Cast to TV Gnome Shell Extension
Conclusions
Thanks to Cast to TV, Chromecast integrates almost seamlessly into the Gnome desktop. At the push of a button, you can stream local content to your TV set or a stereo system equipped with Chromecast Audio. Some audio/video receivers even support Chromecast out of the box, and TV sets with Android TV definitely do. Thanks to the Cast to TV Links add-on (see the boxout) you don't even have to reach for your mobile phone if you want to watch YouTube and other online streaming video on your TV.
Even without a Chromecast device in the house, Cast to TV has huge potential. In cooperation with Cast to TV, Playercast adds the functions of a Chromecast dongle to a Raspberry Pi or any other Linux-compatible computer. The software is easy to install and fulfills its purpose without too much work.
Cast to TV Links Add-on
Sending web content directly to the Chromecast receiver with Cast to TV is still somewhat experimental. To do this, you have to install an additional Gnome extension, the Cast to TV Links add-on [9]:
$ cd /tmp $ git clone https://github.com/Rafostar/cast-to-tv-links-addon.git $ cd cast-to-tv-links-addon $ make install
Log out of the desktop and back in again and use Extensions | Optimizations to activate the new Links add-on.
To load a web stream from the Internet, the add-on uses the youtube-dl
[10] command-line tool. Make sure you install it up front with
sudo apt install youtube-dl
(on Ubuntu). As a final step, open Cast Settings from the Gnome panel and install the missing npm modules in the Modules tab by selecting Install npm modules.
Now all web videos from all sources supported by youtube-dl
[11] can be sent to the Cast to TV receiver, including YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, and others. A new Link entry shows up under Cast Media. On opening, a dialog appears where you can copy and paste a link (Figure 6). A click on the Cast link button transfers the video.
Infos
- Chromecast: https://www.google.com/chromecast/
- Gnome Extension Cast to TV: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1544/cast-to-tv/
- Gnome Shell integration for Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integration/gphhapmejobijbbhgpjhcjognlahblep
- Gnome shell integration for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-integration/
- Integrating Gnome Shell extensions in the browser: https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GnomeShellIntegrationForChrome/Installation
- Cast to TV on GitHub: https://github.com/Rafostar/gnome-shell-extension-cast-to-tv
- Playercast: https://rafostar.github.io/playercast
- MPV media player: https://mpv.io
- Cast to TV Links add-on: https://github.com/Rafostar/cast-to-tv-links-addon
- youtube-dl: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/index.html
- Sites supported by youtube-dl: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.