CouchCast

Local-video casting guide

Send local video from your Mac without mirroring

CouchCast sends one selected file to Chromecast as media. Your Mac does not have to mirror its screen or keep a browser tab visible, and the video is not uploaded to a CouchCast cloud service.

How it works

From a file on your Mac to your TV

  1. 1 · Choose

    Pick one local file

    Open a supported MP4 or MKV. CouchCast checks the video, audio, and subtitle streams inside the file.

  2. 2 · Select

    Choose tracks and receiver

    Select the audio and subtitle option you want, then choose a supported Chromecast on the same local network.

  3. 3 · Cast

    Prepare and play

    CouchCast prepares only what the selected streams and receiver need, then serves a private, randomized media URL from your Mac. Playback controls stay in the app.

Good to know

Why some files need preparation

When the file is an MKV

MKV is a container, not a guarantee that every video, audio, or subtitle stream inside it can play on Chromecast. CouchCast checks the selected streams and receiver before choosing a path; not every MKV or Chromecast generation is supported.

Compatible MP4 media can be served directly. Compatible streams inside an MKV can be copied into a Chromecast-friendly MP4 without re-encoding the video.

When preparation is needed

If the selected audio is incompatible, AC-3 or E-AC-3 may become AAC while compatible video stays untouched.

Incompatible video or subtitles that need burn-in may use VideoToolbox H.264/AAC HLS. The prepared media still travels from your Mac to the Chromecast over the LAN; there is no CouchCast account, cloud media upload, general analytics, or advertising tracker.

A deliberately narrow Mac app

CouchCast is not tab casting, screen mirroring, AirPlay, DLNA, a streaming-site capture tool, a media server, a library, or a playlist manager. It handles one local file at a time.

Buy CouchCast · $9.99

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