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Does anyone know if there is a better way to play local video through Chromecast? I know we can play certain video types through the Chrome browser but it seems to create noticeable frame dropping.
czonin said:
Does anyone know if there is a better way to play local video through Chromecast? I know we can play certain video types through the Chrome browser but it seems to create noticeable frame dropping.
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In the chrome extension for casting the tab, there is a drop down next to where it says BETA. In the drop down you can change setting between tab and the whole screen.
indiajones2012 said:
In the chrome extension for casting the tab, there is a drop down next to where it says BETA. In the drop down you can change setting between tab and the whole screen.
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Tried this as well, still a good amount of frames dropped.
Plex support coming soon
https://plus.google.com/117336216609274144137/posts/5StfogFS5Au
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
david279 said:
Plex support coming soon
https://plus.google.com/117336216609274144137/posts/5StfogFS5Au
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Playing the video in the browser with Plex and then casting that works great.
Yea but native plex will be better. In my case my pc is not near my bedroom TV with the Chromecast so I would have to get up walk all the way to the pc bla bla to get it done like that.
I'm not putting casting down because it's been quite smooth for me put I can't wait for native plex.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
i'd like a casting button to be built into mx player. that way, i can can browse samba shares from my server/nas from es file explorer and play the video with mx player, then cast to the screen. is that possible?
foghelmut said:
Playing the video in the browser with Plex and then casting that works great.
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Click to collapse
I had some strange aspect ratio problems when I tried this. Admittedly I only played around with it for 10 minutes.
heiNey said:
i'd like a casting button to be built into mx player. that way, i can can browse samba shares from my server/nas from es file explorer and play the video with mx player, then cast to the screen. is that possible?
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Click to collapse
Not as of today. If the devs add it in (and Google approves the app) it is possible.
tnt118 said:
I had some strange aspect ratio problems when I tried this. Admittedly I only played around with it for 10 minutes.
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Yeah, the web player seems to convert 2.35:1 to 16:9.
heiNey said:
i'd like a casting button to be built into mx player. that way, i can can browse samba shares from my server/nas from es file explorer and play the video with mx player, then cast to the screen. is that possible?
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Click to collapse
I do something similar with the BubbleUPnP app. My Dish Hopper and Asus Cube are DLNA capable so I choose one of those as my rendering device. Then I pick my shared videos as the source. The built-in media players of the Hopper and Cube then play the files over my local network that I select on my tablet. This also works for files on my tablet if I choose that as a source. I don't think this will work with Chromecast, though, as it is not DLNA capable nor does it support many codecs out of the gate.
When the Chromecast service gets pushed to the Google TV devices this fall, they will fill most everyone's needs. It will give the DLNA support for local files and the internet streaming capabilities of Chromecast with device control. If they also make a mobile PrimeTime app, then you will no longer need to use D-pad navigation for large libraries or channel guides.
This isn't another repeat of the same question regarding apps/compatibility. I know there are some solutions out there and some that we'll have more access to shortly (i.e. Plex.)
My question is what is going to be the best setup for hosting and serving local media to a ChromeCast? I currently have an outdated (unsupported) Windows Home Server with 3TB of storage. With an Intel Atom CPU it still functions nicely as a lightweight, energy efficient file server. I'm concerned about it's capability to function as a DLNA server, however. It's powerful enough to serve raw files but I think that's about it.
I bought the Avia expanded feature set and haven't had much luck with it. I understand I can't use it to simply browse files on my server and play them, so I installed the Serviio DLNA server (http://serviiowhs.codeplex.com/) and the Avia app does find this media (although some files are sporadically missing.) Playing them on Avia doesn't work at all, either on my phone or on Chromecast. I turned off transcoding on the server but I'm just generally confused at where the video processing is all taking place and where I want it to be taking place.
Ideally I'd like to just serve files up to my ChromeCast and have it perform all of the decoding/video processing, I think? Is that ever a realistic option or do I need to find something that is going to work better as DLNA server? Maybe a NAS with some kind of DLNA functionality built in? Anyone else have opinions on the best setup?
usefulidiot127 said:
My question is what is going to be the best setup for hosting and serving local media to a ChromeCast? I currently have an outdated (unsupported) Windows Home Server with 3TB of storage. With an Intel Atom CPU it still functions nicely as a lightweight, energy efficient file server. I'm concerned about it's capability to function as a DLNA server, however. It's powerful enough to serve raw files but I think that's about it.
