TV Cast Pro for Fire TV

Review by eFreeware

If you watch a lot of video on websites that never made it onto a streaming box, TV Cast Pro for Fire TV is built for exactly that problem. It is a browser for Android that pushes the video portion of a web page to an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, so the clip plays on your television instead of your phone. The developer, 2kit consulting, sells it for $6.99 as a one-time purchase.

The appeal is narrow but real: you find a video in the app's browser, tap it, and it appears on the big screen. No media server is required, and the app handles mp4 files, m3u8 and HLS livestreams, video served over https, and Full HD playback. For someone who follows niche livestreams or watches video on sites with no TV app, that combination covers a lot of ground.

It has been on Google Play since November 2016 and carries a 4.2 average from just over 2,000 ratings, with more than 100,000 installs. Those numbers suggest a settled, specific tool rather than a mainstream one, which matches how the developer describes it.

How the browser-to-TV handoff works

The flow is straightforward. You browse to a website inside the app, and any video the app detects shows up below the browser window. A tap on that video link sends it to the Fire TV right away, so you are not juggling a separate casting menu. For direct files, you can paste the full video URL into the browser address bar and play it on the Fire TV without hunting for an embedded player.

One quirk the developer flags is that detection sometimes needs a nudge: playing the video on the Android device first can be what makes the link appear for casting. That is worth knowing before you decide the app has failed on a particular site.

The app does not mirror your whole Android screen. It pushes only the video part of a page, which keeps the experience focused on watching rather than duplicating everything on your phone. If you want a general screen-mirroring tool, this is a different category of app.

What the Pro edition adds

The paid edition unlocks everything the free version holds back. While you browse, the remote playbar offers scrubbing, forward, rewind, play, pause and stop, and it stays in sync on every Android and iOS device that runs Video & TV Cast. If you start a video on one device and pick up another, the controls follow.

The ad-blocker is the second headline feature, and it strips ads and popups from most sites you visit. You can switch it on or off in the settings whenever you like. Because this is the Pro build, there are no sponsoring ads in the app itself, and there are no in-app purchases to worry about.

You can save as many bookmarks as you like, adding them from the browser itself or from the bookmarks menu. Desktop Mode switches the browser's user-agent so sites serve their desktop version rather than the mobile one, and a personal homepage can be set in the settings after buying. Together these turn a one-trick caster into something closer to a daily-use browser for the TV.

Formats, livestreams and the DRM wall

The supported formats are the practical core: mp4, m3u8, HLS livestreams, video over https and Full HD output. That covers a wide range of open web video, including live channels that stream in HLS, which is where a browser-based caster earns its keep.

The limits are just as clear. Flash video is not supported, and neither are DRM-protected services such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Google Play movies. Those platforms protect their streams by design, so no browser-based tool can pull them out. This app is for the open web, not for the subscription catalogs you already have apps for.

There is also a note about Desktop Mode and Flash: switching to a desktop user-agent will not make Flash videos castable. The developer is upfront that the two do not combine.

Requirements and rough edges

It is not a general Chromecast or Android TV solution, and the developer says so plainly.

When a connection misbehaves, the developer's advice is to restart the Android device, the Fire TV and the Wi-Fi router. That is a blunt troubleshooting step, but it is the one the app's own guidance offers, and it tells you the connection is the most likely point of failure.

The refund policy is tight: refunds are only available within 24 hours of purchase, and you need to submit the Google Purchase ID. That makes the free edition the sensible first stop. The developer explicitly recommends testing your websites and videos there, warning that upgrading will not magically fix a video that fails to cast.

If a specific video will not cast, the app includes a report feature that sends the site and video link to the developer, who says support may be added later. It is a reasonable channel, though it depends on the developer following through on individual requests.

Privacy and permissions

The developer makes a point of the app's permission footprint, saying it needs only minimal Android permissions and does not access your identity data, accounts, device ID, phone status, GPS location or contacts. That is a meaningful claim for an app that handles your browsing.

The advice to check required permissions before trusting any Android app is sound, and it applies here as much as anywhere. If privacy around browsing is a priority for you, the stated approach is a point in the app's favor.

A focused tool for open-web video

This is not an app for everyone, and it does not pretend to be. It suits people who watch video on websites that have no Fire TV app, who follow HLS livestreams, or who want a browser on their television with bookmarks and an ad-blocker built in. If your viewing is mostly Netflix, Amazon or HBO, those services are explicitly out of scope.

The $6.99 price is a one-time cost with no ads and no in-app purchases, which keeps the math simple. The free edition exists precisely so you can confirm your sites work before paying, and the developer's own warning about upgrades not fixing failed casts makes that step worth taking seriously.

For the right viewer, the combination of format support, a synced playbar and a browser that lives on the TV is a tidy package. For everyone else, the DRM and Flash exclusions will decide the matter quickly.

A worthwhile purchase for open-web viewers

TV Cast Pro for Fire TV does one job well: it takes the video part of a web page and puts it on your Fire TV, with the Pro extras making that routine comfortable. The remote playbar, unlimited bookmarks, ad-blocker and Desktop Mode are the reasons to pay rather than stay on the free build.

I would point this at Fire TV owners who regularly watch web video or HLS livestreams and want it on the biggest screen without a media server. Test your sites in the free edition first, keep the 24-hour refund window in mind, and go in knowing that DRM services and Flash are off the table.

If your viewing lives on the open web, this is a sensible addition to a Fire TV setup.

What's new in version 2.47

- Bugfixes Please rate us on Google Play == It‘s very quick and will help us improve this app to provide you with better features and services.