Lots of buffering when I stream tab in Chrome - Google Chromecast

So I've been using the feature in the Chromecast plugin to cast a tab to view videos.. but it buffers A LOT. Now, I know its not my internet because when I'm on netflix and cast to Chromecast, there's no buffering at all. Same thing with youtube. Is there a fix for this or a workaround to cast flash(mostly) videos?

Malibuz0r said:
So I've been using the feature in the Chromecast plugin to cast a tab to view videos.. but it buffers A LOT. Now, I know its not my internet because when I'm on netflix and cast to Chromecast, there's no buffering at all. Same thing with youtube. Is there a fix for this or a workaround to cast flash(mostly) videos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are generally two reasons you'll see buffering/stuttering when casting a tab or the entire desktop
The audio/video isn't getting from your computer to Chromecast fast enough
Your computer isn't fast enough to provide the audio/video to Chromecast in real-time
Tab and desktop casting essentially requires the computer to
Receive the content from the Internet (load on network)
Display/decode the content (load on CPU)
Encode the content into a Chromecast-friendly format (load on CPU)
Send the encoded content to Chromecast (load on network)
So, if your computer is too busy decoding the content and not enough CPU time is available to encode it to a Chromecast-friendly format, you will get buffer/stutter.
Likewise, if your computer's network connection cannot sustain the download of content from Internet and send of the recompressed content to Chromecast in real-time, you will get buffer/stutter.
Since it sounds like you're viewing Flash video content, make sure Hardware Acceleration is enabled - that should reduce the CPU load when Flash stuff is displaying.
Also note that the "recompress to Chromecast-friendly format" does not seem to be parallelized much, if at all, so a faster single or dual-core suste, will likely do better than a slower multi-core system.

Related

Chrome Streaming

Have noticed with my Chromecast that when I go from Netflix or Youtube the streaming is fine from my computer. If I try to go from one of the non-optimized services (such as Hulu) the stream gets very choppy. I am assuming this just has to do with those having been optimized for this but I was wondering if there was anything I could try settings wise to make other sites stream better? I have already reduced the Chromecast setting down to Standard.
yes there's nothing we can do at the moment. it needs more detailed settings. some of them were found inside the extension but they are not connected to anything in the current beta.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app
wigginst said:
Have noticed with my Chromecast that when I go from Netflix or Youtube the streaming is fine from my computer. If I try to go from one of the non-optimized services (such as Hulu) the stream gets very choppy. I am assuming this just has to do with those having been optimized for this but I was wondering if there was anything I could try settings wise to make other sites stream better? I have already reduced the Chromecast setting down to Standard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Streaming from non optimized apps needs a lot of cpu power. If you're using laptop, change power plan to high performance. My c2d laptop running win 8 has no choppy at all after this setting. Desktop with core i5 and above should have no problem.
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ddang25377 said:
Streaming from non optimized apps needs a lot of cpu power. If you're using laptop, change power plan to high performance. My c2d laptop running win 8 has no choppy at all after this setting. Desktop with core i5 and above should have no problem.
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Click to collapse
true about CPU but I haven't experienced a totally smooth 720 playback yet (especially with HD stuff) no matter how powerful the setup is.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app
mannequin said:
true about CPU but I haven't experienced a totally smooth 720 playback yet (especially with HD stuff) no matter how powerful the setup is.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, 720p streaming is pita, lol.
Google says the requirements for 720p is 3rd/4th gen core i5 with windows 7 or 8 (which is too much to me).
I tried 720p streaming with my desktop and the quality is great.
I might be lucky with my setup:
Core i5 desktop run OSX lion, wire internet, ssd hard drive.
Hope to see more optimized apps and chrome extension
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I dropped quality down to 480p and at least it wasn't as choppy. I'm wondering though... when you cast from Chrome is it P2P, or does it stream up through the "Chromecast Cloud" and then back down to the CC? Obviously the optimized apps (Netflix, YouTube, etc.) all stream direct to the CC, but I'm wondering if that's why there is such a latency and poor quality when casting something like a video from Chrome. Even at poor speeds, you should be able to achieve a few hundred Kbps, if not a few Mbps, when streaming on your local LAN. If you're going through the internet though, speeds wouldn't be as fast, as well as Google could rate limit the stream to try forcing the use of only optimized apps. Thoughts?
Ninjazx71 said:
I dropped quality down to 480p and at least it wasn't as choppy. I'm wondering though... when you cast from Chrome is it P2P, or does it stream up through the "Chromecast Cloud" and then back down to the CC? Obviously the optimized apps (Netflix, YouTube, etc.) all stream direct to the CC, but I'm wondering if that's why there is such a latency and poor quality when casting something like a video from Chrome. Even at poor speeds, you should be able to achieve a few hundred Kbps, if not a few Mbps, when streaming on your local LAN. If you're going through the internet though, speeds wouldn't be as fast, as well as Google could rate limit the stream to try forcing the use of only optimized apps. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same exact questions. I dropped down to 480p as well and it was running smoothly for chrome tab cast. You would think that if it is P2P, it should be pretty smooth as my router could do way over 200Mbps P2P. Now if I have to go thru the internet (cloud), it is only about 40Mbps down and 4Mbps. I think the down part is not a problem as Netflix and Youtube came thru from the internet to the chromecast dongle just fine even in high resolution. I think the 4Mbps up would be a problem if it has to upload the data to the cloud first before going back to the chromecast dongle...
well cloud solution makes 0 sense in this case unless yeah, they did it on purpose to force the use of the official apps.
Sent from my One S using xda app-developers app
So, this is why/how it works.
If you go into one of the supported services (Netflix/YouTube/Google Play) your device just tells the Chromecast what to get, and then the Chromecast uses its own wireless connection to get the content.
When you are casting a tab or screen you are streaming your entire tab/screen straight to your Chromecast which means your computer needs to be grab the content (over your wireless connection) and then send the content over to your Chromecast (over your wireless connection again) through the router. Because of this, you have extra strain on both your home network and your computer (casting a screen/tab is resource expensive). This entire process is requires if you try to use any other service.
From what I can tell (over an 802.11g connection, full bars on both ends) 720p screen/tab casting is too unstable/resource heavy to stream smoothly. 420p works wonderfully for me.
Unfortunately the ability to cast a screen/tab does not come down to just A/V bandwidth requirements. There are control messages that need to be sent, and the code to get it to work efficiently is complex.