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Hmm... Atom is fine for DLNA, but things that require transcoding (ie, Plex Media Server) will probably leave you wanting more horsepower.
usefulidiot127 said:
I bought the Avia expanded feature set and haven't had much luck with it. I understand I can't use it to simply browse files on my server and play them, so I installed the Serviio DLNA server (http://serviiowhs.codeplex.com/) and the Avia app does find this media (although some files are sporadically missing.) Playing them on Avia doesn't work at all, either on my phone or on Chromecast. I turned off transcoding on the server but I'm just generally confused at where the video processing is all taking place and where I want it to be taking place.
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Click to collapse
I'm on WHS 2011 now, but IIRC WHSv1 supports UPnP and Windows Media Connect. It might show up for DLNA, but I don't remember if Windows Media Connect is turned on by default. Regardless, DLNA alone won't help you if your media isn't in a Chromecast-compatible format.
usefulidiot127 said:
Ideally I'd like to just serve files up to my ChromeCast and have it perform all of the decoding/video processing, I think? Is that ever a realistic option or do I need to find something that is going to work better as DLNA server? Maybe a NAS with some kind of DLNA functionality built in? Anyone else have opinions on the best setup?
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Click to collapse
Chromecast's processor is powerful, but nowhere near as flexible as a desktop computer. You can't necessarily automatically download and install software CODECs like you can on a desktop computer.
Think of it more like an iPod - unless the media was made to be compatible, there will likely need to be some amount of "preparation" (ie, transcoding) that needs to be done to make it compatible.
Your options would be to convert/transcode your media library so it's Chromecast compatible, use RealPlayer Cloud (which will require you to upload any incompatible media to RP Cloud where they'll do the transcoding for you via their SurePlay feature), or use Plex Media Server so you have on-the-fly transcoding.
bhiga said:
Hmm... Atom is fine for DLNA, but things that require transcoding (ie, Plex Media Server) will probably leave you wanting more horsepower.
I'm on WHS 2011 now, but IIRC WHSv1 supports UPnP and Windows Media Connect. It might show up for DLNA, but I don't remember if Windows Media Connect is turned on by default. Regardless, DLNA alone won't help you if your media isn't in a Chromecast-compatible format.
Chromecast's processor is powerful, but nowhere near as flexible as a desktop computer. You can't necessarily automatically download and install software CODECs like you can on a desktop computer.
Think of it more like an iPod - unless the media was made to be compatible, there will likely need to be some amount of "preparation" (ie, transcoding) that needs to be done to make it compatible.
Your options would be to convert/transcode your media library so it's Chromecast compatible, use RealPlayer Cloud (which will require you to upload any incompatible media to RP Cloud where they'll do the transcoding for you via their SurePlay feature), or use Plex Media Server so you have on-the-fly transcoding.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm guessing I'm running into issues with Avia/ChromeCast because I have transcoding disabled and the media may not be in a format supported by Chromecast? I thought maybe since my android phones/tablets with MX Player can process just about any file, maybe the ChromeCast could as well. (Not taking into account that ChromeCast is a vastly cheaper device.)
My best option might just be to run Plex on my full powered desktop and treat my server as network attached storage. I'll just need to turn the PC on when I'm ready to Cast (surely there's an app out there to wake a desktop from sleep mode...)
usefulidiot127 said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm guessing I'm running into issues with Avia/ChromeCast because I have transcoding disabled and the media may not be in a format supported by Chromecast? I thought maybe since my android phones/tablets with MX Player can process just about any file, maybe the ChromeCast could as well. (Not taking into account that ChromeCast is a vastly cheaper device.)
My best option might just be to run Plex on my full powered desktop and treat my server as network attached storage. I'll just need to turn the PC on when I'm ready to Cast (surely there's an app out there to wake a desktop from sleep mode...)
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Click to collapse
Yes - most likely your media isn't in a format Chromecast can play.
You can test it by shooting a 720p clip on your phone/tablet and throwing that onto your server - that should be playable by Chromecast unless you have an uber-fancy device that saves in a non-mainstream format.
MX Player is pretty awesome - it really makes good use of hardware decoding and such, but of course today's phones and tablets are closer to desktop computer than appliance-type devices like Chromecast.
Yes, probably your best bet it to run Plex on a reasonably-fast machine. It might be worth trying it on your WHS box too, though it might be slow to start stuff, depends. My WHS 2011 box is an Atom 330 (dual-core), it was a good upgrade from my previous Atom 230 (single-core) but its CPU isn't much faster than those found in some of the more-powerful NAS units. I just use it as a fileserver, so it's not a huge deal and the primary design factor was small form factor (it's mounted to a plate mounted on the back of my TV).
As long as the network connection between your server and your Plex Media Server machine is good, it should work well. For a while I was running pyTivo on my desktop to on-the-fly transcode stuff to play on my TiVos...
bhiga said:
Yes - most likely your media isn't in a format Chromecast can play.
