Tag Archives: chromecast

(Google) Home for the Holidays

It’s that time of year. Holiday music, sweet treats, classic movies — all the reasons to cozy up and spend time at home with the ones you love. And with Google Home, there are countless ways to spread the holiday cheer.  

Play Netflix on your TV with the magic words “Ok Google”

Serve up the holiday classics that make your season bright, hands-free, right to your TV — when Google Home is paired with a Chromecast device. Now, in addition to YouTube videos, you can stream any movie or TV series from Netflix to the TV, using just your voice*. Start with “Ok Google, play Stranger Things from Netflix on my TV” or “Ok Google, play Love Actually on Netflix on my TV”. You can even control your media with commands like “Pause this episode”, without lifting a finger. Here’s how to link your Netflix account to the Google Assistant from the Google Home app (make sure you’re running the latest version). Netflix linking in the Google Home app is available now for iOS and rolling out to Android this week.

Enjoy your Google Photos on the big screen, hands-free.

The holidays is the perfect time to gather around and relive memories from the year. Google Photos now works with Google Home, so you can share your photos on your Chromecast-connected TV, using just your voice. Simply say, “Ok Google, show my photos of Lake Tahoe on my TV” to see your beautiful pictures bigger. Even if you can’t remember the name of the album, you can search for pictures. Try “Ok Google, show my photos of selfies at Christmas on my TV” or “Ok Google, show my photos of Brazil sunsets on Chromecast”. You can even use your voice to search for your places, things and people.

Learn how to link your Photos account to the Google Assistant here.

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Enjoy holiday music from your favorite apps

Fill your home with festive tunes from your favorite music apps like Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Music with just a simple voice command. Say, “Ok Google, play Hanukkah music” or “Ok Google, play Christmas music” and you’ll get into the spirit in no time.

Keep track of Santa

Whether he’s preparing his sleigh or already in flight, your Assistant keeps you informed of Santa’s latest whereabouts (tracked by Google Maps). Just say “Ok Google, where’s Santa right now?”

Get YouTube Red FREE for six months

Keep the holiday glow going well into the new year as you enjoy a premium music experience — more songs, more versions, no ads — with YouTube Red. Get six months free of YouTube Red when you buy a Google Home before December 31, 2016**.

Make your holidays truly magical with Google Home.

*Netflix streaming membership required

**Offer expires 12/31/16. Terms apply. New subscribers only.

OK Google. Give me directions to Best Buy

At the beginning of October, we gave Canadians (and the world) a first glimpse into our new family of hardware, made by Google. And now we’re bringing a whole new way for shoppers to experience our products, courtesy of Google shops.


Today, Google Canada is thrilled to open four flagship Google shops in Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Mississauga Best Buy locations.


At our new locations, guests will encounter everything they love about Google, all in one place -- from personalized tech help to hands-on workshops with YouTube stars and, most importantly, immersive and interactive experiences with the latest Google products like Pixel, Daydream View & Chromecast Ultra!  

Earlier in October, we announced 10 smaller shops in Best Buy locations across the country - click here for locations. At the four new flagship shops opening today, we’ll offer:

  • One-on-one Help: Book 1:1 appointments with Google guides who can help you get the most out of your Google products & apps.

  • Product Workshops: Participate in ongoing workshops, from planning your holiday travel  to getting personalized tech tips for the whole family.

  • Holidays Events (new!): Sign up for unique and fun holiday-themed events at our four larger shops, led by YouTube creators, popular tech experts, artists and more.

Comprised of nearly 700 square feet, our new shops focus on every detail. From the use of large open spaces with curved edges to the hand-picked colour palette, each design element evokes a warm playful feel.


When you visit our four new shops, make sure to try some of our one-of-a-kind experiences like Portal, a super-sized display that lets you ‘fly’ through Google Earth, explore what people around the world are searching for, and play with other fun Google apps. You’ll also get to go hands-on with our new hardware like Pixel, Daydream View and Chromecast Ultra in our ‘Experience Bays’, which are fully programmable spaces that will evolve and change as our products do.


With the holidays around the corner, timing couldn’t be more perfect to sign up for our first Holiday Event  with The Sorry Girls, Canada’s DIY sweethearts. Hosted at our Google shops in Mississauga (December 3) and Vancouver (December 4), The Sorry Girls will teach you how to create fun holiday DIYs gifts for your loved ones, like customized ugly holiday sweaters, using Google tech. We’ll be announcing more workshops soon with other special guests -- see the full calendar of activities here.


So, stop by the Google shop and check out a few new things made by Google.




Follow the conversation with @GoogleCanada and #googleshop.


Happy holiday shopping!

