[Google Chromecast] Asphyx:
Just a few notes, Not really corrections cause technically in the "AS WE SPEAK" tense, most everything you said is correct.

You don't really need to buy the Plex for Android App, If you have Plex Pass you can use the free Plex for Plex Pass App

Plex for Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.android

Plex for Plex Pass - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.plex

And that capability should not be under estimated as it means you can keep your library in a High Quality format for devices that can handle them that will be easily streamed to any device even those that are not connected to the local Network. Plex is as much a Home Cloud for Media as it is a DLNA Server.

Well I had a Plex Pass account long before I ever had a CCast. I also had an HTPC to display content on my main system which now doubles as my Plex Server as well. So you could say it didn't really cost me a penny more than what I had already had when the CCast came out.

I think there is confusion as to what the PlexPass account really is....

It is not a subscription at all. It is a sort of a Beta Tester membership that gives you first shot at all the new features as they come out and that fee will not be required in time to get the CCast support. The CCast support in Plex is still very much a beta product right now. Go to the Plex Forums and read and you see there are a myriad of issues the Plex Devs are dealing with most notably the proper Transcoder settings. And neither Allcast nor aVia currently support that feature, which means Plex plays a hell of a lot more content (and with fewer issues) than those two do.

When the CCast support goes out of this Member Only Advanced look mode (and no one knows when), Plex will actually be as cheap as Allcast only MUCH MUCH more versatile and Powerful.

Things neither aVia or AllCast can do that Plex can:

Transcode files from High Quality Source to an as needed quality based on Device and Destination (meaning MKV Support and over 3G/LTE)

Serve Files to every device in your house PLUS be shared with Friends so they can view files on your server as well!

Allow you access to the Media you have at Home from anywhere and anyplace that has Internet access.

Give you Access to channels in the same way Roku does (still sketchy at the moment as far as CCast due to CCast limitations) and with the same anywhere you are flexibility.

And you can get all of that for the same price as Allcast and $2 more than aVia provided your willing to wait for the CCast support to go Public.

What's more is that in order to use aVia or Allcast you actually need the server part of Plex to even see the files your playing unless they are stored locally on your device which in many cases is saved in a far lower quality for space purposes and has issues playing cleanly due to limitations of the power of those devices.

This is why I said from the beginning to anyone who wanted to play Local Media that Plex is the better option only because you need to have that (or some other DLNA/UPnP server) in order for any player to work. And that part of it is FREE! You want a better interface and better performance because of transcoding then Pay for the Plex Player app and if you want CCast support right now use aVia (and now Allcast) until CCast support goes public and then go buy the Plex for Android app to get all the benefits not just the few aVia and Allcast support.

The reason why I got the Lifetime PlexPass had nothing to do with CCast (I had it before I ever heard of the CCast). I paid it because it was the one DLNA server that supported streaming with Transcoding to me wherever I might be. Twonky required doing it through a Browser and their app was as ugly and hardly easy to navigate. Devs who create such a comprehensive package deserve my support and Money and for my support I got CCast support the day it came out for testing.

I know most can't afford to pay for a Lifetime membership and paying Monthly is never worth it when there is something I might want to use for a lifetime. So for now I suggest those with money concerns stick to the Plex Server (free) aVia or Allcast combination until the Plex for CCast support is free as well.

But don't for a second think your actually getting the same thing from aVia and Allcast as you would get with the Plex Apps...

The Plex apps give you a hell of a lot more and in better quality than those two options cause you will never see the "This media is Incompatible with your Device" errors nor will you have issues streaming to CCast once they have perfected their transcoding settings and profile for the CCast, and I won't even go into the subtitle support not possible with aVia and Allcast without jumping throug hoops

What many are using is fine for right now and I suggest you keep using it...

But once the CCast support for Plex leaves the Members Only status you will see what I'm talking about and probably say to yourself, You know that $80 might have been worth it to get it months ago considering the next big thing they add will also be available to you when it first gets released.

And considering just how much aVia and Allcast could play WITHOUT the Plex or DLNA server it's really a no brainer to me...

They would play hardly anything that wasn't on the device your using without the server part. And lets be honest the server part doesn't need to be Plex it could be Twonky or PlayOn as well....

They transcode but not for CCast when used with aVia or Allcast...

Now that the SDK is released perhaps the PlayOns and Twonky's will support CCast with full transcode capability and maybe even the EVERYWHERE YOU ARE aspect of the Home Cloud.

Those will be pay products as well, maybe not as expensive as PlexPass lifetime is but then again you only need to pay for PlexPass to get features that are not full public yet...

Once CCast support goes public Plex Server and Plex for Android combination will cost a grand total of $5.

Far less than a Twonky or PlayOn subscription costs!

As much as All Cast but with all those extra features I mentioned that aVia and Allcast can't really touch...

All that it costs is patience or Money. I chose the Money cause I'm an Impatient fool! LOL