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As previously announced (some 6 months ago), it finally happened. Seems very stable from the 30 minutes I had to play with it. Opens a lot of opportunities. Funny that it supports Plex better than Plex themselvesf, and free.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp&hl=en
Enjoy...
BubbleUPnP UPnP/DLNA free 1.8.0 with full chromecast 15250 support it's limited to 20/30 minutes of playback.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp&hl=en
If you want more you have to pay €3,49/$4.69 for BubbleUPnP UPnP/DLNA License
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp.unlocker&hl=en
What's New
1.8.0
Finally, full Chromecast support with optional transcoding for playing non natively supported media.
Play your music, videos and photos to your Chromecast, whether located on your Android device, your local network or the cloud!
Playing Chromecast natively supported media is unrestricted in the free version of BubbleUPnP.
Playing transcoded media requires installing BubbleUPnP Server 0.8 on your network, and is limited to 20 minutes per app launch in the free version of BubbleUPnP.
Free for up to 20 minutes of playing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP free version limitations:
- ads
- Internet streaming with BubbleUPnP Server is limited to 30 minutes per app launch
- Playlist and Library Shuffle are limited to 16 tracks
- downloads limited to batches of maximum 40 tracks
- the local renderer is remotely controllable by external Control Points for 30 mins per app launch
- the local Media Server is not browsable by filesystem (SD Card)
- playing media from external apps is limited to 3 plays per app launch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spent a bit more time with it and still impressed. I bought a premium version about a year ago, and was completely oblivious that there might be some limitations. Glad to see that app is 100% free and working for Chromecast supported formats.
In their defence, also bought Plex app, and still unable to cast anything. And as I said, it does Plex better than Plex app in my opinion.
Yes I'm very glad I could release Chromecast support.
It has been a long wait since my early tests in August/September.
jasenko said:
Funny that it supports Plex better than Plex themselvesf, and free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please explain! Plex app works great for me...
mathorv said:
BubbleUPnP UPnP/DLNA free 1.8.0 with full chromecast 15250 support it's limited to 20/30 minutes of playback.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp&hl=en
If you want more you have to pay €3,49/$4.69 for BubbleUPnP UPnP/DLNA License
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp.unlocker&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just launched 1.8.0 and the history says
Playing media natively supported by Chromecast is unrestricted in the free version of BubbleUPnP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so I believe the 20/30 minute limit applies only if you need BubbleUPnP Server to transcode content?
bhiga said:
so I believe the 20/30 minute limit applies only if you need BubbleUPnP Server to transcode content?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Media natively supported = MP4, webm, (with supported codecs) and audio files. In this matter you are right it's free, but I have not tried it to be absolutely sure.
Now with BubbleUPnP support, can someone give me some advice? I use BubbleUPnP a lot and it is my favorite app for media.
I have an original firmware Chromecast that has never seen the Internet. I don't want to lose the flexibility of the software potential, but now with BubbleUPnP as well as Google releasing the APIs, I am wondering what the best plan would be.
What would you guys do with your original firmware Chromecast?
xdadevnube said:
Now with BubbleUPnP support, can someone give me some advice? I use BubbleUPnP a lot and it is my favorite app for media.
I have an original firmware Chromecast that has never seen the Internet. I don't want to lose the flexibility of the software potential, but now with BubbleUPnP as well as Google releasing the APIs, I am wondering what the best plan would be.
What would you guys do with your original firmware Chromecast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would root it. If you don't care about root, sell/trade it to someone who does.
The only thing you lose is some time between a Google OTA release and the corresponding Team Eureka release.
Normal incremental releases don't see much/any functionality breakage.
This one was an exception because of the new SDK and APIs needing to be in-sync across both clients and Chromecasts.
bhiga said:
I would root it. If you don't care about root, sell/trade it to someone who does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS!
If you don't really want root then it's more valuable to someone else than it would be if you allowed it lose it's rootable condition.
Congrats to the BubbleUPnP folks for the added CCast support.
I have not tried it fully yet but to those who are currently using aVia, a switch to Bubble might be a good move.
Especially if you have the Bubble Server running on a PC since you will get the transcoding goodness not available with aVia...
Now if MX Player would add CCast support my local streaming to CCast world would be complete.
bhiga said:
I just launched 1.8.0 and the history says
so I believe the 20/30 minute limit applies only if you need BubbleUPnP Server to transcode content?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read it that way also.
so now is there a way to make srt subs to work?
rkirmeier said:
Please explain! Plex app works great for me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plex app was very slow for me when browsing channels. No issues with BubbleUPnP. Plus I had to pay for a month of premium service just to see how it works with the chromecast. Glad to also see some serious competition.
Thumbs up!
Very stable so far for sending photos to Chromecast, much better than Avia because it leaves the last pic up until it's (more or less) ready to load the next one.
caifaz said:
so now is there a way to make srt subs to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not currently, but subs will be supported in the next version of the app.
external srt (provided the media server expose them to BubbleUPnP, for video accessed via UPnP) and embedded subs (mostly found in MKV) will be supported.
And it will be done properly, without burning the subs in the video which is horrible (reencode).
bubbleguuum said:
Not currently, but subs will be supported in the next version of the app.
external srt (provided the media server expose them to BubbleUPnP, for video accessed via UPnP) and embedded subs (mostly found in MKV) will be supported.
And it will be done properly, without burning the subs in the video which is horrbile (reencode).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply, I'm glad that someone cares!
bubbleguuum said:
Not currently, but subs will be supported in the next version of the app.
external srt (provided the media server expose them to BubbleUPnP, for video accessed via UPnP) and embedded subs (mostly found in MKV) will be supported.
