Chromecast: Digital Media Player Developed by Google

Chromecast is a digital media player developed by Google. The device plays audio and video content on a high-definition display directly streaming via Wi-Fi.

Users select the media to play through Chromecast enabled mobile apps and web apps. Content can be mirrored from the Google Chrome web browser running on a personal computer, as well as from the screen of some Android devices.

Measuring 2.83 inches (72 mm), Chromecast plugs into the HDMI port of a high-definition television or monitor. Power is supplied by connecting the device’s micro-USB port to an external power supply or a USB port. The device connects to Wi-Fi through the user’s home network.

Chromecast allows you to stream content to a television. Playback is initiated through the “cast” button on the controlling device. If the television’s HDMI port supports the Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature, pressing the cast button will also result in Chromecast automatically switching the television’s active audio/video input using the CEC command “One Touch Playback”.

When no content is being streamed, Chromecast displays a user-personalized content feed. It can include featured and personal photos, artwork, weather, satellite images, news and weather forecasts.

The Google Cast software development kit (SDK), gives developers a way of handling “second-screen interactions” and making their apps Chromecast enabled. It was released as a preview version on July 24, 2013. Google opened the SDK to all developers on February 3, 2014.

Google lists the Chromecast operating system updates on the Chrome Releases blog. As with all Chrome OS devices, Chromecast operating system updates are downloaded automatically without notification. In the device’s first year of sale, “millions” of units were sold and over 400 million casts were made.