Play an audio file through your TV

Select audio and start playback

1. Open Cast to Your TV in desktop Chrome and drop your audio file onto the file area, or choose it from your device.
2. Wait for preparation to complete automatically.
3. Press Cast and choose your Google Cast TV on the same Wi-Fi.
4. Use pause, seeking, mute and volume controls during playback.

The app keeps one selected file rather than a music library or playlist. To change the recording, choose another file and press Cast for the new selection. A TV connection that was already open can be reused.

Common audio formats and local conversion

Recognised audio files include MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, Opus, AIFF and WMA, along with supported audio-only WebM or Matroska files. A recognised extension lets the app attempt inspection; it does not guarantee that every codec variant inside that file is decodable.

The browser prepares audio-only fragmented MP4 for playback. Compatible stereo AAC can be retained; audio requiring conversion is encoded as 256 kbps stereo AAC. Local decoder modules handle additional formats where supported. Formats that need the older whole-file fallback are limited to 256 MiB input and output. The app reports a preparation error rather than uploading the recording to convert it elsewhere.

What happens to FLAC or surround recordings?

A source labelled lossless does not imply lossless TV output. FLAC, high-channel-count tracks or other audio needing conversion use the app’s stereo AAC output. Surround-sound passthrough, original sample-rate delivery and bit-perfect playback are not promised. Mirroring routes also add processing controlled by the browser or operating system.

If the file has several audio tracks, use the gear menu to select the intended one. This can matter for long recordings with alternate mixes or languages. You do not need to select a video-quality preset for an audio-only file; that setting cannot restore detail removed from the source recording.

If playback starts but you hear nothing

Check mute and volume in the player and on the television. Confirm the TV is using the expected speakers or connected audio output. Then check the selected audio track in the gear menu. A silent or commentary-only track can look like a casting failure even when the connection is working.

Try a short, ordinary MP3 or stereo AAC file to separate one recording’s codec problem from a wider audio problem. If preparation fails, keep the exact error message and check the file is complete and unprotected. A playing clock is useful evidence, but it does not prove sound reached physical TV speakers. The no-sound guide has a more detailed sequence.

Using a phone for audio

The connection route matters as much as the file format. Read the Android instructions for Chrome’s chooser and the explicit system screen-casting alternative. Android controls whether screen-cast audio reaches the television; the website cannot force operating-system audio capture.

On iPhone and iPad, the current route is manual AirPlay screen mirroring to an AirPlay-compatible display. It is not a connection to a Cast-only TV. Keep the phone unlocked and the browser visible. Background or screen-off playback is not guaranteed. Media stays local, while loading the site and verifying playback still use the network.