Database Develop

Streaming local content

http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/25/tip-you-can-play-local-video-files-through-chromecast/
We’re still playing around with the Chromecast, and will have some thoughts on it later, but we wanted to point out a feature that you may not have been aware of after watching yesterday’s demo from Google. Chromecast can play local video files from your computer to a TV. That means you aren’t stuck with YouTube or Netflix or uploading your current collection to a cloud service – you can grab files already on your computer and then stream them to a TV.
Outside of owning a Chromecast device (which is sold out everywhere), all you have to do is install the Chromecast extension on your PC, then find the file path of a local video file that you’d like to play, paste that path into the address bar in a Chrome browser, and then press the Chromecast button to cast it on over. It really is that simple.
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Nice!
I don't have my CC yet but I tried dragging a few videos into Chrome. An MP4 file worked. An MKV played video without audio. An AVI file did not play at all.

This is part way to what I really want. I'd like to be able to navigate to content on my phone and play it on the Chromecast. I would like it to properly play h.264 and still successfully play DD, DTS and so on through my receiver.
Hopefully we can somehow get this support.

You can also hit CTRL+O while a tab is focused to open a file dialog box

What would be the best way to show still images on my Android smartphone on the Chromecast? Can the image gallery show up on the TV?
Skickat från min HTC One via Tapatalk 2

I can imagine alot of chrome extensions that would make the Chromecast more useful. A VLC media player extension maybe?

Tuborg68 said:
What would be the best way to show still images on my Android smartphone on the Chromecast? Can the image gallery show up on the TV?
Skickat från min HTC One via Tapatalk 2
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I was thinking since they have this functionality built in to the gallery for other devices, that it would be a simple add on.

So... I have a rooted SII, when it get's 4.3 will I be able to use it with Chromecast?

ArchTrivium said:
So... I have a rooted SII, when it get's 4.3 will I be able to use it with Chromecast?
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I don't think you need a special OS version for Chromecast. The ability is built into Netflix, Google TV/Movies, Google Music apps from Play Store. Maybe you might need a minimum of ICS to get the versions of the apps that support Chromecast.

I got my CC today, and tried using the native file explorer in Chrome, which unfortunately sucks. I downloaded Plex media server, set up it quickly, and cast the tab I had it open in to my TV....Works like a charm, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice and neat Plex is. I think it's definitely the better of the two options, and only took about 15 minutes to set up.

Evo4gLI said:
I got my CC today, and tried using the native file explorer in Chrome, which unfortunately sucks. I downloaded Plex media server, set up it quickly, and cast the tab I had it open in to my TV....Works like a charm, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice and neat Plex is. I think it's definitely the better of the two options, and only took about 15 minutes to set up.
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Sweet, glad to hear! How powerful is the computer you streamed from? Did you try 720p video?

I dragged and dropped my media folders to my bookmark toolbar.
It's not a pretty interface like XBMC but it works and put's syncs to all my chrome browsers.
Now I have to finally set up my WD hard drive for streaming. It'll be nice to plug this in to a hotel TV and stream my collection to it instead of my laptop or tablet.
I'm stoked I ordered 2!

My computer isn't anything special. About 5 years old....Dell XPS 420, Quad-core Intel Core 2... I picked the highest quality, which is 720p with high bitrate, and it streamed without any lag whatsoever.

Evo4gLI said:
My computer isn't anything special. About 5 years old....Dell XPS 420, Quad-core Intel Core 2... I picked the highest quality, which is 720p with high bitrate, and it streamed without any lag whatsoever.
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OK. My desktop is even older, Pentium Dual-Core E5300 @ 2.60 GHz. That might meet the cutoff for standard def but unlikely for high-def. I guess I will find out.
And it turns out that Google says streaming video from a Chrome tab in Windows XP is not supported. All my laptops are still on XP and single-core... cause I stopped using my laptops regularly when iOS/Android came to prominence and never bought a new one.

Evo4gLI said:
My computer isn't anything special. About 5 years old....Dell XPS 420, Quad-core Intel Core 2... I picked the highest quality, which is 720p with high bitrate, and it streamed without any lag whatsoever.
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Nice, that was local content not a stream from the web?

