Related
I created this thread for people to suggest features they like to see the chromecast do. Whether it be the chromecast device itself, the chrome browser extension, chromecast app on the phone, or even just to give ideas to developers to create an app for or integrate into apps they already have.
Suggestions:
1) Cast embeded videos like youtube videos in google+ straight to chromecast? I'm currently watching a video on google+ and went to cast it but there is no button in the video. I'd have to start playing it first, click to watch it in youtube, then cast it from there.
2) Be able to use chromecast with Picture-In-Picture. I haven't tried thus yet so it might already work.
3) An app that integrates chromecasting into the android share menu so you can cast any app straight to your T.V. I know Koush is working on sharing the gallery but being able to cast almost any app would be huge! Cast pdfs, facebook pictures, instagram, etc.
Control Control Control
1) When controlling the chromecast from my phone, if a call comes in, it would be great if the Chromecast would record the time the call started and when I hang up, ask me if I want to rewind to that point or optionally pause what's playing when I pickup the phone.
2) I would like a generic app in the notification bar to control ffw/rwd/pause of any media playing on the Chromecast. The idea being it would be a standardized interface for all media apps (instead of the per app notifications like netflix uses) and any device on the wifi network could control any chromecast (rather than having to start up netflix or whatever app the chromecast is servicing on another device.
3) Queuing/queue control either in apps or in the generic app in #2. Watching Mad Men on netflix is a PITA because as a episode ends, I have to open up the phone and then open the series, then scroll to the next episode and hit play. Would be nice if it was easier to just skip to the next episode, song, whatever.
4) Android Netflix App - it's obvious that Netflix app on android is not (yet) optimized to be a remote control. As mentioned in #3 managing the queue is a PITA. Also the lack of FFWD/RWD buttons and the accuracy of the slider in portrait mode only leaves something to be desired. Landscape orientation when controlling chromecast, FFWD/RWD/NEXT/BACK, a better timeline (maybe a gesture to scrub fwd/back?) and most importantly a queue/automatic play of the next episode (like the browser app, PS3, most TVs already do) would all go to making the user experience greater. (While the lock screen overlay controls were a pleasant surprise, why it doesn't have more control buttons is beyond me).
kernelhappy said:
2) I would like a generic app in the notification bar to control ffw/rwd/pause of any media playing on the Chromecast. The idea being it would be a standardized interface for all media apps (instead of the per app notifications like netflix uses) and any device on the wifi network could control any chromecast (rather than having to start up netflix or whatever app the chromecast is servicing on another device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe RemoteCast does this already. I know it does within the app but I can't remember if it adds any controls to the notification bar.
Two more suggestions:
1) Add an option for auto power off of the device after a specified amount of inactivity. (saw this in another thread)
2) Add caller ID so we can see who is calling when casting from the phone. Pause the cast when the call is answered.
supernova_00 said:
I believe RemoteCast does this already. I know it does within the app but I can't remember if it adds any controls to the notification bar.
Two more suggestions:
1) Add an option for auto power off of the device after a specified amount of inactivity. (saw this in another thread)
2) Add caller ID so we can see who is calling when casting from the phone. Pause the cast when the call is answered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I learned about remotecast about 20 minutes after posting here, gonna check it out in a little bit.
I do like the Caller ID though.
kernelhappy said:
Yes, I learned about remotecast about 20 minutes after posting here, gonna check it out in a little bit.
I do like the Caller ID though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be soooo easy to do with Google Voice since the Hangouts app already supports it on the chrome PC extension
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Suggestions:
1) Cast the clock app to your TV to display the current time, alarm notification, and/or display the countdown timer.
2) Cast daydream to the TV (I'm not sure the usefulness of this as I have never used the feature on the phone)
3) Cast google earth to the TV. That would be beautiful to have that on a huge screen!
4) Cast specific google now cards to the TV
Soundcloud
Amazon Cloud Player
Tab casting from Android devices.
How about having it work with a wifi webcam or something for a video hangout (similar to kinect)? May not be feasible but I like the idea.
Native chrome tabs
I would like to be able to cast a tab, but instead of it mirroring my screen over the local network, run it locally on the Chromecast. A remote control interface would similate a trackpad and buttons, and only send the pointer coordinates (oh, and keyboard entries) and button clicks over the local network.
I would think that this would give us a higher quality experience, especially when viewing a streaming site that is not "Chromecast optimized".
Another suggestion:
Please for the love of god make chromecast switch the input back to what was on before I casted. This is by far my single biggest gripe.
