# Presentations via Chromecast **Category:** [blog](https://bawmedical.co.uk/c/blog/9) **Created:** 2016-04-15 23:00 UTC **Views:** 980 **Replies:** 0 **URL:** https://bawmedical.co.uk/t/presentations-via-chromecast/50 --- ## Post #1 by @marcusbaw
I use the browser-based [Reveal.js](http://lab.hakim.se/reveal-js/#/) framework for all my presentations, so I recently started playing around with the idea of doing presentations via Chromecast, with some success. ### Why? * Despite HDMI being the /de-rigeur/ standard for video interconnects these days, a good proportion of places I am asked to present at have VGA-only projectors, meaning I was having to carry HDMI-VGA adapter everywhere. Then my new laptop (Dell XPS 13) came with only a USB-C type adapter, so that’s another adapter (USB-C to VGA/HDMI/mDP) to carry. I was looking for some other way that might be a little more modern and adaptable. * The average projector has less than 1/4 of the resolution of my laptop, so if I am reduced to mirroring screens, it’s disastrous for the looks of Linux Mint and Cinnamon’s awesome HiDPI scaling :-) * I often travel with a Chromecast anyway when I’m travelling, as I use it to stream music or video to the TV in whatever hotel I’m staying in. * I thought it would be cool to be able present wirelessly - I can sit with everyone else rather than standing at the front. Sometimes this format just works better, for example in my personal productivity workshops or when live coding. * Sometimes you need to send an idea into other people’s brains but you **JUST DON’T NEED A PRESENTATION** . Really, it can happen. But you might need to, for example, show someone how to use a web app like Trello. So do it. **SHOW THE ACTUAL THING** . Live teach on the actual thing. ### How to do it? 1. [Buy a ChromeCast](https://store.google.com/product/chromecast_2015) 2. Plug it into whatever to are going to present to: * Increasingly presentations are done on large TV screens, so you plug into the HDMI input of this. The AV people will be a-hatin’ ya, but hey. * With a HDMI-capable projector, just plug your Chromecast right in, as with TV * For a VGA-only projector, I found [this adapter](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tendak-Converter-Adapter-Projector-Blu-ray/dp/B01B1AWT9W?ie=UTF8&ref_=pe_385721_51767431_TE_dp_1) which has a female HDMI socket for your Chromecast, and a male VGA for the projector. Seems to work, also has a 3.5mm audio jack out for the audio if you need that to end up in a PA system or similar. * If it’s a DisplayPort or (holy crap) a DVI-only projector, you are legally entitled to cancel your presentation, still get paid, *and* tweet offensively about the organisation. Official. 3. I use [this Chrome extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-cast/boadgeojelhgndaghljhdicfkmllpafd?hl=en) to Cast the contents of any given tab to the Chromecast. A very cool feature is that I **don’t necessarily need to be viewing that Casted tab on my machine** , I can look at other tabs or other applications, but all the audience will see is the tab I have selected. That’s a significant upgrade on the ‘screen mirroring’ --- **Canonical:** https://bawmedical.co.uk/t/presentations-via-chromecast/50 **Original content:** https://bawmedical.co.uk/t/presentations-via-chromecast/50