A few years ago I wrote a column about streaming, cutting the wire to our TVs. At the time I felt like a pioneer by doing streaming. There is a myth that all IT guys are handy, but streaming certainly has nothing to do with actually cutting wires. Please refer to my wife, Rachi Garb, to confirm that I’m not handy.

Just a quick areview of what streaming is. In as much layman terms as I can possibly explain it, a device “casts” or “streams “ from one device to another device, like a TV. The casting device will kind of throw the content to a receiver. As a huge fan of all Google, I like Google Chromecast.

If you are watching a YouTube video, a small TV-like icon with waves around it pops up in the right-hand corner. You tap the icon, pick the device you want to cast to, and voila! YouTube can stream right onto your TV. With perfect sound and picture, no less.

Nowadays, I really detest messy wires and wires in general. My company is a large fan of “cutting the wire” and introducing streaming whenever we can.

Recently we had the sincere honor of implementing a casting solution for the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies (BCHSJS), led by Mr. Fred Nagler. BCJHS needed a portable solution that would allow their amazing teachers to “cast” to a portable screen from a Chromebook, all without wiring. With the solution below and a bit of training, in less than a week BCHSJS was up and running. I also got to see what BCJHS does up close; most instructors are volunteers and are doing this for the education of Jewish children. I don’t ever plug a school for donations but I have to make the exception based on what I saw, especially from their dedicated leader Mr. Fred Nagler.

What was needed is the following:

Amazing WiFi (free plug to my team)

A Chromebook

Any TV with at least two HDMI ports and a USB slot. The HDMI is for the Chromecast, which is powered by connecting the Chromecast’s USB cord to the onboard USB slot on the TV. Most TVs, even older ones, have at least one HDMI and one USB port.

That’s it!

The streaming-services market is really blowing up. This past Tuesday, Disney came out with Disney +. With Netflix and Hulu leading the pack, it’s just a matter of time when all the channels get on board. The AMC movie theater chain is even offering opportunities to see new movies via streaming.

Just be a little careful about all these streaming services. They run from $5 to $10 a month but they can add up. They all have these seven-day trials that most users forget to cancel.

Google also just came out with their own gaming console that uses the Google Chromecast as the receiver. No more clunky Xbox, Wii or Play Stations that cost $400. Stadia is about $150 and the money to be spent will be on the games themselves. If I was a younger man I may have gone into the gaming industry, a billion-dollar field. There is even talk of an esports event for the Olympics!

Streaming is not going anywhere; it’s here to stay. Many new TVs even come with a built-in casting option.

Ah, it’s the dawn of a new era where no dad will be looking under cushions for remotes.

Shneur Garb is the CEO of Tech-UnGarbled Solutions, which advises and implements educational networks at public and private schools.