Related
First of all I know this section is for the Cromecast and all my MP4 video play using it with Avia.
If you happen to have a DLNA TV when you cast from Avia you’ll see your TV as an option. Back some time ago I decided to try it and all my videos would try to play but an “unsupported video format” message would appear.
I dropped a message to Avia Tech support but never heard from them till about a week or so ago. After a bunch of emails back/forth, they found a Samsung Smart TV in their office. They tried it and found most but not all videos played and received the same error as I did.
I then asked them to try BubbleUPnP with Avia since all my videos play this way. They tried it and although a few more played some still didn’t meaning that BubbleUPNp does some transcoding and Avia just passes the file as is. So even Avia Tech Support has MP4's that a certain device doesn't like!
Okay the problem seems to be the Samsung Smart TV but it brings up the point that not all MP4’s are created equal even though I used HandBrake which is what Avia Tech Support suggests to use.
BTW- My TV has the latest firmware. The Samsung DLNA app used by the TV is called AllShare. It later was changed to AllShare Play and recently Samsung Link. Now Samsung Link/AllShare Play is available in the Play Store but shows to not compatible with my Nexus 10. I don’t know what’s included in the newer Samsung Smart TV’s or if it’s still called AllShare or not.
wptski said:
Okay the problem seems to be the Samsung Smart TV but it brings up the point that not all MP4’s are created equal even though I used HandBrake which is what Avia Tech Support suggests to use.
BTW- My TV has the latest firmware. The Samsung DLNA app used by the TV is called AllShare. It later was changed to AllShare Play and recently Samsung Link. Now Samsung Link/AllShare Play is available in the Play Store but shows to not compatible with my Nexus 10. I don’t know what’s included in the newer Samsung Smart TV’s or if it’s still called AllShare or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes, very true!
The same holds for MPEG-2. DVD uses MPEG-2, but it uses a specific range of parameters - left alone to mess with all the available settings it's easy to create non-DVD-compliant MPEG-2, just as it's easy to create non-Chromecast-compliant MPEG-4, non-iPod-compliant MPEG-4 audio, etc.
It's a lot like clothes - simply knowing it's "Men's dress shirt" is not enough to know it will fit.
Even knowing it's "Large men's dress shirt" won't guarantee a fit.
Short of trying it on, you need to get the measurements.
I think on my phone the AllShare stuff is now called Samsung Hub, except for the actual playback function, which is still called AllShare Play, as opposed to AllShare Cast. *shrug*
wptski said:
First of all I know this section is for the Cromecast and all my MP4 video play using it with Avia.
If you happen to have a DLNA TV when you cast from Avia you’ll see your TV as an option. Back some time ago I decided to try it and all my videos would try to play but an “unsupported video format” message would appear.
I dropped a message to Avia Tech support but never heard from them till about a week or so ago. After a bunch of emails back/forth, they found a Samsung Smart TV in their office. They tried it and found most but not all videos played and received the same error as I did.
I then asked them to try BubbleUPnP with Avia since all my videos play this way. They tried it and although a few more played some still didn’t meaning that BubbleUPNp does some transcoding and Avia just passes the file as is. So even Avia Tech Support has MP4's that a certain device doesn't like!
Okay the problem seems to be the Samsung Smart TV but it brings up the point that not all MP4’s are created equal even though I used HandBrake which is what Avia Tech Support suggests to use.
BTW- My TV has the latest firmware. The Samsung DLNA app used by the TV is called AllShare. It later was changed to AllShare Play and recently Samsung Link. Now Samsung Link/AllShare Play is available in the Play Store but shows to not compatible with my Nexus 10. I don’t know what’s included in the newer Samsung Smart TV’s or if it’s still called AllShare or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here. Even though I transcode:
mp4 container
h264 codec
high profile (4.1)
I still can't direct play. I have no idea what i'm missing but according to "the google" these are the parameters that a file needs for CC compatibility.
sherdog16 said:
Same issue here. Even though I transcode:
mp4 container
h264 codec
high profile (4.1)
I still can't direct play. I have no idea what i'm missing but according to "the google" these are the parameters that a file needs for CC compatibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what behavior do you see when you cast the a video from Avia?
sherdog16 said:
Same issue here. Even though I transcode:
mp4 container
h264 codec
high profile (4.1)
I still can't direct play. I have no idea what i'm missing but according to "the google" these are the parameters that a file needs for CC compatibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You forgot to note the Audio codec...
AAC(Both HE and and LC), CELT/OPUS, Vorbis or MP3 are the only Audio codecs supported by CCast.
If it is stereo MP3 is fine, If it is surround then AAC is required.
I think you may have gotten the video side right but did not get the Audio correct and thats why it won't play on the CCast.