And it will be done properly, without burning the subs in the video which is horrbile (reencode).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking of embedded things in MKV, just successfully cast Simpsons from the NAS zonly be joined by di director commentaries- I have no option or means to disable this stream as I would on n pc
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
Hey bubbleguuum,
I tested a file (streamed from Interntet) in 4 different apps today (vGet, LocalCast, BubbleUPnP and Avia). All but Avia were heavily stuttering. The receiver apps looked very similar in the other three so I am guessing, it is a standard implementation of the protocol. Avia on the other hand did some caching magic behind the scenes and the end result was far more pleasing to watch without constant interruptions. I hope next version of BubbleUPnP will also have some magic applied to it.
jasenko said:
Hey bubbleguuum,
I tested a file (streamed from Interntet) in 4 different apps today (vGet, LocalCast, BubbleUPnP and Avia). All but Avia were heavily stuttering. The receiver apps looked very similar in the other three so I am guessing, it is a standard implementation of the protocol. Avia on the other hand did some caching magic behind the scenes and the end result was far more pleasing to watch without constant interruptions. I hope next version of BubbleUPnP will also have some magic applied to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be magic, but not in this area I'm afraid. It's true that if all 3 apps shows the same UI on the CC, they are using the default media player app. When using Avia, does the video continue to play to the end if you kill Avia (I mean really kill it, not leave it in the background) ? That's for testing the possibility it might proxy the stream.
I just tried BubbleUPnP on the Chromecast. When using the transcoding option, which puts a huge CPU load on the computer, I am unable to seek the transcoded files. When I play Chromecast-supported files, then no transcoding occurs and I can seek just fine.
I wonder if there is a way to seek transcoded files, so one doesn't have to start a video over from the beginning.
Just a FYI for all those who have PlexPass...
Plex sent out a Major Release that has many fixes for CCast users including Direct Play (no Transcoding) of MKV/H.264 L4.1/AAC. (PMS Server 0.9.9.5.411 is required.)
They also updated the Plex Android Apps and they now will show movie preview on your TV (I believe it's just posters) while your browsing for movies in Android.
There are many other little perks including better transcoding in general and I haven't had a chance to test most of the new features yet but just wanted to let you know that CCast Playback of MKV without Transcode does appear to be possible with Plex.
Asphyx said:
Just a FYI for all those who have PlexPass...
Plex sent out a Major Release that has many fixes for CCast users including Direct Play (no Transcoding) of MKV/H.264 L4.1/AAC. (PMS Server 0.9.9.5.411 is required.)
They also updated the Plex Android Apps and they now will show movie preview on your TV (I believe it's just posters) while your browsing for movies in Android.
There are many other little perks including better transcoding in general and I haven't had a chance to test most of the new features yet but just wanted to let you know that CCast Playback of MKV without Transcode does appear to be possible with Plex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latest version of Plex Media Server that I found on their site is 0.9.8.18.290-11b7fdd. Where did you find 0.9.9.5.411?
johnjingle said:
The latest version of Plex Media Server that I found on their site is 0.9.8.18.290-11b7fdd. Where did you find 0.9.9.5.411?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure but the announcement is at https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/62832-plex-media-server/?p=586803
Asphyx said:
Just a FYI for all those who have PlexPass...
Plex sent out a Major Release that has many fixes for CCast users including Direct Play (no Transcoding) of MKV/H.264 L4.1/AAC. (PMS Server 0.9.9.5.411 is required.)
They also updated the Plex Android Apps and they now will show movie preview on your TV (I believe it's just posters) while your browsing for movies in Android.
There are many other little perks including better transcoding in general and I haven't had a chance to test most of the new features yet but just wanted to let you know that CCast Playback of MKV without Transcode does appear to be possible with Plex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Per Google - https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/media
With Google Cast you have several options for supporting various media types, codecs, and facilities:
Video codecs: H.264 High Profile Level 4.1, 4.2 and 5, VP8
Audio decoding: HE-AAC, LC-AAC, CELT/Opus, MP3, Vorbis
Image formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WEBP
Containers: MP4, WebM
Containers: MPEG-DASH, SmoothStreaming, HTTP Live Streaming (HLS)
Level 1 DRM support: Widevine, PlayReady
Subtitles:
TTML - Timed Text Markup Language
WebVTT - Web Video Text Tracks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So - it certainly looks like the new server is repackaging the supported codec streams into something other than an MKV.
That's an exciting step forward and it may be under Direct Play but are you sure that is the same thing as local casting from your phone?
IOW - does that server run on the Android device or does it require LAN access to a desktop running it?
I confess that lots of Plex still eludes me. I thought that the Plex Media Server was desktop only.
By the way, today's Plex change announcement - https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/60585-plex-for-android/page-3#entry586879
So far as I understand things, it's not transcoding (the codec streams are supported after all) but is still using a desktop computer for transmuxing (because the MKV container is not supported).
EDIT - Vaporware follows:
It would probably be pretty cool if someone were to transmux on the phone and then send things via WebRTC (like tab casting or Koush's mirror for Android). Or to mp4 if WebRTC requires WebM.
Not sure offhand how much work that would be but it wouldn't require a desktop server. And of course would only work with Chromecast-supported codecs.
EarlyMon said:
Not sure but the announcement is at https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/62832-plex-media-server/?p=586803
I didn't have the option to download that because I don't have a Plex Pass subscription. I was really confused until I read that.
