb’ television.
In summary, we started this article with the questions: what is Chromecast built-in and what can you do with it? You can actually do everything with it that you can with a separate Chromecast and that mainly means: streaming content. The handy thing is that not both the television and the smartphone from which you stream consume energy. The battery of your phone will hardly deteriorate during casting. That’s because it is cast directly from the cloud and your smartphone is just a conduit. The specific advantage of a built-in Chromecast is that you are left with an HDMI port and you do not have a strange box hanging somewhere. So it is also aesthetically a better solution to have a device with the Chromecast built-in.