You can test it by shooting a 720p clip on your phone/tablet and throwing that onto your server - that should be playable by Chromecast unless you have an uber-fancy device that saves in a non-mainstream format.
MX Player is pretty awesome - it really makes good use of hardware decoding and such, but of course today's phones and tablets are closer to desktop computer than appliance-type devices like Chromecast.
Yes, probably your best bet it to run Plex on a reasonably-fast machine. It might be worth trying it on your WHS box too, though it might be slow to start stuff, depends. My WHS 2011 box is an Atom 330 (dual-core), it was a good upgrade from my previous Atom 230 (single-core) but its CPU isn't much faster than those found in some of the more-powerful NAS units. I just use it as a fileserver, so it's not a huge deal and the primary design factor was small form factor (it's mounted to a plate mounted on the back of my TV).
As long as the network connection between your server and your Plex Media Server machine is good, it should work well. For a while I was running pyTivo on my desktop to on-the-fly transcode stuff to play on my TiVos...
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My Plex Server is running everything just fine off of an old Dell Dimension E510. The only upgrade I've made to that server was to boost the ram from 1gb to 4gb. It transcodes everything on the fly just fine. I'm quite surprised, actually.
jsdecker10 said:
My Plex Server is running everything just fine off of an old Dell Dimension E510. The only upgrade I've made to that server was to boost the ram from 1gb to 4gb. It transcodes everything on the fly just fine. I'm quite surprised, actually.
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Click to collapse
Looks like your E510 is an 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 531 (or at least the one CNET reviewed was).
My Atom 330 is still kinda poopy in comparison, but this at least gives me enough hope to perhaps try Plex server and see how it fares.
Thanks for that!
bhiga said:
Looks like your E510 is an 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 531 (or at least the one CNET reviewed was).
My Atom 330 is still kinda poopy in comparison, but this at least gives me enough hope to perhaps try Plex server and see how it fares.
Thanks for that!
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Click to collapse
Yup, you may as well at least give it a shot and just see how it'll fare because I wasn't really too optimistic about mine being able to handle the duties of transcoding either...ie. from mkv, from avi, etc. But to my surprise, it did the job just fine n dandy & I've been MORE than satisfied with my setup so far.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Doesn't WHS come with Twonky Server? Or is that just some Brands of it?
Twonky will do transcoding but you might need to install FFMPEG and set it up to do it.
Tonky is probably the best at transcoding and very configurable so if WHS has it I would look into using that first.
Yes the Atom is probably underpowered for good transcoding but provided your source files aren't too High Quality I think it might cut it.
As for anyone looking for the BEST WAY...The choices are pretty slim right now....
You have ONLY two choices right now....
Plex and Plex apps OR DLNA server and aVia and I think we established that aVia even with DLNA server that transcodes doesn't always mean a CCast compatible stream.
Maybe Bubble solves that or maybe some other player does but until they are released those are really the only two choices and answers anyone can give for people without a rooted CCast.
I'm having best luck using PlayOn/Avia. PlayOn uses VLC player so can stream just about any format, haven't found one yet it can't do. Avia can fine PlayOn server via DLNC. Also doesn't require too much CPU, have even used a netbook as PlayOn server and works really well. Plus, you get all the PlayOn channels, which is a bunch.
xenokc said:
I'm having best luck using PlayOn/Avia. PlayOn uses VLC player so can stream just about any format, haven't found one yet it can't do. Avia can fine PlayOn server via DLNC. Also doesn't require too much CPU, have even used a netbook as PlayOn server and works really well. Plus, you get all the PlayOn channels, which is a bunch.
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Click to collapse
And the PlayOn app will soon support CCast as well, At least they are advertising that as coming very soon.
Like I said there are going to be more options coming out soon that will change whatever answer is given today which is why I caution anyone from re-encoding their Library trying to fix a temporary problem!
Asphyx said:
And the PlayOn app will soon support CCast as well, At least they are advertising that as coming very soon.
Like I said there are going to be more options coming out soon that will change whatever answer is given today which is why I caution anyone from re-encoding their Library trying to fix a temporary problem!
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Good to hear CCast support is coming for PLayOn. Works OK with Avia but direct support will be great. The best thing about PlayOn is that is uses VLC Player so just about every format supported as well as low CPU needs.
xenokc said:
Good to hear CCast support is coming for PLayOn. Works OK with Avia but direct support will be great. The best thing about PlayOn is that is uses VLC Player so just about every format supported as well as low CPU needs.
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Click to collapse
Well it may use VLC to play on Android but there is no guarantee it will use VLC on the CCast.
