Database Develop

Olympic games + Chromecast

Hi,
I was wondering, since the olympic games in Sotsji 2014 is going to start tomorrow, is there a way to stream the games Live to Chromecast.
I have an android with Allcast, Vget, Plex, Avia..
Thanks in advance,
LTKort

ltkort said:
I was wondering, since the olympic games in Sotsji 2014 is going to start tomorrow, is there a way to stream the games Live to Chromecast.
I have an android with Allcast, Vget, Plex, Avia..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything based on YouTube would be out as live streams are not supported - unless someone's uploading delayed content in chunks.

Was thinking of a solution with a livestream on a website, I thought maybe it would work with vGet + Avia

ltkort said:
Was thinking of a solution with a livestream on a website, I thought maybe it would work with vGet + Avia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll all depend on the stream format.
When using vGet, sometimes it's advantageous to use the mobile version of a website rather than the desktop version as mobile versions tend to use mobile-optimized MPEG-4 rather than Silverlight or other streaming technologies. Resolution may be reduced, however, so it really depends on the provider.
Popular sites often use m.whatever or mobile.whatever instead of www.whatever
Alternatively you can use a user agent switcher in your browser to send a mobile browser's user agent.

Do you not have OTA HD stations around where you live? I know its not as elegant as the Chromecast, but it should be available for free on your local NBC network.
Short of that, you will need to find a stream in the appropriate x264/AAC format..

YouTube is showing a live feed of the Olympic Games beginning at 12PM EST tomorrow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu0zLpbQQa8
EDIT:
Whatever it was which wasn't working when it was stated was removed by YouTube for violations.

Louer Adun said:
Do you not have OTA HD stations around where you live? I know its not as elegant as the Chromecast, but it should be available for free on your local NBC network.
Short of that, you will need to find a stream in the appropriate x264/AAC format..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats NBC main channel....which is not showing any live events, only tape-delayed highlights. And even then, many big events (like ice hockey) will not even be shown on there at all.
I would like to know if anyone found a solution yet.

evilmrt said:
Thats NBC main channel....which is not showing any live events, only tape-delayed highlights. And even then, many big events (like ice hockey) will not even be shown on there at all.
I would like to know if anyone found a solution yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Broadcasting live might be difficult because of the huge time zone difference. How many people are willing to watch a event after midnight?

Not a Chromecast solution, unfortunately, but the NBC Sports Live Extra app has quite a bit of live content. It'd be nice to find a way to cast it.
EDIT: you can cast some live content from your PC via nbcolympics.com, but you do need to have an account with a participating cable supplier.

oppy said:
Not a Chromecast solution, unfortunately, but the NBC Sports Live Extra app has quite a bit of live content. It'd be nice to find a way to cast it.
EDIT: you can cast some live content from your PC via nbcolympics.com, but you do need to have an account with a participating cable supplier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At http://www.nbcolympics.com/olympics-live-extra-schedule witch is dated the 7th much is shown to replay because it takes place in the AM. Some are listed as live. I did select on one but didn't follow through with selected my provider, etc. Not sure it an event already completed.
EDIT
Found today's schedule and what's live or not, picked Luge, signed in to my U-Verse account and so far all I've seen is ads! I'm using IE but if happened to be using Chrome, you should be able to cast to the CC. After half dozen or so ads, I give up!

wptski said:
Found today's schedule and what's live or not, picked Luge, signed in to my U-Verse account and so far all I've seen is ads! I'm using IE but if happened to be using Chrome, you should be able to cast to the CC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's not great. Can't do fullscreen unless you keep it that way on the computer. And the framerate is terrible - at least this morning.

VPN to Europe
I've had good results using tunnelbear (or your preferred VPN) and viewing coverage from european sites, such as BBC Sport. Both live and on-demand videos available. Surf there in your browser, then cast the tab to chromecast. Not perfect, but no commercials and/or pink-eye distractions!

