[Q] Streaming from DLNA - Google Chromecast

Is it currently possible for me to use my tablet, or phone to stream content from my NAS or server in my home network?

Ruzzah said:
Is it currently possible for me to use my tablet, or phone to stream content from my NAS or server in my home network?
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Click to collapse
Yes...(and I'm going to assume you mean to the Chromecast).
Only two options available now...
Plex Player and aVia....
Option 1 - aVia Player should work with any DLNA server provided the files on the server/NAS are already compatible with Chromecast.
Option 2 - Plex has a Server AND a Player component. The server will transcode any file to be compatible with Chromecast. But the Plex Player only works with the Plex Server. And currently (temporarily actually) in order to stream content to Chromecast with Plex requires a PlexPass account. The server software is free, There are two players available one that requires a PlexPass account and another (Plex for Android) that does not (exception being that it won't work with Chromecast for now but will soon).
Plex Server will work with both aVia and obviously Plex Players. And will probably work with any future DLNA players that have Chromecast support in the future such as Bubble or Twonky.
Most NAS systems available today HAVE some sort of Media/DLNA server built into it! SO you should check your NAS to see if it already has that capability.
WD My Book has Twonky Server built in
NetGear has Plex built into it
Seagate has some proprietary thing that does not work at all! Unfortunately I have one of those and had to set up a server on another machine just to get that capability.
If money isn't an issue for you and you don't mind paying for the PlexPass account (you can get a lifetime account for $75) then I recommend Plex as it does transcoding and works much better with Chromecast than aVia does presently.
Also note that some issues with aVia have been encountered with people on JB 4.1.2 but not 4.1.1, Not sure if that means everything above 4.1.1 has issues though....Expect aVia to fix that at some point.

I currently have 4.3.1 on my phone and 4.4.2 on my tablet. Also what type of movies are compatible, and would I need a transcoder for the chromecast to work with the files?

Ruzzah said:
I currently have 4.3.1 on my phone and 4.4.2 on my tablet. Also what type of movies are compatible, and would I need a transcoder for the chromecast to work with the files?
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Click to collapse
You'll need Plex Media Server or upload to RealPlayer Cloud for real-time transcoding of anything that is not in a Chromecast-compatible format.
See 2.b, 2.c and 2.d in the FAQ.

Ruzzah said:
Is it currently possible for me to use my tablet, or phone to stream content from my NAS or server in my home network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could also use the modified AllCast with BubbleUPNP on a rooted Chromecast. Using this method I haven't had issues with MKV files and MP4 files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47503538&postcount=98

Is it possible to cast movies in a non compatible chromecast format (avi, divx, etc) via Avia using a Plex media server?
I havent had any luck doing so. I thought the plex media server would transcode the movie to a compatible format on the go?
What about using the plex app for android with the plex pass? Would that work ? Would it do the transcoding on the go ?

burdo said:
Is it possible to cast movies in a non compatible chromecast format (avi, divx, etc) via Avia using a Plex media server?
I havent had any luck doing so. I thought the plex media server would transcode the movie to a compatible format on the go?
What about using the plex app for android with the plex pass? Would that work ? Would it do the transcoding on the go ?
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Click to collapse
The Plex server should be transcoding the media on the fly for you. What are the specs of the machine that's the Plex server?
I don't believe the Android app can transcode as it's just a client.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.

I'll try and paste the answer from our PM so the rest of the folks can benefit...
burdo said:
Is it possible to cast movies in a non compatible chromecast format (avi, divx, etc) via Avia using a Plex media server?
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Click to collapse
Hit or Miss (depending on the video format) but the answer is probably not. When using aVia the Plex server can't transcode for CCast as it doesn't even know it exists.What Transcoding Plex might use (if any) when aVia requests a stream is unclear since there is no profile specifically for the aVia (profiles are usually for devices not software and it is up to the software to identify what it needs which may not be the case with aVia).
burdo said:
I havent had any luck doing so. I thought the plex media server would transcode the movie to a compatible format on the go?
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Click to collapse
Transcoding may or may not happen and even when it does happen what it transcodes to varies from device to device. Only when the App making the request identifies itself as THIS TYPE OF DEVICE (or Profile) will Plex know how to transcode for it and do so. aVia Devs could probably solve this problem at some point so all of what I'm saying could change if they wanted it to.
burdo said:
What about using the plex app for android with the plex pass? Would that work ? Would it do the transcoding on the go ?
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Click to collapse
YES! Plex for Android and Plex for PlexPass will both play files that are not chromecast compatible and transcode them for playback on the CCast, but there will probably be some exception to that from time to time where a file doesn't transcode so easily, or the Plex Transcoder itself doesn't like the file.
The difference is in how the two methods approach playback on the CCast.
Plex treats the CCast like a DLNA player and the Plex Apps don't ever actually play the video itself they merely tell the CCast to get it directly from the Server which makes the Server use the CCast Transcoding profile and rules.
aVia acts as a sort of Middleman where it gets the data and then forwards it to the CCast.(Note this is best Guess not CERTAIN by any means only aVia devs know for sure!) This means the server has no idea the CCast is being used and sends what stream it thinks the aVia can handle (which may not be compatible with CCast.)
Method 1 (Plex) - You pick a file in PlexApp and tell it to cast it, Plex app sends a command to CCast to go get the file from the server. Server transcodes for CCast and the file plays directly on CCast
Method 2 (aVia) - You pick a file in aVia and tell it to cast it, aVia tells the server to send it to aVia then aVia sends the data to the CCast.
Best combination right now for streaming Plex Server (and incompatible) content to CCast are the Plex apps...If Plex Server can recognize the file it should transcode properly for CCast.
Unfortunately (as we speak) to use the Plex apps with CCast requires a PlexPass account (Not free). This is only temporary and it will not be required in the near future.
So if money is not a big issue I suggest trying it for a month by getting a month of PlexPass and giving it a good test run. Hopefully by the time that Month is done PlexPass will no longer be required to stream to CCast after that.
Just to be a little clearer on when and how transcoding happens...
The PLAYER is the key to transcode/Not Transcode and is the one responsible for communicating to the Plex Server what it requires as far as transcoding is concerned. It is the player communicating with the server that tells Plex Server which profile to use when the player makes a request to get the file.
In the Plex System the Player resides on and is written FOR the CCast and it tells the Plex server it is a CCast.
In aVia it is unclear what the aVia player tells the Plex server or that it gives PlexServer any information about itself or it's intentions of what it plans to do with the file at all.
Without any information about it's target Plex server may not do any transcoding or if minimal information is given during the file request it may use a generic profile which may not be as compatible with CCast as lets say a Android profile might be.
And let me be clear (and Fair to the aVia Devs). We are just GUESSING based on observations on how aVia seems to be working in conjunction with CCast. The best place to get answers (and solutions as well) is to ask these questions regarding aVia on their support site (if they have one).
Not only will they be much more informed at how their app works but your Question may even lead them to change or update their code to work much better in a transcoding environment where casting to CCast is concerned.
They may already be working on these things, or we could be totally off base in how aVia is doing what it does.
And I don't want to give the impression that aVia is doing something wrong or that Plex is better for anything other than streaming from PlexServer at the moment.
aVia does many things the Plex Apps will NOT DO such as casting Local ON UNIT files that PlexApps simply doesn't do.
And other than the temporary requirement of needing a PlexPass to cast to CCast with Plex, In the end having BOTH APPS (aVia and Plex) will make a very Versatile and Complementary tandem to stream any kind of local content (be it Plex Server or ON UNIT) to the CCast.