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated the web to 2.0.16 and server to 0.9.9.5 all seems OK. I do have a Plex Pass.
johnjingle said:
The latest version of Plex Media Server that I found on their site is 0.9.8.18.290-11b7fdd. Where did you find 0.9.9.5.411?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im still trying to find PMS Server 0.9.9.5.411.. can someone post a link. i am a plexpass member.
---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 PM ----------
revdirty said:
Im still trying to find PMS Server 0.9.9.5.411.. can someone post a link. i am a plexpass member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NVM found it.. on the download page u have to click the show plexpass button then go tto the server downloads.
Wonder how long they are going to hang on to cc features. I bought the app but it is seeming like a waste now considering there are other viable well working free options out there.
Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
shelby04861 said:
Wonder how long they are going to hang on to cc features. I bought the app but it is seeming like a waste now considering there are other viable well working free options out there.
Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, what other cc app transcodes or plays all files with full seek, ff and rw? I haven't found one. BubbleUPnP doesnt allow you to seek on any transcoded files like mkv. Avia doesnt play most files. Not sure what you are using that can do the same as this for cc.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
I see your point but I don't transcoded my movies. I keep them all the same format so it is less taxing on my server because I share my server with my family.
Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
EarlyMon said:
So - it certainly looks like the new server is repackaging the supported codec streams into something other than an MKV.
That's an exciting step forward and it may be under Direct Play but are you sure that is the same thing as local casting from your phone?
IOW - does that server run on the Android device or does it require LAN access to a desktop running it?
I confess that lots of Plex still eludes me. I thought that the Plex Media Server was desktop only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone has nothing to do with it at all other than you can run the Plex app and play all media on the server on the mobile device or send it to the CCast and control it ....Local in this case means Local Networked Media such as DLNA. But Plex will make all your content available to you via the Internet even if your not locally connected.
And yes....PMS does run on a Desktop or Server.
Having Plex removes the need to ever keep content on your phone at all since you can see your home media from anywhere there is Internet Access. It also has a Sync function so you can pre-download media to your device for viewing when Internet is not available.
Plex for all intents and purposes is a Home Cloud Netflix like service that can stream all the content you own.
Direct Play in Plex in the past has simply sent the the file to the device without Transcoding.
I spoke to someone at Plex and it may not be direct playing the file YET but it is perhaps Direct Streaming via HTTP which is a new streaming protocol they added. This might suggest it is only container flipping and only works with files that are Codec compatible. But the Transcode Profile does have an Entry for Direct Play for Matroska container.
Two transcoding profile entries have been added for Matroska
Code:
<VideoProfile protocol="http" container="matroska" codec="h264" audioCodec="aac" context="streaming">
<Setting name="VideoEncodeFlags" value="-x264opts bframes=3:cabac=1" />
</VideoProfile>
and
Code:
<DirectPlayProfiles>
<VideoProfile container="matroska" codec="h264" audioCodec="aac" />
<VideoProfile container="mp4" codec="h264" audioCodec="aac" />
<MusicProfile container="mp4" codec="aac" />
<MusicProfile container="mp3" codec="mp3" />
<PhotoProfile container="jpeg,gif,bmp,png" />
</DirectPlayProfiles>
The Media Types listed on that Google link are what the CCast is capable of decoding via Hardware. That does not mean you can't make a Player App to load on the CCast that can Software decode other types especially other containers where the Codecs are compatible with the hardware. Roku Hardware doesn't natively support Matroska container either it is played via Software decode.
I'm going to assume that the Direct Play entry will not work until the CCast Player can handle the Container via Software. Until then it will use the Streaming Profile. SO it may be setting up the Direct Play profile for something else in the Future.
To all of those who can't find the new version you need to be a Plex Pass Member, Go to Plex.tv, Sign in, Go to Downloads and select show Plex Pass downloads.
On the Android side it's all in the Play Store and the features will be there or not based on your signing into PlexPass
shelby04861 said:
Wonder how long they are going to hang on to cc features. I bought the app but it is seeming like a waste now considering there are other viable well working free options out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The other options out there (BubbleUPnP and PlayOn being the closest to mirroring what Plex does) do not have all the features Plex does.
Some however have features that Plex does NOT have such as playing content stored on your Mobile device locally. Plex removes the need to ever store content on your mobile device since it works as a Home Cloud for Media available anywhere you have access to the Net.
And while Bubble and others may be able to send ON UNIT content to the CCast it won't do it unless the Source is CCast compatible.
Bubble does have the ability to transcode if the content is coming from the Bubble Server (on the Desktop) but I'm not sure it will transcode ON UNIT LOCAL files when sending to CCast. Perhaps it does but it would require sending the file from your phone to your desktop then sending it to CCast. You should ask the Dev for Bubble to clarify this they post here regularly and are very responsive to their Users. (I have Bubble running myself on the same server as my Plex. and It's a very good alternative for Plex.)
Apps like aVia and Real Player are all very limited to playing content either on a cloud or locally on the the device.
Great if you have everything you want to view locally or synced to the cloud but hardly gives you the TBs of data that my Plex makes available to me.
Plex is perhaps a bit pricey right now since CCast support requires PlexPass but there is a way around that using Bubble UPnP until such time as CCast support no longer requires PlexPass.
Set up the Plex Server and also set up BubbleUPnP and let it aggregate the Plex Media Server library.
Then use the BubbleUPnP on your mobile device to send to CCast.
Bubble Server will transcode for you and you can still use the Plex for Android App (Paid app like aVia) for viewing on your mobile device if you like.
Once the CCast options go public you can decide which interface you like better.
Right now I have PlayOn, BubbleUPnP and Plex server all running on the same machine.
