Videostream is a must-have Chrome extension for any Chromecast owner

Google’s Chromecast is a great piece of gear, and it becomes more attractive with each new service or capability it gains. Videostream is just the latest example.

Videostream is a free extension for the Chrome web browser that lets users cast local media files to the Chromecast, without any complicated setup or hassle. Basically, the extension provides the same functionality as Plex or other media server applications do, including playback from attached network drives, network PCs, thumb drives, or disc drives. If your computer can see the file, Videostream will likely play it. We say likely because, as this video from Tekzilla shows, some (though not all) .mkv files don’t play properly for some reason.

The extension should be able to handle most common video formats and a few of the more exotic ones, and it can even load subtitles files. Videostream is still in development, so some issues may crop from time to time, but you can notify developers about them for resolution.

There’s even a companion Android app that you can use to control playback while you are away from your computer, and the team plans to launch an iOS remote app soon, as well as support for media playlists and support for hardware other than the Chromecast.

To play local video and audio files, you will need to have the official Google Cast installed, and obviously your computer and Chromecast need to be on the same network. Other than that, it’s as easy as firing up Videostream, picking a file, and pressing play.

Head over to Chrome web store to install the free Videostream extension.