Vevo, Plex, More Add Chromecast Support

Give the gift of the perfectly curated holiday playlist this season with a Google Chromecast, which now supports streaming music service Songza and music videos from Vevo.

The Chromecast also takes a step toward local media playback with the addition of Plex and Avia, while Google's dongle also now supports Red Bull.TV, PostTV, Viki, Revision 3, RealPlayer Cloud, and BeyondPod.

Songza added Chromecast support alongside an update to its Web and mobile apps. Just tap the "cast" icon — a rectangle with three lines in the corner — in the apps to stream tunes to your connected TV. "From holiday parties to Christmas morning, the right music makes a magical time even more wonderful," Songza Chief Product Officer Elliott Breece said in a statement. "With Songza on Chromecast, you now have effortless access to the perfect expertly curated soundtrack on the biggest screen in your home."

Music videos from Vevo, meanwhile, can also be "cast" to a connected TV via the Web or Vevo's Android and iOS apps. "Vevo's Android app is also optimized to take advantage of Chromecast's Notification Bar and Lock screen," the company said in a blog post. "Through these tools, you can control the volume, pause the video or disconnect from Chromecast even while a video is casting."

One of the chief complaints about the Chromecast, however, is that it doesn't support local media playback, so you can't tap into content you have saved in the cloud. But that is starting to change with Chromecast support for Plex and Avia.

Plex is a media management app that allows you to consolidate all your music, movies, and photos into the app for easy access. Today, Plex has released Chromecast support for videos, though it is currently only available to PlexPass subscribers. But Plex promised that all users will soon be able to cast photos, music, and video to their HDTVs. Similarly, Avia support on Chromecast is only available to premium users for now.

Google's $35 Chromecast turns any HDTV into an entertainment center. Plug the dongle into the TV's HDMI slot, and once connected to the home Wi-Fi network, it will pair with an Android, iOS, or Windows device.

Chromecast also works with Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, HBO GO, Pandora, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music. There are also free Chromecast apps for iOS, Android, or Windows Phone.

For more, see PCMag's Q&A with Songza co-founder Elias Roman, as well as our reviews of Songza and Google Chromecast.