Samsung if I'm not mistaken uses Mediaplay for Video It should play AAC just fine.
Why did Google choose Avia anyway? Theres loads of better media players for android.
The S3 Kid said:
Why did Google choose Avia anyway? Theres loads of better media players for android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what the selection process was for who got to play with the yet-unreleased SDK, but the developer also had to have shown interest in supporting Chromecast, so likely it was both sides.
Probably Google saw enough interest to deem their participation and feedback beneficial to the SDK development process.
The S3 Kid said:
Why did Google choose Avia anyway? Theres loads of better media players for android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was probably more aVia chose them and not the other way around...
I know they worked with Plex developers directly.
aVia may have been the only local file player other than Real Player to show any interest.
Most of the best players are one Developer driven products and didn't show interest when Google asked for people interested.
One of the things mentioned by Avia Tech Support was that Avia came installed on some Google TVs. They had asked what app was on my Samsung Smart TV.
bhiga said:
Exactly what behavior do you see when you cast the a video from Avia?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most stuff just said unsupported format. However, I took a fresh rip and encoded a test and it worked so I think I may have gotten it. And to the other poster, I'm pretty sure it was aac audio I was selecting
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
So i just wanted to update:
I'm finding that some videos that say "Unsupported Format blah blah blah" that I try to play from my phone will play fine when transferred to the laptop and shared through windows media center. The kicker is that some videos aren't showing up in Avia when dropped in the same spot as everything else. Note: The machine is a netbook with Windows 7 and only a 1.33Ghz dual core so it's not transcoding anything.
Even more strange; when i try to play the same movie through my plex server on said netbook with the paid plexpass android app, it then attempts to transcode and fails horribly with buffering every 2 seconds. I'm finding that playing local content with Chromecast has a TON of "ifs and buts". Basically, it's all very simple if you have a powerful desktop, but not so easy for those of us on a budget... which i think is most of the people who bought the CC, due to the price point.
So if I can just get Windows Media Center to show all my converted movies, which I can't, I'll be fine. IDK, I just felt like venting my frustrations with this whole venture. Back at it tonight i suppose.
sherdog16 said:
So i just wanted to update:
I'm finding that some videos that say "Unsupported Format blah blah blah" that I try to play from my phone will play fine when transferred to the laptop and shared through windows media center. The kicker is that some videos aren't showing up in Avia when dropped in the same spot as everything else. Note: The machine is a netbook with Windows 7 and only a 1.33Ghz dual core so it's not transcoding anything.
Even more strange; when i try to play the same movie through my plex server on said netbook with the paid plexpass android app, it then attempts to transcode and fails horribly with buffering every 2 seconds. I'm finding that playing local content with Chromecast has a TON of "ifs and buts". Basically, it's all very simple if you have a powerful desktop, but not so easy for those of us on a budget... which i think is most of the people who bought the CC, due to the price point.
So if I can just get Windows Media Center to show all my converted movies, which I can't, I'll be fine. IDK, I just felt like venting my frustrations with this whole venture. Back at it tonight i suppose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if WMC tries to conform things for XBOX/UPnP compliance or not... We'll assume it doesn't though.
Sounds like Plex is just being hampered by poor transcoding performance. Netbooks tend not to fare well with high-performance tasks, especially CODEC-related operations. A desktop with more RAM and a more video-friendly optimized CPU would definitely fare better.
You might be having network performance issues on top of that.
Chromecast has a ton of "gotchas" with playing local content - because it's not really designed for that. Its primary purpose is an Internet streamer. Beyond that, it's a bit like using your phone in lieu of a laptop. You can do it, but you're subject to restrictions.
I'm still in search of an "all in one" solution as well, but seems there is none.
Plex is awesome for my non-DVD/BD content because it can transcode for whatever client... but I'd have to convert my DVDs/BDs
TV + phone/tablet
WMC+MyMovies works well for my DVD/BD content - and it works for my video content too... but then I'm tied to my TV - can't watch on my phone/tablet, and control via my phone/tablet is klunky at best for non-DVD/BD stuff (I use TMT for DVD/BD playback - its Android remote app works fine).
TV
Avia plays my local content... and casts it too, but not if it requires transcoding
Phone/tablet
RealPlayer cloud needs me to throw non-compliant media onto their cloud before I can cast it
Phone/tablet
If/when the MyMovies Android app is released (they're working on it) I'll finally be able to cast my DVD (and hopefully BD) content which may render my WMC machine obsolete... but still not an all-in-one solution.