Casting a tab?

okay, so when I try to cast a tab and play a local video file.. the video freezes on the TV, but continues to play on my computer.. the sound also still comes through the TV while its frozen. Why is this? And is there anyway to cast a local file from your phone?
bewpy said:
okay, so when I try to cast a tab and play a local video file.. the video freezes on the TV, but continues to play on my computer.. the sound also still comes through the TV while its frozen. Why is this? And is there anyway to cast a local file from your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of local file (container format, compression type and bitrate) is it? It sounds like maybe the local file has a "glitch" in it or the file is using variable bitrate compression and the video bitrate exceeds what Chromecast can handle at the point it freezes.
Local file casting currently requires a rooted Chromecast, KyoCast installed on the Chromecast, and an un-timebombed AllCast/AirCast installed on your phone... The phone-local file needs to be a format Chromecast can play, and must be played in an app that allows Share to the AllCast/AirCast app.
Me too the issue happened on my chromecast even on youtube ... other pc work with me but one pc is showing this behaviour
bhiga said:
What kind of local file (container format, compression type and bitrate) is it? It sounds like maybe the local file has a "glitch" in it or the file is using variable bitrate compression and the video bitrate exceeds what Chromecast can handle at the point it freezes.
Local file casting currently requires a rooted Chromecast, KyoCast installed on the Chromecast, and an un-timebombed AllCast/AirCast installed on your phone... The phone-local file needs to be a format Chromecast can play, and must be played in an app that allows Share to the AllCast/AirCast app.
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Click to collapse
So do you think this would work or help cast the Showbox app?
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bewpy said:
okay, so when I try to cast a tab and play a local video file.. the video freezes on the TV, but continues to play on my computer.. the sound also still comes through the TV while its frozen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That can happen if the transcoding performance of your computer is not sufficient for tab casting. I get that symptom if I attempt tab casting from my 2 GHz dual-core laptop, but not from my 4 GHz quad-core desktop. Google's beta tab-casting code just isn't very efficient.
DJames1 said:
That can happen if the transcoding performance of your computer is not sufficient for tab casting. I get that symptom if I attempt tab casting from my 2 GHz dual-core laptop, but not from my 4 GHz quad-core desktop. Google's beta tab-casting code just isn't very efficient.
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Click to collapse
I have an i5.. with 8 gigs of ram..
It'll still depend mainly on how CPU-intensive the decoding of the video you're watching is. Whatever its left over needs to be enough to compress to whatever Chromecast needs.
It's more than that though. My system runs at only 12-18% CPU utilization while tab casting (depending on resolution), but the video is still a bit jerky, noticeably dropping frames about once a second. Dropping the resolution to 480p doesn't affect that at all. When I play the exact same internet stream via Plex running on the same computer and casting it to a Plex client, the video is perfectly smooth. The only explanation I can see for the poor performance along with low average CPU utilization is that Google isn't using enough buffering, and every time it gets overwhelmed by a momentary peak in transcoding, it stumbles and drops some frames. You can easily see and hear that the lag between the stream on the computer and the stream coming out of the Chromecast is only a fraction of a second, so that would support the insufficient-buffering theory.
DJames1 said:
