CheapCast turns any Android device into Chromecast

Google's ChromeCast has made a lot of people interested in cheap media streaming devices that turn your big screen TV into a secondary screen you can send your mobile content to. But you don't actually need to get a ChromeCast device to be able to achieve that. Using the CheapCast app, you can turn any Android device into a ChromeCast receiver, allowing you to stream content to it just like you would do with the real one.

CheapCast acts as a ChromeCast emulator, and while it won't make much sense using it to stream videos to your smartphone or tablet, things start to look better when you consider all those cheap Android media player HDMI sticks you can find online for cheap. In this case, the one we used was a MK809 HDMI Stick Android that can be found for less than $50 - and as you'll be able to see, it works like a charm.

If you're really interested in getting a ChromeCast, then you'll probably be better buying the real one. But if you happen to have one of the Android media players around, then maybe you won't have to spend any extra money to be able to do the same... and more. For instance, this way, you'll even be able to run XBMC as well - now with AirPlay support - and stream videos from iPhone and iPads as well. Do try and do the same with an actual ChromeCast. :)