How to Stream Video or Audio From VLC to Chromecast | Tips & Tricks
The much-anticipated upgrade to the popular VLC media player is finally here. It’s getting quite a bit of attention because of the addition of many long-awaited enhancements, especially the ability to cast from the media player to a Chromecast device. The developers have been working on this feature for a while, and it is now available in version 3.0, but only for Windows as of this writing.
What is VLC media player?
VLC Media Player is a free open-source media player developed by the VideoLAN project. It plays most multimedia files on any computer, allowing you to switch between computers without losing the ability to play the media file you need. It also supports media streaming over the Internet.
VLC 3.0 “Vetinari” is a significant update of VLC, the first in several years, and it offers many new improvements to the program. In regards to casting media, 3.0 can stream to Chromecast devices, even in formats not supported natively.
What you need
- To cast media from your Windows-based PC, you need the newest version of VLC, which is 3.0.1.
- You also need a Chromecast device or an Android TV device or television that uses Android TV as its software in order for this to work.
- Don’t forget to confirm that the Windows machine you are using is on the same local network as your Chromecast. It can be a wired or wireless connection.
How to Use the VLC Chromecast Feature
1. Download VLC to your computer. If you already have VLC on your device, you must make sure you have the most current version (3.0.1). The adaptations that enable Chromecasting are only available on VLC 3.0
2. Install the program.
3. Open VLC.
4. Load the media that you would like to cast. You can open just one file or several.
5. When you are ready to cast the media, you will not find a typical “Cast” button. Instead, you need to select “Playback” from the menu bar and hover your mouse over “Renderer.”
6. You will see options for viewing listed on the next menu. To play the media on your computer, select “
7. The first time you ask the program to cast to your Chromecast device, it will tell you that you are asking to connect to an insecure site. Click “View Certificate.” Then in the next dialog box you need to allow the certificate permanently.
8. In the next dialog box you need to accept the certificate permanently.
The next time you ask to stream, you will not need to accept the certificate again. You’ll only need to use the “Playback -> Render” menu to scan and connect.
Current issues with VLC Chromecast
This version of VLC is stable, but it is evident that they are still working out the bugs. Some people say that it works flawlessly, while others are facing issues with different types of media. Reports state that some users are having trouble replaying videos, but for me, videos work just fine. I had a problem with the audio portion. The files played just fine on my computer, but when I switched to casting, the file often took a long time to load. It would show up on the screen with a blue loading bar that just kept sweeping. If it did start to play, it would abruptly stop after twenty to forty seconds.
So the new update that allows you to send media files to a Chromecast from VLC is not a foolproof solution for every user, but you may be one of the lucky ones that find it works great for you. It’s easy to do and worth checking out, and the developers will undoubtedly be improving the program shortly to address the problems.