Android chrome to chromecast

Hey im new to this chromecast. I can see my chrome browser on the pc but not on android, how can I do that? Sijce here are very experienced users oj chromecast can someone describe the full working potentials this device has?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

You cant do squat with Chrome on Android yet for some odd reason.

Tab casting from Chrome uses the host CPU to re-encode the video and stream it to the Chromecast on-the-fly. Tablet and phone CPUs don't have enough processing power. That's why there's no Chromecast extension for Chrome on your portable device.

Well that sucks bc there is possibilities with this chromecast. I downloaded the allcast and obviously updated my google services. I cast a picture and it doesnt show normal, shows rotated to the left. Can you cast from the gallery vids and photos?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

The man problem is the fact that Android Chrome does not support Chrome Apps and Extensions.
Something I'm told Google is working on...

Asphyx said:
The man problem is the fact that Android Chrome does not support Chrome Apps and Extensions.
Something I'm told Google is working on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea they better be working on it, this has been out couple months now they need to update more
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Google is working on a way to mirror your android screen to the chromecast and we know this because on kitkat roms theres an option to cast screen but isn't quite working yet. Its only been coded in but thats it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

tooblackforjack said:
Google is working on a way to mirror your android screen to the chromecast and we know this because on kitkat roms theres an option to cast screen but isn't quite working yet. Its only been coded in but thats it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KitKat roms have Miracast, a different protocol.
Supported by HTC and Samsung since 2012 with their private dongles.
Not new, sorry.

EarlyMon said:
KitKat roms have Miracast, a different protocol.
Supported by HTC and Samsung since 2012 with their private dongles.
Not new, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah ik, i was just informing in case he didn't know sorry.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

EarlyMon said:
KitKat roms have Miracast, a different protocol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but Google has renamed it to Cast Screen. Clearly, they will be adding support for casting to Chromecasts directly inside of Android. Otherwise, renaming it to match the Chromecast nomenclature makes no sense.

bozzykid said:
Yes, but Google has renamed it to Cast Screen. Clearly, they will be adding support for casting to Chromecasts directly inside of Android. Otherwise, renaming it to match the Chromecast nomenclature makes no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because MiraCAST isn't confusing enough?
I'm aware that a number of blogs not familiar with Miracast are spreading that rumor. I think it's wishful thinking but we'll see, won't we?
http://www.howtogeek.com/177145/wir...ed-airplay-miracast-widi-chromecast-and-dlna/
http://readwrite.com/2013/11/07/android-kitkat-developers-users
A side note, Android 4.4 KitKat devices can now be certified by the Wi-Fi alliance as being Miracast compatible. That is a big step for Android in being able to stream content from a device to a television by supporting more streaming standards. Now only if the Chromecast supported Miracast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/miracast/
So, you believe that WiFi Direct is coming to the existing Chromecast?
Or that in addition to Miracast, they'll be providing a second protocol for phones, with a server (like Koush did)? And people will be able to figure out the two casting options on their devices?
I think that it's far more likely that rather than put both protocols on a phone or into the existing Chromecast, it's more likely that DIAL support plus Miracast *might* appear in a Chromecast 2.
Miracast dongles already exist, it's February and the SDK libraries still aren't out, and in July, Chromecast will be a year old.
Apple TV costs $100 with this feature, a Belkin Miracast dongle is $80, an HTC Media Link HD is $100, the Samsung Allshare Cast Hub was a hundred, is $65 on Amazon now.
It's possible that Google is going to pump this in to the existing Chromecast for the faithful for free, but I'm just not feeling it.
Either way, so far KitKat includes Miracast, not DIAL.

