When Google first announced Chromecast, people were understandably excited. Google TV never took off the way it really should have, and that left a gap in the tech lives of a lot of people. People like to be able to stream video and audio from their phones or tablets to their TV, and Google seems to have realized this with the introduction of Chromecast. Google’s $35 Chromecast is a Chrome-powered stick that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV, monitor or other viewing device and acts as a way to stream video and audio to said viewing device. When Google announced the device, it presented it in a way that was rather limited. Rather than allowing your phone or tablet to stream straight to your TV via Chromecast, your device worked more like a remote control for the Chromecast, telling it to tune to whatever you were viewing on your tablet rather than sending any actual video or audio over the WiFis. Not being able to actually mirror whatever was on your device was a big blow to the hopes of many, but that looks to change pretty soon. Chromecast may not have been originally developed with the idea of mirroring your handheld device, but the community wants that done, and as such developers have made it happen.
Famous Android developer, Koushik Dutta, has developed a way to stream media from your Android powered device directly to Chromecast. Just last week he unveiled his first Chromecast app that can beam anything from your gallery to the Chromecast, and now he’s moving on to the next step. This new functionality is actually being baked into Cyanogenmod, where Mr. Dutta is a prominent developer, and allows a user to beam any video or audio straight from your device to Chromecast. Koush has created a way for your Android device to act as a server that Chromecast pulls data from, meaning that you can stream both remotely stored files as well as local ones. Does your favorite video or podcasting app not have Chromecast support built in? No problem, if it plays on your phone it now plays on Chromecast. Looking to show everyone your awesome vacation pictures and photos but don’t want everyone crowding around your little screen? Throw them on the big screen by opening it on your phone, dragging down the notification bar and clicking “Play on Chromecast.” With this functionality baked right into the OS, nearly anything is possible. Koush has even put together a nice little video showcasing exactly how this all works, and he does it running CyanogenMod on his HTC One. The possibilities with Chromecast might just be endless thanks to great developers out there like Koush. Great job Koush, you’ve done it again! Check out the video below, and look for it to hit CyanogenMod nightlies in the near future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTWHL30gyg4