Google Chromecast Brings Mobile Video to the Big Screen

Google has announced a brand new streaming accessory — the Chromecast — that makes it easy to bring web content to the TV.

At first blush, the Chromecast looks like the spiritual successor to the ill-fated Nexus Q. The Chromecast is an HDMI dongle that communicates with video and audio apps — including YouTube, Netflix and Pandora — running on Android or iOS, and transfers that content to your big screen HDTV.

Users can then control content on the big screen using apps on their phones or tablets. Users can also "cast" content from the Chrome browser to the Chromecast. There's also beta support for bringing any Chrome tab to the Chromecast.