EarlyMon said:
Or that in addition to Miracast, they'll be providing a second protocol for phones, with a server (like Koush did)? And people will be able to figure out the two casting options on their devices?
I think that it's far more likely that rather than put both protocols on a phone or into the existing Chromecast, it's more likely that DIAL support plus Miracast *might* appear in a Chromecast 2.
...
It's possible that Google is going to pump this in to the existing Chromecast for the faithful for free, but I'm just not feeling it.
Either way, so far KitKat includes Miracast, not DIAL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First part:
Since it's (Android) device mirroring functions appear to be in the SDK, but are limited only to OEM developers, my best-guess is that what we'll see is any Chromecast device mirroring will have to be "cooked" into a ROM rather than a loose bit (makes sense - that's how Samsung's AllShare Cast works too).
Hopefully the UX engineers win and make it so the Screen Mirroring option at least combines Google Cast and Miracast device options together, rather than having separate options for Screen Mirroring (Miracast) and Screen Mirroring (Google Cast).
Second part:
Yeah, not going to hold my breath. As I keep saying, screen mirroring is not the core competency of Chromecast.

bhiga said:
First part:
Since it's (Android) device mirroring functions appear to be in the SDK, but are limited only to OEM developers, my best-guess is that what we'll see is any Chromecast device mirroring will have to be "cooked" into a ROM rather than a loose bit (makes sense - that's how Samsung's AllShare Cast works too).
Hopefully the UX engineers win and make it so the Screen Mirroring option at least combines Google Cast and Miracast device options together, rather than having separate options for Screen Mirroring (Miracast) and Screen Mirroring (Google Cast).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both together sounds like a bit much, but it's possible.
Samsung is likely going their own way.
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-an...ultiscreen-and-overlay-capabilities-28303309/
Second part:
Yeah, not going to hold my breath. As I keep saying, screen mirroring is not the core competency of Chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree.

If you ask me any attempt to make CCast work like a Miracast would be a big waste, Even a downgrade!
No need for Direct Connection for Mirroring as Mirror over IP is far more flexible and less problematical. Not to mention requires no special software support like Miracast does. If they really wanted Miracast type direct mirroring all it would take is some additions to the rom cause hardware wise, the CCast has everything it needs
It may not be part of why the CCast was developed but I don't see Google being as smart as they are leaving that market open to Miracast dongles when they know full well the only thing inhibiting CCast from doing it (and better) is their lack of developing an App that does it for Mobile...
As for the Casting support in the SDK for OEM use I suspect that is more generic in nature and just an exposure of the display system to support Miracast, Perhaps CCast Mirroring and any other 2nd screen tech that comes down the pipe.
I think mirroring feature is a bit overrated myself, it's good for an audience but not for an operator's use.
It's easier to do than what CCast is trying to do because there is no need for a control protocol...Just a simple transcoder for Video and Audio the rest is all done on the Master Display device.
As for that Samsung option I don't expect it to take off due to proprietary concerns. It's meant for Samsung SmartTVs and I bet LG and Sony won't support it. Samsung would be better off building that capability directly into the TV itself.
DIAL is still in its infancy and I expect the protocol to expand as support and adoption of it grows...
Whatever lessons they learned from Chromecast I expect to be addressed whenever they get around to making the second gen CCast.
Wired Networking or at minimum 5Ghz Wireless support is to be expected as would a more robust Video playback Compatibility.
It's not likely that any app that adds CCast support is going to remove it in the future which means as the Apps list grows so too does the chance we have of seeing this supported without the need for a dongle at all.
TV over the Web will work the way it was supposed to and remove the biggest hurdle to achieving full IPTV to date...
The Navigation and Channel Guide no one could figure out how to do....
And who knew the Web Browser was the answer all along.

Samsung is still the largest supplier of flat screen TVs in North America, is it not?
Besides, they've never been shy about adding interfaces to support the future. I have a Samsung TV with a specialized iPod interface as proof. (And I believe that the article did say clearly that Samsung was going to build the new casting into their TVs.)
And none of the TV makers think twice about adding fragmenting features, and Samsung certainly doesn't for their mobile devices.
As for the claim that it's just about making a mobile app and declaring victory for screen casting, you might want to review the API changes that have been evolving for months.
Doing that without library support and not differentiating DRM vs non-DRM cast calls may seem simple to you but it doesn't to me.
Last published, Netflix and YouTube accounted for over 50% of North American broadband traffic.
Screen casting may be an emerging market, or it could just be a flash in the pan.