It is my hope that VLC (and all Player apps that are out there) will support CCast and create a DIAL registered Player App for Chromecast that other programs could use as well.
Asphyx said:
Well it may use VLC to play on Android but there is no guarantee it will use VLC on the CCast.
It is my hope that VLC (and all Player apps that are out there) will support CCast and create a DIAL registered Player App for Chromecast that other programs could use as well.
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Click to collapse
Actually PlayOn uses VLC on the server side, not the client side.
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
The S3 Kid said:
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
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Ah, I've been wondering why this isn't working for me in OmniROM. Is this a standard feature/option even on the stock ROM for KitKat? Or are you using OmniROM as well? It doesn't detect my Chromecast. Thanks.
ritzxda said:
Ah, I've been wondering why this isn't working for me in OmniROM. Is this a standard feature/option even on the stock ROM for KitKat? Or are you using OmniROM as well? It doesn't detect my Chromecast. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
KitKat is Miracast certified. Problem is, Chromecast doesn't support Miracast, at least not today...
bhiga said:
KitKat is Miracast certified. Problem is, Chromecast doesn't support Miracast, at least not today...
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Ah got it! Thank you. I thought it was something new due to the new "Cast" option in the settings. Thanks.
xenokc said:
Actually PlayOn uses VLC on the server side, not the client side.
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Click to collapse
Thanks didn't know that.
The S3 Kid said:
Does anyone think we'll be able to use the 'Cast Screen' in the display settings with Chromecast anytime soon?
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Click to collapse
if you mean on your KitKat Phone, as @bhiga noted thats for Miracast not CCast. You can however cast a screen from a Desktop Browser. It may be possible in the future to do screen mirroring as there is code in KitKat to do it but from what Koush sees it seems like it will be up to the manufacturer to cook it into the ROM which says to me it will need driver support in the Kernel to work.
Lets hope I'm dead wrong about that!
I have Plex, Twonky, Subsonic, Air Video, and from the 4, only 2 show up as DLNA on my network (plex and twonky) Now, I modified my Subsonic to play from the browser locally as well as remotely so I guess Chrome + anything that plays on chrome could be casted to Chromecast, correct?
Will try it out... Also, I can play Plex from Chrome browser, going to see if I can get a fullscreen going..
EDIT: I got all 3 Plex, Subsonic and Twonky to stream in fullscreen (but from Chrome it has a 720p limit - lame...) ---another note, for Twonky, when you pick the media, you have to cast the opened tab, not the one you are currently on when you select the media like the other 2, just like when you drag and drop .mp3 or .mkv to Chrome, whichever tab opens, you cast that one, only problem is when I drag an MKV to Chrome I get no sound, so I will stick to Plex/Subsonic/Twonky when playing .MKV... Saves me having to run an HDMI cable to the TV, I think it's still worth the $35 even if I can't root it
m4f1050 said:
EDIT: I got all 3 Plex, Subsonic and Twonky to stream in fullscreen (but from Chrome it has a 720p limit - lame...) ---another note, for Twonky, when you pick the media, you have to cast the opened tab, not the one you are currently on when you select the media like the other 2, just like when you drag and drop .mp3 or .mkv to Chrome, whichever tab opens, you cast that one, only problem is when I drag an MKV to Chrome I get no sound, so I will stick to Plex/Subsonic/Twonky when playing .MKV... Saves me having to run an HDMI cable to the TV, I think it's still worth the $35 even if I can't root it
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Click to collapse
Playing video via Chrome + Cast extension is more like playing video through remote desktop rather than playing directly. It's the least desirable solution for video playback, though a reasonable fallback in most cases.
will i be able to play local files without biting into data i have? from my macbook / android phone to google chromecast
please advise?
also is there a way to play xbmc to chromecast
thank you
wakkaday said:
will i be able to play local files without biting into data i have? from my macbook / android phone to google chromecast
please advise?
also is there a way to play xbmc to chromecast
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes only the Player will use Internet, The actual local streaming does not need Internet access.
CCast uses Internet to load the player and then the file stream over local network no net required once the player is loaded.
As for playing XBMC to CCast best solution I have found is Yatse Remote but it requires in app one time payment to unlock local cast, Once there Install the cast Addon and the content on your XBMC HTPC can be streamed to your CCast.
how much internet do you think the player will need ? for a movie for example
ok thats good to know, could i play local files and continue browsing on my tablet / macbook for example....
would you reccomend getting one? or is roku streaming stick better
i believe miracast doesnt uses another technology which doesnt use data, but another way of using the internet.
wakkaday said:
how much internet do you think the player will need ? for a movie for example
...
i believe miracast doesnt uses another technology which doesnt use data, but another way of using the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The player is just a download of a HTML5 app (except for Netflix), it should be tiny, and doesn't matter what you're playing.