I'm currently using Plex Media Server on my desktop to host my music (app is free for the PC) and then use Avia on my phone or tablet to access the Plex Media Server and stream to my chromecast on my home theater. Its a good work around until chromcast features are free on Plex.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

mpgwrx said:
I'm currently using Plex Media Server on my desktop to host my music (app is free for the PC) and then use Avia on my phone or tablet to access the Plex Media Server and stream to my chromecast on my home theater. Its a good work around until chromcast features are free on Plex.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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To add to that there is a temporary workaround (that always worked) if your on a PC.
Just load up the Media Manager of Plex Server (it is browser based) and use the the GoogleCast extension in Chrome to send the stream to the CCast no PlexPass is needed.
This is similar to the way aVia works except for the fact that because your on a PC and have the power and buffer space to Transcode, The GoogleCast extension will make a CCast compatible stream out of it.
Probably won't get any surround sound goodness doing it that way but it is a good stopgap method until PlexPass is no longer required.

Good to know!!!

I wanted to let you know guys that plex just added native streaming to chromecast via browser, just as youtube or netflix. No need to use the cast extension anymore. Works perfect for every format I tried and every codec. AVI, MPG, MP4, MKV,etc
You need to have your plex server setup and published (so it can be access externally). Check if it is in settings/plex media server/ myplex. If it is not you will need to forward the port to your server on your router. Once its published, access www.plex.tv (from any pc anywhere). Login to the same account you use on your server. Click on servers. You should see yours now. At the top right corner you should see the cast button to play the file locally or to your chromecast (it should be on the same newtork as the server).
Thats it. Stream it!

burdo said:
I wanted to let you know guys that plex just added native streaming to chromecast via browser, just as youtube or netflix. No need to use the cast extension anymore. Works perfect for every format I tried and every codec. AVI, MPG, MP4, MKV,etc
You need to have your plex server setup and published (so it can be access externally). Check if it is in settings/plex media server/ myplex. If it is not you will need to forward the port to your server on your router. Once its published, access www.plex.tv (from any pc anywhere). Login to the same account you use on your server. Click on servers. You should see yours now. At the top right corner you should see the cast button to play the file locally or to your chromecast (it should be on the same newtork as the server).
Thats it. Stream it!
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Click to collapse
Awesome find!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

burdo said:
I wanted to let you know guys that plex just added native streaming to chromecast via browser, just as youtube or netflix. No need to use the cast extension anymore. Works perfect for every format I tried and every codec. AVI, MPG, MP4, MKV,etc
You need to have your plex server setup and published (so it can be access externally). Check if it is in settings/plex media server/ myplex. If it is not you will need to forward the port to your server on your router. Once its published, access www.plex.tv (from any pc anywhere). Login to the same account you use on your server. Click on servers. You should see yours now. At the top right corner you should see the cast button to play the file locally or to your chromecast (it should be on the same newtork as the server).
Thats it. Stream it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They haven't added it to the Plexweb side of the server yet..It is only on the Plex.tv site right now something I expect will be updated pretty soon.
I was hoping they added this functionality to the PlexWeb.

Anyone with a ASUS Black Diamond Router rt-n65u? It is supposed to be able to share dlna media but I cannot get avia to see it.
I was hoping to stream all my MP4 movies that are on the routers usb3 external hard drive to the Chromecast with Avia.
All my phones/tablets can stream all the movies from it perfectly. ANY IDEAS how to get it to work from anyone that has the same router?
Sent from my Work Phone

RockRatt said:
Anyone with a ASUS Black Diamond Router rt-n65u? It is supposed to be able to share dlna media but I cannot get avia to see it.
I was hoping to stream all my MP4 movies that are on the routers usb3 external hard drive to the Chromecast with Avia.
All my phones/tablets can stream all the movies from it perfectly. ANY IDEAS how to get it to work from anyone that has the same router?
Sent from my Work Phone
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Click to collapse
From what I can see from the product page for that router it isn't a DLNA server just some proprietary Media Server.
Probably only works with their App.

Asphyx said:
From what I can see from the product page for that router it isn't a DLNA server just some proprietary Media Server.
Probably only works with their App.
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Click to collapse
Indeed, page 32 of the manual says it is a UPnP server, but not specifically DLNA.
BubbleUPnP should be able to access it, so you might be able to browse via BubbleUPnP and share to Avia for casting, assuming your media is in a format Chromecast can play.

bhiga said:
Indeed, page 32 of the manual says it is a UPnP server, but not specifically DLNA.
BubbleUPnP should be able to access it, so you might be able to browse via BubbleUPnP and share to Avia for casting, assuming your media is in a format Chromecast can play.
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Click to collapse
I forget but it may also be possible aVia would be able to see it via Samba if he used one of the many Samba Mapping apps out there so they showed up as local files on his device.
Router is definitely not going to do any transcoding so it had better at least be compatible with aVia and that still doesn't guarantee CCast will work.

Asphyx said:
I forget but it may also be possible aVia would be able to see it via Samba if he used one of the many Samba Mapping apps out there so they showed up as local files on his device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea - cifsmanager or something like it might work. I've been toying with the idea to map some ISO folders so WonderShare can play them but haven't reached that point on my ToDo list yet.

Thanks all for the ideas. I will play with the ideas and see what works. Just had a thought about it as well now.
The Asus router has a app for it and I use it all the time. I "THINK" I chose the mxplayer as the default player. So MAYBE once I clear the default player then "Hopefully" it will ask again and I can choose A via as the player (as this is how I have setup ShoBox to use A via as the player). Do not know why I didn't think of it previously. I will reply here once I get home tonight to see if it will work.
If not I will try some of the other ideas. Thanks again
EDIT: I cleared defaults for MX player, opened up the AiCloud App (that I can access my hard drive connected to my home Asus Router from my phone over WiFi or cell signal), went to my movie folder, chose a movie, the AiCloud app which app to play with, I chose A via and it tried to play the movie. Now I WILL HAVE TO TEST once I get home because the upload from the router over my cell signal is too slow to play the movie. I REALLY HOPE this works like it looks like it will I will update further once I test over my WiFi at home...
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337

Related

[Q] Best way to serve local media?

