You Can Have a Smart TV Today For Less Than $40 With Chromecast!

You can turn any TV into a smart TV with a Chromecast @madebygoogle from @BestBuy, plus you can easily share videos with friends and family by casting hilarious YouTube videos to your TV. #ad

Post sponsored by Best Buy

It drives me crazy when people are sitting in their house with their huge TV right in front of them, watching a YouTube video on the teeny tiny screen of their phone. While many phones have pretty large screens, they still don’t hold a candle to the large flat screen sitting right in front of your face on most occasions.

See It. Stream It.

This is why we have a Chromecast device plugged into every single TV in our house, even the TVs that already have Smart capabilities. It is so much harder to search for something with a remote control than it is to search for a show on your phone or tablet. Once you have found the show you want to watch, you just need to press the Chromecast icon inside the app you are using to send it over to the Chromecast.

Dumb TV… Meet Smart TV

One place where my Chromecast is an absolute necessity is our super old TV in the garage. It is mounted above my treadmill so I can enjoy a TV show or movie during my indoor runs. Let’s face it… Utah is cold in the winter, and there is no way I’m running outside. Using a Chromecast device turns this TV into a smart TV, and I am able to watch Netflix or Hulu and more on the dumb TV.

Latest Chromecast Features

We have several Chromecasts spanning a few different generations of the device, but recently the company released a brand new version. The 2018 Chromecast now comes in the standard black and a newly released white version. The device also has a stronger WiFi connection and 1080p 60FPS, but it does not yet support 4K video in the standard model.

How Chromecast Works

The Chromecast plugs into any TV with an HDMI port to provide smart capabilities to even really old garage mounted TV’s. You will also need to provide power to the Chromecast, so make sure you can plug it into a power outlet. Once the Chromecast is powered up, you can pull up the Google Home app on your phone to configure the device. It should find it right away and then you can connect it to the WiFi in your home.

When the Chromecast is not in use, you can set the device to become a digital picture frame showing pictures it selects, or from your own Google Photos. Using it in this mode you can have a beautiful piece of changing art in any room of your house.

Most of the top entertainment apps on your phone can be cast to your TV via the Chromecast including over 2000 apps like Netflix, YouTube, YouTube TV, and HBO NOW. Even Facebook videos have the capability to be cast to your TV.

So stop hovering around a tiny screen to show a video to the rest of your family and go pick up a Chromecast and watch it on your big screen! You can pick one up tonight at Best Buy, and make any TV a smart TV for only $35. Honestly, I have purchased at least 5 Chromecasts and I haven’t regretted a single one.


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using the links.

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About the author

Sarah Werle Kimmel

Sarah Werle Kimmel is a digital parenting coach and family tech expert. She has spent the last 20 years of her career working as a Microsoft Certified IT Manager supporting over 100 small businesses. During that time she started Family Tech LLC to help families understand and manage the technology in their home. She has regularly appeared as a family tech expert on local NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX news affiliates, BYUtv and Studio 5, and has been invited all over the world from tech companies like Lenovo, Verizon, Microsoft, Dell, and Samsung. Find out more on her website SarahKimmel.com

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