The Chromecast does need an actual power source, so you can either plug it into a USB port on your television, or use the micro USB to USB power adapter that comes with it.

In this How-to, we’ll discuss how to setup the Chromecast, use it with a Mac and iOS device and explore its gaming potential.

The most recent update the Chromecast received allowed users to stream Google Play Movies and Music directly from the Chrome browser on a computer. Last month a major update added ten new apps including Plex, Vevo, Songza, Red Bull TV, Post TV from the Washington Post, Viki, RealPlayer Cloud, Avia, Revision3 Internet Television and BeyondPod. Very quickly after its release, Chromecast has received support for Hulu +, Pandora, and HBO GO. The Chromecast works differently from Airplay in that you can multitask and do other tasks on the device or you can let it go to sleep while streaming. Initially, users were able to stream Netflix or Youtube from an iOS device and Android device, Google Play Movies and Music only on Android, or cast websites using the Chrome browser on a computer. It is compatible with any Android device running 2.3 or later, iOS device with iOS 6 or 7, and any Mac or PC.

The Chromecast, Google’s streaming HDMI dongle came out last summer.

Install google chrome cast