It’s been about five years since Google first launched a little game changer they called the Chromecast, a clever device that boosts the IQ of non-smart TVs, enhancing them to work with your smartphone and smart home. This year, the tech giant released the third edition of this digital dongle. Read on to learn more about this latest version of the Chromecast, and then enter this contest for a chance to win one of your own.

Google Chromecast makes a standard TV smarter

Some people have a little devil on their shoulder tempting them to do things they know they shouldn’t while a little angel on the other shoulder encourages them to stay on the straight and narrow. The devil on my shoulder tells me I need a smart TV in my life, no expenses spared. And I can’t say I disagree with him. After all, a TV that’s connected to the internet effectively puts an endless stream of content at my fingertips. But then the angel on my other shoulder gets his two cents in, “Come on Kevin, aren’t you trying to save? You’ve got a perfectly good HD TV at home.” And I can’t disagree with him either. If only there was some kind of compromise! Enter: Chromecast. It adds smarts to standard televisions, so I can enjoy a premium smart TV experience while staying savvy about my spending.

If you’ve never heard of the Google Chromecast, then allow me to summarize. This small, Wi-Fi-connected dongle connects to the HDMI port at the back of your TV and lets you cast content from compatible apps on your smartphone to your big screen. By simply tapping the cast icon on apps such as YouTube, Netflix, and thousands more available for iPhone and Android, your smartphone essentially becomes your remote control, letting you stream live TV, movies, sports, news, and much more.

Chromecast works alongside Google Home. Simply tell Google what you want to see and your Google Assistant will communicate this message to Chromecast. Your requested content will start playing on your big screen without you even having to lift a finger! One of our colleagues, Erin Lawrence, wrote a fantastic how-to article on how to pair your Google Home to your Chromecast-enabled TV, so you can learn more about how Chromecast syncs so effortlessly with your smart home ecosystem.

And this 2018 iteration of Google Chromecast is the best one yet. It boasts improved Wi-Fi connectivity, support for 1080p resolution at 60fps for smoother video performance, and Bluetooth integration for advanced interconnectivity with your smartphone and other Google-powered smart devices in your home.

By design, all these tech updates have paved the way for Chromecast to be compatible with speaker groups. Google have recently started rolling out support for multi-room audio across their entire range of Google-powered speakers, and thanks to Chromecast, that includes your TV’s built-in speakers! Picture your next get together: a house full of friends and family charmed by a jazzy playlist that can reach the furthest corners of every room thanks to music playing in sync across all your devices. If you already have a Google Home speaker and a standard, non-smart television, the addition of a Chromecast will help you create a multi-room audio setup and a voice-controlled smart TV. What a difference a little dongle can make!

HOW TO ENTER:

You can only submit one entry for this contest. In a comment below this article, tell us what a difference this Google Chromecast would make to your home life? Would a voice-controlled TV be a game changer for you? Would streaming content revolutionize your downtime? Would a multi-speaker audio setup change the way you enjoy music? Maybe it’s a feature not mentioned in this article? In a sentence or two, tell us one thing you like to do that this Chromecast could improve.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN:

We will randomly draw two winners. Each winner will win a Google Chromecast (third generation). The prizes are outlined in the Rules and Regulations posted below.

This contest runs from November 27th until December 11th.

Remember, you can only enter once. However, you probably know someone who would love to smarten up their home entertainment setup, so please share this contest and they too will have a chance to win one of these prizes.

Google Chromecast Contest Rules and Regulations

Good Luck.  

We frequently have many contests running at Best Buy so check out the “contests in progress” page for more great contests to enter.

 

Kevin McElligott
Kevin McElligott
Kevin cut his teeth as a journalist writing articles for trade publications in Dublin. He moved to Vancouver and honed his craft first as a copywriter, and now as an Editor at Best Buy. He enjoys cooking when he has the time, playing soccer, and just recently ran in his first marathon. Fitness is important to him, and he needs the exercise thanks to his fondness for donuts.
Facebook Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

432 COMMENTS

  1. The new Chromecast would be great to pair up for multiroom audio with the Google Home and the other Chromecast audio

  3. Linking music groups through my home would be a game changer! Also, so easy to pack when traveling. No need to pay for hotel ppv anymore!