EarlyMon said:
Samsung is still the largest supplier of flat screen TVs in North America, is it not?
Besides, they've never been shy about adding interfaces to support the future. I have a Samsung TV with a specialized iPod interface as proof. (And I believe that the article did say clearly that Samsung was going to build the new casting into their TVs.)
And none of the TV makers think twice about adding fragmenting features, and Samsung certainly doesn't for their mobile devices.
As for the claim that it's just about making a mobile app and declaring victory for screen casting, you might want to review the API changes that have been evolving for months.
Doing that without library support and not differentiating DRM vs non-DRM cast calls may seem simple to you but it doesn't to me.
Last published, Netflix and YouTube accounted for over 50% of North American broadband traffic.
Screen casting may be an emerging market, or it could just be a flash in the pan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess Samsung is the largest supplier of Flat Screens in NA just like Apple is the biggest supplier of Smart Phones in NA...
Until you realize combine all the NOT Samsung Models into an US vs THEM and they are not the Majority by any means...Same with Apple vs Android as opposed to Apple vs Samsung itself.
As for the DRM you forget that DIAL doesn't care and leaves using or not using up to the content provider. It's there if you want it and if not you only have to support the DIscover and Launch capabilities.
Is Sony (who owns a majority of content compared to Samsung) going to cut out DIAL for Samsung's proprietary system?
Doubtful!
And since the CCast and DIAL supports ANY TV with HDMI input it has a far better chance of being adopted as a standard than Samsung's device is.

IMO most of the current desire for screencasting is really a "backup plan" for content that is currently not supported via DIAL. "___ isn't supported so I want to mirror my screen/tab."
So the mainstream correct solution would be to get the desired content providers on-board with Google Cast.
That would leave non-"canned" content for screen mirroring (games in a second screen model, general browsing, presentations, Skype, etc).
I'd love to see a native Skype for Chromecast using the microphone and controls on my tablet/phone with video on the TV but keeping it in sync might be nontrivial engineering on the Skype end.

Asphyx said:
As for the DRM you forget that DIAL doesn't care and leaves using or not using up to the content provider. It's there if you want it and if not you only have to support the DIscover and Launch capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only invite you, again, to look at the actual casting API rather than rely on assumptions.
It's NOT the same as that last July and it absolutely, positively does recognize casting DRM content.
Start here -
https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/m/#!topic/apps-dev/emlKA4C-c90
And then Google for what's happened since, along with Koush's commentaries.
Is Sony (who owns a majority of content compared to Samsung) going to cut out DIAL for Samsung's proprietary system?
Doubtful!
And since the CCast and DIAL supports ANY TV with HDMI input it has a far better chance of being adopted as a standard than Samsung's device is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you even read the article to discover that Samsung is using a superset of DIAL and support by Sony, LG, and Panasonic TV sets is expected?
---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:07 PM ----------
bhiga said:
IMO most of the current desire for screencasting is really a "backup plan" for content that is currently not supported via DIAL. "___ isn't supported so I want to mirror my screen/tab."
So the mainstream correct solution would be to get the desired content providers on-board with Google Cast.
That would leave non-"canned" content for screen mirroring (games in a second screen model, general browsing, presentations, Skype, etc).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked out what Vbukit is planning on supporting with Chromecast?
Pretty interesting, I think.
Not sure about getting Skype sorted out.
It seems like every time Skype updates, it's a step backwards, but that's just my off-topic opinion.

