Set-top boxes have become almost as commonplace as TV sets in the living room, but even with their growing popularity, not every device supports streaming local content. Roku is doing its part to change that, though, by updating its Android application to allow streaming video directly over Wi-Fi.
Roku has added a “Play on Roku” tab that pulls up the videos available on your mobile device to stream over to your TV. The only caveat: The videos will have to be encoded in a file format that your Android device can play back. (If you’re curious, you can check out Google’s official list of supported video formats.) It’s an especially exciting update considering that fact that the Roku box doesn’t support DLNA playback. iPhone users received this AirPlay-like functionality about a month ago.
The over-the-air streaming feature is only available to a limited number of devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy S4, Nexus 4, HTC One, and last year’s Nexus 7. You’ll need Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher to use the app, and it’s compatible with the Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku LT, Roku HD, and Roku Streaming Stick. Happy streaming!