Pluto TV is a service that takes YouTube content and turns it into channels based on different subjects, allowing you to hit play and sit back on your couch without having to pick a new video every few minutes.
Recently, Pluto TV updated their Android and iOS apps to support Chromecast, and it works really well. You can use your phone to select any topic, from technology to sports and everything in between. From there you tell it to cast the stream to your Chromecast, and you’re done. You can sit back for as long as you want to watch. A good option for having something on as you work around the house.
Pluto TV is a great way to find out about YouTube channels, and the app on your phone will tell you more about the videos you are watching. The only thing it is missing is a link to the YouTube profile for the video you are watching. Sometimes I see something and think I want to see their other content, but it’s not available—on the Android version I couldn’t find a link directly to their YouTube page.
The other major downside to the service is a lack of parental controls or any filter for explicit content. We clicked on an entertainment channel early in our testing to find a very vulgar video playing on our TV. Not something we wanted to have happen with our two-year-old daughter in the room. That has been the exception as most of the channels we found have been family-friendly; however, there is no way to know what you will find until you push play.
I do highly recommend you try out Pluto TV. Now that it is on Chromecast, it is just that much better.