Miracast is screen mirroring, so it requires your device to play the movie, and what you see on your device is what goes to the TV.
The advantage is that often times the device can play more via software like MX Player. The disadvantage is that you cannot do other things with your device while playing the movie as exactly what you see on your device is what appears on the TV. Not so good if you get an embarrassing text message or something, and it'll use a lot of battery power.
The advantage to Chromecast is that Chromecast itself does the playback.. Once you make the request to play a video, you can do whatever you want on your device - even turn it off. Your device (or another device on your network) acts as the remote control.
Personally I really like it - I can browse YouTube and add videos to the TV Queue while stuff is playing full-screen on the TV.
I can play a movie in Netflix for my family to watch while I browser other movies they might like.
If I need to leave, my wife can run the same app and connect to Chromecast so she can pause/play/change things.
wakkaday said:
how much internet do you think the player will need ? .
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Click to collapse
Probably no more than a few K to one MB.
thats good to know...
i will be mainly using my mac for downloaded content (so i need to install mac server) and then i need to install plex app for the chromecast right?
and for my android phone local files that will be via allcast?
whats the situation of playing local files via iphone?
and anything can be streamed across using the chrome browser...
i guess i will have to buy and experiement around and work it out, but thank you for your information
wakkaday said:
thats good to know...
i will be mainly using my mac for downloaded content (so i need to install mac server) and then i need to install plex app for the chromecast right?
and for my android phone local files that will be via allcast?
whats the situation of playing local files via iphone?
and anything can be streamed across using the chrome browser...
i guess i will have to buy and experiement around and work it out, but thank you for your information
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you do not install anything on the CCast it does that automatically to load whatever player App is required to work with your Mobile App...
Plex App will tell it to load the Plex player, aVia will tell it to load the aVia Player, Netflix tells it to load the Netflix player.
Once the player is loaded into the CCast (ie in Plex it says Plexc ready to cast) no further internet should be required to stream local content.
For local on device media I suggest BubbleUPnP or aVia but that local content needs to be compatible with CCast.
\
ah ok thats explains it. i will be getting it delivered tomorrow....
when you say local content needs to be compatible, do you think i will be ok with the following...
i will be mainly trying to play avi and mkvs movies...
i know you can rename mkv to m2ts which some players will play
is real player cloud not a good app? thats free???
wakkaday said:
\
ah ok thats explains it. i will be getting it delivered tomorrow....
when you say local content needs to be compatible, do you think i will be ok with the following...
i will be mainly trying to play avi and mkvs movies...
i know you can rename mkv to m2ts which some players will play
is real player cloud not a good app? thats free???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CCast compatible means:
Container type MP4
Video Codec H.264
Audio Codec AAC or MP3
Video Bitrate not higher than 8Mbps
4-6 is a good compromise for compatibility with many devices and network conditions
RealPlayer Cloud is okay - but if your media is not Chromecast-compatible you have to upload it to their cloud and their servers will transcode it for you via their SurePlay feature.
You get 2GB of cloud for free and can get some additional storage by completing some tasks (referrals, share).
wakkaday said:
how much internet do you think the player will need ? for a movie for example
ok thats good to know, could i play local files and continue browsing on my tablet / macbook for example....
would you reccomend getting one? or is roku streaming stick better
i believe miracast doesnt uses another technology which doesnt use data, but another way of using the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please download EZCast App from Google Play, it can cast local video,music,pdf,word,excel,PPT to your chromecast and show on TV.
i tried this with my chromecast
and it was quite fiddly getting files to play (i could change some files from mkv to mp4 and they played but some files the sound didnt play. however using plex server on mac and i beemed it across it played fine... however i noticed the data took a hit
i was just messing about wiht a few files video and it took around 300mb? it seems its playing over wifi...rather then locally...
am i doing something wrong
Casting uses all my home network bandwidth
I can use my Lenovo A7000-a phone to cast to a windows display. It works well. No 3rd party software is used on either the phone or my desktop. However, it consumes my entire (abysmally low - Hey! its the Philippines) 5MBps network bandwidth. No other user on the local home router can access the internet. I would have thought the casting would just be a connection across the router, is this NOT the case? How can I improve this so no other users are affected?