  5. Chromecast will change the way I watch TV and stream music. Any smartphone will become a remote for TV easily add guest to share their content. It really changes your old TV and music system in to SMART!

  11. Streaming videos from my cellphone and playing music on my tv is a game changer for me. Making my non smart tv smart.

  12. I’m hoping to make my Legacy Toshiba Regza into a smart TV so I can stream Netflix and YouTube – basically update to 2012 lol.

  14. This would be great so I could catch up on shows I have missed by streaming them onto the tv. currently I have to watch them on my cell phone as the tv apps won’t connect to my tv without the chromecast.

  15. Absolutely a great idea.
    The chromecast would definitely ease the use of my phone to cast to my television all of my photos.
    Also,doesn’t everyone like being a couch potato once in a while!

  16. Since getting Google Home last year, voice-activation has changed our lives. The kids play the music they want, when they want. We ask for help with recipes. The next step is improving how interact with our TV.

  21. I’m in uni and to play movies I have to unplug my computer and plug it into the TV switching between vga and HDMI adapters. This will allow me to just use my voice from my Google home mini to just play what I want dvaing me time and tedious things. Plus with the Google home mini I can group them together for “surround sound”

  22. Living on my own, I’ve collected numerous Google devices as my family tends to as well. My brother has Chromecast and he made me fall in love with it. As heavily used my TV is, i don’t have one and it would be amazing to have the features a Chromecast offers. It would definitely elevate the viewing experience.

  24. Hey, google, my kids struggle with the remotes (plural). A Chromecast would significantly help them stream the cartoons they want to enjoy as a treat.

  26. I’ve already tried Chromecast at home, borrowed from my friend, and it’s amazing. Works really well to transfer almost everything to your TV screen. Truly smart device.

  28. It’ll complete me . No more watching videos on my phone or laptop like a sucker, with a Chromecast is finally be able to use that TV that’s collecting dust …

  29. My whole house is smart. Lights plugs tvs thermostat speakers ect… some new Chromecast would really speed up and improve the streaming to my main tv.

  30. Through Chromecast I will be able to cast video content directly from my mobile to TV from many different apps. Moreover, i will be able to throw content from my laptop chrome browser to the TV. it will make my life so much easier and I will not have to use the TV remote which takes forever to do anything.

  34. I believe the integration with my google home mini would be a best match towards the smart home concept. If it performs as good as people say, I would see myself buy all the accessories like lights, switches, thermometer. Crazy times we live in!

  36. Chromecast are so useful iv turned my home into a whole smart home and I have on of my tv’s with a Chromecast. To be able to simply tell Google assistant to play walking dead or any other series movies is amazing and I think a second Chromecast on my other tv would complete my smart home.

  40. Most likely casting Netflix. But I’m sure there are tons of other features that I will learn to use that would make my tv more useable

  41. Being able to tell my tv to turn on and play music would be great. Furthermore, being able to cast my Chrome browser from any device is definitely a game changer.

  44. When you ask for a video to be played on YouTube, there are too many times that Chromecast picks the wrong video since YouTube has an extensive database. Instead of playing the first choice video, display a bunch of numbered choices so we can select the one we want using voice control.

  45. YES! I struggle with that little angel and devil too! I would love a single Chromecast device to streaming photos and videos on my non-smart TV’s!

  46. A voice controlled tv would be great! I’m always hitting the wrong button and then I have to try to figure out I did to get my show back on..they need bigger remotes not smaller!

  47. For me multi speaker grouping to my home theatre would be great I have a decent home theatre set up in our living room which definitely is the best speakers in my house. Then down the hall I have 2 speakers that I have hooked up to my Chromecast audio. Where I cast music to it daily. I’d love to group them all together to hear the music blast while I clean, or have a small dance party with my little girls who always seem to be jumping and dancing about in the house.

  48. It would make a big difference in my home…I would finally be able to stream YouTube videos to my 2007 LED TV!

  50. I’m currently trying to make my home into a “smart home” and having a chromecast would go great with my google home and nest cameras for the optimal experience .

« Older Comments Newer Comments »

Comments are closed.