Also Transcoding is still a WIP as far as Plex goes...They are slowly getting there but it would seem it still transcodes even in some cases where it probably shouldn't have to or doesn't transcode in cases it should (notably MP4/H264 Level 4.0 or lower/AAC)
Transcoding will not operate properly on a Netbook. What is happening (and this is a guess) is Plex is trying to transcode for aVia and the system can't handle it. The Error says incompatible but that is because the transcode isn't working.
aVia can probably handle the file fine without Transcoding but Plex doesn't care what aVia will handle it transcodes based on the Source and without a profile for aVia it is probably just using a Generic Transcode format that your Machine is choking on.
Asphyx said:
Also Transcoding is still a WIP as far as Plex goes...They are slowly getting there but it would seem it still transcodes even in some cases where it probably shouldn't have to or doesn't transcode in cases it should (notably MP4/H264 Level 4.0 or lower/AAC)
Transcoding will not operate properly on a Netbook. What is happening (and this is a guess) is Plex is trying to transcode for aVia and the system can't handle it. The Error says incompatible but that is because the transcode isn't working.
aVia can probably handle the file fine without Transcoding but Plex doesn't care what aVia will handle it transcodes based on the Source and without a profile for aVia it is probably just using a Generic Transcode format that your Machine is choking on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah this is what has me miffed. Plex is great. Looks great, reads everything in, so on and so forth. I never figured the netbook could handle any transcoding, i assumed direct play would be okay as I can encode the files on my work PC (which has plenty of balls) to be compliant. But it frustrates me now when I have a file that is obviously CC compatible (plays fine through DLNA via Avia) but it then attempts to transcode the file when it shouldn't have to. I wish there was a "force direct play" option with Plex (or maybe there is and i'm not aware). Orrrrr i wish all my files that I encode with the exact same settings in Handbrake would read in through WMC so I don't even need Plex, and I could just use Avia.
I feel like I'm RIGHT there with this but can't quiet figure it out. It has me obsessed with "beating the problem" so to speak.
I faced this wierd issue before...
For some mp4 files, when put locally on my android device, can stream fine to chromecast.
Same mp4 file copied to a network location and streamed via vget to avia did not play at all.
For other mp4 files (exact same coding done via handbrake)... they play well from both local storage or network storage accessed via vget.
I was never able to solve it.
Its very puzzling and a random hit/miss
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
sherdog16 said:
Orrrrr i wish all my files that I encode with the exact same settings in Handbrake would read in through WMC so I don't even need Plex, and I could just use Avia.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WMC is supposed to be a DLNA-compliant source, but how it determines what it does and doesn't serve is a bit of a mystery... I suspect it's something to do with the Homegroup concept that I still avoid.
Hello All, I've been using Serviio as a media server for almost a year, no complaints, so to make this work you will need the following:
1. Serviio 1.4 installed in your computer (don't forget to select the folders you want to stream)
2. Avia Media Player (paid version that enables chromecast support) - installed in your phone
3. MediaHouse (FREE) - installed in your phone
4. A chromecast dooh
- Plug your chromecast to your TV
- Open Avia and tap on the device icon on the top right and select chromecast then press your home button.(That should display the Avia start screen on your TV)
- Open MediaHouse, then on devices select Serviio
- tap on Browse then select videos, image or audio
- I suggest to select FOLDERS instead of other, at least it's easier for me to find my files
- browse to the desired file and tab on it
- select Avia
- that will open avia and the media file should be streamed to your TV
Hope this works for you!
Note: srt subtittles won't work anyways
Not sure if it's an update, but all I needed was Avia. Launched Avia and it detected Serviio without MediaHouse, but thanks for the tip, was wondering how I could get playback without the stutter.
Serviio is a DLNA server/source, and Avia can browse DLNA sources natively, so MediaHouse shouldn't be necessary.
bhiga said:
Serviio is a DLNA server/source, and Avia can browse DLNA sources natively, so MediaHouse shouldn't be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The man is right! just a matter of picking serviio in avia's setup and DONE!
Looks like Google just release the Chromcase Dev kit. http://chrome.blogspot.com/2014/02/chromecast-is-now-open-to-developers.html
Was trying to wrap my head around getting serviio to transcode automatically via editing the profile.xml file. With a little bit of time, looks like I won't have to worry about that! w00t
Unreadhyperion said:
Looks like Google just release the Chromcase Dev kit. http://chrome.blogspot.com/2014/02/chromecast-is-now-open-to-developers.html
Was trying to wrap my head around getting serviio to transcode automatically via editing the profile.xml file. With a little bit of time, looks like I won't have to worry about that! w00t
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that only avi en wmv had to be transcoded at least every mkv and mp4 i tried worked
Alas it generally works for my mkv files as well; however, there are some mkv files that do not play. Hunger Games does not play at all but Catching Fire does... so my choices are to either re-encode to make it chromecast compatible or Serviio profile. Neither of which are ideal scenarios. In the first case, Handbrake takes 5 to 6 hours per movie to re-encode and even then, that's assuming 100% CPU dedication. In the second case, my desktop crashed with an issue with the motherboard... I'm currently using an old desktop that struggles to launch two programs at the same time... on the fly transcoding would probably run horribly.
