VPN Articles and News

Everything You Need to Know About Google’s Chromecast (Review, Netflix Pulls 3-Months Free Trial, and How to Use Overseas!)

By Paul Liu
Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Chromecast is the latest development in the field of media streaming. It is an offering of Google. It is small device that plugs into the HDMI port of a television. The primary use of Chromecast is to stream content over Wi-Fi Networks. You can stream content from apps running on your Smartphone or laptop. As of July 2013, Chromecast is available only in United States. Chromecast has a minimal User Interface and is easy to install. You can plug-in the device to the HDMI port of your television and follow the on screen instructions. Two components are installed- Chromecast application on your laptop, tablet or phone and Chrome browser extension to stream content from laptop to TV.

Netflix Pulls 3-Months Free Trial

The advantage of Chromecast is that it is a powerful device available at a reasonable price. You can stream content from your devices with ease. You can even run apps like Spotify to stream music from your phone to TV. Youtube videos can be conveniently watched on your television. Other popular services like Netflix can be streamed successfully to watch great content on the big screen. As a promotional offer, Google offered buyers of Chromecast, a free three months trial access to Netflix. However, this promotion ended abruptly because of larger than expected demand. Chromecast is a great add on to enjoy high quality videos and audio. It works on existing devices like iPhone, iPad, Android Phones and tablets.

How to Use Overseas with a VPN!

Another great use of Chromecast is that you can carry on with your other work on your mobile device or laptop. You can stream the content and watch it on your High Definition Television. At the same time, you can browse the internet or check your messages or even play games. Hence Chromecast can be of great help to people who want to do multi-tasking. Chromecast can also be accessed using Virtual Private Networks. This can be of great use to small businesses which would like to broadcast messages and instructions to a lot of employees. A possible example could be a proprietary trading firm where the company would like to stream a live video from CEO’s desk. VPNs are popularly used to build a private network and save on several types of costs like long-distance leased line costs, long-distance phone call costs and other support costs. Usage of a reputed VPN is necessary to protect your data and files from intruders and hackers. Popular VPN providers like PureVPN, ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, Overplay,Invisible Browsing, HideMyAss and IPVanish can be used to serve individual VPN needs so that your viewing pleasure is never limited.

Chromecast will be frequently updated to support a growing list of applications. Hence, there is no need to worry about being stuck with an outdated gadget. In future, other applications like Amazon Instant Video, Hulu etc may also be supported on Chromecast. The Chromecast dongle runs an embedded version of Chrome OS which has its roots in Android. It has advantages over other gadgets like Blu-Ray Player. Chromecast can support a number of streaming sources and there is no need to upgrade the firmware to use those apps. Just a simple software download to your tablet is enough. If the app is supported on Chromecast, the Cast button is visible with which the appropriate receiver application is loaded and launched.