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.
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432 COMMENTS

  1. I am starting this year to progressively make my elderly Father’s home “smart”, to aid him in day-to-day activities. Simple things like lights to start, but music and TV controls would certainly be helpful as well. Make him the “techiest” Grandpa in his group of friends, lol. Anyway, sure would be cool to win. Happy Holidays!

  11. It would be great to have so many programmes available to see and using just my phone to do it. Voice control is sounding good, too.

  12. I think this would be great to win!! Listening to music would be awesome with this & making my tv much easier to use too!!

  15. I like that the Google Chromecast has a lot of streaming options readily available including TSN Go, which isn’t available on my Xbox One.

  23. The Google Chromecast would make watching TV easier with its voice command and with four daughters, they could figure it out pretty quick and explain its other feature to their tech-challenged parents!

  25. We have a chromecast and it changed our lives. We bring it everywhere but having multiple TV’s i would rather keep a dedicated one for each tv.

  26. My family no longer has cable TV so it would be great to have a Google Chromecast to stream shows, music, and movies without having to use an HDMI cord hooked up to my laptop. Not only is it more convenient, but it’s also compact and unobtrusive.

    Thanks for this giveaway!

  28. This little electronic gadget would save me money not having to purchase a smart tv in order to watch streaming content

  31. The chrome cast would make our bedroom TV an absolute rock star. It would be great having voice control in the bedroom to easily work the TV in the dark.

  32. Voice activation would be a definite game changer for me since I have to get up to change settings etc. on my laptop every time.

  33. I have two TV’s that require their IQ to be enhanced thus complementing their established video experience.

  39. Turning my smartphone into my remote would make life so much easier. I now have three remotes and I swear sometimes they have attitude.

  41. Our remotes are a maze to me. I would love to have simple commands to do such things as switching from TV to video games.

  43. I’ve been debating on whether or not to get a smart TV, but the Chromecast changes things! The seamless streaming experience with convenient control from my phone or tablet would be a big plus! No more need to hook up my laptop to my TV

  44. Getting my TV to stream content with Google Chromecasts would save me money by not having to buy a smart TV. Would love to try this

  46. We are a very busy and enthusiast family who is often on the road and travelling, staying at hotels with limited tv options (2 boys of 11 and 13 playing competitive soccer and martial arts, ). So many great things we are eager to experience such as running the Ask google home (boys would be extatic)”,, Stream Music With Google Play Music and spotify, etc. But for me, the busy mom, being able to enjoy the local cast for silent streams and Room Service would be God sent when sharing our hotel rooms while on tournaments. That would allow us to bring a little bit of home to our “away home” 🙂

  47. It would have to definitely be the voice control! It would help with those times you can’t get to the remote or touch it because your hands are full.

  49. I have a tablet that I have to plug manually to my TV to watch it on screen. Didn’t realize I could turn my TV into a smart TV by just adding Chromecast . No more hassle of walking to my tablet to pause to go to bathroom, I can use my tablet as remote control pause or change video right from the comfort of my bed. Great for the legs as I have arthritis and it is always a pain to walk. Hope I get this for Christmas

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