I rarely use anything aside from Plex since I have Plex Pass.
[EDIT/UPDATE]
Ok just went to Plex and found out that Direct Play is NOT currently supported the direct play entry was left in the profile by mistake.
It will however stream and has added a new streaming protocol that allows MKV to play without a heavy transcoding thread being needed for sources that are codec compatible (H.264/AAC)
The Player must support the DirectPlay (which may happen in future) and if it can't it will kick it back to the transcoder for streaming.
All direct Play is determined by the Player not the server so if it tries to direct play and fails it fallsback to the transcoder.
Bottom Line though is that Matroska is now supported in profile and will stream much better provided the codecs do not need changing.
And as with any container, Multiple Audio Tracks will always require transcoding to select which Audio track to play. So unless you want the first Audio Track you will probably still be using the full on Transcode.
All of this can change in the future if and when they update the CCast Player App to support more containers via Direct Play and Track Selection on the Client side.
But they are not there yet.
@Asphyx - many thanks for the detailed information and your legwork on this, I really appreciate it.
Ok, so - fwiw, ffmpeg can do transcoding or transmuxing, and an example file that can take 10 minutes to transcode will transmux in a very few seconds. And it can do it on the fly.
I mention that because while Plex may have rolled their own, it's usually less risk to deploy with commercial off-the-shelf solutions and focus on integration.
And my point is that either way, transmuxing to a stream would be fast, efficient, effective and highly supportable.
While I agree that a custom player could deal with an MKV container directly, and I don't doubt that someone will try it, that's a higher risk approach.
I'm using the classical definition of the risk factor here -
risk = (complexity / maturity)
Having a more complex player without a track record = high/low = very high risk.
I think that you nailed it, they're using a newer http transport they've implemented and I'm willing to bet 100 quatloos that it's MPEG-DASH, same as Hulu on Chromecast.
That approach would allow them to go with a single function receiver based on MPEG-DASH, ergo less complex, with a well known method, ergo more mature, with subsidiary risk from Google support in the Chromecast firmware. And that last component, while unknown because outside their volume of control, is accompanied by high risk mitigation because Google has at least one major player that will hold their feet to the fire if they screw that up.
Given that Plex is already a highly functional desktop server, I'm not sure that any other deployment model would make as much sense.
As for offloading significant work to the Chromecast, I don't disagree that it can be done, but I will note that when Koush deployed an H.264 decoder in Javascript, using the mature broadway.js method, the result was immediate heat death of his Chromecast. That's anecdotal but absent other data, I'd say that's a strong enough case to tread carefully where this MediaTek processor is concerned.
Anyway, if we combine our ideas to the single-point approach using MPEG-DASH, and looking at the work involved for sorting that out, I wouldn't say that Plex is dragging their feet.
Genius may be instantaneous but quality takes time.
Edit/PS - note that using a black box component such as ffmpeg reduces code work whether transcoding or transmuxing is required. Either way, you form a command string, dispatch it and stream the result. Added complexity to evaluate whether to transcode or just transmux is very minor compared to other approaches.
EarlyMon said:
@Asphyx - many thanks for the detailed information and your legwork on this, I really appreciate it.
Ok, so - fwiw, ffmpeg can do transcoding or transmuxing, and an example file that can take 10 minutes to transcode will transmux in a very few seconds. And it can do it on the fly.
I mention that because while Plex may have rolled their own, it's less risk for to usually deploy with commercial off-the-shelf solutions and focus on integration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually they may have renamed the file but I am pretty sure they are using FFMPEG as their Transcoder base with some extra wrapping to make decisions on which format and settings are required for their Profile system.
EarlyMon said:
While I agree that a custom player could deal with an MKV container directly, and I don't doubt that someone will try it, that's a higher risk approach.
I'm using the classical definition of the risk factor here -
risk = (complexity / maturity)
Having a more complex player without a track record = high/low = very high risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does require a more complex player but I do believe at some point that is going to happen on the CCast side.
To do things like subtitle overlay and Audio track selection properly, this is always best done on the client side. Codec support is really the only stumbling block to realizing this. Since you can't load codec support into the CCast itself and to add them all into a player would be a ridiculously bloated app, A public codec repository (similar to Windows Media) would be the best bet for that. and in THAT respect I agree not likely anyone but google would take up such a project..
But that said...
While most devs are getting their code around the DIAL and Control protocols at some point they will have that stable and efficient and all that would be left would be to add Player side features such as Track Selection and possibly Software decoding for some containers where Codec is not an issue.
If I had to guess I would bet someone like MX Player Developers would be the first to make something like this happen since their Android Player already supports this type of functionality and it shouldn't be too hard to port that into a CCast compatible implementation.
EarlyMon said:
I think that you nailed it, they're using a newer http transport they've implemented and I'm willing to bet 100 quatloos that it's MPEG-DASH, same as Hulu on Chromecast.
That approach would allow them to go with a single function receiver based on MPEG-DASH, ergo less complex, with a well known method, ergo more mature, with subsidiary risk from Google support in the Chromecast firmware. And that last component, while unknown because outside their volume of control, is accompanied by high risk mitigation because Google has at least one major player that will hold their feet to the fire if they screw that up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently the Plex Player supports HLS, DASH and whatever this new HTTP protocol is as streaming methods with Direct Play for Native MP4/H.264/AAC.
I neglected to add there is some movement on the Music and Picture front as well but I have not had a chance to check that yet.
EarlyMon said:
Given that Plex is already a highly functional desktop server, I'm not sure that any other deployment model would make as much sense.
