Google's Chromecast Turn Your Tv Into Smart Tv

Instead of buying an expensive smart TV, you can convert your existing set into a web-enabled entertainment centre by just spending a few thousands of rupees. 

Portable media players 

If you're working on a tight budget, you might want to consider an ultra-portable media player. These thumb-sized sticks, which resemble USB pen drives, are capable of streaming content - pictures, music, videos - wirelessly from a PC, smartphone or tablet to your TV screen (provided you have a Wi-Fi router set up at home). Now there are quite a few brands available in the market, but these are either from companies that have almost no presence in the country, or have been tried by only a handful of people. However, Google's Chromecast ( 3,225) is available online (unofficially at www.ebay.in, www.amazon.in) and it's also easy to use... 

Simply plug in the device into the free HDMI port on your television. 

At the other end, Chromecast also has a micro USB port which needs to be connected to a free USB port on the TV (or an alternative source) to power itself. 

Then, switch to that HDMI source (using the TV remote) and follow the set up instructions to connect to the existing Wi-Fi network in your home. 

Now, install the Chromecast app on your mobile device or PC/laptop and connect to the same wireless network. Run the app and follow the instructions to link the device to the adapter. Once the process is complete, you will be able to 'throw' Full HD videos from YouTube onto your television screen (at present, Chromecast comes with video-on-demand channels like Netflix and Hulu that aren't available in India). However, if you have subscribed to local VoD services like BigFlix, BoxTV, Spuul, NexGTv, you can stream their shows to your big screen. For this, you need to install the Google Cast extension in your Chrome browser which will let you send the tab you are currently watching to your TV. 

Also, there are quite a few free (and premium) mobile apps like EZCast, LocalCast and RealPlayer Cloud that let you stream personal content from your own smartphone and tablet. 

Here are the full specs for the Chromecast: 

• Output: HDMI, CEC compatible
• Processor: Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-mini) system on a chip
• RAM: 512MB
• Storage: 2GB flash
• Max. Output Video Resolution: 1080p
• Dimensions: 72(L) x 35(W) x 12(H) mm
• Weight: 34g
• Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Power: USB (Power adapter included)
• Supported Devices: Devices running Android 2.3 and higher, iOS 6 and higher, Windows 7 and higher, Mac OS 10.7 and higher, Chrome OS (Chromebook Pixel, additional Chromebooks coming soon). 

With Chromecast, you can easily enjoy your favorite online entertainment on your HDTV—movies, TV shows, music, and more from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Google Play Movies and Music, and Chrome. No more huddling around small screens and tiny speakers. Chromecast automatically updates to work with a growing number of apps.