1) Split audio and video into two separate synchronized casts. That would allow you to send the video only to your TV and then listen to the audio on your PC/phone/tablet using headphones (i.e. similar to the roku 3). Also, it would allow you to send video to your TV but cast to a second device connected to a receiver.
2) Add the option to restrict casting from certain devices. That way you could put the chromecast on a semi-public network (i.e. hotel) and others on the network would not be able to hijack your chromecast.
3) If a cast is in progress, display a warning if you attempt to start a new cast. This would prevent you from accidentally terminating someone elses cast. I could easily see people getting a chromecast for every TV, and without this, you could accidentally cast to the wrong TV which already has a cast in progress.
4) It has been mentioned before, but add a sleep mode option.
5) User defined URL for chromecast backgrounds. This would allow the chromecast to display a sideshow of your pictures when not casting.
6) Cast to remote device. This would allow you to cast if on a network with access point isolation enabled. It would also enable casting to a different subnet. Lastly it would also allow you to start a cast for someone else if you were not at home.
Casting content from SMB shares
I'd like the Chromecast to be able to pull directly from an SMB share, rather than just HTTP.
I'd then also like a companion app on my phone that can browse SMB shares and allows me to select a file to be casted so that the Chromecast fetches and streams the file directly from the SMB share. An existing app that already supports browsing of SMB shares (such as ES File Explorer or XBMC) with the added casting ability would do the trick.
netflix should go to the next tv episode automatically. this is my number one request
UPNP and DLNA
The UPNP and DLNA support would simply be a killer feature for the chromecast. The bigest problem wold be the codec support
uncola said:
netflix should go to the next tv episode automatically. this is my number one request
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I wanted it too but I'm not sure if I trust that to work properly. What if it skips an episode by mistake?
Chromecast Playlist Bridge
I mentioned this in my review at ChromeCastCentral.Com, but one of the big drawbacks for the Chromecast is that while it is cross-platform, it still has a single-user mindset. All my friends can send stuff to it, but only if THEY take control over it. There is no good way to have multiple people/apps add things to a playlist. So what we need is an app (on the PC preferably) that is both a RECEIVER and a TRANSMITTER. It could be called something like Chromecast Playlist. Multiple people/apps could cast to IT and it could build up a playlist queue that it casts to the actual Chromecast on the TV.
Casting content from SMB shares
boffo123 said:
I'd like the Chromecast to be able to pull directly from an SMB share, rather than just HTTP.
I'd then also like a companion app on my phone that can browse SMB shares and allows me to select a file to be casted so that the Chromecast fetches and streams the file directly from the SMB share. An existing app that already supports browsing of SMB shares (such as ES File Explorer or XBMC) with the added casting ability would do the trick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It occurs to me that perhaps the Chromecast is already able to pull directly from an SMB share. Apparently Chrome browser itself (in Win7) can play mkv files directly from a share using URL formatted as file://host/share/file.mkv, so perhaps the Chromecast can too? If so, then I'd just need a companion app to support casting a file from an SMB share.
Btw, I don't actually have a Chromecast yet
Turn off TV/AMP after idle, or device disconnect.
Mine turns on and switches inputs automatically using HDMI-CEC, which is fantastic for putting music on in the house, but it would be nice if it would all turn off again when I'm done.
Ensure all app 'home screens' use burn in prevention techniques. The YouTube one is a ***** on our plasma.
Netflix app improvements as mentioned.
Google music on CC to store a playlist so source can disconnect from WiFi without stopping the music.
Various Options for visual stimulation whilst playing music, yet still indicate what's playing. Or even show screenshare /web stuff whilst playing music. Hogging a large screen just for music isn't super efficient, may as well use the Bluetooth method we have used till now and free up the tv.. here using the TVs optical out, can't change input or turn screen off.. Must be quite common.
Google photos /g plus incorporation. photos as screensaver etc..
Uh..
Sent from my Nexus 7
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?
Alright so ive been reading on some websites about how to cast sideloaded music to my Chrome Cast and the best answer seemed to be Avia, I dont have a problem paying for it but before I buy It id like to know what some of the details are...
1. Does it upload your music to the cloud and then stream it to the Chrome Cast from there?
2. Will it take up alot of my WiFi data?
3. Is it fast?
4. Does it have good sound quality?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using xda app-developers app
Avia works for both music and videos. It basically allows you to cast local media that is stored on your device, and it transmits it directly over your wifi network, not up to the cloud and back down.
