Monday, February 24, 2014

ChromeCast and Aereo

Currently, Aereo does not implement ChromeCast support. As such, we are limited to the tab-casting functionality to stream Aereo to the ChromeCast.

There is a big problem with this... You can cast the tab and then put the video in fullscreen mode, but this prevents you from using the computer! If you switch programs, the fullscreen window is closed, and you're stuck watching your program in a tiny box.

I wanted the video to play at fullscreen in the background, allowing me to do other things while casting Aereo media to my TV.

To accomplish this, I wrote the following simple bookmarklet: Aereo Fullscreen

  1. Drag the link to your bookmarks. Or right click, copy link address, and add it as a bookmark via the Bookmark Manager (Ctrl + Shift + O).
  2. From Aereo, start playing the content you want to cast.
  3. Cast the tab to your ChromeCast, wait until you see the Aereo website on your TV.
  4. Click on the bookmarklet. Or start typing the bookmark name in the address bar. The bookmark will appear as a suggestion, and you can select it from there.

The bookmarklet will resize the flash object to appear as fullscreen within the tab. You can then minimize the window without fullscreen being disabled. Now carry on with your productive, multi-tasking life.

A couple notes: I haven't tested this on live TV, only recordings. When you use the bookmarklet, it does not keep your current place in the show! It starts you over from the beginning.

Aereo, please just add native support! :)