I use my my Android phone constantly Casting content from YouTube,A&E, and movies played on VLC media player.
I’ve noticed content from YouTube and
Paramount+ etc. doesn’t seem to reach my phone. I think it’s a networking feature where the data goes directly from Youtube or other Servers to the smart tv.
The movies are stored on my SD card. I haven’t found cloud storage that offers casting. My Vizio tv does support playing media from a Thumb drive.
Is Casting available on Win PC or Mac?
I still use Win 7. That came out long before Smart Tvs.
Yes. I believe the feature you’re describing basically has YouTube know that you have a YouTube app on your TV and so it selects the TV app to play the video. As you say, it doesn’t actually go via your phone at all, your phone is just like a command centre.
When I used to own a Chromecast I could cast YouTube and other video sources from my PC to my TV that had the Chromecast installed, as long as I had YouTube open in a Chrome browser. I think I had to download a Chromecast app to Chrome or something in order to do it. It’s been a couple years since my Chromecast died and I switched to Firestick, so I don’t remember the exact details of how I did it.
There’s not a simple answer. The casting landscape depends a lot on what support is in the TV and what device you are casting from. I don’t have much experience with Vizio TVs, but I think they have a less-supported smart platform and you won’t be able to cast to it.
If the smart platform in your TV is:
Google/Android: You can cast from Android devices or Chrome browser
Roku 4K: Cast from Apple devices
Fire: Not sure. I think there are Fire apps which can do AirPlay. Not sure about Android Cast
Other: Depends on that platform. May need to download specific app (e.g. Samsung Cast)
If you want to do casting, the simplest option is often to get an external streaming device which supports the type of casting you want to do. And as a bonus, the external streaming device will often give you a better, faster, and more stable streaming experience than whatever is in your TV.
I was typing that at a doctor’s appointment, just came home. If the OP is interested and can stick that SD card into a PC/Mac, here’s the Plex website and a wikipedia article about the company. I stream 4k movies from my PC to my TV over wifi, no sweat. I’ve used Plex for years and years, it’s great.
Roku can also pull from any computer on the same network via their Media Player. Not sure if that would work with an SD card, though; all my stuff is on a huge HD.
My main television is a PC I built in 2010 not too long after Windows 7 came out. I haven’t bothered to try Windows 11 but it supports 10 no problem.
I don’t have a Roku or anything on this TV, it’s just a computer with a non-SmartTV as the monitor. All my viewing is done through the browser (streaming channels) or Plex (my own files). I have a wireless keyboard and mouse hooked up to it but I mostly use a Remote Wonder IR remote to control it.
I know there are Airplay apps out there that might work on a Smart TV to let it work with Airplay. I have one on one of my Firesticks, and it’s hit-and-miss.
at a doctor’s appointment, just came home. If the OP is interested and can stick that SD card into a PC/Mac, here’s the 