This thing is awesome! I'm sitting at work and decided 'f it I'm going to try this thing out'. So I set up my HTC VIEW (the 4g version of the Flyer tablet) and had it run as a wifi hot spot. I connected my laptop to it and plugged the chromecast into one of the TVs we have in my office. I installed the Google Cast extension to chrome, set up the chromecast and was ready to go. Next I opened a new tab, dragged over an episode of Futurama and hit cast. With about a 1/2 second delay from when I hit play it started playing on the TV. Once it started playing it had zero lag and it worked flawlessly. Frankly I'm impressed.

StormMcCloud said:
This thing is awesome! I'm sitting at work and decided 'f it I'm going to try this thing out'. So I set up my HTC VIEW (the 4g version of the Flyer tablet) and had it run as a wifi hot spot. I connected my laptop to it and plugged the chromecast into one of the TVs we have in my office. I installed the Google Cast extension to chrome, set up the chromecast and was ready to go. Next I opened a new tab, dragged over an episode of Futurama and hit cast. With about a 1/2 second delay from when I hit play it started playing on the TV. Once it started playing it had zero lag and it worked flawlessly. Frankly I'm impressed.
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Of course it would work. Bender is 40% chromium!

Found this out on SlickDeals
On your PC in Chrome (u will want the Chromecast extension too)
Type D:/ into the navigation bar
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(or whatever path you want to see)
Then you'll be able to play local content from your PC to the TV (plays most formats well, MKVs not well tho)
edit:
Looks like its explained above but hopefully this will help someone

Yup, local content off one of my hard drives, but I've had the same results with streaming content.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

If the android chrome app gets cast support that would be king! I love the device and I plan to use it alot. I wish the chrome brower could play avi files though

Evo4gLI said:
I got my CC today, and tried using the native file explorer in Chrome, which unfortunately sucks. I downloaded Plex media server, set up it quickly, and cast the tab I had it open in to my TV....Works like a charm, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice and neat Plex is. I think it's definitely the better of the two options, and only took about 15 minutes to set up.
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Evo - can you provide a little more info on how you set up your plex server to goto the Chromecast - I have a Plex server and would love to use this on the bedroom TV that is not a smartTV with the plex app.. This is ideal for me since the big Samsung already has Plex client and the server is already set up for that...

Chromecast plays pandora on its own, cant turn it off

When i connect my iphones pandora to my chromecast the tv plays the music like it should, and the music on the tv matches what is displayed on my iphone, volume works, skip, pause all works like it should. However, when i go to the ipod app on my iphone and press play the iphone stops pandora and plays the ipod like it should, but the chromecast on the TV keeps playing pandora. when i go to the pandora app on the phone it has to restart (like it wasnt running in the background) and starts playing a song, but the song is different than the one chromecast is playing. the iphones controls no longer control chromecast like it did before and chromecast will continue to play song after song even when the iphone is turned off completley. when i change the input on the tv to cable or something else the chromecast will make the tv switch back to it when the next song starts, it will also turn my tv on if i turn the tv off. the only way i can get the chromecast to turn off is to unplug the power. does anyone know why its doing this? as far at i know the chromecast is just to transfer media from another device to a tv, not make its own media. where is it getting the pandora from?

shordinges said:
as far at i know the chromecast is just to transfer media from another device to a tv, not make its own media. where is it getting the pandora from?
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That's where you're wrong, you aren't 'slinging' the actual content to your Chromecast, just the login/tokens and content SELECTION to the chromecast... then it takes over, it runs a regular instance of chrome on the chromecast and does all the streaming of the media directly on the chromecast over the internet... for instance, I can start watching Netflix on my Chromecast from my Android phone... I can then put my phone into airplane mode (which turns off wifi), it will continue playing Netflix... luckily, on Android, when I reconnect, and open Netflix, it realizes that my Chromecast is already playing, and gives me control again. Probably just an iOS bug with Pandora, I would just stop playing it before jumping over to the standard music app, or... Use an an Android device.
*edit*: the exception to the above is if you're casting a tab from a desktop/laptop browser, then you are encoding whatever is on the tab to video, then decoding it on the Chromecast.... This would require the computer as a intermediary as the page itself will always be rendered on the PC.

jmhalder said:
*edit*: the exception to the above is if you're casting a tab from a desktop/laptop browser, then you are encoding whatever is on the tab to video, then decoding it on the Chromecast.... This would require the computer as a intermediary as the page itself will always be rendered on the PC.
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Or if you have a rooted Chromecast and you are using AllCast to play media from your Android phone/tablet.