I personally don't use it for music but for pictures/videos that I take on my phone, or movies that I have burned copies of. Quality is perfect and matches what I have on my phone.
Alright thanks, I just wanted to know before I buy
AndroidUser12345678910 said:
Alright so ive been reading on some websites about how to cast sideloaded music to my Chrome Cast and the best answer seemed to be Avia, I dont have a problem paying for it but before I buy It id like to know what some of the details are...
1. Does it upload your music to the cloud and then stream it to the Chrome Cast from there?
2. Will it take up alot of my WiFi data?
3. Is it fast?
4. Does it have good sound quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
It'll use as much as the bitrate of the selected file, sending to Chromecast, and Chromecast will need the same bitrate to receive, so unless your casting device is on a wired segment or separate AP, expect to to use 2x the bitrate of the file on your WiFi. See the links in my sig.
Not sure what you mean here. If you're wondering about the browsing speed, it maintains a media database so it's pretty quick unless you need to refresh the media database, which can take a while if you have a lot of media. They've been improving that part of the equation.
Browsing a remote DLNA source depends on the network and the source.
Audio quality is entirely dependent on your source. Avia does not transcode or convert your sources.
Note that RealPlayer Cloud is free and can also cast local nedia. It only requires upload to their cloud if the selected file is not Chromecast-compatible (whereas Avia will tell you that it's not compatible and not do anything with it).
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a cop-out to me. Sounds more like they don't want to put the effort into it. A proper live stream would simply pull from an Internet stream, same as the current apps do.
A live stream may not have as many flavors or quite as much compression as a pre-recorded stream can, but that doesn't stop it from working. More likely either their live encoder hardware is simply not tuned for a Chromecast-compatible compression profile, or they don't want to put the effort into modifying their app to transfer credentials to Chromecast (otherwise any viewer who accessed the same URL could get the live stream for free).
Lots of Content providers who already have access to the big screen via Tuner will be hesitant...Because they feel they already support and have the Big Screen model they prefer and it makes billions for them!
Their foray into Tab and Mobile streaming is merely to capture those screens which have no tuner support.
And their mindset is that if they support the Big Screen via CCast they will lose out on all the money they make on the Tuner subs.
They aren't wrong about that part but what they don't seem to realize is they are going to lose that money anyway as more content is available via the Web and people start cutting cords.
And as more of their competition realizes and adds support for this new Big Screen methodology they will either jump onto the ship or risk it sailing away without them.
It's difficult to get a business to change the way they make money when the old method has made it for them for half a century and switch to a new way of making even more money by cutting out the middleman.
They could charge more for a sub than they get per subscriber from the cable companies now.
And people would pay it provided they got to pick and choose which networks they pay for (ala Carte) and could view it on any screen they may own.
Music Industry once faced this same dilemma, they picked wrong and look what happened to their industry!
The same will happen to TV if they don't open their eyes and smell the Data!
They will lose the subs, People will pirate the shows they want to see, No way to record ratings or views and if that happens they won't even have the money to implement the new methods or create new programming...
Rooksx said:
Some disappointing news from the UK: http://m.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2338217/uk-broadcasters-shun-google-chromecast. Catchup TV is particularly scathing as they say that the CC simply isn't powerful enough to handle live TV. I put this to the test by tab casting a live iplayer broadcast and it was fine, maybe a little slow.. If I was casting directly from the app, it would surely have been even better. I do have a fairly speedy connection though, 100 mbps cable. What we other people's experiences with casting live TV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Live streaming via iPlayer app over WiFi works just fine with CC, so I don't really know what the TV Catchup issue is or what their "extensive tesing" actually involved. Do we even know why YouTube doesn't support live streams on CC? Since they point to this as justification. Some of the comments seemed odd - like the one suggesting that the app needed to stream to CC directly, rather than CC playing the given URL, or that VOD content was only "okayish" (have they even tried the Netflix or Play Movies apps?)
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...
ghtop said:
The other UK broadcasters as we know are just talking out their backsides as usual.
Having said that, there's little value for me in streaming live channels via CC when they're just a button press away on my TV ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I've had iPlayer on my Chromecasts since it launched but never watched live TV. Why would anyone in the UK want to watch PSB broadcasters live this way - unless their TV was broken or something. I accept there is a market among expats but that would be irrelevant to the broadcasters.
Anyway, just tested it for the first time on 40" and 19" sets and live streams work perfectly. Better than direct from the website in fact since there is none of the trademark judder. To be fair though it is only a matter of time before the BBC starts to offer live 720p streams (the Winter Olympics feeds worked beautifully for those with good connection speeds) so perhaps our sticks would cope less well with these?