This isn't another repeat of the same question regarding apps/compatibility. I know there are some solutions out there and some that we'll have more access to shortly (i.e. Plex.)
My question is what is going to be the best setup for hosting and serving local media to a ChromeCast? I currently have an outdated (unsupported) Windows Home Server with 3TB of storage. With an Intel Atom CPU it still functions nicely as a lightweight, energy efficient file server. I'm concerned about it's capability to function as a DLNA server, however. It's powerful enough to serve raw files but I think that's about it.
I bought the Avia expanded feature set and haven't had much luck with it. I understand I can't use it to simply browse files on my server and play them, so I installed the Serviio DLNA server (http://serviiowhs.codeplex.com/) and the Avia app does find this media (although some files are sporadically missing.) Playing them on Avia doesn't work at all, either on my phone or on Chromecast. I turned off transcoding on the server but I'm just generally confused at where the video processing is all taking place and where I want it to be taking place.
Ideally I'd like to just serve files up to my ChromeCast and have it perform all of the decoding/video processing, I think? Is that ever a realistic option or do I need to find something that is going to work better as DLNA server? Maybe a NAS with some kind of DLNA functionality built in? Anyone else have opinions on the best setup?
usefulidiot127 said:
My question is what is going to be the best setup for hosting and serving local media to a ChromeCast? I currently have an outdated (unsupported) Windows Home Server with 3TB of storage. With an Intel Atom CPU it still functions nicely as a lightweight, energy efficient file server. I'm concerned about it's capability to function as a DLNA server, however. It's powerful enough to serve raw files but I think that's about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Atom is fine for DLNA, but things that require transcoding (ie, Plex Media Server) will probably leave you wanting more horsepower.
usefulidiot127 said:
I bought the Avia expanded feature set and haven't had much luck with it. I understand I can't use it to simply browse files on my server and play them, so I installed the Serviio DLNA server (http://serviiowhs.codeplex.com/) and the Avia app does find this media (although some files are sporadically missing.) Playing them on Avia doesn't work at all, either on my phone or on Chromecast. I turned off transcoding on the server but I'm just generally confused at where the video processing is all taking place and where I want it to be taking place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on WHS 2011 now, but IIRC WHSv1 supports UPnP and Windows Media Connect. It might show up for DLNA, but I don't remember if Windows Media Connect is turned on by default. Regardless, DLNA alone won't help you if your media isn't in a Chromecast-compatible format.
usefulidiot127 said:
Ideally I'd like to just serve files up to my ChromeCast and have it perform all of the decoding/video processing, I think? Is that ever a realistic option or do I need to find something that is going to work better as DLNA server? Maybe a NAS with some kind of DLNA functionality built in? Anyone else have opinions on the best setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chromecast's processor is powerful, but nowhere near as flexible as a desktop computer. You can't necessarily automatically download and install software CODECs like you can on a desktop computer.
Think of it more like an iPod - unless the media was made to be compatible, there will likely need to be some amount of "preparation" (ie, transcoding) that needs to be done to make it compatible.
Your options would be to convert/transcode your media library so it's Chromecast compatible, use RealPlayer Cloud (which will require you to upload any incompatible media to RP Cloud where they'll do the transcoding for you via their SurePlay feature), or use Plex Media Server so you have on-the-fly transcoding.
bhiga said:
Hmm... Atom is fine for DLNA, but things that require transcoding (ie, Plex Media Server) will probably leave you wanting more horsepower.
I'm on WHS 2011 now, but IIRC WHSv1 supports UPnP and Windows Media Connect. It might show up for DLNA, but I don't remember if Windows Media Connect is turned on by default. Regardless, DLNA alone won't help you if your media isn't in a Chromecast-compatible format.
Chromecast's processor is powerful, but nowhere near as flexible as a desktop computer. You can't necessarily automatically download and install software CODECs like you can on a desktop computer.
Think of it more like an iPod - unless the media was made to be compatible, there will likely need to be some amount of "preparation" (ie, transcoding) that needs to be done to make it compatible.
Your options would be to convert/transcode your media library so it's Chromecast compatible, use RealPlayer Cloud (which will require you to upload any incompatible media to RP Cloud where they'll do the transcoding for you via their SurePlay feature), or use Plex Media Server so you have on-the-fly transcoding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm guessing I'm running into issues with Avia/ChromeCast because I have transcoding disabled and the media may not be in a format supported by Chromecast? I thought maybe since my android phones/tablets with MX Player can process just about any file, maybe the ChromeCast could as well. (Not taking into account that ChromeCast is a vastly cheaper device.)
My best option might just be to run Plex on my full powered desktop and treat my server as network attached storage. I'll just need to turn the PC on when I'm ready to Cast (surely there's an app out there to wake a desktop from sleep mode...)
usefulidiot127 said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm guessing I'm running into issues with Avia/ChromeCast because I have transcoding disabled and the media may not be in a format supported by Chromecast? I thought maybe since my android phones/tablets with MX Player can process just about any file, maybe the ChromeCast could as well. (Not taking into account that ChromeCast is a vastly cheaper device.)
My best option might just be to run Plex on my full powered desktop and treat my server as network attached storage. I'll just need to turn the PC on when I'm ready to Cast (surely there's an app out there to wake a desktop from sleep mode...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes - most likely your media isn't in a format Chromecast can play.
You can test it by shooting a 720p clip on your phone/tablet and throwing that onto your server - that should be playable by Chromecast unless you have an uber-fancy device that saves in a non-mainstream format.
MX Player is pretty awesome - it really makes good use of hardware decoding and such, but of course today's phones and tablets are closer to desktop computer than appliance-type devices like Chromecast.
Yes, probably your best bet it to run Plex on a reasonably-fast machine. It might be worth trying it on your WHS box too, though it might be slow to start stuff, depends. My WHS 2011 box is an Atom 330 (dual-core), it was a good upgrade from my previous Atom 230 (single-core) but its CPU isn't much faster than those found in some of the more-powerful NAS units. I just use it as a fileserver, so it's not a huge deal and the primary design factor was small form factor (it's mounted to a plate mounted on the back of my TV).
As long as the network connection between your server and your Plex Media Server machine is good, it should work well. For a while I was running pyTivo on my desktop to on-the-fly transcode stuff to play on my TiVos...
bhiga said:
Yes - most likely your media isn't in a format Chromecast can play.
You can test it by shooting a 720p clip on your phone/tablet and throwing that onto your server - that should be playable by Chromecast unless you have an uber-fancy device that saves in a non-mainstream format.
MX Player is pretty awesome - it really makes good use of hardware decoding and such, but of course today's phones and tablets are closer to desktop computer than appliance-type devices like Chromecast.
Yes, probably your best bet it to run Plex on a reasonably-fast machine. It might be worth trying it on your WHS box too, though it might be slow to start stuff, depends. My WHS 2011 box is an Atom 330 (dual-core), it was a good upgrade from my previous Atom 230 (single-core) but its CPU isn't much faster than those found in some of the more-powerful NAS units. I just use it as a fileserver, so it's not a huge deal and the primary design factor was small form factor (it's mounted to a plate mounted on the back of my TV).
