Guides
CastPanda guides & comparisons
Practical guides for getting video from your Mac onto your TV, with the free built-in methods first, and straight comparisons of CastPanda with the other apps you might be considering.
We make CastPanda, a Mac app that streams almost any video file to Apple TV, AirPlay 2 smart TVs and Chromecast. These articles answer the questions we hear most, and say plainly when a free option or another app is the better fit.
How-to guides
Step-by-step answers, starting with what macOS can already do on its own.
- How to AirPlay from Mac to TVScreen Mirroring, QuickTime and the TV app, step by step, plus files they can’t play.
- How to play MKV files on Apple TV from a MacWhy AirPlay rejects MKV, and three ways around it.
- How to Chromecast from a MacCasting a Chrome tab, your screen, and local video files.
- How to stream from a Mac to a Samsung or LG TVAirPlay 2 on Samsung and LG TVs: setup, limits and fixes.
- How to show subtitles when AirPlaying a movieGet built-in or separate subtitles onto the TV when you stream from a Mac.
- Mac won’t AirPlay to TV? How to fix itA checklist for the TV not showing up, black screens and dropped streams.
CastPanda compared
Feature and pricing comparisons, including where the other app is stronger.
- CastPanda vs AirflowTwo one-time-purchase Mac casting apps, compared feature by feature.
- CastPanda vs BeamerA one-time license versus a subscription, plus what each app does better.
- CastPanda vs Elmedia PlayerA focused streaming app versus a full video player with streaming built in.
- CastPanda vs InfuseStream from the Mac, or play from the Apple TV? Two different approaches.
Best apps
Roundups with our method shown. We make CastPanda, so we say how we ranked, and where other apps may suit you better.