(depending on what you are watching)
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app

which app can I use on Android to cast from a NAS without transiting through my phone (Galaxy S4)??
I've tried LocalCast and the ES File Manager chromecast plugin and both stream my files to my phone and then on the chromecast... What a useless loop...
NAS -> wireless N router -> phone -> wireless N router -> chromecast
How can I make it stream directly from the NAS in that sort of way: NAS -> Router -> chromecast, and the phone as remote controller????
Thanks you

mathieums said:
How can I make it stream directly from the NAS in that sort of way: NAS -> Router -> chromecast, and the phone as remote controller????
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If your NAS supports DLNA you might have more luck. If it strictly supports only CIFS/SMB/AFP type file-sharing, I don't know of any apps whose Chromecast component can browse those.

bhiga said:
If your NAS supports DLNA you might have more luck. If it strictly supports only CIFS/SMB/AFP type file-sharing, I don't know of any apps whose Chromecast component can browse those.
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well, I say NAS but in reality it is a HDD conencted to a Asus RT-N16 router running tomatousb which (I think) runs minidlna of something similar.
My smart TV, xbox, ps3, computers... they all see the files and stream it no problem.

mathieums said:
well, I say NAS but in reality it is a HDD conencted to a Asus RT-N16 router running tomatousb which (I think) runs minidlna of something similar.
My smart TV, xbox, ps3, computers... they all see the files and stream it no problem.
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OK. Check BubbleUPnP or maybe Avia. I'm pretty sure there as one early app that later started pulling directly, but I can't remember which one it was at the moment. I think it was discussed in a thread here.

bhiga said:
OK. Check BubbleUPnP or maybe Avia. I'm pretty sure there as one early app that later started pulling directly, but I can't remember which one it was at the moment. I think it was discussed in a thread here.
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Thank you. I'll look into it right now!

If you're lucky @Asphyx might remember

I think Bubble may be the answer provided no transcoding is required.
I know the dev was dabbling in limited in device transcoding as well but not sure where that is at or if it is even needed for Music.
aVia most definitely runs everything through the phone if I'm not Mistaken but that too could have changed since I least used it.
Pretty much everything I stream to CCast now is via Plex which does not require the launch device to stay on.
Most 3rd party Content providers whose content is on the web and who support CCast via the casting icon will send the stream direct.
That would include Pandora, Hulu Etc...
Bubble or Plex is probably the best option but both will require a PC to handle the streaming.
It doesn't take much or affect the PC's ability to function but it will require an always on PC.

I think last time I checked (which was more than a year ago, probably closer to 2), Avia kept streaming from my server running Serviio (UPnP server) even after I rebooted my phone, but I'm not in a spot that I can retest this.

Asphyx said:
I think Bubble may be the answer provided no transcoding is required.
I know the dev was dabbling in limited in device transcoding as well but not sure where that is at or if it is even needed for Music.
aVia most definitely runs everything through the phone if I'm not Mistaken but that too could have changed since I least used it.
Pretty much everything I stream to CCast now is via Plex which does not require the launch device to stay on.
Most 3rd party Content providers whose content is on the web and who support CCast via the casting icon will send the stream direct.
That would include Pandora, Hulu Etc...
Bubble or Plex is probably the best option but both will require a PC to handle the streaming.
It doesn't take much or affect the PC's ability to function but it will require an always on PC.
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I've just tried Bubble and it works with the launch device turned off. Exactly what I was looking for :good:
Avia is a paid app, I didn't try it. I'll look into Plex, thanks!

mathieums said:
I've just tried Bubble and it works with the launch device turned off. Exactly what I was looking for :good:
Avia is a paid app, I didn't try it. I'll look into Plex, thanks!
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In some respects Plex is a semi-paid app...
You don't need to pay to use it with a CCast but to get everythig requires a Plex pass account which has grown very expensive from the day when I bought my lifetime membership.
If Bubble works and the interface is not an issue then stick with it...
Plex is a little prettier and does full scraping of titles for a better display but if all you want to do is fling content you might not need all of that.