So I am actually hopeful that this might expand it so that I don't have to do any transcoding.
Hi, my rooted and hacked CC works fine with all the official apps, Netflix, Avia and Gallery.
The problem is that whenever I try to play a file from my local network, using any File Manager to open the file in Avia, the CC says it is not compatible and never play. On the other hand, if you create a DLNA / Media Sharing service, then the same files can be played without error messages.
I did not want to use Media Sharing, I prefer access to the network drive directly. Why CC makes such a difference between the way it accesses files. My Media Sharing is not transcoding anything for the CC. It should be the same, or they are just avoiding the local media player options ?!
Anyone have a clue ?
Thanks,
MCP
Have you installed the latest and greatest eureka 2.0?
mcpdigital said:
Hi, my rooted and hacked CC works fine with all the official apps, Netflix, Avia and Gallery.
The problem is that whenever I try to play a file from my local network, using any File Manager to open the file in Avia, the CC says it is not compatible and never play. On the other hand, if you create a DLNA / Media Sharing service, then the same files can be played without error messages.
I did not want to use Media Sharing, I prefer access to the network drive directly. Why CC makes such a difference between the way it accesses files. My Media Sharing is not transcoding anything for the CC. It should be the same, or they are just avoiding the local media player options ?!
Anyone have a clue ?
Thanks,
MCP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends how the network file location is sent.
If the network file is downloaded to the local device and casted as a local file, it should work.
If the network file is sent as a UNC path it likely won't work.
Try copying the file to local storage and verify it can be casted as a local file first.
bhiga said:
It depends how the network file location is sent.
If the network file is downloaded to the local device and casted as a local file, it should work.
If the network file is sent as a UNC path it likely won't work.
Try copying the file to local storage and verify it can be casted as a local file first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm waiting for the Eureka team OTA, but I believe the problem will persist after the upgrade.
This is what happens:
Case 1
Open a File Explorer
Open the network share
Choose the file (4GB mkv) and play with Avia
Cast it to CC
CC message says it is not compatible
Case 2
Start media sharing in the computer that owns the file to be played
Start Avia and open the file using Add Media and choosing the Media Sharing PC and the file (4GB mkv) to be played
Cast to CC
CC plays the same file without errors
I really do not get why CC choose not to play as if it was a local file. How are people doing with NAS, are they starting a DLNA or Media sharing inside the NAS to have access to the movies.
Thanks
MCP
mcpdigital said:
This is what happens:
Case 1
Open a File Explorer
Open the network share
Choose the file (4GB mkv) and play with Avia
Cast it to CC
CC message says it is not compatible
...
I really do not get why CC choose not to play as if it was a local file. How are people doing with NAS, are they starting a DLNA or Media sharing inside the NAS to have access to the movies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Avia doesn't know how to unwrap MKV, nor does Chromecast.
So that's why it won't play it as a file.
Your DLNA server is either doing transcoding or is unwrapping the compatible data inside the MKV.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
bhiga said:
Avia doesn't know how to unwrap MKV, nor does Chromecast.
So that's why it won't play it as a file.
Your DLNA server is either doing transcoding or is unwrapping the compatible data inside the MKV.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I got it. The experience playing Local or Network files is sub-par with the ChromeCast. Avia can play almost all of them, but not cast, DLNA or Local it happens anyway. Today the chromecast is like a Netflix player for me, the rest is not ready for prime time.
I wish I could have the OTA today otherwise I will not be able to check until next weekend. My cable is with a friend so no update for me.
Until now, none of my 3 CC has gotten the update. They are on 24x7 on, but it seems I'm on the last batch.
MCP
mcpdigital said:
Ok, I got it. The experience playing Local or Network files is sub-par with the ChromeCast. Avia can play almost all of them, but not cast, DLNA or Local it happens anyway. Today the chromecast is like a Netflix player for me, the rest is not ready for prime time.
I wish I could have the OTA today otherwise I will not be able to check until next weekend. My cable is with a friend so no update for me.
Until now, none of my 3 CC has gotten the update. They are on 24x7 on, but it seems I'm on the last batch.
MCP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Local file playback is still developing. Chromecast was designed as an Internet streamer that is controlled by a mobile device.
We didn't have local playback at launch and it probably want in the minds of many until Koush released the first AllCast beta that subsequently broke due to whitelisting and SDK changes.