It's more than that though. My system runs at only 12-18% CPU utilization while tab casting (depending on resolution), but the video is still a bit jerky, noticeably dropping frames about once a second. Dropping the resolution to 480p doesn't affect that at all. When I play the exact same internet stream via Plex running on the same computer and casting it to a Plex client, the video is perfectly smooth. The only explanation I can see for the poor performance along with low average CPU utilization is that Google isn't using enough buffering, and every time it gets overwhelmed by a momentary peak in transcoding, it stumbles and drops some frames. You can easily see and hear that the lag between the stream on the computer and the stream coming out of the Chromecast is only a fraction of a second, so that would support the insufficient-buffering theory.
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Click to collapse
The flip side to the coin would be that the Cast extension isn't using enough compression. More buffering would create additional lag between what's on the computer and out from the Chroemcast. There's already a fair lag.
More compression would mean higher CPU requirements but lower network bandwidth
More buffering would mean more lag
Being that the Cast extension is still in beta, I'm hoping Google either lets us adjust these settings (the previously-discovered hidden settings would be reasonable) or they are trying to determine the best compromise given the target market. The parameters are narrow enough that a Q&A optimizer would probably work.
My video is lagging: decrease buffering & use looser compression
My video is pausing, skipping or jumping: increase buffering
My video is still pausing, skipping or jumping: decrease compression
bhiga said:
What kind of local file (container format, compression type and bitrate) is it? It sounds like maybe the local file has a "glitch" in it or the file is using variable bitrate compression and the video bitrate exceeds what Chromecast can handle at the point it freezes.
Local file casting currently requires a rooted Chromecast, KyoCast installed on the Chromecast, and an un-timebombed AllCast/AirCast installed on your phone... The phone-local file needs to be a format Chromecast can play, and must be played in an app that allows Share to the AllCast/AirCast app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I have been able to stream local content from my Plex Server using the Chrome Browser Tab Cast feature...
Open Plex Media Manager in the browser, Cast the tab to the Chromecast, Play the video, make it full screen and all is good.
Perhaps because the Plex Server does transcoding and his local file does not.
Most of my files are H264 MP4 files and AVI and other containers won't work like you said.
Asphyx said:
Actually I have been able to stream local content from my Plex Server using the Chrome Browser Tab Cast feature...
Open Plex Media Manager in the browser, Cast the tab to the Chromecast, Play the video, make it full screen and all is good.
Perhaps because the Plex Server does transcoding and his local file does not.
Most of my files are H264 MP4 files and AVI and other containers won't work like you said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it's two-fold in your case.
Plex Server is making sure Chrome can play it (ensures it's browser-friendly)
and
because you're tab-casting, the source doesn't really matter because the Cast extension is recompressing what appears on the screen to a Chromecast-compatible format. The Cast extension doesn't care whether it's video or PowerPoint or an animated GIF - at the point the Cast extension sees it, it's just a series of images for it to compress and send to Chromecast
bhiga said:
Actually it's two-fold in your case.
Plex Server is making sure Chrome can play it (ensures it's browser-friendly)
and
because you're tab-casting, the source doesn't really matter because the Cast extension is recompressing what appears on the screen to a Chromecast-compatible format. The Cast extension doesn't care whether it's video or PowerPoint or an animated GIF - at the point the Cast extension sees it, it's just a series of images for it to compress and send to Chromecast
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Click to collapse
Ahhh IC...SO the fact that it is playing well has more to do with the file being compatible with the browser...Got it!

