After being specifically disabled by Google during August 2013, Koushik Dutta’s AllCast application for Android devices can once again stream video, photos and music to the Google Chromecast. This can be attributed to Google’s public release of the Chromecast software development kit earlier this week. According to a Google+ post by Dutta, updating the application for compatibility with the Chromecast took approximately 20 minutes. However, the existing design of the AllCast software could have been a contributing factor to the speed of the upgrade.
According to Dutta, Chromecast streaming is currently in beta form, but the application works with other devices besides the Chromecast. For instance, AllCast can stream local, stored content to devices such as the Apple TV, Roku 3, WDTV, Xbox One and Xbox 360 as well as Sony, Samsung and Panasonic Smart TVs.
The application also supports DLNA streaming and can stream some media from cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive. The latest version of the AllCast application can be downloaded from the Google Play store, however users will need Google Play Services 4.2 installed prior to updating the application. In addition, anyone that wants to stream more than a minute of video will need to upgrade to the premium version of AllCast.
In addition to the updated AllCast application, Dutta is also preparing to release a Chrome extension that allows users to stream stored content directly to the Chromecast from a PC. While Google currently has an extension that provides tab streaming, the AllCast extension doesn’t require any media decoding or recoding within the browser. Basically, clicking the extension button brings up a file explorer screen and the user just picks a file to stream to the Chromecast. Hypothetically, this should allow users to play files stored on any connected computer, assuming the files are searchable from the PC with the browser extension installed.
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