All About Chromecast

Plex

How to use Plex media server to stream local media to Chromecast (from your PC)

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Why do we need one more solution (robust and free) of streaming local media to Chromecast?

To stream local media to Chromecast is not as simple as many expected. Google intends to make Chromecast an internet thing, not a local media player.

If you used Chromecast for online streaming, you probably are very happy with this $35 device. It works with more and more services, and the online streaming quality is quite impressive most of the time.

But if you have a lot of media files in the hard drive of your PC, you may feel the pain to stream local media to Chromecast  (to watch on the big screen).

In the Chromecast how-to guides section, I shared two methods of streaming local media to Chromecast:

  1. Stream local video to Chromecast through a Chrome browser tab.
  2. Share the whole desktop screen (and audio) to Chromecast through desktop sharing.

Both of the methods are not robust, with obvious limitations.

Using a Chrome tab to stream local media to Chromecast is the simplest method. But it is severely limited by the media formats that you can play through Chrome browser. Very often, the user has to install additional software or … Continue to read the post....

Chromecast VS Miracast: everything you need know about Chromecast, wireless display and screen mirroring

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chromecast-vs-miracast

Update 1: Android screen mirroring through Chromecast is available! Please read this post for details.

Chromecast was hailed by Time Magazine as the most innovative gadget in 2013.  This affordable HDMI dongle changes the way people consume content, especially online video and music.

Most people now have multiple screens: smartphones ( normally 3.5-7″), tablets (normally 7-12.2″), laptops (normally 10-17″), PCs (normally 19-34″), and of course, TVs (normally 34-80″).  Different sizes give different experiences and some content. For example, full-length movies are preferred on a larger TV screen.

How to unify these screens?

There are different answers from different vendors. But most of them are vendor-dependent. In other words, the solution only works for some specific-branded devices. For example, Apple has AirPlay (which requires Apple TV); Samsung introduced  AllShare Cast since Galaxy S3 (which requires certain Samsung Galaxy devices).

Chromecast delivered an answer that is independent of hardware vendors!

Another hardware-independent answer is Miracast.

Because Android has supported Miracast natively since Jelly Bean 4.2, a lot of Chromecast owners confused Chromecast with Miracast.

I will try to explain to you Chromecast vs Miracast: the difference between Chromecast and Miracast (Miracast enabled devices), the advantages and disadvantages of … Continue to read the post....