Plex Server with AVIA or Plex App

I've been accessing Plex Server via DLNA using AVIA, and it's been ok. However I've noticed with larger video files, the Chromecast seems to stop for a few seconds every 10min or so. It's not always, but I don't want it to be any.
Would I have better success using the Plex App instead of AVIA or is this more of a hardware issue? (Plex Server is running on an old Dell p4 )
thanks.
Both work well for me. I have zero issues with the plex. Avia has only given me a couple issues because of streaming from other sites. The developers are all working very hard, so it more than likely will get smoothed out in time. I still want to get a NAS setup as well and see how that goes too.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
IMO plex is much better than avia. Plex server automatically transcodes incompatible file formats for CCast plus it has subtitle support. However plex transcoding on pc needs very high cpu so it may not work properly on older hardware.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Hard to say if Plex will solve that pausing problem or not. Could be happening for any number of reasons not related to the app or casting method being used and be all about bad network and CCast connection.
Plex being the better option with Plex server for all that transcoding goodness still suffers from the same Pause and buffering issues from time to time that aVia will suffer from, the only improvement being it should happen less and it won't be because the source file is incompatible.
But lets be clear, both Plex and aVia will seem very much like Beta software at times because both are still working out the kinks on the CCast side of things with their systems. aVia has already released a number of updates to their Player and Plex has mostly focused on the Server/Transcoding side of things.
Plex still suffers with bugs in the control protocol where the control device will lose connection but not pick it back up properly without restarting the media from beginning and then manually going back to where you left off, and the Transcoder on the server side is still not at 100% as far as the CCast profile is concerned. Surround is not working properly for CCast in the Transcoder and it may still be having some issues with source files that are at such a high VBitrate that the transcoder can't really keep up. Plex Devs are aware of these problems and are working on them and I suspect thats Reason #1 why they are limiting CCast support to PlexPass users right now as those users are much more familiar with the system and don't want to deal with the onslaught of complaints they would get if these bugs were released to a wider audience as is.
aVia on the other hand is probably a bit more mature in regards to control and connection since their methodology doesn't require a lot because it merely takes in data and spits it back out to the CCast. But this is also why some files simply won't play well on it when sent to a CCast. I'm not sure what plans the aVia Devs have but they could really improve the CCast support if they did some minimal transcoding in the same way the GoogleCast Ext (Chrome) does to make any stream coming in fully CCast compatible. Not sure if most mobile units could handle the task of transcoding without burning through your battery but it would make aVia much more flexible in what it can send to the CCast.
It's apparent that for the $35 price point that the CCast has a very narrow window on what it can play problem free and it certainly is not robust enough to play from content libraries that have very high quality content without transcoding. Most people with large libraries also tend to favor MKV containers due to the fact they can support subs, Multitrack Audio and any Video or Audio Codec.
It is this ANYTHING GOES capability in MKV that always makes it difficult to get transcoding right. and unfortunately it's that same versatility of MKV that makes it impossible to support those container types natively in Hardware. There are just too many Codecs that it would need to have onboard for it to be practical.
That said I would love to see a NextGen CCast support MKV/H264/AAC natively and regardless of container type if the video is H264/AAC just play it without the need to transcode. It probably supports those files now but there is no option (save maybe aVia) to play them to CCast without Transcoding as I write this.
Thanks for the replies! I'm not huge into media and all the codecs and containers. Typically I just rip everything to mp4 since it seems the most compatible for devices. All I want is to be able to stream the occasional movie and TV show that I have ripped, and typically those are shows for my son, so I don't need 1080p or anything, lol.
I do think the majority of my issue might be the network. I played about 3 hours consecutively of tv shows/movies fine last night with no issue. It wasn't until I started streaming the football game on my laptop at the same time that I started to get the pausing in the CCasted video again. Once I switched to streaming the football game over 4g connection instead wi-fi, the pausing stopped after a little while. At least I know networking and hardware a lot more than I do media encoding
