How to and Can I Chromecast?

[JayElDee]

I will be visiting a hotel for a meeting where I will be presenting. The hotel's website lists Chromecast as an "amenity" of its TVs, so I think it is built in, but I have an email out to the hotel asking specifically that.
My laptop is a MacBook Air M1 2020, running Sonoma 14.1
I am totally new to casting and Chromecast and in the past I brought an HDMI cable and connected my mac to the TV to mirror my laptop's desktop.
My understanding is that Chromecast allows that, but wirelessly. Is that true?
Is chromecast built in to certain TVs so that the chromecast dongle is not necessary?
Can my macbook air cast natively, or must there be some special software to accomplish the casting?
Is the setup simple and where in Sonoma are the controls to chromecast, ie the "process" to do it?
On the TV, does it know it is being casted to or would I have to make some change, eg change the input?
Will the resolution cast be full rez as seen on the laptop, IOW, if something is recorded in 4k will it be cast, received, and displayed in 4k or will it be downscaled for some reason, assuming the TV is 4k?
I know these are basic questions and if there is a youtube video that explains it to a possible Luddite, that would be appreciated.
Thanking you in advance
John

 

[iStorm]

My understanding is that Chromecast allows that, but wirelessly. Is that true?

Yes and no. Chromecast is intended more for wireless streaming (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.), not to make a wireless computer display...but it can be done.

Is chromecast built in to certain TVs so that the chromecast dongle is not necessary?

Yes.

Can my macbook air cast natively, or must there be some special software to accomplish the casting?

No. You would need to use third party software. There’s no “official” app though. There are some in the App Store, and I believe Google Chrome works too. Google is your friend here. (Search how to Chromecast from Mac.)

Is the setup simple and where in Sonoma are the controls to chromecast, ie the "process" to do it?

Not quite. You would need to learn how to work it with whatever app you use.

On the TV, does it know it is being casted to or would I have to make some change, eg change the input?

Depends on the TV.

Will the resolution cast be full rez as seen on the laptop, IOW, if something is recorded in 4k will it be cast, received, and displayed in 4k or will it be downscaled for some reason, assuming the TV is 4k?

Your screen would be upscaled or downscaled to 720p, 1080p, or 4k, depending on the Chromecast/TV.

Personally, I wouldn’t bother using Chromecast unless you have one yourself to practice on. It is more of a hassle, imo. Stick with using a cable. If you really want to do it wirelessly, then look into getting an Apple TV or Roku that supports AirPlay to plug into the TV. Or perhaps the hotel TVs support AirPlay too. AirPlay is Apple’s version of Google’s Chromecast. AirPlay can be used natively in macOS and is much easier to work with.

 

[JayElDee]

Thanks iStorm for your very helpful reply. I think you're right, cables for the time being.
Also, since the hotel mentions specifically chromecast and does not mention AirPlay, this suggests it's chromecast only.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Personally, I wouldn’t bother using Chromecast unless you have one yourself to practice on. It is more of a hassle, imo. Stick with using a cable. If you really want to do it wirelessly, then look into getting an Apple TV or Roku that supports AirPlay to plug into the TV. Or perhaps the hotel TVs support AirPlay too. AirPlay is Apple’s version of Google’s Chromecast. AirPlay can be used natively in macOS and is much easier to work with.

This ^ is the salient bit. If you have a Mac, use AirPlay or HDMI. If the TV doesn't support AirPlay and wireless would benefit you, bring along a device to convert AirPlay to HMDI.

 

[JayElDee]

I think I may have lucked out! I remembered that I have a Roku streaming stick plus on a bedroom tv that is rarely used.
I tried my laptop to screen mirror to it and it worked. So, I will just take that, along with the cables just in case.
Any caveats to that?