UK broadcasters unenthusiastic

Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?

Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
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Sounds like a cop-out to me. Sounds more like they don't want to put the effort into it. A proper live stream would simply pull from an Internet stream, same as the current apps do.
A live stream may not have as many flavors or quite as much compression as a pre-recorded stream can, but that doesn't stop it from working. More likely either their live encoder hardware is simply not tuned for a Chromecast-compatible compression profile, or they don't want to put the effort into modifying their app to transfer credentials to Chromecast (otherwise any viewer who accessed the same URL could get the live stream for free).

Lots of Content providers who already have access to the big screen via Tuner will be hesitant...Because they feel they already support and have the Big Screen model they prefer and it makes billions for them!
Their foray into Tab and Mobile streaming is merely to capture those screens which have no tuner support.
And their mindset is that if they support the Big Screen via CCast they will lose out on all the money they make on the Tuner subs.
They aren't wrong about that part but what they don't seem to realize is they are going to lose that money anyway as more content is available via the Web and people start cutting cords.
And as more of their competition realizes and adds support for this new Big Screen methodology they will either jump onto the ship or risk it sailing away without them.
It's difficult to get a business to change the way they make money when the old method has made it for them for half a century and switch to a new way of making even more money by cutting out the middleman.
They could charge more for a sub than they get per subscriber from the cable companies now.
And people would pay it provided they got to pick and choose which networks they pay for (ala Carte) and could view it on any screen they may own.
Music Industry once faced this same dilemma, they picked wrong and look what happened to their industry!
The same will happen to TV if they don't open their eyes and smell the Data!
They will lose the subs, People will pirate the shows they want to see, No way to record ratings or views and if that happens they won't even have the money to implement the new methods or create new programming...

Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
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Live streaming via iPlayer app over WiFi works just fine with CC, so I don't really know what the TV Catchup issue is or what their "extensive tesing" actually involved. Do we even know why YouTube doesn't support live streams on CC? Since they point to this as justification. Some of the comments seemed odd - like the one suggesting that the app needed to stream to CC directly, rather than CC playing the given URL, or that VOD content was only "okayish" (have they even tried the Netflix or Play Movies apps?)
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...

ghtop said:
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...
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Yes. I've had iPlayer on my Chromecasts since it launched but never watched live TV. Why would anyone in the UK want to watch PSB broadcasters live this way - unless their TV was broken or something. I accept there is a market among expats but that would be irrelevant to the broadcasters.
Anyway, just tested it for the first time on 40" and 19" sets and live streams work perfectly. Better than direct from the website in fact since there is none of the trademark judder. To be fair though it is only a matter of time before the BBC starts to offer live 720p streams (the Winter Olympics feeds worked beautifully for those with good connection speeds) so perhaps our sticks would cope less well with these?
But the whole point of these players is for catch up TV - this is a very disappointing cop-out and even more reason to praise the BBC for getting their app up and running with Chromecast so promptly.

This post is relevant to me as I am UK based, have two chromecasts and my second TV does not have an aerial connection.
I've followed TV Catchup's position on this and I have to say I agree that it is a complete cop-out on their part. More fool them. If iPlayer, Redbull TV and (monday update of) BT sport can integrate casting then their excuse that the CC is not powerful enough is wide of the mark.
My experience of live streams from iPlayer is top notch but I have an excellent fibre optic connection.
So, for my second TV I have embarked on a quest to find a work around.
TV Catchup + Mirror app. Works OK. Resolution is as you'd expect, watchable but no where near HD. Sound quality also suffers. So whilst this solution is boarderline acceptable. It's not great.
XBMC =AVIA. Awesome. ALMOST a fully comprehensive solution for me. I am using the XAF version with 1channel, icefilms and Mashup with playercorefactory set up for Avia. This is great for ondemand services BUT live streams fail to start. This is particularly annoying for me as I subscribe to Offside Streams (for my sports) and I cannot get this to work outside of casting a chrome tab. THIS is my holy grail.
Plex Channels = The Plex live channels I have found to be hit and miss. There are not enough channels of interest and it is a lottery if they work.
BUBBLE UPNP - So I have set up a transcoding server for Bubble. It's delightful. When casting local/network/server files from Android the PC does the grunt work. It pretty much maxes out my quad core 8GB rig, but playback is perfectly acceptable for me.
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
New Tasker Plugin - AUTOCAST. This has promise and I will be spending a few more hours setting it up. It is not for the less tech/tasker savvy. So far I have combined it with AutoShare to share local media files direct from the galley or a file explorer. It even runs videos from the chrome browser IF the website is compatible. IF more websites were compatible, this would be my casting of choice. I really like it's functionality once it has been set up correctly. The dev is publishing some guides on this from Monday.
I am watching you JW PLAYER. Now JW is the player of choice for many large companies websites. They have just announced chromecast support (to be rolled out) and I think this will open the door to new horizons.
Obviously, I'd love to see ITV player, 4OD and Demand Five release both Chromecast support and live streaming from their respective apps. I won't hold my breath. BBC, I am not fond of your general operations but I have to applaud you as an early adopter. BT sport is an added bonus. SKY and SKY GO is as closed shop as they come so let's write that off before we begin.
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.