As for offloading significant work to the Chromecast, I don't disagree that it can be done, but I will note that when Koush deployed an H.264 decoder in Javascript, using the mature broadway.js method, the result was immediate heat death of his Chromecast. That's anecdotal but absent other data, I'd say that's a strong enough case to tread carefully where this MediaTek processor is concerned.
Anyway, if we combine our ideas to the single-point approach using MPEG-DASH, and looking at the work involved for sorting that out, I wouldn't say that Plex is dragging their feet.
Genius may be instantaneous but quality takes time.
Edit/PS - note that using a black box component such as ffmpeg reduces code work whether transcoding or transmuxing is required. Either way, you form a command string, dispatch it and stream the result. Added complexity to evaluate whether to transcode or just transmux is very minor compared to other approaches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well right now the goal with Plex Devs seems to be to make any content work via Transcode if need be because that is the main role of PMS.
For most devices with mature Player Apps the Transcoder is rarely used because the Player Apps don't require it and can Direct Play different containers and codecs.
There is one team for Plex Media Server and another for Transcoding in general. (a Third is working on the CCast player specifically.)
They are focused on making transcoding work for everything and then (as an Afterthought) looking for ways to tweak the profile to not transcode where the device can handle it. (Basically it assumes it will have to transcode everything and then the profile will make exceptions to direct play.) the rest of the profile merely tells the transcoder what settings to use.
Which is why I don't expect any software decoding anytime soon, but they have considered it for future once they have everything working on CCast the way it is from the transcoding side.
Lets not forget Plex's goals are not specific to CCast they are just adding it as a target so their goals are not as much about CCast as someone like aVia and MX Player would be which is why I think they would be the first to create these types of Mature Decoders before Plex.
And who knows once someone does it wouldn't take much to license and load the CCast player code to add that functionality.
With most things like this I find once one takes the time to do it the others soon follow to not be left behind...
But I TOTALLY AGREE on the issue may be your CCast bursting into flames if not done correctly because heat does seem to be the one design flaw in CCast hardware.
I'd doubt anyone looking at platform independence would go with HLS, I think it's just too Apple centric. But as you say, Plex already supports it.
I think that the (relatively) new SDK refined MPEG-DASH support so I could see them calling that their new http method.
Remember, the chrome.socket method exists but is not exposed. Without that, no matter how good a programmer you are, your hands may be well tied as to how much of a private transport you can build.
If socket primitives existed a home network could go down to RDP or even UDP and really scream performance compared to anything you could achieve with http.
Anyway, I hear you, there may be something private and newer than MPEG-DASH there - but for all the reasons you note that this is one component of their business model, I can't imagine why they'd go for a higher risk, higher cost solution to do the same thing. Of course, that's just my opinion, worth every penny you paid for it.
Putting everything, or as much as possible, into the config files is simply a best practice.
Make the app data driven and offload maintenance and feature support to the config writer/parser subsystem.
I say "simply a best practice" because it is, but the guys that didn't figure that out couldn't compete with those that did/do.
As for just doing transcoding now, that's simply another best practice.
If they have a new server method and a new config parser, that's plenty to deploy.
Make sure that works, then deploy transmuxing as an incremental refinement. Even if the devs believe it's ready, history has proven what happens if you bite off too much with a release.
Sadly for us, too few devs get that.
I really don't think that a right way to offload more work to flame-free Chromecast will be found. Even if such a thing could exist (which I more than really doubt) I just don't see the incentive for anyone to do it.
Btw - I don't know if you've noticed this but if you go to a site with embedded MP4 videos, vGet will cast that or play it locally to MoboPlayer, MX Player will complain that it's an unknown format.
I agree that MX is a great player and ahead in a lot of areas but I would say that caution is in order predicting anything in this area, again, just imo.
---------- Post added at 02:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:19 PM ----------
PS - as I'm sure you know, everyone including Google is chomping at the bit to get H.265 and VP9 happening.
So existing code and methods have to be supportable, maintainable and inexpensive enough - everything today is on its way to becoming a legacy method.
Given the processing requirements for VEHC, I can't see that happening on the existing Chromecast.
And if that's what a Chromecast 2 will support, and I'm betting it will, I can't see estorica being built by anyone at this point for the existing Chromecast.
Even if you're not in the market for 4k video, I can see the attraction of a more condensed network stream to support 1080p.
Personally, I expect that to hit the front burner before other transcoding and closed caption support does. (edit - Wrong! LOL see next post)
Asphyx said:
Bubble does have the ability to transcode if the content is coming from the Bubble Server (on the Desktop) but I'm not sure it will transcode ON UNIT LOCAL files when sending to CCast. Perhaps it does but it would require sending the file from your phone to your desktop then sending it to CCast. You should ask the Dev for Bubble to clarify this they post here regularly and are very responsive to their Users. (I have Bubble running myself on the same server as my Plex. and It's a very good alternative for Plex.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP Server can transcode *any* media that Android BubbleUPnP can access. That applies to local Android media managed by the app, but as well any external media sent from third party apps to BubbleUPnP.
And for the next release of BubbleUPnP / BubbleUPnP Server, there are major improvements, such as: proper subtitle support (and not of the crappy burning subs in video kind, that everyone is doing), seek in transcoded videos, audio and video track selection, and many transcoding fails fixed.
Moreover, BubbleUPnP Server transcodes video and/or audio tracks only if necessary.
bubbleguuum said:
BubbleUPnP Server can transcode *any* media that Android BubbleUPnP can access. That applies to local Android media managed by the app, but as well any external media sent from third party apps to BubbleUPnP.
