The small, puck-shaped box has its own processor and plug-in power supply, and it hooks up to your TV via HDMI. The Apple TV is designed primarily to run as a standalone streamer. But if all of your media lives on a tablet or cell phone, how do you get your media easily onto the big screen? Simple: you plug one of these devices into your TV, and it wirelessly bridges the gap between the new world and the old. It's the biggest screen in your home, and the most comfortable place for watching. We may be living in the era of near-omnipresent streaming media, but there is still something to be said for sitting down in front of the Tee Vee every now and then. In this month's high/low review, we compare two devices for casting your media from a mobile device to a HDTV, the $35 Google Chromecast and the $99 Apple TV. Is it worth spending extra on high-end gear, or do you get what you need with cheaper models? Every month, we'll look at some of the cheapest and most expensive products in a given category, testing each to see what their limits are and help you figure out when you can cheap it out, and when to plunk down some extra cash to get what you need. It also happens to be the question this recurring feature tries to answer. Not to mention the technological high you get from moving between screens with the mere press of a button.What do you get for your money? That's the question everyone looking to buy a piece of tech asks themselves. There are many features and perks to using VLC over other media players, but this definitely ranks as one of the best because of its functionality. This process will work on both Windows and Mac PCs and should allow for seamless streaming once the two devices are connected. Navigate to the video that you want to play and double click it, it will begin playing on the TV, and you’ll be able to use the VLC controls on your device to control the video. Now click on Media in the top menu and select Open File from the dropdown. When it works, your TV will pop up in the list, select it, and VLC will begin casting to your TV. VLC might take a few minutes to pick up your TV but if it’s struggling, try disconnecting and reconnecting the device and the TV from the Wifi. Then select Renderer from the dropdown menu you’ll see that it will automatically scan for devices.

First, start up your VLC player and click on Playback in the top menu.

Cast vlc to chromecast apple phone