EarlyMon said:
Have you checked out what Vbukit is planning on supporting with Chromecast?
Pretty interesting, I think.
Not sure about getting Skype sorted out.
It seems like every time Skype updates, it's a step backwards, but that's just my off-topic opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Vbukit is a little rough around the edges, but I can definitely see it being useful for presenters and educators especially.
Agree with you on Skype...
Back on-topic, there isn't a lot of technical copyright/DRM concern regarding casting anything you see on the screen - after all, if you can see it on the screen, you've seen it already. It's just that the legal types are not technical, highly likely to make crazy conclusions and assumptions, and get paid no matter what they do - so it's in their best interest to make issue of little things. I've personally seen warnings from the copyright hunters complete with ISP traces down to the router endpoint too, so they are watching and waiting to pounce.
I still hope an optimized device mirroring comes as something deeper within the Android OS itself.
Something akin to RemoteX in the Windows space, which is a "remote render" or offload of the graphic drawing functions. Anything that's not reliant upon a local bitmap could be rendered on Chromecast, rather than sent as large/inefficient bitmap data or CPU-intensive compressed data. That would make some "twitchy" games playable, especially if Chromecast has enough memory/storage to cache bitmaps that it does end up needing. Full-screen video, of course, doesn't benefit, nor does typical FPS games since the entirety of the screen is being updated with bitmaps.
For fun, I played a video on my phone and watched it on my computer (no audio) via TeamViewer. It took me back to the early 90's.
We've waited for apps and other optimized content this long, let's see what Google delivers.

Content providers have been successfully inhibiting HDMI and MHL output from their apps running on Android devices.
I believe that the casting API changes may have them in mind, but that's pure conjecture on my part.
I think it's ridiculous but so long as people check the boxes and agree to the terms of service, they're free to enforce it.

Why not just this simple open Chromecast alternative?

Hello folks,
I got my Chromecast, it works, I like it.
But I find it unnerving that the system is so closed.
Some guy has, months ago, released something he called "PiCast" as an open alternative on the Raspberry Pi.
I wonder: Why aren't there more devs bringing an open, extensible alternative, installable on a Raspberry Pi or other small computer, to life? I really don't understand it, since. like I see it, it doesn't seem particularly complicated! The following features would at least have to be implemented:
***********************************************
- media player software which can play a broad palette of formats and stream from different sources (VLC, Mplayer etc. come to mind an can surely be used as a part of the project)
- web interface which accepts URLs (web or LAN) of files that are to be played and passes them to the media player; and which accepts control commands for the now playing file like pause, forward etc.
Most convenient would be if these URLs could not only be http ones, but also SMB, streaming protocols etc.
Don't we all want a device where we NOT are confined to certain formats?
- apps for computers and mobile devices which let the user choose files he wants to watch / listen to and pass the URL to the web interface and which pass control commands like pause, forward to the web interface
- a customized, lean OS with a Chromecast-like, very simple UI
*************************************************
Any thoughts?
Best wishes,
Hasenbein

The entire reason for the CCast (which essentially replaced the GoogleTV fiasco) was to keep the system closed enough to get Content providers to support it due to the ability to use DRM and control the players being used.
Why do you think other projects like XBMC still to this day do NOT (and will NEVER) have access to Netflix for any sustainable time because Netflix will change their encryption and break any player app they do not have complete control over.
GoogleTV was actually blacklisted by the network websites to prevent it from playing content. All because it was just a little too open for their liking.

