\n<\/p>\n
When I was still a starry-eyed 20-something living with my then-fianc\u00e9e, the only way I could stream video on my TV was through its HDMI ports and my laptop. This had served me well for years \u2014 and still does, when I\u2019m desperate \u2014 but dealing with the setup was cumbersome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Then came the original Chromecast in 2013<\/a>, and it was a revelation. Suddenly, I had this tiny black stick, shaped like an oversized key, that plugged right into my TV\u2019s HDMI port and let me cast video through the air and onto my 55-inch screen in glorious high-definition. And all it cost was $35<\/a>? Incredible, especially in 2013.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It felt like pure magic. It was a basically invisible device that I didn\u2019t even need an app for, and it let me beam music and video to my TV with almost no muss or fuss. I used it to watch Netflix shows and, more than once, to host karaoke parties at my house via YouTube\u2019s vast catalog of karaoke videos. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But time doesn\u2019t stand still, even for the Chromecast. Other streaming products that followed offered what Google\u2019s miracle stick did, serving up easy wireless streaming via an HDMI dongle, for just as cheap<\/a> and with more features<\/a>. If you wanted more, there was Apple\u2019s fancy and overpowered streaming box. Or you could just use the built-in features of countless smart TVs that themselves used Google\u2019s wireless casting standard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Still, while the market for streaming gadgets has come a long way, there was something great about the original Chromecast\u2019s simplicity. It was nice to not need to keep track of a remote, and I loved that it was hidden behind my TV. The once-great HDMI dongle\u2019s day may be over, but it served me well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n