But the whole point of these players is for catch up TV - this is a very disappointing cop-out and even more reason to praise the BBC for getting their app up and running with Chromecast so promptly.
This post is relevant to me as I am UK based, have two chromecasts and my second TV does not have an aerial connection.
I've followed TV Catchup's position on this and I have to say I agree that it is a complete cop-out on their part. More fool them. If iPlayer, Redbull TV and (monday update of) BT sport can integrate casting then their excuse that the CC is not powerful enough is wide of the mark.
My experience of live streams from iPlayer is top notch but I have an excellent fibre optic connection.
So, for my second TV I have embarked on a quest to find a work around.
TV Catchup + Mirror app. Works OK. Resolution is as you'd expect, watchable but no where near HD. Sound quality also suffers. So whilst this solution is boarderline acceptable. It's not great.
XBMC =AVIA. Awesome. ALMOST a fully comprehensive solution for me. I am using the XAF version with 1channel, icefilms and Mashup with playercorefactory set up for Avia. This is great for ondemand services BUT live streams fail to start. This is particularly annoying for me as I subscribe to Offside Streams (for my sports) and I cannot get this to work outside of casting a chrome tab. THIS is my holy grail.
Plex Channels = The Plex live channels I have found to be hit and miss. There are not enough channels of interest and it is a lottery if they work.
BUBBLE UPNP - So I have set up a transcoding server for Bubble. It's delightful. When casting local/network/server files from Android the PC does the grunt work. It pretty much maxes out my quad core 8GB rig, but playback is perfectly acceptable for me.
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
New Tasker Plugin - AUTOCAST. This has promise and I will be spending a few more hours setting it up. It is not for the less tech/tasker savvy. So far I have combined it with AutoShare to share local media files direct from the galley or a file explorer. It even runs videos from the chrome browser IF the website is compatible. IF more websites were compatible, this would be my casting of choice. I really like it's functionality once it has been set up correctly. The dev is publishing some guides on this from Monday.
I am watching you JW PLAYER. Now JW is the player of choice for many large companies websites. They have just announced chromecast support (to be rolled out) and I think this will open the door to new horizons.
Obviously, I'd love to see ITV player, 4OD and Demand Five release both Chromecast support and live streaming from their respective apps. I won't hold my breath. BBC, I am not fond of your general operations but I have to applaud you as an early adopter. BT sport is an added bonus. SKY and SKY GO is as closed shop as they come so let's write that off before we begin.
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.
Funny I don't think Google intended the Chrome cast to be powerful. The new Amazon TV can handle lots. Roku 3 pretty solid. I am more disappointed that to get the most out of Chromecast you have to be in the USA for one thing and the UK for another. Using a VPN is possible but more complicated then other devices I have. It is cheap.
Sent from my Xoom Wifi using XDA Premium HD app
Drizwaldo1 said:
.....
What I would love to do with Bubble UPnP is fire up a live stream which is transcoded by my server rig and cast to the CC. This would offer me the solution I crave but I have no idea if it is even possible.
.....
I have every faith that some smart dev will release a player that can pull flash and html5 video from websites and cast to chromecast. I'd love to see a JW Player app but I think MX Player will be the first there.
GO DEVS GO, I have cash waiting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.
neu - smurph said:
BubbleUPnP can cast live streams from the browser - I'm just not 100% sure on compatibility and how it integrates with the Server. So far I've only tried mp4 streams which just work and don't need any transcoding.
The way it works for me using Firefox browser - 1) go to streaming website and open your video - often Firefox itself can't play the video. 2) Long press the video to bring up a share menu - one of the options is 'open with app' - click that and BubbleUPnP is an option. 3) Select BubbleUPnP and if the Chromecast is already set as the Renderer the stream is on your TV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BubbleUPnP can transcode (if necessary and provided that BubbleUPnP Server is installed) videos from any source, including http video URLs sent from web browsers or any other app.
As for streaming live content not web related, I've got report of users streaming live TV streams in TS format served by some specialized boxes (like the HD HomeRun), and transcoded by BubbleUPnP Server on the fly to be compatible. Theorically it should also work with any media server serving live streams like MythTV and others.
When I right click on a pic or vid it gives me the option to "cast to device", but it never finds the Chromecast. Everything that's supposed to see my Chromecast sees it, except this. Anyone get this to work?
Nope. I've had to do it through chrome browser. Allcast too.
