Not only can you cast your tabs, but you can send your entire screen to the TV as well, thanks to screen casting. In addition to any limitations presented by your computer hardware and Wi-Fi connection, you’re at the mercy of your friend’s computer/server and network. The takeaway: It’s a quick and easy way to view other people’s shared media remotely. What you need to know: Since it relies on tab casting, it’s subject to the same video quality issues noted above.
Plex users can actually grant other members full or limited access to their files on the Internet. Once again, since it plays in Chrome, it can also play via Chromecast.Įven better, in Plex’s case, the Web interface is attractive and easy to use, making this accidental feature feel almost intentional.
The free Web server, which streams media from home computers to mobiles and settop boxes, offers a sharing feature that can be pretty handy here. Let’s use the popular Plex service as an example. Tab casting can not only free your local media files, it can also dish up your friends’ music and videos too, if it can stream online (and doesn’t require a Silverlight or Quicktime plugin). Otherwise, you may want to intentionally lower the streaming quality (see below).
The takeaway: If a video file is available via Netflix, YouTube or Google Play, which directly support Chromecast’s cloud streaming, use those apps instead. See also: How Google’s Chromecast Lets Down iOS Users And unfortunately, this only works in the desktop browser, as no mobile version of Chrome offers tab casting. Since audio files are generally much smaller than video, playing music wirelessly is more forgiving. What you need to know: The quality from a tab-casted video can appear fuzzy and/or pixelated, and you can experience other issues like hang-ups, skewed lip-syncing and lag, depending on the power of your originating device and the strength of your Wi-Fi network. Just tap on the “Cast” browser extension button to send it to the Chromecast. In general, if it plays in the tab, it should play just fine via Chromecast. Just open a locally stored media file-whether amateur home footage, torrented files or other videos-within the browser, or drag and drop it onto the Chrome application. The secret to making it work lies with the tab casting feature.Ĭhrome on the desktop can open many file types. But the company didn’t make it impossible to access your home digital library, either. Play Your Computer’s Local MediaĪccess to local music and video files is obviously not Google’s primary intention-in fact, Web streaming from the likes of Netflix and YouTube was pretty much the belle of the ball at its press event last week. (See also: 10 Things You Need To Know About Google’s Chromecast)įor new owners and potential customers interested in what this cheap streaming dongle can do, here are a few Chromecast tips to get you started. But there’s also good news: Because people swooped in to snag the device so quickly, all sorts of useful workarounds are already making their way across the Web. The bad news for Chromecast hopefuls is that the $35 device has sold out nearly everywhere. For more up-to-date Chromecast information-including some of its newest features-please refer to our latest Chromecast posts here.