Posted by Janell Fischer, Google Inc., Director of Retail Marketing

Meet the new Google Home app (previously the Google Cast app)

new Google Home app logo

If you’ve opened the Google Cast app recently, you might have noticed we’ve been hinting at some exciting changes. With the recent announcement of Google Home, our new voice-activated speaker, we are renaming the Google Cast app to the Google Home app. So you now have a one-stop destination to manage your compatible home devices. On top of the new name, we gave it a new icon, made the app easier to use, and added some useful new features.

Google Home app UI

New design to make it even easier to watch & discover.

Using the Watch tab, you can discover trending and popular video content on your Chromecast-enabled apps like HBO Now, Netfilx, Hulu, YouTube, and Google Play Movies.

The Discover tab lets you explore a library of 1000+ apps that work with Chromecast, as well as the latest offers, features, and tips.

And you can search and browse for content across Chromecast-enabled apps right in the Google Home app anytime -- just look for the magnifying glass icon in the bottom right hand corner.

Control and manage your Chromecast and Google Home devices.

The Google Home app is also your one place to control and manage all your Chromecast and Google Home devices. Tap the Devices icon in the top right of the home screen to easily set up a new device, control playback or adjust Backdrop settings on your TV, and more.

Google Home app Device Management

The Google Home app will be coming this week on Google Play and the App Store, so keep your eyes open on your homescreen or app drawer for the new app icon. And stay tuned for more updates with the app as Google Home becomes available in the US in early November.


Google Cast is now built in to Chrome

Two years ago we launched Google Cast, an extension for Chrome that allowed you to show content from your favorite websites on the best screen in your home — your TV — using Chromecast.  Whether watching your favorite show on Netflix, or sharing a photo slideshow at a family gathering, Google Cast makes it easy to extend the web to the big screen.  

Since we launched Chromecast, we’ve been working to make casting even better. We've launched new Cast devices like Chromecast Audio and partnered with other manufacturers to make Cast-enabled TVs and speakers.  We’ve also made significant improvements in quality, with the vast majority of casting sessions now in HD.

Casting from Chrome has become incredibly popular: In the past month alone, people have casted more than 38 million times from Chrome, watching and listening to more than 50 million hours of content.

Today we’re happy to announce that Google Cast is now built fully into Chrome, and anyone can now Cast without having to install or configure anything.  When you’re on websites that are integrated with Cast, you’ll see the Cast icon appear when you’re on the same network as a Cast device — and with a couple of clicks you can view your content on your TV or listen to music on your speakers:

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You can also view websites that are not integrated with Cast on your TV by selecting the “Cast…” menu item from the Chrome menu:

And you can now cast to even more places — including sharing with participants on a video call in Google Hangouts and the Cast for Education app, which we announced recently.  Now you can share your presentation with your coworkers during a Hangout or to your peers in the classroom.

With Google Cast and Chrome, you can share what you love to watch with those around you. We’re excited to make this available to everyone.  To get the new built-in Cast functionality all you need to do is make sure you have the latest version of Chrome.

Source: Google Chrome


New Chromecast and Chromecast Audio now available in India

Since Chromecast first launched in India in 2014, many people have enjoyed the ease of casting movies, shows and music from their phones straight to their TVs. Today, the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio are ready to enjoy.
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The new Chromecast has a fresh design and is easier to plug into TVs with crowded HDMI ports. It supports the latest Wi-Fi standards and adapts more easily to changing Wi-Fi conditions in your home, so you get higher quality video with less buffering. We added two new colors so you can cast in style while watching content from your favourite entertainment apps including Netflix, Hooq, Eros Now and YouTube.


The new Chromecast will be available on several marketplaces including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Paytm and retailers like Reliance and Croma for 3,399 INR.
Chromecast Audio is a small device that plugs into your existing speakers so you can stream your favourite music, radio and podcasts over Wi-Fi. It works with tons of apps, including Saavn and Wynk Music. Just like Chromecast, it works from anywhere in your home with your favourite devices, including Android, iOS, and laptops.


Chromecast Audio will be available from several marketplaces including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Paytm and retailers like Reliance and Croma for 3,399 INR.
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We’ve also updated the Chromecast app to make it easier for you to find great things to watch or listen to—available through the Cast-enabled apps already installed on your phone. We’ll also suggest more Cast-enabled apps and games that you might like to try out. With thousand of Cast-enabled apps to choose from, we’re sure that you’ll find a new favourite TV series to binge on in no time.