And for the next release of BubbleUPnP / BubbleUPnP Server, there are major improvements, such as: proper subtitle support (and not of the crappy burning subs in video kind, that everyone is doing), seek in transcoded videos, audio and video track selection, and many transcoding fails fixed.
Moreover, BubbleUPnP Server transcodes video and/or audio tracks only if necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Way to go!
EarlyMon said:
I'd doubt anyone looking at platform independence would go with HLS, I think it's just too Apple centric. But as you say, Plex already supports it.
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Click to collapse
Well the Plex folks are supporting Apple so I suspect they need to support all things Apple.
As for what they might dore Transcode vs Player based it will depend on the end results. Many are running Plex on NAS and other low power units where even transmuxing is a Task.
In the end there is only so much you can do on the server side and have to look at the client side for solutions. Thats all I'm getting at. Subtitles being a prime example. Multi Language and Audio track selection being another.
bubbleguuum said:
BubbleUPnP Server can transcode *any* media that Android BubbleUPnP can access. That applies to local Android media managed by the app, but as well any external media sent from third party apps to BubbleUPnP.
And for the next release of BubbleUPnP / BubbleUPnP Server, there are major improvements, such as: proper subtitle support (and not of the crappy burning subs in video kind, that everyone is doing), seek in transcoded videos, audio and video track selection, and many transcoding fails fixed.
Moreover, BubbleUPnP Server transcodes video and/or audio tracks only if necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgive me if I misrepresented Bubble there. I was under the impression that Bubble required Server (on a PC) to be running in order to transcode. And if you simply streamed from Bubble Android to CCast without that Server it would not transcode. Either that Changed or I was misinformed.
Happy to see you support Client side Subtitle Overlay and Audio Track selection. That is the only proper way to do those operation which is why I don't understand why everyone else seems intent on doing it on the server side. My guess is lack of knowing Android and Mobile Coding on their part.
In conclusion I will say this...
The Dev who makes the best CCast Loadable Player App could make a lot of money licensing that app to other developers to use in their Projects.
Asphyx said:
Forgive me if I misrepresented Bubble there. I was under the impression that Bubble required Server (on a PC) to be running in order to transcode. And if you simply streamed from Bubble Android to CCast without that Server it would not transcode. Either that Changed or I was misinformed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the server is required on PC for transcoding. There's no transcoding done at all on Android.
What I was saying is that it can also transcode Android local stored media.
But apperently I misundertood your original statement where you wondered in the app could transcode itself: it can't.
Asphyx said:
Happy to see you support Client side Subtitle Overlay and Audio Track selection. That is the only proper way to do those operation which is why I don't understand why everyone else seems intent on doing it on the server side. My guess is lack of knowing Android and Mobile Coding on their part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audio track selection requires at least remuxing in a new container and possily transcoding if the track is not compatible.
bubbleguuum said:
Yes the server is required on PC for transcoding. There's no transcoding done at all on Android.
What I was saying is that it can also transcode Android local stored media.
But apperently I misundertood your original statement where you wondered in the app could transcode itself: it can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not hard since I wasn't very clear LOL
It is transcoding from android but only if you have the server running on PC!
bubbleguuum said:
Audio track selection requires at least remuxing in a new container and possily transcoding if the track is not compatible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even in the case of MKV/AAC where Multiple Audio Tracks are embedded?
I understand it for unsupported formats like AC3 and DHT but if there is a stereo AAC and 5.1 AAC you shouldn't have to remux if the Player does client side track selection.
I'm thinking along the lines of what VLC does which granted is far more complex of a player due to the fact it's years in the making and has a full blown PC to power it.
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.
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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.
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a cop-out to me. Sounds more like they don't want to put the effort into it. A proper live stream would simply pull from an Internet stream, same as the current apps do.
A live stream may not have as many flavors or quite as much compression as a pre-recorded stream can, but that doesn't stop it from working. More likely either their live encoder hardware is simply not tuned for a Chromecast-compatible compression profile, or they don't want to put the effort into modifying their app to transfer credentials to Chromecast (otherwise any viewer who accessed the same URL could get the live stream for free).
Lots of Content providers who already have access to the big screen via Tuner will be hesitant...Because they feel they already support and have the Big Screen model they prefer and it makes billions for them!
Their foray into Tab and Mobile streaming is merely to capture those screens which have no tuner support.
And their mindset is that if they support the Big Screen via CCast they will lose out on all the money they make on the Tuner subs.
They aren't wrong about that part but what they don't seem to realize is they are going to lose that money anyway as more content is available via the Web and people start cutting cords.
And as more of their competition realizes and adds support for this new Big Screen methodology they will either jump onto the ship or risk it sailing away without them.
It's difficult to get a business to change the way they make money when the old method has made it for them for half a century and switch to a new way of making even more money by cutting out the middleman.
They could charge more for a sub than they get per subscriber from the cable companies now.
And people would pay it provided they got to pick and choose which networks they pay for (ala Carte) and could view it on any screen they may own.
Music Industry once faced this same dilemma, they picked wrong and look what happened to their industry!
The same will happen to TV if they don't open their eyes and smell the Data!
They will lose the subs, People will pirate the shows they want to see, No way to record ratings or views and if that happens they won't even have the money to implement the new methods or create new programming...
Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Live streaming via iPlayer app over WiFi works just fine with CC, so I don't really know what the TV Catchup issue is or what their "extensive tesing" actually involved. Do we even know why YouTube doesn't support live streams on CC? Since they point to this as justification. Some of the comments seemed odd - like the one suggesting that the app needed to stream to CC directly, rather than CC playing the given URL, or that VOD content was only "okayish" (have they even tried the Netflix or Play Movies apps?)