As long as the network connection between your server and your Plex Media Server machine is good, it should work well. For a while I was running pyTivo on my desktop to on-the-fly transcode stuff to play on my TiVos...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Plex Server is running everything just fine off of an old Dell Dimension E510. The only upgrade I've made to that server was to boost the ram from 1gb to 4gb. It transcodes everything on the fly just fine. I'm quite surprised, actually.
jsdecker10 said:
My Plex Server is running everything just fine off of an old Dell Dimension E510. The only upgrade I've made to that server was to boost the ram from 1gb to 4gb. It transcodes everything on the fly just fine. I'm quite surprised, actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like your E510 is an 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 531 (or at least the one CNET reviewed was).
My Atom 330 is still kinda poopy in comparison, but this at least gives me enough hope to perhaps try Plex server and see how it fares.
Thanks for that!
bhiga said:
Looks like your E510 is an 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 531 (or at least the one CNET reviewed was).
My Atom 330 is still kinda poopy in comparison, but this at least gives me enough hope to perhaps try Plex server and see how it fares.
Thanks for that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, you may as well at least give it a shot and just see how it'll fare because I wasn't really too optimistic about mine being able to handle the duties of transcoding either...ie. from mkv, from avi, etc. But to my surprise, it did the job just fine n dandy & I've been MORE than satisfied with my setup so far.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Doesn't WHS come with Twonky Server? Or is that just some Brands of it?
Twonky will do transcoding but you might need to install FFMPEG and set it up to do it.
Tonky is probably the best at transcoding and very configurable so if WHS has it I would look into using that first.
Yes the Atom is probably underpowered for good transcoding but provided your source files aren't too High Quality I think it might cut it.
As for anyone looking for the BEST WAY...The choices are pretty slim right now....
You have ONLY two choices right now....
Plex and Plex apps OR DLNA server and aVia and I think we established that aVia even with DLNA server that transcodes doesn't always mean a CCast compatible stream.
Maybe Bubble solves that or maybe some other player does but until they are released those are really the only two choices and answers anyone can give for people without a rooted CCast.
I'm having best luck using PlayOn/Avia. PlayOn uses VLC player so can stream just about any format, haven't found one yet it can't do. Avia can fine PlayOn server via DLNC. Also doesn't require too much CPU, have even used a netbook as PlayOn server and works really well. Plus, you get all the PlayOn channels, which is a bunch.
xenokc said:
I'm having best luck using PlayOn/Avia. PlayOn uses VLC player so can stream just about any format, haven't found one yet it can't do. Avia can fine PlayOn server via DLNC. Also doesn't require too much CPU, have even used a netbook as PlayOn server and works really well. Plus, you get all the PlayOn channels, which is a bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the PlayOn app will soon support CCast as well, At least they are advertising that as coming very soon.
Like I said there are going to be more options coming out soon that will change whatever answer is given today which is why I caution anyone from re-encoding their Library trying to fix a temporary problem!
Asphyx said:
And the PlayOn app will soon support CCast as well, At least they are advertising that as coming very soon.
Like I said there are going to be more options coming out soon that will change whatever answer is given today which is why I caution anyone from re-encoding their Library trying to fix a temporary problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear CCast support is coming for PLayOn. Works OK with Avia but direct support will be great. The best thing about PlayOn is that is uses VLC Player so just about every format supported as well as low CPU needs.
xenokc said:
Good to hear CCast support is coming for PLayOn. Works OK with Avia but direct support will be great. The best thing about PlayOn is that is uses VLC Player so just about every format supported as well as low CPU needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it may use VLC to play on Android but there is no guarantee it will use VLC on the CCast.
It is my hope that VLC (and all Player apps that are out there) will support CCast and create a DIAL registered Player App for Chromecast that other programs could use as well.
Asphyx said:
Well it may use VLC to play on Android but there is no guarantee it will use VLC on the CCast.
It is my hope that VLC (and all Player apps that are out there) will support CCast and create a DIAL registered Player App for Chromecast that other programs could use as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually PlayOn uses VLC on the server side, not the client side.
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
The S3 Kid said:
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I've been wondering why this isn't working for me in OmniROM. Is this a standard feature/option even on the stock ROM for KitKat? Or are you using OmniROM as well? It doesn't detect my Chromecast. Thanks.
ritzxda said:
Ah, I've been wondering why this isn't working for me in OmniROM. Is this a standard feature/option even on the stock ROM for KitKat? Or are you using OmniROM as well? It doesn't detect my Chromecast. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KitKat is Miracast certified. Problem is, Chromecast doesn't support Miracast, at least not today...
bhiga said:
KitKat is Miracast certified. Problem is, Chromecast doesn't support Miracast, at least not today...
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Click to collapse
Ah got it! Thank you. I thought it was something new due to the new "Cast" option in the settings. Thanks.
xenokc said:
Actually PlayOn uses VLC on the server side, not the client side.
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Click to collapse
Thanks didn't know that.
The S3 Kid said:
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you mean on your KitKat Phone, as @bhiga noted thats for Miracast not CCast. You can however cast a screen from a Desktop Browser. It may be possible in the future to do screen mirroring as there is code in KitKat to do it but from what Koush sees it seems like it will be up to the manufacturer to cook it into the ROM which says to me it will need driver support in the Kernel to work.
Lets hope I'm dead wrong about that!
I have Plex, Twonky, Subsonic, Air Video, and from the 4, only 2 show up as DLNA on my network (plex and twonky) Now, I modified my Subsonic to play from the browser locally as well as remotely so I guess Chrome + anything that plays on chrome could be casted to Chromecast, correct?
Will try it out... Also, I can play Plex from Chrome browser, going to see if I can get a fullscreen going..
EDIT: I got all 3 Plex, Subsonic and Twonky to stream in fullscreen (but from Chrome it has a 720p limit - lame...) ---another note, for Twonky, when you pick the media, you have to cast the opened tab, not the one you are currently on when you select the media like the other 2, just like when you drag and drop .mp3 or .mkv to Chrome, whichever tab opens, you cast that one, only problem is when I drag an MKV to Chrome I get no sound, so I will stick to Plex/Subsonic/Twonky when playing .MKV... Saves me having to run an HDMI cable to the TV, I think it's still worth the $35 even if I can't root it
m4f1050 said:
EDIT: I got all 3 Plex, Subsonic and Twonky to stream in fullscreen (but from Chrome it has a 720p limit - lame...) ---another note, for Twonky, when you pick the media, you have to cast the opened tab, not the one you are currently on when you select the media like the other 2, just like when you drag and drop .mp3 or .mkv to Chrome, whichever tab opens, you cast that one, only problem is when I drag an MKV to Chrome I get no sound, so I will stick to Plex/Subsonic/Twonky when playing .MKV... Saves me having to run an HDMI cable to the TV, I think it's still worth the $35 even if I can't root it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Playing video via Chrome + Cast extension is more like playing video through remote desktop rather than playing directly. It's the least desirable solution for video playback, though a reasonable fallback in most cases.