walmartman said:
Thanks for the replies! I'm not huge into media and all the codecs and containers. Typically I just rip everything to mp4 since it seems the most compatible for devices. All I want is to be able to stream the occasional movie and TV show that I have ripped, and typically those are shows for my son, so I don't need 1080p or anything, lol.
I do think the majority of my issue might be the network. I played about 3 hours consecutively of tv shows/movies fine last night with no issue. It wasn't until I started streaming the football game on my laptop at the same time that I started to get the pausing in the CCasted video again. Once I switched to streaming the football game over 4g connection instead wi-fi, the pausing stopped after a little while. At least I know networking and hardware a lot more than I do media encoding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MP4/H264/AAC should have no issues playing on CCast. If it stops or stutters then the cause is likely Network related.
Laptop streaming is probably connecting via Wireless. Thats half your Wireless Radio Bandwidth out the door.
I suspect thats all going to change if what I'm reading coming out of CES sees the market soon. Netgear has a new Router that claims to have 115Mps throughput on 2.4Ghz and into the 300s on 5Ghz.
Something that might help in your situation is to configure the Laptop to only connect to the 5Ghz side of the router. Then your Wireless traffic should not eat into the 2.4Ghz throughput. No Guarantees mind you but it's worth a try the next time you want to stream to both a CCast and some other device.
My guess is that it's the cpu. I run plex on a minimum spec machine and it runs okay until the computer does something the background. Then I see skips
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I use Avia more because it can see the USB flash drive on my router and stream media from it. The only thing I don't like is that Avia does not show thumbnails of each file - only a default music note symbol for mp3 and video reel symbol for mp4. However, Avia does show thumbnails of media files on the device and on Plex Media Server on my PC. Plex is nice, but I don't want to turn on the high power PC just for it, unless it's necessary.
ETFoneHome said:
I use Avia more because it can see the USB flash drive on my router and stream media from it. The only thing I don't like is that Avia does not show thumbnails of each file - only a default music note symbol for mp3 and video reel symbol for mp4. However, Avia does show thumbnails of media files on the device and on Plex Media Server on my PC. Plex is nice, but I don't want to turn on the high power PC just for it, unless it's necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very strange that you don't see thumbnails of your movies/video files using Avia. I have the paid version of Avia and it's up-to-date with all the recent app updates and mine shows each and every thumbnail with no problem...hmmmmm...man, that's really odd. Have you tried updating it? Is it the most current release? Have you tried clearing the app data/cache?
jsdecker10 said:
That's very strange that you don't see thumbnails of your movies/video files using Avia. I have the paid version of Avia and it's up-to-date with all the recent app updates and mine shows each and every thumbnail with no problem...hmmmmm...man, that's really odd. Have you tried updating it? Is it the most current release? Have you tried clearing the app data/cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I tried clearing everything. I think since Avia is not showing thumbnails for the USB flash drive on the router it's a router firmware issue. I don't think the DNLA feature is certified.
sherdog16 said:
My guess is that it's the cpu. I run plex on a minimum spec machine and it runs okay until the computer does something the background. Then I see skips
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that could be the issue, I'm going to make a Feature request at Plex to see if they can't add a priority setting for the transcoder which should help in cases like yours.
ETFoneHome said:
I use Avia more because it can see the USB flash drive on my router and stream media from it. The only thing I don't like is that Avia does not show thumbnails of each file - only a default music note symbol for mp3 and video reel symbol for mp4. However, Avia does show thumbnails of media files on the device and on Plex Media Server on my PC. Plex is nice, but I don't want to turn on the high power PC just for it, unless it's necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plex can see those files as well you just have to map the flash drive to some section in PMS and you may need to refresh whenever you change the Flash drive.
In my PMS setup I have my main Media NAS (Roughly 12TB RAID) for most of my media and also have Two 4TB USB Drives plugged into the NAS and a Router for content I probably won't watch often. I use the same Folder structure I do on the NAS for each external drive and add the appropriate folder of each drive to the Sections that content should be added to. The Router tends to keep the same drive Letter no matter what drive I plug into it so my Router USB port is my sort of wildcard Media location I can plug any media into and with a simple refresh can see that media in Plex.