What @Asphyx said, plus Android TV sticks have been around for quite some time and already do similar. The key difference is market share. History is littered with proposed "standards" that never won. In the end it's not what is better, sometimes not even what's cheaper, but what picks up.
Iomega's Zip drive was inferior to SyQuest EZ drive, but Iomega won by marketing and hence adoption. Developers had more incentive to support Zip drives (not that much was specifically required but still) because there was a wider audience and market for them.
Adobe's changing the design market the same way. I still have CS6, but more and more I'm getting files from people on CC. And it's annoying. Essentially I'm being forced into CC if I want to work with anybody outside of my four walls.
Even though it's only available in select retail channels, Google is pushing Chromecast with TV ads. The fact that they've sold (or at least shipped) millions is a strong testament to its adoption rate. Even at my local stores, I can say just by the serial numbers they've cycled through, at least 500 have left the shelf since August 2013.
The market share attracts content providers, and the closed nature gives their lawyers ease regarding theft. Sure, there will always be people supporting TV sticks with clever solutions that are free or near-free, though they sometimes require jumping through numerous hoops (even moreso than Chromecast of today), and if something doesn't work as required, it involved researching. It's not like you can put in a support ticket or call support. Granted, Chromecast support isn't outstanding... but many of my non-techy friends have adopted Chromecast, even without hearing from me, and these are not people who visit XDA, nor are they people who would ever have run across or even considered an Android TV stick, nor are they people who have any idea of what an Arduino or Raspberry Pi is.
The draw is the consumer, and the consumer needs content to consume. Which means longevity of the product/concept/standard depends on support from the content providers.

At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality. E.g. maybe you have a powerful HTPC that suits all your needs but Netflix is in low-def for DRM reasons. And YouTube stutters on 1080p because Windows keeps trying to do other things in the background while you play it. OK then you put $35 down on a Chromecast and now your Netflix & YouTube videos look better.
And similarly, it's cheap enough that if Chromecast alone does not suit your needs, you can say, well hey, all I spent on the Chromecast was $35, so I don't see why that should stop me from also buying that other media box that does more things.

cmstlist said:
At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely in this boat.
I have a semi-Smart TV that supports YouTube, Amazon, and a about 12 other "channels" - but its interface is slow and clunky. It also doesn't support DLNA video (sadly, one model year too early).
I have a HTPC that I use to play DVDs and Blu-rays from my media server, and even though I have a BT keyboard remote for it, navigating between Windows Media Center and browser-sourced video is fiddly.
Chromecast didn't replace my HTPC, it's just giving me a much easier way to view those browser-sourced videos.
However, if/when Chromecast gets DVD and BD playback, it very well might replace my HTPC...

http://blog.vudu.com/?p=10711
https://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?112941-UltraViolet-FAQ-s
Vudu ultraviolet on Chromecast will displace the need for a disc player or home video server for a number of people. Not sure yet but I'll probably be one of them.

cmstlist said:
At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality. E.g. maybe you have a powerful HTPC that suits all your needs but Netflix is in low-def for DRM reasons. And YouTube stutters on 1080p because Windows keeps trying to do other things in the background while you play it. OK then you put $35 down on a Chromecast and now your Netflix & YouTube videos look better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. I really care about picture quality, so Chromecast offers the cheapest way to get SuperHD Netflix on my TV. If I wasn't bothered about the quality, I'd just connect my tablet with a cable whenever I wanted to watch something.

EarlyMon said:
http://blog.vudu.com/?p=10711
https://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?112941-UltraViolet-FAQ-s
Vudu ultraviolet on Chromecast will displace the need for a disc player or home video server for a number of people. Not sure yet but I'll probably be one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting service and a good idea....
Unfortunately $2 per SD conversion of DVD or $5 to HD is a bit too pricey considering how I have the equipment to rip my own DVD (I have more than 3000 titles in my collection), do the Upconvert and even rip the subtitles to put into an MKV.
But this service will do well because of the sheer number of people who do not have the capability to do that and the ease of use.
I wonder are they actually converting your DVDs or are they doing the much smarter thing and letting you insert the disk, check it for validity and then just giving you access to the already encoded content they have stored?

Asphyx said:
I wonder are they actually converting your DVDs or are they doing the much smarter thing and letting you insert the disk, check it for validity and then just giving you access to the already encoded content they have stored?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The second one, so far as I know.
And if you just enter your digital copy information that works too.
My son-in-law does that but I haven't asked him about the details - he's very happy with the service though.

It's a great Idea....
I have a similar validation system I use....
If I own it already on disc then I feel I have the right to download it if I choose...I paid them their cut so no Guilt involved.
LOL
Similar but I don't pay the conversion fee!

