The Chromecast has a feature that displays a slideshow of various photos from around the world when it is not in use. However, many people are unaware that it is possible to customize these photos by accessing the Chromecast settings.
If you are utilizing a Chromecast in a Ditto-enabled room, it is quite convenient to have the Ditto connection instructions automatically displayed on the Chromecast. Users simply need to read the on-screen instructions to connect to Ditto.
This feature is for legacy receivers that do not have the ability to run the Ditto Receiver application. Ditto SSP receivers running the Ditto Receiver application will display the Room Code on the receiver screen.
Chromecast linking required
To change backdrop settings on a Chromecast, you will need to link the Chromecast to a Google account on an iOS or Android device.
Step 1 - Obtain your Ditto connection instructions background image
To begin, you’ll need to download the background image for the room you’re setting up.
- Visit the Rooms section of your Ditto account.
- Select the desired room.
- Click the “Room Background” button.
- Save the image that appears. This image explains how users can connect to the display wirelessly.
Step 2 - Create two new Google Photo albums for each Chromecast you would like to set up
Now that the image is saved, you’ll need to add it to Google Photos.
- Visit the Google Photos website.
- Upload your Ditto room background image.
- Add the room image to two new albums. Create two albums that are named similarly to the room you’re setting up. Two albums containing only the same Ditto background image are required for each room you would like to configure. The albums must be empty of everything but this image. You need two photo albums because Chromecast automatically rotates between albums. If you don’t have these two albums selected, Chromecast will rotate between the other preset Google Photo albums.
Step 3 - Set a new background image for use with Chromecast and Ditto
Now that the Ditto room background image is in two albums, you can tell the Chromecast to only use a specified image for a screensaver or background.
- First, download the Google Home application on a phone or tablet. The app is available for Android and iOS, and it lets you configure Chromecast options including the background and screensaver for your Chromecast.
- Once downloaded, connect your phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as the Chromecast you would like to configure.
- The Google Home app on iOS and Android works nearly the same for both platforms.
- In the Google Home menu, find and select the device you're looking to add the background to.
- Tap the Settings cog.
- Tap "Personalize Ambient Mode and more."
- Select the Google Photos Option -
Note:
You will need to create an album containing the photo(s) you'd like to use with Google Photos associated with the account you're using with the Google Home app.
- This album will be shown in the menu below.
- Select the album that contains your desired photo then select "Add to a Room."
That’s it! The background image will now appear on the Chromecast in your Ditto room. Perform these same steps for each Chromecast you would like to set up.