jsdecker10 said:
That's very strange that you don't see thumbnails of your movies/video files using Avia. I have the paid version of Avia and it's up-to-date with all the recent app updates and mine shows each and every thumbnail with no problem...hmmmmm...man, that's really odd. Have you tried updating it? Is it the most current release? Have you tried clearing the app data/cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on the server aVia is connecting to. Some make Thumbnails others do not. Plex will actually send you Posters while other might send you screen caps.
I didn't know you can use the avia app to access the plex media server. After I saw this thread, I immediately went into the avia app to try it out. I went the the "ADD MEDIA" and found my plex server and added it. When I click on the plex media server, it doesn't show any of my movies. I just see two top categories: ADD MEDIA and the name of my Plex server.
My plex server is installed in a notebook. And the movies are in the default video folder in libraries. Do they need to be in a specific folder?
---------- Post added at 03:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------
Sorry, nevermind.. My notebook was asleep. LOL! Everything works. WOW!
I'm looking at this Qnap TS-112P model. It looks promising with the ability to install Plex Media Server. I don't need transcoding and the specs look good: 1.6GHz; 512MB. But it's a new model and I can't find any reviews.
http://www.qnap.com/en/index.php?lang=en&sn=822&c=351&sc=514&t=524&n=19949
ETFoneHome said:
I'm looking at this Qnap TS-112P model. It looks promising with the ability to install Plex Media Server. I don't need transcoding and the specs look good: 1.6GHz; 512MB. But it's a new model and I can't find any reviews.
http://www.qnap.com/en/index.php?lang=en&sn=822&c=351&sc=514&t=524&n=19949
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That unit has some great reviews on Newegg but the low RAM scares me...
As for Transcoding, you never need it until you need it! LOL
The one on Newegg is 112 - not 112P. Got a PC with Plex ms to transcode, should that ever arises. So far no need.
ETFoneHome said:
The one on Newegg is 112 - not 112P. Got a PC with Plex ms to transcode, should that ever arises. So far no need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, subtle difference in model number, but significant spec difference:
TS-112P
CPU Marvell 6282 1.6GHz
DRAM 512MB DDR3 RAM
Flash Memory 16MB
TS-112
CPU Marvell 6281 1.2GHz
DRAM 256MB DDRII RAM
Flash Memory 16MB
I would expect the TS-112P to be significantly better than the no-P model.
ETFoneHome said:
The one on Newegg is 112 - not 112P. Got a PC with Plex ms to transcode, should that ever arises. So far no need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The model Iooked at has 512K of Ram (I would think a Gig would be minimum for a NAS serving media and transcoding....
And if what bhiga posted is correct then the one I saw was the P model.
bhiga said:
Wow, subtle difference in model number, but significant spec difference:
TS-112P
CPU Marvell 6282 1.6GHz
DRAM 512MB DDR3 RAM
Flash Memory 16MB
TS-112
CPU Marvell 6281 1.2GHz
DRAM 256MB DDRII RAM
Flash Memory 16MB
I would expect the TS-112P to be significantly better than the no-P model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeal, the 112P is not listed on Newegg but is on Amazon but no reviews. http://www.amazon.com/TS-112P-Perso...8&qid=1389746673&sr=8-1&keywords=Qnap+TS-112P
I was looking at the Synology DS213j too. It's seems popular but doesn't have support for Plex server. http://www.amazon.com/Synology-Disk...id=1389747041&sr=8-1&keywords=Synology+DS213j
For under $200 they're not bad as entry level NAS.
Anyone who needs 1gb ram and transcoding should look for something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Synology-DiskStation-Diskless-Attached-DS713/dp/B009TPDDFG
Though at that price range I may as well build a desktop server like this: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkS...8066&sr=1-1&keywords=Lenovo+ThinkServer+TS140
Quite lost here guys, would appriciate some help.
I'm having a lot of trouble casting my local content. I can stream it using the chrome extension, but when trying to cast from the actual web app - I get media unavailable shown on my tv.
Also - I seem to have the oppertunity to cast to my nexus 7, what exactly does it means? I tried to do that and it simply did nothing.
Last, I can't seem to sync it to my tablet, I see that some media was added but N7 sais "not sync" and nothing is displayed at my tabs.
Oh, and also - I thought I would be able to cast content from my tablet and phone (content that "sits" on them), but how can they do that if they have no server installed?
I'm really lost, getting more and more annyoed with this chromecast - a lot of workarounds for things that should be trivial.
edoson said:
I'm really lost, getting more and more annyoed with this chromecast - a lot of workarounds for things that should be trivial.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What app(s) are you using, and where does the media you're trying to cast to Chromecast live?