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...
ghtop said:
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I've had iPlayer on my Chromecasts since it launched but never watched live TV. Why would anyone in the UK want to watch PSB broadcasters live this way - unless their TV was broken or something. I accept there is a market among expats but that would be irrelevant to the broadcasters.
Anyway, just tested it for the first time on 40" and 19" sets and live streams work perfectly. Better than direct from the website in fact since there is none of the trademark judder. To be fair though it is only a matter of time before the BBC starts to offer live 720p streams (the Winter Olympics feeds worked beautifully for those with good connection speeds) so perhaps our sticks would cope less well with these?
But the whole point of these players is for catch up TV - this is a very disappointing cop-out and even more reason to praise the BBC for getting their app up and running with Chromecast so promptly.
This post is relevant to me as I am UK based, have two chromecasts and my second TV does not have an aerial connection.
I've followed TV Catchup's position on this and I have to say I agree that it is a complete cop-out on their part. More fool them. If iPlayer, Redbull TV and (monday update of) BT sport can integrate casting then their excuse that the CC is not powerful enough is wide of the mark.
My experience of live streams from iPlayer is top notch but I have an excellent fibre optic connection.
So, for my second TV I have embarked on a quest to find a work around.
TV Catchup + Mirror app. Works OK. Resolution is as you'd expect, watchable but no where near HD. Sound quality also suffers. So whilst this solution is boarderline acceptable. It's not great.
XBMC =AVIA. Awesome. ALMOST a fully comprehensive solution for me. I am using the XAF version with 1channel, icefilms and Mashup with playercorefactory set up for Avia. This is great for ondemand services BUT live streams fail to start. This is particularly annoying for me as I subscribe to Offside Streams (for my sports) and I cannot get this to work outside of casting a chrome tab. THIS is my holy grail.
Plex Channels = The Plex live channels I have found to be hit and miss. There are not enough channels of interest and it is a lottery if they work.
BUBBLE UPNP - So I have set up a transcoding server for Bubble. It's delightful. When casting local/network/server files from Android the PC does the grunt work. It pretty much maxes out my quad core 8GB rig, but playback is perfectly acceptable for me.
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
New Tasker Plugin - AUTOCAST. This has promise and I will be spending a few more hours setting it up. It is not for the less tech/tasker savvy. So far I have combined it with AutoShare to share local media files direct from the galley or a file explorer. It even runs videos from the chrome browser IF the website is compatible. IF more websites were compatible, this would be my casting of choice. I really like it's functionality once it has been set up correctly. The dev is publishing some guides on this from Monday.
I am watching you JW PLAYER. Now JW is the player of choice for many large companies websites. They have just announced chromecast support (to be rolled out) and I think this will open the door to new horizons.
Obviously, I'd love to see ITV player, 4OD and Demand Five release both Chromecast support and live streaming from their respective apps. I won't hold my breath. BBC, I am not fond of your general operations but I have to applaud you as an early adopter. BT sport is an added bonus. SKY and SKY GO is as closed shop as they come so let's write that off before we begin.
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.
Funny I don't think Google intended the Chrome cast to be powerful. The new Amazon TV can handle lots. Roku 3 pretty solid. I am more disappointed that to get the most out of Chromecast you have to be in the USA for one thing and the UK for another. Using a VPN is possible but more complicated then other devices I have. It is cheap.
Sent from my Xoom Wifi using XDA Premium HD app
Drizwaldo1 said:
.....
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
.....
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.
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Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.
neu - smurph said:
BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.
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Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP can transcode (if necessary and provided that BubbleUPnP Server is installed) videos from any source, including http video URLs sent from web browsers or any other app.
As for streaming live content not web related, I've got report of users streaming live TV streams in TS format served by some specialized boxes (like the HD HomeRun), and transcoded by BubbleUPnP Server on the fly to be compatible. Theorically it should also work with any media server serving live streams like MythTV and others.
hey guys,
basically ive noticed that when im stream a video from my nexus 5 to my chromecast the video streams straight to the chromecast rather than stream to the nexus and then to the chromecast. In the same way that when you use the youtube app it casts directly. My question is, is there any way to have this arrangement from my mac/PC.
the website in question is a popular movie stream site.
cheers in advance
Long story short, when apps are developed for the Chromecast, a virtual webpage with the video stream is opened in the Chromecast and then the video is streamed directly into it. Simple, right?
However, when a video appears on your screen in a site not optimized for the Chromecast, the Google Chrome extension must copy the contents of your tab (that are receiving a streamed video already) into a new stream that is sent to your Chromecast with your pc as a server. This is why it's slow as dirt.
There really is no easy solution, besides
1) writing it yourself (possible but improbable and unfeasible)
2) begging the website developers to do it (and if the site is illegal, Google Corporation can censor the app or site anyway),
3) downloading the movie beforehand and use something like Plex, or
4) purchasing a video streaming service made by a corporation that has made agreements with Google Corporation and is Chromecast compatible, like Netflix or... Netflix.
I opt for ripping my DVDs, converting them to movie files with Handbrake, putting them on my laptop Plex server, and casting them from there. But that's just me.
primetechv2 said:
Long story short, when apps are developed for the Chromecast, a virtual webpage with the video stream is opened in the Chromecast and then the video is streamed directly into it. Simple, right?
