A friendly name is not enough when it is duplicated
A casting list can contain two receivers with similar or identical friendly names. Selecting one successfully does not establish that it is the room the viewer intended. Confirm the target before sending private or account-specific media. A discovery result identifies an available target label, not an entitlement or a guarantee that every programme will play there.
Use the receiver's own interface and documented device information to establish which physical screen it represents. On devices you own, a clear room-specific name can reduce mistakes. Google Home provides supported device-renaming controls with account requirements. Do not rename or reconfigure a shared venue's equipment without its owner's arrangement.
A hypothetical two-room list
Suppose a household has two receivers both labelled TV. A viewer starts an authorised sample and another room's screen changes. Stop the session through the sender's supported controls and verify the actual target. Do not keep testing with private content while guessing between labels. A nonprivate sample is sufficient for a deliberate room-identification check.
If using Google Home for an owned device, follow its current device-information and name controls, then save the clearer name. Google specifies the relevant account link for renaming. Record which device was changed and confirm the new label in the casting list. A renamed item should still be checked against the physical receiver before an important session.
Automatic HDMI input switching can make a wrong-target selection especially visible: a supported receiver may bring its connected TV to another input. That is a control effect of the cast route, not proof that the programme on the first screen failed. Keep the target selection and the TV's response in the report.
Verify a normal start and stop
Select the intended receiver, begin the authorised sample and confirm picture and sound in the correct room. Then stop casting and check the receiver's resulting state. The sender's local preview alone does not establish the remote screen's identity or playback result.
A useful note names the intended room, selected label, verified receiver and observed result. Hide account identifiers, QR codes and private network details in public screenshots. The goal is a predictable casting destination, not simply a list that contains a familiar brand or a receiver that happens to answer first.
Questions answered
Does a receiver appearing as TV prove it is the living-room screen?
No. Friendly names can be duplicated. Verify the physical target through its documented identity and a nonprivate test.
Can I rename any receiver I discover?
Use supported naming controls only for devices you own or are authorised to manage, with the required account arrangement.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.