Posted by Mickey Kim, Head of Asia Pacific Partnerships, Chromecast and TV

More fun in the living room with Android TV and with Google Cast speakers

Android TV and Google Cast for audio devices were introduced to give you more freedom and control over your entertainment. Today we’re bringing even more TV and speaker makers onboard for both Android TV and Google Cast. 
When it comes to home entertainment, the living room is more connected than ever. Approximately 88% of consumer electronic devices shipped in 2015 were Internet-enabled.* When devices in the home are connected, it’s important to have platforms that make it easy for you to stream your favorite digital music and movies.

Android TV

Android TV brings apps, games, movies, shows, music and more to the biggest screen in your home. From smart TVs to cable box operators, many devices support the Android TV experience. Now you’ve got even more options to find the device that’s right for you. If you’re looking for a new TV, you can select an Android TV from Sony, Sharp and Philips. Later this year, Android TV will be available from Arcelik, Vestel, RCA, Hisense, TCL and Bang & Olufsen. And, for our users in Indonesia, Linknet now has an Android TV offering.
Android TV Home Screen Framed.png

Google Cast for speakers

Google Cast, the same technology built into Chromecast, is now embedded directly into speakers, sound bars, and A/V receivers so you can cast music from your favorite app on your phone or any music streaming website on Chrome. Throughout 2016, you’ll be able to enjoy Google Cast speakers from B&O Play, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Philips, Pioneer, and Raumfeld. Sony and LG, who were among the first to include Google Cast in their speakers, are also refreshing their speaker lineups. Cast-enabled software and hardware from Frontier Silicon and StreamUnlimited will make it easier for more audio companies to join the Google Cast family.
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Recently, we announced that multi-room synchronization is available on Chromecast Audio. Multi-room sync lets you group speakers connected to Chromecast Audio devices together so you can listen to the same song throughout the house. In 2016, multi-room sync functionality will come to Google Cast speakers, allowing you to mix and match Cast-enabled speakers from your favorite brands with speakers connected to Chromecast Audio.

Check back for more hardware and content news throughout the year.

*Strategy Analytics Connected CE Devices Market Forecast, July 2015

Source: Android


Google Cast Remote Display Plugin for Unity

Posted by Leon Nicholls, Developer Programs Engineer

Today we launched the Google Cast Remote Display plugin for Unity to make it easy to take your Unity games to TVs. The Google Cast Remote Display APIs use the powerful GPUs, CPUs and sensors of your Android or iOS mobile device to render a local display on your mobile device and a remote display on your TV.

Unity is a very popular cross-platform game development platform that supports mobile devices. By combining the Google Cast Remote Display technology with the amazing rendering engine of Unity, you can now develop high-end gaming experiences that users can play on an inexpensive Chromecast and other Google Cast devices.


Games Using the Plugin

We have exciting gaming apps from our partners that already use the Remote Display plugin for Unity, with many more coming shortly.

Monopoly Here & Now is the latest twist on the classic Monopoly game. Travel the world visiting some of the world’s most iconic cities and landmarks and race to be the first player to fill your passport with stamps to win! It's a fun new way to play for the whole family.

Risk brings the original game of strategic conquest to the big screen. Challenge your friends, build your army, and conquer the world! The game includes the classic world map as well as two additional themed maps.

These games show that you can create games that look beautiful, using the power of a phone or tablet and send that amazing world to the TV.

Add the Remote Display Plugin to Your Game

You can download the Remote Display plugin for Unity from either GitHub or the Unity Asset Store. If you have an existing Unity game, simply import the Remote Display package and add the CastRemoteDisplayManager prefab to your scene. Next, set up cameras for the local and remote displays and configure them with the CastRemoteDisplayManager.

To display a Cast button in the UI so the user can select a Google Cast device, add the CastDefaultUI prefab to your scene.

Now you are ready to build and run the app. Once you connect to a Cast device you will see the remote camera view on the TV.

You have to consider how you will adapt your game interactions to support a multi-screen user experience. You can use the mobile device sensors to create abstract controls which interact with actions on the screen via motion or touch. Or you can create virtual controls where the player touches something on the device to control something else on the screen.

For visual design it is important not to fatigue the player by making them constantly look up and down. The Google Cast UX team has developed the Google Cast Games UX Guidelines to explain how to make the user experience of cast-enabled games consistent and predictable.

Developer Resources

Learn more about Google's official Unity plugins here. To see a more detailed description on how to use the Remote Display plugin for Unity, read our developer documentation and try our codelab. We have also published a sample Unity game on the Unity Asset Store and GitHub that is UX compliant. Join our G+ community to share your Google Cast developer experience.

With over 20 million Chromecast devices sold, the opportunity for developers is huge, and it’s simple to add Remote Display to an existing Unity game. Now you can take your game to the biggest screen in millions of user’s homes.