TV Cast vs Deck Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TV Cast
Stream music, photos, and videos from your phone, PC, or NAS to your Smart TV or connected speakers. Enjoy media in up to 4K quality with support for various devices like Chromecast and Roku. Use your phone as a remote control for a seamless viewing experience.
- Music streaming to TV/speakers
- Photo casting with slideshows (4K)
- Video casting (Full HD & 4K)
- Stream from PC & NAS
- Stream from SMB share
- Remote control functionality
- Zoom & rotate photos
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• Music streaming: play your favorite songs or playlists on your TV or connected speakers via WiFi. • Photo casting: display your photos on the big TV screen – single or slideshow – with 4K support. • Video casting: enjoy videos in Full HD & 4K quality on Smart TVs, Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, and more. • Stream from PC & NAS: access and play photos, HD movies, and TV shows stored on your computer or NAS – no phone storage used. • Stream from SMB share: cast network-stored photos, movies, and music from SMB drives – easy setup. The easiest casting app for your media – music, photos, videos, and more! • New! SMB Sharing lets you stream files from network folders directly to your Smart TV. • Supports Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, Sonos, and many more devices. • Stream by category: select all files from a location or multiple albums at once. • Cast iCloud media directly to your TV. • Launch other Nero mobile apps from Nero Streaming Player. • Send feedback easily for improvements and issues. • Use your iPhone/iPad as a remote control: play, pause, stop, skip, and adjust volume. • Zoom & rotate photos with intuitive two-finger gestures while casting. • Sort your music by artists, songs, albums, or genres and stream to Sonos or supported devices. Supported devices: • Smart TVs from Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, Panasonic, Sharp, and more • AV devices from Yamaha, Onkyo, Sonos, Bose, Pioneer, and others • Chromecast and other compatible streaming devices • Media servers from Plex, Serviio, Subsonic, Twonky, Windows Media Player, and more • NAS from Western Digital, Netgear, Synology, QNAP, Seagate, and more How it works: Install Nero Streaming Player to cast photos, videos & music from your iPhone/iPad to your Smart TV. No HDMI cable, cast hardware, or additional apps required. Connect your iPhone, PC/NAS, and Smart TV to the same WiFi network. Open the app, select media, tap the TV icon, and choose a target device to enjoy content on the big screen or audio system. PC & NAS streaming: Launch your media server on PC/NAS. Nero Streaming Player displays all available servers. Select one and stream all your media to your TV. No media server yet? Download and install Nero MediaHome (2016 or later) on PC. With one touch in Nero Streaming Player, access the timeline of your photos & videos. Enhanced features include: • Face recognition for viewing family & friends • Explore places you’ve visited • Browse your personal movie & TV show collection with poster thumbnails • Listen to favorite songs & playlists Note: Your mobile device, PC/NAS, and Smart TV must be on the same WiFi network. Use only in private, secure networks.
Deck Buddy
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Deck Buddy turns your iPhone or iPad into an intelligent control deck for your Mac. It’s more than a “shortcut remote” - it’s a full system for fast, context-aware control that adapts to whatever you’re doing. ≋≋ Always the right buttons ≋≋ DeckBuddy can switch layouts automatically based on the app currently active on your Mac. Use one deck for Xcode, another for Safari, another for your creative tools - and let DeckBuddy keep up as you switch. ≋≋ Two ways to work ≋≋ • Auto Mode: DeckBuddy follows the active Mac app and loads the matching deck. • Manual Mode: lock a specific deck whenever you want consistent controls. ≋≋ Built for real workflows ≋≋ • Trigger keyboard shortcuts remotely from your iPhone • Run advanced actions with AppleScript on macOS • Pair fast with a 6-digit code and remember trusted devices • Discover your Mac automatically via Bonjour (no IP typing) • Capture a shortcut from your Mac keyboard and assign it to a button • Create decks with multiple pages, custom rows/columns, and iPad layouts • Personalise button styles: colours, borders, system icons, and your own SVG/PNG • Start quickly with ready-made presets for popular use cases • Import/export backups of your profiles and actions ≋≋ Mac setup that’s actually clear ≋≋ Deck Buddy includes a guided macOS onboarding screen with setup steps, Accessibility permissions, and an option to launch at login. If you love speed, shortcuts, streaming, or creative work - DeckBuddy is a great one to try ≋≋ Version 1.0 ≋≋ • First release of DeckBuddy • Auto/Manual profiles, shortcut buttons, AppleScript actions • Presets, custom layouts, and backup import/export ≋≋ SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ≋≋ • Enjoy your first 2 weeks free with an annual subscription • Enjoy your first 3 days free with a monthly subscription • Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period • You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your Account Settings • Pricing may vary by country or region and will be shown before purchase https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Deck Buddy at none against TV Cast's shown. On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. TV Cast sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Deck Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | TV Cast | Deck Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (181 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 65.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 181 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nero AG | Daniel Miara |
Bugs and requests
TV Cast
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Device detection fails despite being on same network
- Video conversion hangs or never completes
- Screen mirroring doesn't work
- Network connectivity switches between different networks unexpectedly
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- Blank or empty screens when opening app
- Incompatibility with iOS 11 for certain file types
- Connection drops after brief periods
- Album art fails to display properly
- Roku media player connection not supported
Requested features
8 requests- Playlist support for music playback
- Ability to replay videos without reconverting
- Better video conversion speed and quality
- In-app tutorial or onboarding guide
- Support for streaming web links
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- Improved album navigation for large collections
- Better handling of large media files
- Clearer app description to avoid confusion about client vs server functionality
Deck Buddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TV Cast
- VIP weekly subscription$2.997 Days
- VIP monthly special offer$2.991 Month
- VIP monthly subscription3 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- VIP Festival subscription$19.991 Year
- VIP yearly subscription3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- VIP promotion subscription$49.991 Year
- Yearly Streaming Bundle$69.991 Year
- VIP Permanent License$49.99
Deck Buddy
- DeckBuddy Premium3 Days trial$2.991 Month
- DeckBuddy Premium14 Days trial$19.991 Year
Questions
Is TV Cast free?
Is Deck Buddy free?
Do TV Cast or Deck Buddy have ads?
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