Updated - This is a how to on Casting Xbmc from Computer to TV for Free using the Chrome Browser. No more player core factory file needed and seems to play all formats including Live Streams.
http://youtu.be/4tm7-micx1s Instructional Video
Step 1. Go into Chrome Browser and add the Google Cast Extension at
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-cast/boadgeojelhgndaghljhdicfkmllpafd?hl=en
Step 2. Download and install XBMC Windows version 13.1 Gotham at
http://xbmc.org/download/
Step 3. Demonstration
Start Chromecast
Open Chrome Browser.....Hit Google Cast Button....Cast this Tab to Beta-Click down arrow on far right.....Cast Entire Screen-Experimental.....Click your Chromecast......Click Yes to Screen Sharing Request.
Start XBMC
Start your show and Chromecast automatically finds the Chrome Browser and plays the video on your Big TV.
Good Luck!
This should play anything that plays on-computer. However it should be noted that it adds to CPU load on the computer as content is being recompressed on-the-fly and sent to Chromecast. Also, the quality of the image sent to Chromecast will be affected by your desktop resolution. Tab/Desktop casting gets iffy above 720p.
its a quick and dirty workaround but unfortunately the Cast a Screen option does not work for systems than have more than one screen.
It will cast all the screens at once and does not let you select one or the other.
XBMC really needs to add CCast support to their system.
Mac
Could someone with a Mac try this and let me know if it works. Thanks
Did anyone try this solution from computer to TV. Did it work okay or was there lag? Just trying to get some feedback. Thanks
vincent1964 said:
Did anyone try this solution from computer to TV. Did it work okay or was there lag? Just trying to get some feedback. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it definitely works but you are not getting full frame rate and your probably also really stressing the proc of the computer you're using...
This is just casting the desktop, a standard Chromecast capability that's nothing to do with XBMC. Performance will likely be poor for most people, and it puts a heavy load on your desktop CPU.
Ok, sorry this wasn't useful to everyone.
UOTE=DJames1;53633579]This is just casting the desktop, a standard Chromecast capability that's nothing to do with XBMC. Performance will likely be poor for most people, and it puts a heavy load on your desktop CPU.
Move along, nothing to see here...[/QUOTE]
No need to get personal. It is a valid point. This method requires better than average network conditions and computer performance.
To summarize, this method...
+ Is easier to set up than messing with playercorefactory
+ Supports anything XBMC can play on the computer
- Requires good network condition, or there may skipping or reduced frame rate
- Requires good computer performance, or there may skipping or reduced frame rate
- Computer cannot be used for other tasks during operation
- Limited to 720p, also may be scaled if desktop/tab resolution is not 720p
Lets also be clear about something here....
All this talk about methodology to stream XBMC is really just limited to the Video Add Ons that stream web based channel content.
You can already stream all the local Library content to CCast using Yatse or any DLNA content player with CCast support like aVia.Both are in app purchases to get the feature but work like a charm.
What you don't get is transcoding which XBMC does not do no matter what you do....
This method simply uses Chrome to transcode (and badly I might add) whatever appears on the XBMC screen.
It works but it is similar to using a screwdriver to hammer in a Nail!
A Hammer would be better....
People mention Plex because it too has Video Channels you can add to it....Problem is not as many channels as are available for XBMC but then again since XBMC has moved to a new codebase (Gotham) a whole slew of channels have broken anyway!
If we really want to come up with a useful solution here what would be the best thing going forward would be to code a Converter that can take the Channel information from an XBMC Channel and convert it for use in Plex...
Plex does do transcoding and supports CCast which XBMC doesn't do and from my conversations with the Devs over there NEVER WILL!
They are simply not interested in supporting CCast and Transcode is not what they consider a core goal!
Thats one of the reasons Plex exists at all!
XBMC Dev's refusal to implement Transcode....It was needed for their fork of XBMC (which became PHT Plex Home Theater) and so they created PMS (Plex Media Server)
I love XBMC and have it installed on a few dedicated HTPCs here....
But without direct CCast support it's only useful as a direct HDMI connect project!
It is a frontend for an HTPC and thats all they ever intend it to ever be!
So if you really want to use XBMC you should start looking into building a cheap HTPC to run it....
If you don't skimp too much on the Power and make a machine capable of transcoding without breaking a sweat, you can also install PMS and get the best of both worlds on one machine!
Either that or hound the hell out of the developer of Yatse and get him to make the Add On Support work...it works on the Android unit directly but not to the CCast.
Hi,
I have tried on the fly transcoding through Plex, Bubbleupnp and VLC. The truth is it works ok but so much of the quality is lost you are better of with a wire.
vincent1964 said:
Hi,
I have tried on the fly transcoding through Plex, Bubbleupnp and VLC. The truth is it works ok but so much of the quality is lost you are better of with a wire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still much better quality than this method and it does give you remote control which is not possible using Tab Casting.