I have a small collection.
I got tired years ago of format changes, player upkeep and having more plastic in the house, so I've been satisfied with rentals. I keep a few favorites on my shelves just in case.
And I had one of my media servers die of old age a few months ago. I'm tired of maintaining my own cloud. Been there, done that. Still do my music and just a few movies now.
I like the ultraviolet model, it sounds simple to me.
And to the OP -
LocalCast does direct entry of http and smb addresses.

EarlyMon said:
I have a small collection.
I got tired years ago of format changes, player upkeep and having more plastic in the house, so I've been satisfied with rentals. I keep a few favorites on my shelves just in case.
And I had one of my media servers die of old age a few months ago. I'm tired of maintaining my own cloud. Been there, done that. Still do my music and just a few movies now.
I like the ultraviolet model, it sounds simple to me.
And to the OP -
LocalCast does direct entry of http and smb addresses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah unfortunately I live in a very rural area and Cable and Internet outages are common (all the damn trees!)
So when that happens I really have no other recourse than to use whatever is on my Media server to entertain myself...
I went out and invested in a good NAS with Raid that holds 16Tb worth of drives (don't get full16Tbs with Raid though...I may even need to double that soon as I'm running out of space).
My Media Server is my HTPC so I can simply replace that unit if it craps out and just re-install the server software and map the drives.
Been checking out that Chromecast store app...a Lot of stuff in there I didn't know about...

BBC iPlayer issues outside UK

Hi guys, I am yet to fully enjoy iPlayer on Chromecast. I use Unlocator as my DNS provider and they managed to work out the way to watch iPlayer stuff outside of UK. But the streaming speeds are really bad and so far I didn't enjoy a single show. It seems like it buffers every 10 seconds or so so I am suspecting Unlocator (and their method to unblock it) at this stage. PC, Android, iPad all seems to work fine without any buffering and in full HD.
I would really like to hear some of your experiences but also ideas or feedback about other DNS providers. I also have HMA VPN subscription that I haven't tested yet because that is my absolute last option.

The behavior you describe sound like network latency.
If you can force a specific rate or resolution that can help.
Also make sure Chromecast has a stable WiFi connection.

Could be the provider. Try unblock-us for a week trial.
Also, have you set the chromecast up to block access to the google dns servers?

irish-sid said:
Could be the provider. Try unblock-us for a week trial.
Also, have you set the chromecast up to block access to the google dns servers?
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Do Unblock-US support Chromecast? I used them some time ago, before I moved to Unlocator. I might give it a go.

jasenko said:
Do Unblock-US support Chromecast? I used them some time ago, before I moved to Unlocator. I might give it a go.
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It's not about supporting Chromecast, it's about having the dns address on your router and then blocking the Chromecast from accessing the Google dns address which it defaults to. You need to do that in static route.
But yeah, I use unblock us, works very well. It has an easy Netflix region switcher without having to change addresses so you can use any Netflix. (Not sure if yourd offers that too?)

irish-sid said:
It's not about supporting Chromecast, it's about having the dns address on your router and then blocking the Chromecast from accessing the Google dns address which it defaults to. You need to do that in static route.
But yeah, I use unblock us, works very well. It has an easy Netflix region switcher without having to change addresses so you can use any Netflix. (Not sure if yourd offers that too?)
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The problem with iPlayer on Chromecast is because BBC implemented an extra step to look up geo location. Are you outside UK? Is iPlayer working for you?
I use Eureka ROM so DNS change for me is trivial.

jasenko said:
The problem with iPlayer on Chromecast is because BBC implemented an extra step to look up geo location. Are you outside UK? Is iPlayer working for you?
I use Eureka ROM so DNS change for me is trivial.
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Ah right, fair enough.
I'm in Southern Ireland and just tested the app and website, both stream fine.
Just to make sure, you don't need to refresh your ip address on the unlocator site? With unblockus, if you reboot your router (with a dynamic ip) you need to refresh your ip address on the site by clicking a link that pops up.