Streaming XBMC to Chromecast

Would you like to stream XBMC through Avia to Chromecast?
Put this https://www.dropbox.com/s/d8pl1adtlo8rp90/playercorefactory.xml in sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata
Now Avia is the player allowing you to chromecast.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Wow thanks, worked perfectly. Just a note, I had to clear the cache for my xbmc app to get it to load first.
Can't get it to work.. any more details on how to make it work?
What your doing with XBMC is not all that different than what you do with aVia using Plex...
The difference is XBMC has no transcoding capability on it's DLNA server so if the files are not CCast compatible you may run into some issues with those.
It will work as will any DLNA server you could be running.
Can u tell me step by step to cast from xbmc app ?
I have xbmc app in my Nexus 4.
Oh I was using 1channel and streaming I guess that don't work.
Yeah, thanks for this, but how do I get xbmc to stream to cc? I have this file in where you said, and i have cleared cache for both avia and xbmc, but I see no cc button in xbmc or anything like that. how do I get all 3 to see each other?
stewwmann said:
Yeah, thanks for this, but how do I get xbmc to stream to cc? I have this file in where you said, and i have cleared cache for both avia and xbmc, but I see no cc button in xbmc or anything like that. how do I get all 3 to see each other?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't stream it from XBMC you are just routing it through aVia....
It would seem that all your doing is adding player profiles to XBMC (android) which may make it work or be seen by aVia.
Ya I installed like u said but still not sure how to stream.
All I did too get this to work was follow the first post, cleared caches and rebooted my S4. I launched xbmc and When I picked what I wanted to watch avia launched and I hit the cast button. All was good depending on what file type the show in.
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
argonzal said:
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the format. Some sources work fine, some doesn't.
Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk
I couldn't get this to work with the build from official XBMC site, but is working well with XAF build from here.
http://www.xbmcandroid.com/2013/05/...-xaf-custom-build-of-xbmc-for-android-is-out/
If installing XAF build you will need to uninstall official build first as it is signed differently (you can back up with XBMC Backup).
argonzal said:
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jasenko said:
Depends on the format. Some sources work fine, some doesn't.
Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many of those channels use streaming methods that are incompatible with CCast at this point in time. It's a good bet that if the streams require an external player ext in Chrome to play, they will not work on the CCast since it has no ability to add extensions to it's limited Chrome implementation.
Many of those channels are available freely on the web and may even be made available in Real Player as channels. (Not sure I don't have Real Player installed) so that might be the way to see that content on CCast.
Unfortunately it is not likely that something like Plex that has transcoding will be able to transcode those files due to the fact that they are streams and not files and Transcoders don't like to wait around for input.
Me personally while I like the channel capabilities in XBMC and Plex I would much rather the content providers support CCast in their own Apps which most have available because then when they change their system for storage their App will change to reflect that as opposed to jst stop working which is common with Channels on Plex and XBMC,
OH and for the record I'm not sure but it seems very likely that the OP was referring to XBMC for Android not XBMC for other Operating systems as far as local content is concerned.
And while it may be true the fact is aVia should be able to see the same files XBMC Android can see on the device and since XBMC does not transcode at all you really not gaining anything other than the importing of the XBMC library to make navigation easier.
Asphyx said:
Unfortunately it is not likely that something like Plex that has transcoding will be able to transcode those files due to the fact that they are streams and not files and Transcoders don't like to wait around for input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
DJames1 said:
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't find it all that interesting...Roku is a much more robust box than Chromecast is. It doesn't rely on a single browser for everything the way CCast does.
CCast is not meant as another version of Roku, It is another version of Miracast and if you look it in that way you see Chromecast is far superior to what it is competing with.
and truth is as recently as a year ago Roku didn't even support DLNA at all....
It took a 3rd Party developer to create an APP that would see and play DLNA content.
DJames1 said:
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't have any real data to prove it, but it seems like Plex tries to route the external stream through the server to your device and then to Chromecast. I managed to start a couple of streams (out of about 20 that I tried) through Plex and unsupported channels, but XBMC was perfect every time providing Chromecast supports the format and the stream was available on the third party site. I mainly wanted and was playing around with XBMC on Android to be able to watch the stuff from some of the channels, but vGET just "killed" that fun for me, working perfectly so far for everything I tried.
When searching through sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata. I couldn't find the userdata folder so I created one. Tried to place the file into it and no luck, even tried placing it in the /files folder. I'm testing this on my HP touchpad jellybean 4.3
jasenko said:
Don't have any real data to prove it, but it seems like Plex tries to route the external stream through the server to your device and then to Chromecast. I managed to start a couple of streams (out of about 20 that I tried) through Plex and unsupported channels, but XBMC was perfect every time providing Chromecast supports the format and the stream was available on the third party site. I mainly wanted and was playing around with XBMC on Android to be able to watch the stuff from some of the channels, but vGET just "killed" that fun for me, working perfectly so far for everything I tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe (and I'm guessing) Plex is (as far as channels are concerned) is trying to do what aVia currently does with content only instead of the player acting as the middleman Plex tries to use the server.
But I don't believe it is transcoding as much as merely stripping the feed from the source web it came from and sending you just the video stream part.
Same here. Çant find the user data file.
frostyguy said:
When searching through sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata. I couldn't find the userdata folder so I created one. Tried to place the file into it and no luck, even tried placing it in the /files folder. I'm testing this on my HP touchpad jellybean 4.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Not sure of best way to stream from computer

Well I have had a Chromecast for some time now. I have been lurking for some time now but can't quite figure out what is the best solution for me.
Here is what I am looking to do.. I have quite a few workout dvd's that the Wife and I use, Yoga and the such. I want to eliminate the need to use the dvd player... my goal is to have everything ripped to my desktop, then use my phone to control what is displayed on the chromecast? especially since i have multiple chromecasts.....I just can't figure out what combination of apps I need to accomplish it... I have used ALLCast but the video will mess up during streaming... (Galaxy S3)
I am assuming I need some sort of media server service running on my desktop..(Plex?)
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!
cdrshm
Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.
@DJames1 hit it on the head.
Since I have multiple players, I'm waiting for My Movies to release Chromecast support, but I suspect it might be a while...
DJames1 said:
Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW! This works perfect! Thanks for helping me out! It works better than expected!!
Thanks Again!!
cdrshm
+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!
You can also browse files in the chrome browser, such as your movie folder. And simply cast from that. Works instantly, easily, casts in the same quality the file is in, and requires no additional software or set up.
For instance, my data drive is F, I just browse to file:///F:/ on chrome, select my movies folder and start the video then cast from the browser.
^^ That's tab-casting. While it works as long as your computer is fast enough, it has several issues compared to the recommended solution:
1. It puts a heavier workload on your PC due to Google's rather inefficient tab-casting code.
2. Even with a high-performance PC, the video tends to stutter a little when tab-casting.
3. It has to be controlled from the PC. The OP said that he has an Android phone he wants to use as the controller.
If the OP were interested in trying streaming from Chrome, he would be better off to use the newly-renamed Videostream extension for Chrome mentioned in another thread here. It offers much smoother performance than tab-casting.
I use serviio on my computer and Avia on my devices. Works great.
I use Logitech Media Server with avia and it works perfectly...
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk
^^ Also good solutions, but Avia isn't quite free, and they would require the OP to install a new media server on his PC.
Any good solution for mac os?
2fastkuztoms said:
Any good solution for mac os?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plex is probably the easiest option but it currently requires PlexPass subscription as it's still getting the kinks worked out.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
You could use any DLNA server that runs on Mac along with BubbleUPnP as the controller on Android. I would probably choose Serviio.
Asphyx said:
+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed Windows Media Server sucks. Install the free BubbleUPnP Server side app on your PC. Pay for the pro license of BubbleUPnP on Android and not only can you stream your PC media to Chromecast but you can stream through your PS3 and you can remotely watch all of your videos on your Android device or anyone else's media server in the world
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Recommendation for Most Efficient Casting

