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
-
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.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.