irish-sid said:
Ah right, fair enough.
I'm in Southern Ireland and just tested the app and website, both stream fine.
Just to make sure, you don't need to refresh your ip address on the unlocator site? With unblockus, if you reboot your router (with a dynamic ip) you need to refresh your ip address on the site by clicking a link that pops up.
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Thanks, I'll test Unblock tonight. I hope the issue is not network latency, I have no issues streaming Netflix in full HD.

jasenko said:
Hi guys, I am yet to fully enjoy iPlayer on Chromecast. I use Aeroshield as my DNS provider and they managed to work out the way to watch iPlayer stuff outside of UK. But the streaming speeds are really bad and so far I didn't enjoy a single show. It seems like it buffers every 10 seconds or so so I am suspecting Unlocator (and their method to unblock it) at this stage. PC, Android, iPad all seems to work fine without any buffering and in full HD.
I would really like to hear some of your experiences but also ideas or feedback about other DNS providers. I also have HMA VPN subscription that I haven't tested yet because that is my absolute last option.
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Sorry for bringing up an old topic. Anyone use smart dns for BBC iPlayer on smart TV?
I want to stream it to my TV without VPN

Planning to buy a CC ... need some answers

Hi Friends,
Am living in Kuwait where the ChromeCast has not reached officially. I however intend to buy one and would be glad if someone can answer a couple of my questions. I did go to the FAQ page, but the Google Apps page show nothing (probably because it is not available in my region) and the other page which shows the features of the product is down.
a) Can I cast any and everything from my mobile to my TV? I mean, videos, photos & music from my internal storage / SD card direct to TV?
b) How can I install apps on the CC if the google apps page turns up blank because of my region?
c) Can I check out or show my gmail, email, whatsapp & viber messages on the TV?
d) Can the CC also be unrooted? If yes, do I gain any benefits by doing this?
Thanks

Paparasee said:
Hi Friends,
Am living in Kuwait where the ChromeCast has not reached officially. I however intend to buy one and would be glad if someone can answer a couple of my questions. I did go to the FAQ page, but the Google Apps page show nothing (probably because it is not available in my region) and the other page which shows the features of the product is down.
a) Can I cast any and everything from my mobile to my TV? I mean, videos, photos & music from my internal storage / SD card direct to TV?
b) How can I install apps on the CC if the google apps page turns up blank because of my region?
c) Can I check out or show my gmail, email, whatsapp & viber messages on the TV?
d) Can the CC also be unrooted? If yes, do I gain any benefits by doing this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if it will work in your region. Someone else will have to answer that.
A & B. You don't install apps on the CC. You use apps on your phone or computer to connect to the CC.
C. CC does have the ability to screen mirror exactly what is on your phone screen and computer screen.
D. Someone else can answer about rooting it. I know you can, but I think it's only certain numbers.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Thanks my friend
I always was having the misconception that apps were being installed in the CC. So, this really makes sense and I understand therefore there is no need to root the CC.

The Chromecast does load apps, but it loads them on demand over the internet rather than having them permanently installed. As far as I know Google has never restricted the availability of those loadable apps by region - the Chromecast worked in Canada and Europe long before it was officially sold in those regions. Of course an app may still be regionally restricted in the Apple app store or Google Play store for Android, but if you somehow work around that, its companion loadable app on the Chromecast won't be a problem.
However certain apps (like Netflix and Hulu) may impose region restrictions when you try to stream something. Even if you use a VPN on your casting computer/phone/tablet to access the geo-blocked content, the stream will fail to play on the Chromecast because it contacts the server site independently and gets hit with the same geo-blocking.
Alternatively you can use screen mirroring or tab casting from Chrome to relay the video stream to the Chromecast from your casting device, but it requires high performance, and people are still generally disappointed with the video quality.