Any content outside those with apps made for it relies on intelligence in the app side. It's more attainable to make media compatible with Chromecast (ie Plex, RealPlayer Cloud) than to make Chromecast compatible with all media, as there are hundreds of CODECs. I still have some stuff that makes MX Player say ??? heh.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
bhiga said:
Local file playback is still developing. Chromecast was designed as an Internet streamer that is controlled by a mobile device.
We didn't have local playback at launch and it probably want in the minds of many until Koush released the first AllCast beta that subsequently broke due to whitelisting and SDK changes.
Any content outside those with apps made for it relies on intelligence in the app side. It's more attainable to make media compatible with Chromecast (ie Plex, RealPlayer Cloud) than to make Chromecast compatible with all media, as there are hundreds of CODECs. I still have some stuff that makes MX Player say ??? heh.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bhiga, thanks for taking time to answer. I understand the purpose of ChromeCast as an internet streaming (Netflix box), but after the launch of Avia and AllCast I really had hope to be able to do Local casting. CC bring some Smart to your non-smart TV, this is the main and only benefit IMHO.
With the latest updates, even Avia is not playing most of my files, and there is no clue of what is happening other than a Black screen in the phone. This is definitely Avias fault not CC. Allcast is not any better after all, most of the things just do not play. Even some of my phones mkv files are not playable.
If there wasn't Eureka, you can be sure my CCs would be gone. I'm patiently waiting for some real change that is looking unreal as the time goes by. I'm back using my BD player and PS3 to play local media and these CCs destination will be the drawer.
Beautiful image and pretty good processing, nice idea but stuck with the American Media providers and its insane agreements that make the device useless or at least just another stream player with many limitations. Sure, for 35 bucks it is ok, but cannot replace any of my other devices.
If you feel I'm bored, that is the correct vision. Tired of spending time trying to play something that matters to me. Tried converting to mp4 with AAC using Handbrake or ffmpeg and it does not help much, the same MKV file converted to MP4 does not work either.
My TVs play all the mkv files straight from the Hard disk without problem, my BD player do it as well, and finally my old energy consumer PS3 play the files after a small tsmuxer change. Chromecast does not add up, other than the size and the idea.
There is no sense in adding a Media Server like Plex, I already have better Dlna solutions for years and I hate all of them just because you need to have a server using lots of CPUs, heat and energy. My next and latest step is to mount a small AMD APU accelerated box and play whatever I want using XBMC Linux or simply play LOCAL files in stored in a cheap 4TB drive. It is cheaper than the time I spend trying to use CC with no success.
MCP
mcpdigital said:
Beautiful image and pretty good processing, nice idea but stuck with the American Media providers and its insane agreements that make the device useless or at least just another stream player with many limitations. Sure, for 35 bucks it is ok, but cannot replace any of my other devices.
If you feel I'm bored, that is the correct vision. Tired of spending time trying to play something that matters to me. Tried converting to mp4 with AAC using Handbrake or ffmpeg and it does not help much, the same MKV file converted to MP4 does not work either.
My TVs play all the mkv files straight from the Hard disk without problem, my BD player do it as well, and finally my old energy consumer PS3 play the files after a small tsmuxer change. Chromecast does not add up, other than the size and the idea.
There is no sense in adding a Media Server like Plex, I already have better Dlna solutions for years and I hate all of them just because you need to have a server using lots of CPUs, heat and energy. My next and latest step is to mount a small AMD APU accelerated box and play whatever I want using XBMC Linux or simply play LOCAL files in stored in a cheap 4TB drive. It is cheaper than the time I spend trying to use CC with no success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely sounds like you're encountering multiple issues, the Avia one is likely just a bug similar to the one I was experiencing.
I've been thinking more, and I think part of the disparity and disappointment lies in Chromecast as a standalone device, rather than Chromecast as a complement to another device. At least in its current state, it's more like an adapter - it works in specific scenarios, for apps that support it. The majority of the "work" is in the app that's connecting to Chromecast. And the selection of apps is still growing.
At $35 it's either a very cheap device, or a mid-range adapter.
I've posted my Chrome App late last night and has been a big hit on Reddit. Anywho, while we've ran into a couple people with issues it's been a pretty smooth rollout.
If you want to try it, here it is. It's, rather cleverly, called "Chromecast Video" .
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chromecast-video/cnciopoikihiagdjbjpnocolokfelagl
Let me know how much you love it, hate it, and want to see your bug fixed
-----------
Known issues:
// TODO
Mat.
Great start! So far gives me about a 50% success ratio, at least with mp4 files. And some of those that start successfully die after about 30 seconds. But the ones that stream successfully are smooth.
Reddit comments thread, that should be added in OP:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Chromecast/comments/1ybzw3/chromecast_video_a_chrome_app_that_streams_local/
Could you also add download link that does not require google account login?
