Can you imagine what it would be like to keep in touch with your loved ones without video calling technology? While many people easily take video chat apps for granted, you can’t imagine life without them.
Of all the innovations made possible by the Internet, video chatting is without a doubt the one that has had the most impact on our lives. Video chat technology has made it possible for families and businesses around the world to talk to each other as if they were in the same room. Thanks to high-speed Internet, smartphones and tablets, video chatting is as easy as pressing the call button.
If you have tried video chatting with your loved ones, you know that it is one of the best methods of keeping in touch. It’s great to have one-on-one video chat using your smartphone, tablet or laptop. But that’s impractical if you have the whole family huddled around a tiny screen. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Let your whole family gather in one area and then make video calls using your smart TV. Very comfortable, right?
If you don’t know if this is possible, here’s a list of things you’ll need as well as a step-by-step guide to starting different types of video chats on your smart TV.
What you need to get started:
- smart tv
- Stable access to the Internet
- Camera (or any device with a camera)
- Video chat software (e.g. Skype, Google Hangouts)
How to start a Skype video chat on your smart TV
Skype is the simplest video chat application that allows you to talk with your family members, friends and coworkers. Since 2010, most smart TVs come with Skype. However, in June 2016, Microsoft announced that they would no longer support the app on smart TVs. But don’t worry just yet because you can still use this application if your smart TV is already equipped with the application. Just follow these steps.
- Check if your smart TV has a built-in Skype app that still works.
- Check if your smart TV is equipped with an integrated camera, if not, you need to get a TV camera (try to check Logitech TV Cam HD for Skype).
- Open the Skype application on your smart TV.
- Sign in to your Skype account and you’re good to go.
How to start a video chat on your smart TV with your laptop
If you’ve bought a smart TV that was just released earlier this year, chances are, it no longer comes with the built-in Skype app. If so, you can still use your smart TV as a display for video chats whether you’re using the Skype app or not. All you need is your trusty laptop (with a built-in camera), then make sure to follow these steps, and you’re set.
- Using your remote control, select “HDMI” as your TV’s input.
- Use an HDMI cable, along with a compatible adapter, to connect your laptop to a smart TV.
- Launch the Skype application or any video chat application found on your computer.
- Sign in to your account to start video chatting.
While this is the easiest and cheapest way to make video calls on your smart TV, it comes with a lot of pitfalls. First, you should expect poor image quality since most laptops have low-end cameras. Second, you may not hear clearly what the person on the other channel is saying because the built-in microphone may have trouble picking up both of your voices. You can also use an Android TV dongle to enhance your smart TV’s video chat capabilities while using a laptop. Please check at TV Dongle Amlogic S805 Stick D5 www.wgtvboxes.com.
How to start a video chat on smart TV with your Android device
If you have an Android smartphone (version 4.4.2 or higher) and a Google Chromecast device, you can easily start a video chat on your smart TV. Chromecast is a media streaming device that can be plugged into your smart TV’s HDMI port. It lets you stream anything stored on your Android smartphone. If you want to know more about Chromecast, check out this official one Google Chromecast website.
Now, make sure to follow these steps:
- Connect your Android smartphone and Chromecast device to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Install the Chromecast app on your phone if you haven’t already.
- Launch the Chromecast app on your device.
- In the top left corner, select the navigation button.
- Click on the ‘Cast Screen’ button, and select your Chromecast (this is the part where what is shown on your smart TV is the same as what is shown on your phone).
- Launch any video chat application on your phone such as Hangouts and Skype to start your video call.
- Make sure to point the phone towards you and place it directly above your smart TV. If you don’t have a ledge above your TV, get a smartphone mount (check it out TellyMount).
Starting a video chat on your smart TV is not difficult. Make sure to follow the steps mentioned above, and you are good to go!