I totally disagree. You can get 720 with this method versus before flat screen quality with on the fly transcoding. Is your computer outdated?
Asphyx said:
Still much better quality than this method and it does give you remote control which is not possible using Tab Casting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vincent1964 said:
I totally disagree. You can get 720 with this method versus before flat screen quality with on the fly transcoding. Is your computer outdated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No my computer is just fine and I get 1080P with full surround sound from Plex....So I don't know why your thinking 720p Stereo is better than that....
Are you talking about playing from Xbmc? You made this mistake the last time we talked also. Are you sure you even know what on the fly transcoding is?
Asphyx said:
No my computer is just fine and I get 1080P with full surround sound from Plex....So I don't know why your thinking 720p Stereo is better than that....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xbmc mobile to chromecast is what i am looking for.
Sent from my GT-I9082 using XDA Free mobile app
vincent1964 said:
Are you talking about playing from Xbmc? You made this mistake the last time we talked also. Are you sure you even know what on the fly transcoding is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I'm talking about Channels from Plex!
XBMC channels is the only thing this is good for and you would probably get better results on screen just going to the sites themselves.
This method you are using at BEST gets 20 FPS and minimal Stereo sound where some of the sites the XBMC channels use sometimes have better versions with Surround Sound,,,,So Yes your method works....But it's a poor way to transcode an XBMC output.
XBMC does NO TRANSCODING PERIOD! Did you read my post regarding all of this?
Okay, Of course then that's how you are getting 1080p. You are just viewing plex channels and are not doing any transcoding. That's what I thought all along. I was talking about using Xbmc and VLC to do on the fly transcoding.
Hi Vicent
I was hoping you may be able to help on one of your previous methods of Xbmc from computer to chromecast using bluestack
Im trying to use Bubbleupnp but I get the message Failed to connect to Google Play Services for casting- network error
I've downloaded the chromecast app on bluestack but i get the message "no chromecast found on bluestack" it seems it not searching my network which has two chromecast on
any help would be appreciated
Thank you
vincent1964 said:
Okay, Of course then that's how you are getting 1080p. You are just viewing plex channels and are not doing any transcoding. That's what I thought all along. I was talking about using Xbmc and VLC to do on the fly transcoding.
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Click to collapse
Vincent you really need to read what I'm saying.....
All of these channels (XBMC and PLEX) are nothing more than Metadata menu creators that take information from a publicly available internet website (either via RSS, XML or Direct DB read), And create a list of links to go to and view the content.
You can get everything you think you are getting now without the need to run XBMC (or Plex for that matter) by simply going to the website for that content DIRECTLY..and then you have the option of casting a tab if you have to or in some cases those sites will have Chromecast support already in their Player (see ESPN who uses JW Player that now has CCast support natively).
You will get just as good a quality as you think you are getting from XBMC (or Plex) with screen casting and in cases where CCast is supported, even BETTER quality as no transcoding is needed at all!
I would LOVE IT if XBMC supported CCast....I just wish everyone who wants it to work with CCast would get on XBMC Dev's case and get them to implement it.
I sympathize with the Cord Cutters need to get channels in an easy to use interface on a CCast...
But we would all be better off if we would all focus more on getting the channels you want working on a product that DOES support the CCast...
Or getting XBMC to get with the program and support the desires of it's user base!
Hi,
I've only recently found out about Chromecast, reviews were very praising so yesterday I went out and bought one. Unfortunately, my initial enthousiasm has almost disappeared because I can't successfully do the 2 most important things I was planning to do with such a device: 1) Stream my desktop for 720p/1080p video playback and 2) Stream/Cast my Nexus 6 screen (I get a green screen when I connect it, separate apps do work though).
Focusing on the pc casting, the video playback is lagging a lot even if I switch to 480p which is of course unacceptable for watching HD movies. I am not talking about the 0.5 - 1 second input delay, I don't care about that as I don't want to play games with it but rather for the constant speed dropping/pausing/catching up. I have a 50/10 mbps connection which I would think is enough for this but to its defense, I have only tried it through a 2014 Macbook Pro i7/16gb ram running Windows through bootcamp. Could that be the cause of slow performance? Bootcamp may be adequate for basic stuff but the computer does not feel at all like an i7 / 16gb ram unit should.
If the pc is not the issue, are there alternatives to cast your desktop at an acceptable level through other apps? I saw vnc2cast in another thread. Also, is it an option for Chromecast to work if i connect my pc through Ethernet instead of wi-fi for better performance?
Thanks
Why do you need PC video playback on CC? Its smth like record a video of playing movie by phone and then watch it, instead of copy the file to phone and then open it... You could find some FAQ first...