However, when a video appears on your screen in a site not optimized for the Chromecast, the Google Chrome extension must copy the contents of your tab (that are receiving a streamed video already) into a new stream that is sent to your Chromecast with your pc as a server. This is why it's slow as dirt.
There really is no easy solution, besides
1) writing it yourself (possible but improbable and unfeasible)
2) begging the website developers to do it (and if the site is illegal, Google Corporation can censor the app or site anyway),
3) downloading the movie beforehand and use something like Plex, or
4) purchasing a video streaming service made by a corporation that has made agreements with Google Corporation and is Chromecast compatible, like Netflix or... Netflix.
I opt for ripping my DVDs, converting them to movie files with Handbrake, putting them on my laptop Plex server, and casting them from there. But that's just me.
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Click to collapse
Hey primetechv2,
Please excuse my ignorance but I don't understand how can an android app like 'web video caster' can take a normal html page (not optimized for mobiles), find an embedded video and send it to Chromecast to play it directly on Chromecast. Using the same logic, a' browser app' could be designed for PCs which finds the embedded video link in a html page. The video link is then sent to the chromecast (via chrome browser if thats the only way) and a virtual page is opened in the chromecast (as you mentioned in case of mobile apps) and video is played on your chromecast. Please note that we don't want our computer to be used as a server to stream the video to Chromecast. Instead just a link to the video is extracted and is sent to the chromecast.
Am I missing something obvious here?
I don't have a perfect answer because I've never developed media apps for the Chromecast in Android, but it has something to do with the difference between writing an app that runs in Android versus one that runs on Chrome.
On Android, apps have direct access to files on your phone. They can read the files and transfer the data across a network to any device, such as a Chromecast, via a simple API.
On Chrome, for obvious security reasons no random webpage can just hijack your local filesystem. There's a chance that if media was loaded, it could be streamed via a socket or some advanced Javascript magic, but I've never seen any app that does this.
Often, apps will leverage the ability of a PC to behave as a web server, where files CAN be accessed on request and then sent to webpages. Unfortunately, Google Cast restricts Receiver pages being displayed on their hardware unless they're on a rather limited whitelist, so only domains that hvev registered with Google (e.g. http://plex.tv) can have a receiver page displayed on your Cast.
That's sorta the explanation for why apps like BubbleUPNP "hijack" Windows as a media server and as a transcoder.. As long as Android can pull transcoded media back, or perhaps allow access to the transcoded media via the Internet on a registered webpage, I've never set one up, so that's all conjecture. But I'm pretty darn sure a PC has a lot more processing power than an Android device. And when you want to send unsupported-on-the-Chromecast media from a phone to the Cast, you have to manage both the transcoding AND the streaming.
enmbs said:
Hey primetechv2,
Please excuse my ignorance but I don't understand how can an android app like 'web video caster' can take a normal html page (not optimized for mobiles), find an embedded video and send it to Chromecast to play it directly on Chromecast. Using the same logic, a' browser app' could be designed for PCs which finds the embedded video link in a html page. The video link is then sent to the chromecast (via chrome browser if thats the only way) and a virtual page is opened in the chromecast (as you mentioned in case of mobile apps) and video is played on your chromecast. Please note that we don't want our computer to be used as a server to stream the video to Chromecast. Instead just a link to the video is extracted and is sent to the chromecast.
Am I missing something obvious here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can do it only because the App or Site is written to support the CCast specifically where many other sites are not.
So lets cite examples of what I mean....
Web Video Caster is a CCast app that has a Player/receiver the CCast loads that can accept links from the app to display on the unit.
In the case of Websites the Embedded Player they use to play the Video has this support built in.
ESPN uses JWPlayer Pro for their site videos which has CCast support built in. JW Player has it's own Player/Receiver that gets loaded into the CCast to facilitate this.
You Tube has it's own receiver actually ON the CCast that also is similar to the JW Payer.
I believe both require the Browser you are using to be CCast aware using either an extension like GoogleCast for Chrome to let the site know to display the CCast icon. (I may be mistaken but I believe Firefox now has this capability built into the browser)
So it really is a combination of the player the site uses and the Browser that determines if CCast Support is enabled.
But in the end ANYTHING that is sent to a CCast DIRECTLY has to have a corresponding Player/Receiver app written for the CCast to send the linkage to.
It will take some time but I suspect in the future, Most of not ALL embedded players used by Websites will add this functionality in time.
Which is really all about the drive to become HTML5 compatible as much as any desire to support the CCast.
Asphyx said:
It can do it only because the App or Site is written to support the CCast specifically where many other sites are not.
So lets cite examples of what I mean....
Web Video Caster is a CCast app that has a Player/receiver the CCast loads that can accept links from the app to display on the unit.
In the case of Websites the Embedded Player they use to play the Video has this support built in.
ESPN uses JWPlayer Pro for their site videos which has CCast support built in. JW Player has it's own Player/Receiver that gets loaded into the CCast to facilitate this.
You Tube has it's own receiver actually ON the CCast that also is similar to the JW Payer.
I believe both require the Browser you are using to be CCast aware using either an extension like GoogleCast for Chrome to let the site know to display the CCast icon. (I may be mistaken but I believe Firefox now has this capability built into the browser)
So it really is a combination of the player the site uses and the Browser that determines if CCast Support is enabled.
But in the end ANYTHING that is sent to a CCast DIRECTLY has to have a corresponding Player/Receiver app written for the CCast to send the linkage to.
It will take some time but I suspect in the future, Most of not ALL embedded players used by Websites will add this functionality in time.
Which is really all about the drive to become HTML5 compatible as much as any desire to support the CCast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Asphyx, It makes sense now :good:.