PS if you want to know literally everything about acidhax start HERE and dig google
Avia does that
I'm going to check this out tonight, but given that there doesn't appear to be any transcoding going on, is it safe to assume that you still can't play .mkv files with audio?
I keep holding out in hopes that I don't need to convert my huge collection of media to h.264 in an .mp4 container.
mkhopper said:
I'm going to check this out tonight, but given that there doesn't appear to be any transcoding going on, is it safe to assume that you still can't play .mkv files with audio?
I keep holding out in hopes that I don't need to convert my huge collection of media to h.264 in an .mp4 container.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, well, if anyone here is good at NaCl development we can get some ffmpeg transcoding happening
Yet another reason to run Chrome... I may be converted yet...
BTW, added your extension to the FAQ.
It seemed to work but would stop after a few minutes
mkhopper said:
I'm going to check this out tonight, but given that there doesn't appear to be any transcoding going on, is it safe to assume that you still can't play .mkv files with audio?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't play mkv at all as far as I can tell. I just get a spinning circle forever if I try.
enricong said:
It seemed to work but would stop after a few minutes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some users have this problem. I honestly don't know what it is, it could be a Chrome bug or a WiFi driver bug.
Edit:
All I'm really doing is creating a Webserver on the Chrome App, and the Chromecast requests media from you. It'll just drop randomly for certain people.
acidhax said:
Some users have this problem. I honestly don't know what it is, it could be a Chrome bug or a WiFi driver bug.
Edit:
All I'm really doing is creating a Webserver on the Chrome App, and the Chromecast requests media from you. It'll just drop randomly for certain people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there an option to show debugging info or logging to try to determine the cause?
acidhax said:
All I'm really doing is creating a Webserver on the Chrome App, and the Chromecast requests media from you. It'll just drop randomly for certain people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could also be other extensions or antivirus
On this thread the tab casting problem (yes, I realize it probably uses a different mechanism, but it's still within Chrome) ended up being Adware Antivirus, and reinstallation of the Cast extension.
enricong said:
Is there an option to show debugging info or logging to try to determine the cause?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I'm aware of..
enricong said:
Is there an option to show debugging info or logging to try to determine the cause?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed it. Update is being processed as we speak!
Thanks
MKV plays fine, but without sound.
Also, is it possible to support subs?
acidhax said:
Fixed it. Update is being processed as we speak!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirmed - all better now. With version 0.9.6.5 all mp4 videos play without interruption.
Another minor problem: if I attempt to play a video that doesn't load successfully (for example one of my mkv files), the Chromecast remains stuck on a blank screen and I cannot cast any more videos successfully until the Chromecast Video extension is shut down and restarted. It looks like the UI is still functioning, but maybe the background http server is stuck?
DJames1 said:
Confirmed - all better now. With version 0.9.6.5 all mp4 videos play without interruption.
Another minor problem: if I attempt to play a video that doesn't load successfully (for example one of my mkv files), the Chromecast remains stuck on a blank screen and I cannot cast any more videos successfully until the Chromecast Video extension is shut down and restarted. It looks like the UI is still functioning, but maybe the background http server is stuck?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys MKV is a container, and have slim to none information about whats in it.
Really think the developer would love to know which Audio/Video codec you use
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MediaInfo <- Download that tool and the codecs will show up, they would help the developer understanding which codecs works and not.
bormeth said:
Guys MKV is a container, and have slim to none information about whats in it.
Really think the developer would love to know which Audio/Video codec you use
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MediaInfo <- Download that tool and the codecs will show up, they would help the developer understanding which codecs works and not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally my mkv files are all H.264 video generated by Handbrake, the same as my mp4 files. The difference is likely to be in the audio tracks. My mkv files all have either a single AC3 DD5.1 sound track, or else an AC3 DD5.1 sound track plus an AAC stereo sound track like the mp4 files. I stopped including the AC3 DD5.1 sound track in my mp4 files because I found that many (if not most) mp4 players will only accept a single AAC stereo sound track and nothing else. I sometimes wonder what was the point of designing container file formats that allow multiple sound tracks when so many players seem to choke on files that use that capability! Even Microsoft Windows Media Player doesn't have the basic ability to select which audio track to use when there are multiple tracks.
DJames1 said:
I sometimes wonder what was the point of designing container file formats that allow multiple sound tracks when so many players seem to choke on files that use that capability! Even Microsoft Windows Media Player doesn't have the basic ability to select which audio track to use when there are multiple tracks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's the general problem with containers... Having multiple streams requires additional logic on the player's side that takes it more toward a DVD/BD player, while most media players are more simple. In some cases players "cheat" and their "support" for a container is simply "pretend it's just a raw media stream."
While it does often work, it's bad practice because the kludge fails once the container is actually used as a container.
