Cord Cutters How-Tos
How To: Enjoy Some Politically Incorrect Laughs with CardCast for Android & iOS
The future of game night is digital. Your Chromecast is great for watching Netflix or YouTube, but get more use out of it by making it the centerpiece for your next fun get-together.
How To: Personalize Your TV Experience with Chromecast's New Backdrop Feature
It's been a long-awaited feature since being announced at Google I/O in June, but Backdrop for Chromecast has finally started rolling out. With an update to the Chromecast app for Android and iOS, users will be able to personalize the background images that appear when Chromecast is idle.
How To: Multitask in Chrome While Casting Web Videos to Your TV
Despite being one of the largest and most feature driven companies on the planet, Google can sometimes come up short. I have my Chromecast running 24/7, and while I use my phone to cast most of my content, I sometimes find a video while browsing Reddit or LiveLeak on my laptop and I'd rather just cast it from there.
How To: Cast Videos from Your Favorite Subreddit to Your TV with Chromecast
I spend an ungodly amount of time on Reddit, and while I do enjoy scrolling through memes and scandalous confessions, I must admit that I spend the majority of my time watching an endless stream of YouTube videos.
How To: Cast Reddit GIFs & Images from Your Android Phone to Your TV
Reddit is home to tons of fun and unique content. A starting point for the various memes and videos that eventually make it into your Facebook feed, you could seriously spend all day just browsing different subreddits and not get bored.
How To: Save Battery by Mirroring Your Android Screen to Chromecast with the Display Off
Screen mirroring was a long-awaited feature for the Chromecast, now available for select devices (and even more with root). While great news for those who couldn't wait to play games, watch movies, and browse pictures on a big screen, it did mean that you had to keep your device's screen on the entire time it was being mirrored.
How To: Add Widgets to Your Chromecast's Home Screen
The idle screen for the Chromecast is certainly beautiful. Full of many high-definition pictures taken of various parts of the world, it's almost a shame that we have to dismiss this screen in order to cast content.
How To: Cast Podcasts with Podcast Addict for Android
Podcasts have been around and popular for close to a decade now. For the uninitiated, podcasts are like radio shows that can be downloaded directly from the web and listened to on any device. Up until now, only paid apps allowed podcasts to be casted via Chromecast, but with the latest update to Xavier Guillemane's Podcast Addict, you can now do the same thing for free!
How To: Root Your Chromecast
When the Chromecast first came out about a year ago, developers were quick to find a way to root the streaming device. Google was almost as fast, however, in updating the Chromecast's firmware to close the loophole that this method used.
How To: Turn Your Chromecast into a Jukebox with Collaborative Party Playlists
When it comes to playing music at parties, the whole process can be a bit like a dictatorship. One person, usually the host, chooses all of the music and controls playback, essentially forcing everyone else to listen to the songs that they like.
How To: Enable Chromecast's Screen Mirroring on Any Rooted Android Device Running KitKat
Arguably Chromecast's biggest feature since its launch, screen mirroring functionality started rolling out to select devices earlier this week, and in a word, it's awesome.
How To: Enable the Chromecast Screen Mirroring Feature
At last month's I/O event, Google demonstrated a set of cool new features that were said to be coming to the Chromecast soon. While we may not be able to set custom backgrounds or cast content without being on the same WiFi network just yet, the biggest feature of them all has started rolling out to devices today: Screen mirroring.
How To: Use Your Chromecast as a Karaoke Machine
You suck at karaoke. Most of us do, but that doesn't stop any of us from hitting up the karaoke bar. It's not about who sounds best; there's American Idol for that. It's about having a great time without incurring negative judgement; the worse you are the better time I'm having.
How To: Cast Facebook & Twitter Feeds to Your HDTV with Chromecast
Is social media ready to make the jump to the big screen? The developers behind the Android app Stevie think so.
How To: Stream Your Favorite SoundCloud Tracks to Your Chromecast
With its growing popularity, it's clear that the Chromecast isn't going away anytime soon, with options for casting games, cloud files, music, and much more. But not all content providers are in a hurry to add support for the device, and SoundCloud is one of them. While My Cloud Player is by no means an official SoundCloud app, it comes pretty darn close.
How To: Stream Your Personal Movie Collection to Your Amazon Fire TV
Amazon's Fire TV set-top box has been out for over a month now, and the hacks are starting to come together. Sure you can play your Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, and Netflix content without any issue, but what about your personal media, like movies and music?
How To: Cast Amazon Instant Video to Your HDTV
Amazon just signed a deal with HBO to host the cable channel's original content on its Instant Video service. For those of us with Amazon Prime accounts, this is great news—but there aren't any readily apparent options for playing it on Chromecast.
Nostalgia Warning: Must-Have Classic Games for Chromecast (Android & iOS)
Video games have come a long way over the last 30 years. In the late-'80s, Atari, Nintendo, and Sega were taking gaming from arcades to living rooms. Back in 1994, the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis were in bedrooms everywhere, and over the next couple of years, were slowly being replaced by Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and the first ever Sony PlayStation.
How To: Cast Endless Streams of Videos You'll Definitely Like
The folks behind StumbleUpon have created a video service that is just as awesome at introducing you to new content as their website service is.
How To: Cast Videos from Google Drive to Your TV with Chromecast
You can't always have your media on the same network as your Chromecast. Say you're at a friend's house or even out of town—it sure would be nice to cast your videos when you're out and about, wouldn't it?
How To: The Ultimate Guide to Smoother Netflix Streams on Any Device, Anywhere
The older I get, the more my Friday nights involve watching Netflix at home with a bottle of Maker's Mark and a box of Oreos. Netflix is a big part of my life, and I'm not alone. YouTube and Netflix make up over 50% of all activity on the Internet, so it might be worth your time to understand why Netflix seems to cause so many headaches and what can be done about it.