Hey all,
I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to keep up with a lot of the new apps and methods for casting. Since the SDK release, things have really been moving quickly. A lot of the apps seem to offer the same features, but some here or there offer something new. It's hard sifting through them and finding those new features though.
Would you guys like to suggest what you have found to be your preferred method of casting? Do you convert your vids, or upload them (like with Real), or just cast direct ...etc
As it stands for me right now, I'm on Windows and using the VideoStream extension in Chrome. From my phone, I'm using either Avia or Allcast. Not sure if I could be doing this more efficiently.
Tried XBMC, BubbleUPnP, Wonder Share Media Center and some other more exotic ways to cast from my computer and, for me, Plex is the way to go.
Especially since it no longer requires a Plex Pass subscription.
A one time 5$ fee for the app and I can cast everything on my computer and control it from my phone.
ataft said:
Hey all,
I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to keep up with a lot of the new apps and methods for casting. Since the SDK release, things have really been moving quickly. A lot of the apps seem to offer the same features, but some here or there offer something new. It's hard sifting through them and finding those new features though.
Would you guys like to suggest what you have found to be your preferred method of casting? Do you convert your vids, or upload them (like with Real), or just cast direct ...etc
As it stands for me right now, I'm on Windows and using the VideoStream extension in Chrome. From my phone, I'm using either Avia or Allcast. Not sure if I could be doing this more efficiently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Plex for most everything except local casting, and Chrome Beta (with experimental chromecast support enabled in flags) for streaming things like dailymotion, etc (tried LocalCast for this but it just never worked for me), Chrome Beta does it perfectly, adds the chromecast icon to the video and everything...plex DOES have channels, dailymotion being one of them and it works just as well, but it's nice to have it all in Chrome.
As for device to TV casting I use Solid Explorer with the free chromecast plugin.
There are a lot of Apps but there is no KILLER App yet to date....None that just DOES EVERYTHING...
You have Two distinct Groups of Apps...Players and Media Servers (Media Servers being a bit more comprehensive as they also include players to interface with their system)
You're (currently) going to need one of both types to be able to stream everything you might want to stream to a CCast.
Media Servers - Include Bubble UPnP and Plex. (PlayOn is another system but I'm not sure they have added their CCast support yet)
Media Servers usually work in conjunction with a more powerful computer running the server part of the system that can do things like convert (Transcode) media to be compatible (playable) on any device including a CCast, and make your media available via DLNA, UPnP or via a custom Cloud Service.These server systems in most cases do not stream content stored on your local (android) device (some like BubbleUPnP can), but they remove the need to store content on your device altogether by making a master media library server that can be accessed anywhere (even remotely). Some Media Servers will also allow you to sync content locally (Plex does not sure about Bubble) to a device when required so you can view that content even when no Network access is available (think in a Plane or when the only Network is a metered Mobile Data account.) These servers also have corresponding player apps to interface with their servers for best results.
Plex and Bubble are very different in many respects and make a very good symbiotic pair. Running Both gives you a great deal of power as far as what can be streamed and streamed specifically to a CCast due to the transcoding that is available.
Bubble UPnP - can play local DEVICE (aka Android Device) stored content and in conjunction with it's server counterpart (running on a PC) can transcode that media for playback on the CCast when needed. I will also note that Bubble currently has the edge on the CCast Player side support due to it's client (CCast Player) side Subtitle overlay, and if I read his changelog correctly last night will support multiple Audio Tracks during transcode. The ONLY thing Bubble is missing is the actual Media Library service. It can Aggregate content from DLNA,and UPnP sources that exist on the network but has no ability to include Media folders. So it requires a Plex like Server or an NAS with UPnP capability to collect the media it will display. It can however also use Windows Media sharing to get it's content. Not the best option (IMO) but it will work and since Bubble will do the transcoding should work better than Windows Media Sharing does by itself. The developer of Bubble is a regular poster here and can answer any questions you might have (or correct my stupidity if I have Misinformed) . I myself run Both Plex and Bubble on my main Media Server/HTPC
Plex Media Server (PMS) - is a full fledged DLNA server and Library system. You point it to Media folders based on content type (Movies, TV, Music, Photos, etc) It will scrape those contents to find metadata which includes cover art, Description of title, even Actors and Genre. It saves all of this info in a database that can be used to create a very nice looking display of your content, organized and tidy. The server runs on a PC and the Player app (Plex for Android and iOS) will only work with content stored and configured on that PLEX server's database(other DLNA sources will not show up). There is a way to include Local DEVICE stored content into the server but it's complicated, and that content requires the device to be on in order to stream to other devices. Plex also creates a home cloud situation where you can stream directly anywhere you are or SYNC to be able to play content when network is not available. Plex Transcodes media for compatibility and also has Channel support which is important to the cord cutters. Not all channels are CCast compatible but when the rest of the web world catches up to modern standards and makes their content HTML5 compliant that issue will go away. Plex also has a website that can send content to CCast from a PC using Chrome with the Googlecast Ext installed. And if you and your friends all run Plex server you can share content from those servers with each other.
If you run both systems you get the majority of what you need for streaming to the CCast with the exception of Live Browser (Tab Casting)
Bubble will handle the local streaming, Plex will supply the DLNA/UPnP component Bubble requires.
Now onto the other type of software that is where the 99,000 options will eventually be seen....
Media Players - Currently there are half a dozen options available (aVia, Real Player, YournamehereCast, you get the idea)
Most of these are no different than your typical Android media player with the exception being they have added the ability to find and send content to a CCast. In most cases no transcoding is possible which means it only works if the content you want to play is already CCast compatible. Think of every media player you have ever seen in the Play store...IMO they will ALL have CCast ability at some point if they want to stay in the game. The winner being the one who figures out how to get the CCast to play the most media types without the need to transcode. (Think MX Player's ability to support media that Android native can't support only this time it's the CCast that it adds the capability to.) Many of the players you find that support CCast also support flinging to DLNA renderers on the local network which is nice if you also have ROKU or an XBMC HTPC running on your network.
These Media players can see media from a variety of sources (including Local DEVICE stored media and those DLNA/UPnP/Cloud Storage servers) but the caveat is the transcoding is not there. (Real Player Cloud will transcode but only content that is stored on their cloud service.)
The one big advantage of a good Media player with CCast support is that it can make content from apps that support an external player but do not have CCast support able to stream to a CCast. You launch the media and when it asks for which player select a CCast compatible player and that player will then give that app CCast support. This is how some are getting XBMC to stream to CCast as well as some apps like Movie Browser UPnP. So even if you have a full fledged media server running it sure doesn't hurt to have a Media Player with CCast support that can give you some CCast capability even if your favorite media app doesn't support CCast by itself yet. But that app MUST support external players which most do these days.
My hope is MX Player or VLC eventually supports CCast because of all the players I have tried over the years those two seemed to be the best ones to use.
There are quite a few extension options that add capability to stream via the chrome browser. I don't use any of them (other than the GoogleCast extension that is required for PlexTV, and YouTube Web to work.) With that extension installed the websites will show the CCast icon on the player controls so you can fling content from PC. I'll let someone else talk about the other extensions that are available for PC and Browsers because like I said above with Bubble and Plex combined I have pretty much everything I need as far as Media flinging to CCast is concerned.