It's much like how people often like to rename VOB files to MPG to make them "work" but run into trouble when things leave the most-simple cases as VOBs also contain other data like navigational data, subtitles, etc. A proper demux works, but of course requires actual understanding of the container format.
bhiga said:
Having multiple streams requires additional logic on the player's side that takes it more toward a DVD/BD player, while most media players are more simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! MKV was pretty much invented as a Universal Library container format to better support the different media that would normally be on a DVD/BR disc such as Multiple Language, Commentary tracks and Multiple Subtitles all in one tidy package.
But to support all that it requires Client side support that allows you to pick which tracks to actually use.
Unfortunately the player apps on the CCast are still very young and not yet mature enough to deal with this complexity as most developers are more focused on the communication and linkage needed to cast than they are with developing a full featured player on the CCast side.
This is why Subs and Multi Audio track content have hit or miss issues when sent to a CCast.
It gets even worse if transcoding is required.
And the fact that MKV can contain just about any codec it's even harder to write a transcoder profile or CCast player that can deal with it all.
There is no hardware I know of that supports MKV on chip. All the devices that play them without transcoding use software decoding built into the player. and I suspect in time someone will create a CCast player capable of doing that at some point as well as the capability to select Subtitle Overlay and Audio Track from the client side.
Once someone does that most if not all of our MKV issues will go away. Transcoding will no longer be needed and the selection of what gets seen and played will all happen where it should on the client side.
Hi everyone,
just installed my sweet new chromecast, but running into a few problems,,
I've installed bubbleupnp on my Windows 8.1 and also on my nexus 5. I can browse the library on my pc (allthough I haven't quite figured out how to include or exclude some folders) and I can also click to play the files on my nexus 5. The nthe BubbleUPNP screen on my TV (via chromecast) does load....but I can't see any picture of the video and the video doesn't start playing.
Does anyone know the solution to this`?
maxiv said:
I've installed bubbleupnp on my Windows 8.1 and also on my nexus 5. I can browse the library on my pc (allthough I haven't quite figured out how to include or exclude some folders) and I can also click to play the files on my nexus 5. The nthe BubbleUPNP screen on my TV (via chromecast) does load....but I can't see any picture of the video and the video doesn't start playing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likely your media is not compatible with Chromecast.
Install BubbleUPnP server on your PC and enable the transcoding option in BubbleUPnP.
is this the setting you mean?
Done that, didn't help :/
when i use my phone as renderer, most files play back just fine. Yeah, I guess it hast to do with the format of the files also...but just can't solve it yet :/
edit: So with an MKV (just a few, not all) it just worked (bubbleupnp on tv brought up the loading bar and then the file started playing).
with .avi it doesn't seem to work. is there any solution to this?
maxiv said:
is this the setting you mean?
Done that, didn't help :/
when i use my phone as renderer, most files play back just fine. Yeah, I guess it hast to do with the format of the files also...but just can't solve it yet :/
edit: So with an MKV (just a few, not all) it just worked (bubbleupnp on tv brought up the loading bar and then the file started playing).
with .avi it doesn't seem to work. is there any solution to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MKVs can play without transcoding, .avi files will need transcoding. Go into BubbleUPnP on your phone, settings->Chromecast and enable transcoding there.
Nedle said:
MKVs can play without transcoding, .avi files will need transcoding. Go into BubbleUPnP on your phone, settings->Chromecast and enable transcoding there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for you help. You mean like so? Still doesn't work :/
Can you check your CPU workload during transcoding? It might no be able to handle it. If so you can try changing your transcoding settings to increase performance.
Nedle said:
Can you check your CPU workload during transcoding? It might no be able to handle it. If so you can try changing your transcoding settings to increase performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what file type should I click!? Since playing such files doesn't seem to work (just a few, not all, MKVs work) i'm not sure if checking the CPU workload makes sense?
maxiv said:
Thanks for you help. You mean like so? Still doesn't work :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you gone through the information and recommendations on the BubbleUPnP site?
bhiga said:
Have you gone through the information and recommendations on the BubbleUPnP site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, and I now also enabled transcoding under the "networks and settings" menu in settings...most MKVs seem to work fine by now, still no luck with .AVI though...
maxiv said:
I did, and I now also enabled transcoding under the "networks and settings" menu in settings...most MKVs seem to work fine by now, still no luck with .AVI though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most MKVs contain MPEG-4 video, so they require little/no readjustment.
AVIs, on the other hand, come from the early days of Windows 3.11 when only a handful of CODECs were included and MPEG-4 wasn't born yet (IIRC MPEG-2 was being standardized at the time).
Most times AVIs will require some kind of trancoding, because few people put MPEG-4 in an AVI, unless it's DivX.
bhiga said:
Most MKVs contain MPEG-4 video, so they require little/no readjustment.