Funny I don't think Google intended the Chrome cast to be powerful. The new Amazon TV can handle lots. Roku 3 pretty solid. I am more disappointed that to get the most out of Chromecast you have to be in the USA for one thing and the UK for another. Using a VPN is possible but more complicated then other devices I have. It is cheap.
Sent from my Xoom Wifi using XDA Premium HD app

Drizwaldo1 said:
.....
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
.....
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.
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BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.

neu - smurph said:
BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.
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BubbleUPnP can transcode (if necessary and provided that BubbleUPnP Server is installed) videos from any source, including http video URLs sent from web browsers or any other app.
As for streaming live content not web related, I've got report of users streaming live TV streams in TS format served by some specialized boxes (like the HD HomeRun), and transcoded by BubbleUPnP Server on the fly to be compatible. Theorically it should also work with any media server serving live streams like MythTV and others.

Xbmc to Chromecast - Just got easier

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
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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....
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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?
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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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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!

turn old device into Chromecast

I have a note 2 with a cracked screen that's too expensive to fix at the mo and was wondering if there's a way to turn it into a Chromecast for my kitchen TV?
I will order a HDMI dongle if it's possible. I'd like it to have Chromecast functionality rather than manually using the device to select stuff.

irish-sid said:
I have a note 2 with a cracked screen that's too expensive to fix at the mo and was wondering if there's a way to turn it into a Chromecast for my kitchen TV?
I will order a HDMI dongle if it's possible. I'd like it to have Chromecast functionality rather than manually using the device to select stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can turn it in to a dlna device using bubbleupnp. Install it on the note and on the device your gonna stream from.
It's not the same as chromecast (cast function in apps won't work). But you can stream movies, music, SoundCloud and youtube with it.

r-l said:
You can turn it in to a dlna device using bubbleupnp. Install it on the note and on the device your gonna stream from.
It's not the same as chromecast (cast function in apps won't work). But you can stream movies, music, SoundCloud and youtube with it.
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Cool. Does it all render on the device I'm steaming from or does it pluck it from online like the Chromecast?

irish-sid said:
Cool. Does it all render on the device I'm steaming from or does it pluck it from online like the Chromecast?
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Both, i got an old android tvstick with bubbleupnp installed in my bedroom and i stream stuff from my server, tablet and showbox (last one is a internet stream).
You need to choose a external video player in bubbleupnp on your note to watch movies. I use Archos video player and the free codecpack in the playstore

r-l said:
Both, i got an old android tvstick with bubbleupnp installed in my bedroom and i stream stuff from my server, tablet and showbox (last one is a internet stream).
You need to choose a external video player in bubbleupnp on your note to watch movies. I use Archos video player and the free codecpack in the playstore
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Click to collapse
Well thanks for the help. I'll test it out.

The result from a simple search on google.com "turn old Android into chromecast"
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-an-android-phone-into-a-chromecast-for-free-1131227012

vinaaa said:
The result from a simple search on google.com "turn old Android into chromecast"
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-an-android-phone-into-a-chromecast-for-free-1131227012
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If i'm correct cheapcast doesn't work anymore and development has stopped

r-l said:
If i'm correct cheapcast doesn't work anymore and development has stopped
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Click to collapse
Yes, AFAIK the Cast SDK 2.0 release had some device-specific key/identifier requirement that sunk the software emulators.