[EDIT] I listed Allcast as a Media Player but after thinking about that it isn't so much a player as it is a Media Flinger so I removed it from the list.) I consider anything Koush does to be a Must have app so get it and buy it if you haven't already!
You ought to talk to bhiga about getting that post into his faq.
using serviio in my computer. I have a post with more info.
caifaz said:
using serviio in my computer. I have a post with more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I tend to shy away from anything Java based and the two media servers I mentioned are Free.
The Players for those servers may have a puchase involved but the server itself I believe is free to use which makes them work for just about any player you want to use.
---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 PM ----------
EarlyMon said:
You ought to talk to bhiga about getting that post into his faq.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL he knows he is free to take anything I say he feels is useful and put it in the faq...
Problem is what I said will most likely change in a week so it probably should stay out just to avoid having to remove them later when things change.
Asphyx said:
LOL he knows he is free to take anything I say he feels is useful and put it in the faq...
Problem is what I said will most likely change in a week so it probably should stay out just to avoid having to remove them later when things change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was lazy and linked.
So far I have setup a Plex Media Server and connected it to Bubble UPnP+Server. Don't see why I would need to get(/pay for plex app) anything else?
Ok so the difference between Bubble and Plex that I notice is that Bubble can play local files?
Edit: and that bubble kills my wifi?
I second the request for MX Player supports CC in the near future.
MOLON LABE
bhiga said:
I was lazy and linked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL You deserve to rest and save your strength for the important stuff! LOL
---------- Post added at 03:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 AM ----------
Zyphur said:
So far I have setup a Plex Media Server and connected it to Bubble UPnP+Server. Don't see why I would need to get(/pay for plex app) anything else?
Ok so the difference between Bubble and Plex that I notice is that Bubble can play local files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Android yes...On PC it requires a DLNA or UPnP source to be active and available to aggregate.
If Bubble adds a full Media Library with database and scraping you wouldn't even need the Plex server....
me personally I love the interface, Local Sync and Share capability of Plex. If you have PlexPass (I Do) then you don't need to pay for the app. But then again it costs more to have PlexPass than it does to buy the $5 app.
Asphyx said:
LOL You deserve to rest and save your strength for the important stuff! LOL
---------- Post added at 03:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 AM ----------
On Android yes...On PC it requires a DLNA or UPnP source to be active and available to aggregate.
If Bubble adds a full Media Library with database and scraping you wouldn't even need the Plex server....
me personally I love the interface, Local Sync and Share capability of Plex. If you have PlexPass (I Do) then you don't need to pay for the app. But then again it costs more to have PlexPass than it does to buy the $5 app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love love love the Plex server interface, so I'm just using that with the Plex app now. Bubble kept killing my wifi, and didn't do anything extra.
Zyphur said:
I love love love the Plex server interface, so I'm just using that with the Plex app now. Bubble kept killing my wifi, and didn't do anything extra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's App does play local DEVICE stored media which Plex Apps don't do....
Good reason to have both. Not sure why Bubble would kill your WiFi....No issues here...
Asphyx said:
Asphyx said:
Well it's App does play local DEVICE stored media which Plex Apps don't do....
Good reason to have both. Not sure why Bubble would kill your WiFi....No issues here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I noticed that, but I put things on my plex server before I put it on my phone anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bubble handles subs way more efficient. My plex server doesn't have the balls to transcode so anything that needs subs (think forced subs) makes bubble a must in my situation
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
sherdog16 said:
Bubble handles subs way more efficient. My plex server doesn't have the balls to transcode so anything that needs subs (think forced subs) makes bubble a must in my situation
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why I noted in my post that Bubble currently has the edge on CCast support because it does more on the client side where it SHOULD!
I haven't really had time to test his new version which is supposed to transcode and keep multitrack audio but that in itself would be another major innovation that puts Bubble ahead of Plex from a pure CCast support POV.
I have AllCast, LocalCast, and Bubble.
I now use Bubble exclusively. It was the easiest to plug and play with my current setup.
1. I can cast direct to the chromecast from phone or tablet local storage using the respective device.
2. I can cast tablet local storage using my phone and vice-versa. Also really cool. (And no it doesn't have to go thru the "caster" if you will. My phone can tell the CC to get content direct from tablet)
3. I have movies on my Windows PC. By enabling media sharing (and Wake-on-Lan!) I can use my portable to tell CC to access my PC media directly. I know its direct cause I can turn off my portable and it still plays. Also, if I open Bubble on another device (or restart on initial device,) it picks up right where it should (slider position, play/pause status, etc.) You can also enable (.srt) subtitles. These are sent directly from your portable tho. But this takes very little CPU and battery to do. Plus you can control the font, color, etc. easily. I'm able to cast the subtitles from my Windows PC as well. Simple as it could possibly be.
4. My content is all MP4 with AAC audio so I don't need any transcoding, but if you need it, install the Bubble "server" on your Windows PC. I quote it like that since its not really a server in my sense of the word. Its a wrapper for your current server (it works with several, easiest of all your built-in windows media server) and can transcode on the fly and offer a web control interface.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Not sure why people were hating on the chromecast, i think it's excellent.
I just purchased one yesterday and set up plex off my home server. Working great so far!!!
Hey guys, I've had my Chromecast for 2 days and found something that seems to be amazing (and still being developed).
It is a Chrome browser extension named Videostream for Google Chromecast.
It is free, simple to use, and seemingly great quality.
They have a website if any of you are interested.
www.getvideostream.com
I have tested it with some music videos (.mp4, 720p) and anime (.mkv, 720p, embedded .ass subs don't display at the moment, for me at least).
Hope this helps everybody, and sorry if it is general knowledge. :laugh:
Got my Chromecast yesterday, within 30 mins have got the free Plex Server installed on my Laptop which holds copies of all my media (music, photos and video), and installed the paid Plex app as a client on phone and tablet and happily streaming media.....:good:
Later on I also installed BubbleUPnP on the client devices, which appears to do a better job as a Plex Server client than the Plex App itself.
Playlisting / Shuffle etc across all media types, along with ability to cast media on the device are the main 'killer' features in BubbleUPnP lacking as far as I can tell in the Plex App and it seems a little faster overall to get the stream running. So I bought a license (don't think I actually needed one for my usage, but gotta reward good development). I don't mind paying for the Plex app either, even if I'm not likely to use it much, given that the Plex server software is free.
But for those with tight pockets it does appears that the free Plex Server plus free BubbleUPnP app is a viable solution if all the media is already Chromecast compatible (which mine mostly was) and doesn't require transcoding. And if it's not Handbrake to convert to Chromecast format is also free.
Also good excuse for a tidy up - do I really still need to keep the entire 6 seasons of LOST having watched the lot at least 4 times....??? :silly:
Anyway the purpose of this post really is to say thank-you to Bhiga for maintaining an excellent FAQ and Asphyx for the informative posts in this thread and others. Without the background reading I'm sure I'd have been messing around until the small hours yesterday trying to get things set up rather than relaxing with a couple of films that have been sat on my hard drive for months unwatched.