1.Google Cast extention for Chrome Browser will let play compatible formats of video to CC. Just drag&drop the file to a tab and hit the Cast button. It also has "Cast Entire Screen" option.
2.Videostream extention will transcode and play most of the unsupporded files, including .avi, besides the regular ones
3. Share the folder to local net, use ES File Explorer + ES File Explorer Chromecast plugin. Find the shared folder in LAN section then play with plugin.
4.KMP Player for android+KMP Connect on PC.
5.BubbleUPnP android app+BubbleUPnP server on PC for transcoding any file.
6.Plex Media Server + Plex android app
7.ANY Media server on PC (Twonky, Plex, Serviio, BubbleUPnP etc) + Any program that see DLNA (Avia for example). If an app has "open with" option, one can use VEGA Cast, AllCast, Avia, ES Cast Plugin etc...
For Screen Mirror try Koush's "Mirror" app. First join ClockWorkMod beta testers Google+ group, then it will be available in Google Play.
playahate said:
Why do you need PC video playback on CC? Its smth like record a video of playing movie by phone and then watch it, instead of copy the file to phone and then open it... You could find some FAQ first...
1.Google Cast extention for Chrome Browser will let play compatible formats of video to CC. Just drag&drop the file to a tab and hit the Cast button. It also has "Cast Entire Screen" option.
2.Videostream extention will transcode and play most of the unsupporded files, including .avi, besides the regular ones
3. Share the folder to local net, use ES File Explorer + ES File Explorer Chromecast plugin. Find the shared folder in LAN section then play with plugin.
4.KMP Player for android+KMP Connect on PC.
5.BubbleUPnP android app+BubbleUPnP server on PC for transcoding any file.
6.Plex Media Server + Plex android app
7.ANY Media server on PC (Twonky, Plex, Serviio, BubbleUPnP etc) + Any program that see DLNA (Avia for example). If an app has "open with" option, one can use VEGA Cast, AllCast, Avia, ES Cast Plugin etc...
For Screen Mirror try Koush's "Mirror" app. First join ClockWorkMod beta testers Google+ group, then it will be available in Google Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reason for pc video playback is I'd like to see movies from my local drives without having to set up a media server/NAS thing. I guess the extensions you mention in 1) and 2) can do that? I'll try them out.
Now if I understand correctly 3-7 regards sharing files from pc to phone and then streaming them to CC? I'd like to avoid that if possible as it requires the phone to act as an intermediate between pc and CC If I am not mistaken.
mclisme said:
Reason for pc video playback is I'd like to see movies from my local drives without having to set up a media server/NAS thing. I guess the extensions you mention in 1) and 2) can do that? I'll try them out.
Now if I understand correctly 3-7 regards sharing files from pc to phone and then streaming them to CC? I'd like to avoid that if possible as it requires the phone to act as an intermediate between pc and CC If I am not mistaken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is basically a remote to initiate and control the cast from the remote device/storage for all / most of these options (definitely for Plex and the BubbleUPnP options). It's not doing any heavy lifting.
Plex is probably the most adaptable option.
Also beware that casting local high bandwidth media from a wifi networked device/storage via router to chromecast may never produce consistent results as performance is often impacted by network conditions. Tweaking various arcane settings on your router can help but it's a pain.
For me there were huge differences in performance depending on whether the host device was is the same room as the router (very good) or in it's normal location a floor up and 20-30 yards away (pretty poor) or wired (excellent). I ended up resurrecting an old laptop heading for recycle with a fresh linux install to be permanently wired to my router to host a Plex server and media. Never looked back.
playahate said:
2.Videostream extention will transcode and play most of the unsupporded files, including .avi, besides the regular ones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I tried Videostream and I find it amazing. Even its interface is so simple and smooth and with the remote control app for the phone I think it's great. So watching my movies is solved.
Now, another reason I was looking for "cast your entire screen" alternatives is that I can't seem to get a specific video streaming service that I often use to work properly. If I cast the tab, for some reason the video does not show up in CC even though the rest of the page like pictures and video controls show up fine. I guess it has to do with the fact that this specific service is encrypted and does not allow HDMI connections, if it detects one it just stops. So maybe it similarly blocks Chromecast plugin from capturing the video off it and sending it to CC?
The only way to fool it is to cast my entire screen. Then the video works fine but at a rate below 24 fps which makes it almost unusable. I even switched to 480p but still the video is slow for live sports. I guess when screen-casting, the load is too much for CC to handle?
So If there aren't other ways to improve screen-casting to a watchable level (24fps) either by 3rd-party apps or CC hacks/mods, I can only hope something is developed in the future I guess...