How To: Stream Music from the Official Spotify App to Chromcast
Up until now, the closest thing we've had to Spotify casting is Projectify, which streams music videos from YouTube and other video sites to Chromecast using music from your Spotify playlists.
How To: Play the Insanely Addictive 2048 Game for Android on Your TV
Just like some of its popular puzzle predecessors, 2048 is an extremely simple yet insanely addicting game that pits you against a slew of blocks, to be configured into increasing sums with fervid, high-paced moves. If you have yet to play it, check out either the iOS (by Ketchapp) or Android (by Estoty) versions of the game. Due to its overwhelming popularity, dev TalkLittle has ported the puzzle game as 2048 for Chromecast (available for Android only), which lets you play the game solo or b...
How To: Watch the Coachella Music Festival on Your HDTV All Weekend
One of the world's largest music festivals in kicking off this weekend in southern California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. With a diverse lineup ranging from AFI to Empire of the Sun to HAIM to Muse, the music world is on display this weekend and the next.
How To: Send Just About Anything from Your Phone to Your TV via Chromecast
As the Chromecast becomes more and more popular (it's even available overseas now), the market has seen an avalanche of Chromecast-compatible apps. We can play games, cast TV stations, and even mirror our screens, but today I'm going to show you a multifaceted tool that'll do everything from broadcasting your camera to displaying your documents.
How To: Find the Latest & Greatest Chromecast Apps
Now that the Chromecast development kit has been out for over a month, more and more Android apps are being released or updated to work with the Chromecast.
How To: (Updated) The Extremely Vulgar (& Hilarious) "Cards Against Humanity" Game Has Been Cloned for Chromecast & Android
If you've never played Cards Against Humanity, it's time to get initiated. Originally funded through Kickstarter, the free to download card game is basically an obscene version of Apples to Apples.
How To: Stream Rdio & Spotify to Chromecast as Music Videos
While both Rdio and Beats Music look to be developing support for Chromecast, Spotify has kept their distance from the Google dongle, focusing instead on "several prevailing priorities."
How To: Cast Videos Directly from Your Mobile Browser to Your Chromecast
With the development kit fully open, the functionality of our Chromecasts seem to expand with each passing day. From a portable gaming system to your own personalized news station, our little gadgets have a lot going for them.
How To: Turn Your Chromecast into a Portable Gaming Console
With the emergence of rumors that Amazon, Google, and Samsung are all making their foray into the gaming console market, it's a possibility that our Android-powered mobile devices might become tools that play a central role.
How To: Stream Any Video from Your Android or iOS Device to Chromecast
Recently, Google unleashed the Chromecast development kit, which lets developers add Chromecast streaming functionality to their own apps. However, there aren't many apps with Chromecast capabilities yet, and big companies and devs are still working on polishing their final products.
How To: Stream Personal Movies, Music, & Photos to Chromecast from Any Android Device
It's been a great week for Chromecast owners. First, Google released the development kit, allowing devs to install the casting code into their apps. Then, CyanogenMod dev Koush updated his AllCast app to support the Chromecast. That means you can shoot personal movies, music, and photos directly from your Android device over to a Chromecast-connected display.
How To: Get Your Chromecast to Stop Lagging
Google Chromecast is only 35 dollars. That's about 2 and a half drinks at a decent bar in Los Angeles. So, my roommates and I looked to make the investment. The small box arrived in the mail and the setup couldn't be easier. Simply, plug the Chromecast into the HDMI port on your TV and pair the two devices. Done and Done. Having the ability to stream anything on our computers or cellphones right to the TV was the main reason for getting Chromecast. Now, for streaming through the Chrome browse...
How To: Fix The "Can't Play a Sideloaded Song Remotely" Error When Streaming Google Play Music to Chromecast
The Chromecast may be slowly weaving its way into the smartphone ecosystem, but the amount of supported Android apps that are available for the streaming media player are still severely limited.
How To: 8 Netflix Hacks You Should Know for Improved & Unrestricted Streaming on Any Device
Netflix is more popular now than ever, but it still has a ways to go before satisfying everyone. Whether it's a lack of availability, buggy or unattractive apps, or just not being able to find anything to watch, lots of people have their complaints.
US & UK Restrictions Be Damned: How to Watch Every Region-Restricted Netflix Show from Any Country
Considering that the average movie ticket these days is $8.38, it's not much of a surprise that Netflix is kicking ass. The same amount will get you a full month of unlimited streaming, and you don't even have to leave your couch. While no one's arguing that it isn't a great deal, the biggest issue most users have with the service is the limited amount of available content. Anything?
How To: Watch American Netflix in Canada Using an Apple TV
It's no secret that Netflix streams different content based on location. Since your physical location in the digital world is simply a number, a simple switch of the DNS will make your digital "physical location" different. In your Apple TV setting, navigate to:
How To: Access the Hidden Netflix Menu on Your Xbox 360 or PS3 Using This Super Secret Code
One of the best things I love most about any new gaming console are the apps—I can switch from playing Assassin's Creed III to re-watching the fifth season of Breaking Bad on Netflix without ever getting off the couch. Beat that Atari.
How To: Add IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes Ratings to Your Netflix with 'Netflix Save' for Chrome
I like to call Netflix my quiet, digital friend. She's been there for me on many many occasions—from when I had to move home for a few months, to when the cable was down for days.
How To: Turn Your Bluetooth Keyboard into an Apple TV Remote
If you have an iPhone, you probably already updated to iOS 6.1, which was released earlier this week. The new release came with some very subtle updates, including LTE support for more carriers, the ability to purchase movie tickets from Fandango via Siri, some security patches, and more.