How to Stream Audio or Video from Your PC to an Android TV Box

Streaming media from a PC to a TV conveniently is something that many people try to achieve. In this post, I will share the steps to stream audio or video from your PC to a Chromecast built-in Android TV Box without installing any extra apps on the TV box. The only program you need is the free and open-source VLC Media Player for your PC.

Steps to Stream Media to a Chromecast Built-in Android TV Box

1. Install VLC Media Player on your PC if you don’t have it already. You can download it for free from
   VLC’s official website.
2. Turn on your Android TV Box and make sure it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your PC.
3. On your PC, open VLC Media Player and select the media you want to play. This can be either a local file or a stream from a URL. Alternatively, you can find a file and play it with VLC using the context menu, which you can open by pressing the application key on the keyboard or the Shift+F10 shortcut.
4. Once playback starts, press the Alt key to open the menu, then use the right arrow key to go to the Playback menu. Scroll down to Renderer and press Enter.
5. VLC will scan for available devices. Find your Android TV Box in the list, select it, and press Enter. In a few seconds, the media should start playing on your TV.

Once connected, you can change the file or stream a new one without losing the connection. You won’t need to select the renderer again. If you need to adjust the volume, you’ll have to do it with your TV Box remote, as VLC’s volume control won’t affect the output on your TV. Meanwhile, any other sounds from your PC, like screen reader output, will continue playing through your PC speakers.

The connection will stay active until you either close VLC or turn off your Android TV Box. I’ve streamed video from a URL for around two hours without noticing any overheating on my PC.

While there may be other options or media players that support this feature, I’ve found VLC to be the easiest and most straightforward solution.

It is important to note that I conducted the test using my Xiaomi Mi Box S 4K Android TV Box 2nd Gen. Results may vary with other products.