AVIs, on the other hand, come from the early days of Windows 3.11 when only a handful of CODECs were included and MPEG-4 wasn't born yet (IIRC MPEG-2 was being standardized at the time).
Most times AVIs will require some kind of trancoding, because few people put MPEG-4 in an AVI, unless it's DivX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand, and as far as I can tell by now I have checked all options for transcoding, but nothing's really happening yet. Do you have any more tipps as to how I could make this work?
maxiv said:
I understand, and as far as I can tell by now I have checked all options for transcoding, but nothing's really happening yet. Do you have any more tipps as to how I could make this work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I haven't quite reached that stage in my setup yet, I just know a lot about video and transcoding.
At the moment HandBrake is chugging away at my library of ~1400 files, conforming them to MPEG-4 for Chromecast as well as other target use.
At current run rate it's going to take 2-3 weeks.
Have you tried casting from the browser to the CCast on the Win8 Machine?
It could be a communication problem on the Win8 side of things...
The Bubble App on android is what would trigger the player to display on the CCast side but if transcoding is needed the stream would be coming from the Win8 Machine and that wouldn't happen if the Win8 machine can't communicate with the CCast properly.
Try using the Cast a tab in Googlcast Chrome and make sure the Win8 Machine sees the device at all....
If it doesn't see it make sure to enable IPv6 in your Network settings of Win8 and Router (not sure why but Google suggests this as a solution)
If it does see it and can stream a tab then there is something else going on and we will have to look into other aspects of it.
after that try to disable the firewall in Win8 and see if that helps...If so then you need to open up some ports for Bubble on the Win8 Firewall.
BTW have I expressed lately how much I despise Windows 8? LOL
Asphyx said:
Have you tried casting from the browser to the CCast on the Win8 Machine?
It could be a communication problem on the Win8 side of things...
The Bubble App on android is what would trigger the player to display on the CCast side but if transcoding is needed the stream would be coming from the Win8 Machine and that wouldn't happen if the Win8 machine can't communicate with the CCast properly.
Try using the Cast a tab in Googlcast Chrome and make sure the Win8 Machine sees the device at all....
If it doesn't see it make sure to enable IPv6 in your Network settings of Win8 and Router (not sure why but Google suggests this as a solution)
If it does see it and can stream a tab then there is something else going on and we will have to look into other aspects of it.
after that try to disable the firewall in Win8 and see if that helps...If so then you need to open up some ports for Bubble on the Win8 Firewall.
BTW have I expressed lately how much I despise Windows 8? LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, casting most MKVs (not all) works just fine, as well as casting youtube videos and chrome tabs. all good. it's just some MKVs and AVIs in general that don't work with bubbleupnp
I was testing the free version of BubbleUPNP as well and I found out that I could cast a video taken with my phone but an other video, also taken with my phone wasn't casting. It kept going with the progress bar on my TV and after a few minutes the screen went black.
I assume that the camera of my phone always records in the same format and always in full HD, so it is very strange one short clip works and an other short (less than a minute) clip doesn't...
I did not try with the server or a PC
maxiv said:
Hi everyone,
just installed my sweet new chromecast, but running into a few problems,,
I've installed bubbleupnp on my Windows 8.1 and also on my nexus 5. I can browse the library on my pc (allthough I haven't quite figured out how to include or exclude some folders) and I can also click to play the files on my nexus 5. The nthe BubbleUPNP screen on my TV (via chromecast) does load....but I can't see any picture of the video and the video doesn't start playing.
Does anyone know the solution to this`?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the media server that you use on your PC to access your videos ?
It if it Windows Media layer (WMP), there is a known issue on some setups where no video will play to Chromecast. This is specific to WMP.
Until I find the cause it is recommended to use any other media server, such as Serviio.
I'm having a similar problem, but in Ubuntu 14.04. I followed the instructions on the BubbleUpnp site to get BubbleUpnp server installed. I use PS3 Media Server. For some reason, I can't stream any video files to my Chromecast using BubbleUpnp, even mkv ones. A progress bar flashes on my TV screen for a split second and then nothing happens. Any ideas?
bhaskarchawla said:
I'm having a similar problem, but in Ubuntu 14.04. I followed the instructions on the BubbleUpnp site to get BubbleUpnp server installed. I use PS3 Media Server. For some reason, I can't stream any video files to my Chromecast using BubbleUpnp, even mkv ones. A progress bar flashes on my TV screen for a split second and then nothing happens. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@bhaskarchawla
I really do not recommend using PS3 media server. I suggest trying Serviio.
I had the same problem playing MP4 format. Transcoding is enabled in the server and remote transcoding is indicated. Played on Chromecast with BubbleUPnP on Android, the video starts to load, but stops and return to the background screen. Serviio media server.