Native Chromecast Support?

I don't have a chromecast but I just updated to TMO 4.4.2 for Moto X and I noticed that under display in settings, there is a cast screen option. I don't think its miracast as that is the option above Cast Screen. Does anyone know if this works with a chromecast? Screenshot:http://i57.tinypic.com/3027uqr.png
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Yes, it is for Chromecast. You have to set up Chromecast by installing the Chromecast extension in the Chrome browser on a PC. Follow the instructions to connect the Chromecast to your wifi network. Then with certain apps on your mobile device, you can 'cast' or stream content to the tv. It is still limited by available apps and does not yet mirror the screen for mobile devices, but you can get most local pics, videos, and music to the tv. And you can cast from cloud storage or from Chrome browser media content.
Groid said:
Yes, it is for Chromecast. You have to set up Chromecast by installing the Chromecast extension in the Chrome browser on a PC. Follow the instructions to connect the Chromecast to your wifi network. Then with certain apps on your mobile device, you can 'cast' or stream content to the tv. It is still limited by available apps and does not yet mirror the screen for mobile devices, but you can get most local pics, videos, and music to the tv. And you can cast from cloud storage or from Chrome browser media content.
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Sorry, I might have worded it the wrong way. I know about casting app content such as Youtube and Play music. That being said, a separate option has appeared on my phone in Settings > Display. If you look at the photo that I attached earlier, there is a list item called "Cast screen". This item is separate from "Wireless Display", leading me to believe it is for the chromecast. I realize that currently there is no known NATIVE way to mirror the phones screen onto a chromecast (Other than Allcast/shou?/etc.). That is why I decided to post here to ask if anyone with a chromecast has tried the option or if it is even available on other devices. Thanks nevertheless.
I have a CC, but when I select "cast screen" it simply tells me no devices found. Guessing this is a work in progress that may work in the future.

Cast Mirroring

Is it possible to send content to my chromecast and then on my computer open the cast website that the chromecast loads to see the same content that is being casted to the chrome cast?
No, it's not. Sorry
n1gh7mar3 said:
Is it possible to send content to my chromecast and then on my computer open the cast website that the chromecast loads to see the same content that is being casted to the chrome cast?
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Both devices can access the same content (assuming the provider doesn't have access restrictions that prevent this). However, because they're separate devices, the content being play will not be in sync.
You can however, "move" a casted stream from one device to another by opening the same application on the new device and taking control of Chromecast from the new device.
For example, I can...
Open YouTube in Chrome on desktop
Find and play a video
Cast the video to Chromecast
Launch YouTube on my phone
Connect to Chromecast
Continue playback of the video on my phone from whatever point it was at on Chromecast
Note that in the above scenario the video is never playing back in two places at once.
I can't even think of any practical purpose for doing that....
I suppose it might be possible if done as a Live streaming feed using a protocol that is compatible with the CCast.
But even then Live feeds never sync properly because it's all about when you start them and how well the device buffers...SO I still don't see how it could be used in a practical application.

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