WD My Cloud and chromecast

Hello
How can I stream videos/TV shows from a WD My Cloud to my chromecast ?
Open the cloud drive on a desktop computer. Select the Shared folder you want to access... right click on it and then choose Map to Drive. This will give it a location on the laptop that anything that can access its file system can see.
Next, get a Plex account, download the Plex Media Server, and connect it to your account online (it is free with a few small limitations). Specifically, you will be asked to provide different folders for where your media is.... this is where you choose the drive that you mapped your WD cloud to.
From there, you can log in to Plex.tv and Cast your movies.
So to recap, they go from your Cloud drive to your laptop which is read by Plex and showed on their website despite being locally read by Plex Server from that hard drive letter which maps to that virtual drive, and then Plex servers get permission from Google servers to put up an https url on your Chromecast which is told by plex.tv to load a url from your local server which transcodes the file you want to see.
Tib44 said:
Hello
How can I stream videos/TV shows from a WD My Cloud to my chromecast ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you need is any DLNA and CCast capable player app.
WD Cloud has a DLNA server built in.
Not sure what they are using these days but they used to run Twonky Server on their NAS units so you can start there.
But most DLNA servers on a NAS do not transcode due to lack of power so you might want to look into what @primetechv2 said and have a PC run either Plex or BubbleuPnP server so you never have to worry if your files are CCast compatible.
Tib44 said:
Hello
How can I stream videos/TV shows from a WD My Cloud to my chromecast ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a WD My Book LIve and I use AVIA app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.videon.android.mediaplayer) to stream directly, using Nexus 10, to my chromecast without having to use PC. It can see all the folders on my drive that I have shared over my network.
Only other thing I had to do was upgrade Twonky software to newer version as version 5 that came on drive was out of date and wouldn't play .mp4 files. Instructions I got to do this was here
http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/foru...to-upgrade-to-twonky-7-version-my-book-live-o
I'm not sure exactly what software will be on your newer model drive but if you have Twonky 7 or other similar software this should work for you. Perhaps try the Avia app first and see if it works before changing anything on your drive.
dpjohnston said:
I have a WD My Book LIve and I use AVIA app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.videon.android.mediaplayer) to stream directly, using Nexus 10, to my chromecast without having to use PC. It can see all the folders on my drive that I have shared over my network.
Only other thing I had to do was upgrade Twonky software to newer version as version 5 that came on drive was out of date and wouldn't play .mp4 files. Instructions I got to do this was here
http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/foru...to-upgrade-to-twonky-7-version-my-book-live-o
I'm not sure exactly what software will be on your newer model drive but if you have Twonky 7 or other similar software this should work for you. Perhaps try the Avia app first and see if it works before changing anything on your drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just going to point out that you need to purchase a new license for Twonky 7 to do the above mentioned upgrade from Twonky 5.
If your unit already comes with Twonky 7 then no need to upgrade is likely needed. But even if it is your OEM License should work.
Ok so I hesitated between WD MyCloud and a synology NAS
I think it will be better if I use DS Video on a Synology beetween DLNA,
I already try DLNA (before I have a chromecast) with my usb port on my router and my TV and It didn't works great a lot of video didn't work so I think it will be the same if I use mycloud in DLNA
right ?
Tib44 said:
Ok so I hesitated between WD MyCloud and a synology NAS
I think it will be better if I use DS Video on a Synology beetween DLNA,
I already try DLNA (before I have a chromecast) with my usb port on my router and my TV and It didn't works great a lot of video didn't work so I think it will be the same if I use mycloud in DLNA
right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on what DLNA server you are running as they are not all equal.
The reason some files work and others don't is due to container (mp4, mkv, avi) and Codec (H.264, Cinepack, MPEG-4, MJPEG) incompatibilities of the player application or device.
You either need to manually re-encode the incompatible files to a format that is compatible with all your devices and players (Usualt H.264 with AAC Audio) or use a DLNA Server that can Transcode the video on the fly to a compatible format for your target device.
Twonky 7 does the latter when run on a proper computer but may not be available and disabled in a low processing power device such as the WD My Cloud drives.
Plex also does this but again it is probably not available for your unit since it ships with Twonky instead. And again you have the same issue with transcode is not supported on some units due to a lack of power to transcode....
My suggestion is to figure out what files you are having problems playing, and what seems to work well. Re-Encode the non working files to MP4/H.264/AAC (or MKV/H.264/AAC if you can play this container type) in Handbrake (computer required) so that all of your library is compatible without the need to transcode.
You will probably also save yourself some space on the drive in the process and all your files will pretty much play on any device.
ok but I really don't want to have to re encode/ convert my incompotible videos. It takes time and I have to do it manually (I think)
Tib44 said:
ok but I really don't want to have to re encode/ convert my incompotible videos. It takes time and I have to do it manually (I think)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand but you have to realize that the CCast doesn't play some containers or codecs and the only way to get them to work is to either run a server that does the transcoding when needed or to do it manually.
ok so if I understand I have to buy a synology with for exemple a plex server to let it transcode my video automatically. I can't do this with a WD MyCloud
If I buy a MyCloud I will have to re encode my video manually if it doesn't works
that's it ?
Tib44 said:
ok so if I understand I have to buy a synology with for exemple a plex server to let it transcode my video automatically. I can't do this with a WD MyCloud
If I buy a MyCloud I will have to re encode my video manually if it doesn't works
that's it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably can't do it with a synology either....It depends on the power of the unit you buy...
Most NAS units do not have a processor capable of transcoding. Only the high end units do.
And plex will disable transcode on units that they feel are underpowered.
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200375666-Stand-Alone-Server
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/sections/200286217
Here is a spreadsheet that tells you what is supported by Plex on the various NAS units available.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...5-Ac4oOLPRtCkgUxU0jdj3tmMPc/htmlview?sle=true
But I'll tell you right now...The NAS units that do support transcode are all going to cost upwards of $1K US
So it really comes down to what do you think is worth to you?
Buying a unit that will do the work for you or doing the work once and be able to use those files on any NAS device you can afford?
There are Programs you can get that will do batch conversion for you as well.
Anyone willing to try this... Plex running fine on MyCloud independent of PC / laptop
http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-My-Cloud/Clean-debian-and-OpenMediaVault-on-WDMyCloud/td-p/785505
I'm a little nervous to give it a go as I have no idea about what all the Unix commands do so need to do some background reading before I jump in
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