Yeah that only works for devices Win 10 has installed as devices which the CCast isn't because Google has never made anything for the PC to cast other than the Browser.
Google really should look into opening up the cast screen function to work over any networked device wireless or not and create a CCast APp for PC that allows it to use the CCast with Windows Wireless Display adapter functions.
Asphyx said:
Google really should look into opening up the cast screen function to work over any networked device wireless or not and create a CCast APp for PC that allows it to use the CCast with Windows Wireless Display adapter functions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely G should look into the way you advise.
Sent from my SM-T231 using Tapatalk
That Win10 function only works with Miracast (WiFi Direct) devices. I can get it to work with my Roku 3, for example, although only if I reduce the Win10 desktop resolution.
DJames1 said:
That Win10 function only works with Miracast (WiFi Direct) devices. I can get it to work with my Roku 3, for example, although only if I reduce the Win10 desktop resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also works on MS' own Wireless Display device....
I'm surprised it works on a Roku.
Truthfully it should work with any DLNA Target on the network and CCast should also identify itself as a DLNA Target.
The Roku 2/3/4 firmware optionally advertises a Mircast/WiDi Screen Mirror capability (still noted as beta-test status though). The MS Wireless Display device is also Miracast/WiDi (see https://www.microsoft.com/accessori...s-display-adapter/cg4-00001#devkit-highlights)
Not sure what you mean about DLNA - that's a different media streaming standard, nothing to do with screen mirroring. Are you thinking of DIAL? Roku also supports DIAL in their firmware, as did the original Chromecast firmware, but Google has moved on and customized the Chromecast protocol so that it is no longer DIAL compatible. Most Chromecast-compatible apps don't see the Roku DIAL receiver, but Youtube and Netflix still support DIAL, and they do see the Roku as an eligible DIAL cast receiver.
DJames1 said:
The Roku 2/3/4 firmware optionally advertises a Mircast/WiDi Screen Mirror capability (still noted as beta-test status though). The MS Wireless Display device is also Miracast/WiDi (see https://www.microsoft.com/accessori...s-display-adapter/cg4-00001#devkit-highlights)
Not sure what you mean about DLNA - that's a different media streaming standard, nothing to do with screen mirroring. Are you thinking of DIAL? Roku also supports DIAL in their firmware, as did the original Chromecast firmware, but Google has moved on and customized the Chromecast protocol so that it is no longer DIAL compatible. Most Chromecast-compatible apps don't see the Roku DIAL receiver, but Youtube and Netflix still support DIAL, and they do see the Roku as an eligible DIAL cast receiver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually what I meant was UPnP which can also be identified as a DLNA renderer. The Cast To feature of Win10 is not a screen casting feature it is merely a way of sending media to other devices from the computer (similar to how DIAL operates).
To do screen casting you actually set that up in a different area of WIndows (where you add the wireless display adapter Miracast or MS) and configure it as part of a Multi-Monitor display array.
The Cast feature will work with Kodi Devices and other devices that identify themselves as Media Players/Renderers. Which most DLNA Target devices do.
Unfortunately the CCast doesn't do that. Mostly because it really just loads Webpages, doesn't think of itself or have the software to be considered a Media Player and requires a webpage to be loaded that can be targeted as a Media Renderer before you can send media to it.
It's something all the other Media Sticks and Devices do.
Just not there with the CCast.
I guess I haven't tried the Cast feature then, only the Screen Mirroring. I'll have to try Cast...
Cool, I didn't realize that was supported in Win10. Works perfectly to cast photos and videos from Win10 to my Roku 2.
DJames1 said:
I guess I haven't tried the Cast feature then, only the Screen Mirroring. I'll have to try Cast...
Cool, I didn't realize that was supported in Win10. Works perfectly to cast photos and videos from Win10 to my Roku 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep it's a nice feature that Win10 added.
Unfortunately they did not go all the way and include Pictures and Powerpoint to the Castable media types, Just Video and Audio.
I suppose because those items are not normally supported by DLNA/UPnP devices without specific software on the device to handle it.
But If MS put their mind to it they could use a video encode to trick those devices into thinking a Video was being sent.
I think they may have this option (or something similar) on Office 2013 and 365 but I'm still using 2007.
Going back to the post I made before this one....
I wonder if it would be possible to create an App that would throw the CCast into a DLNA Renderer mode?
I'm guessing the biggest hurdle would be the Google Automatic Timeout of idle Apps.
I wish Google would just make the default screen also identify as a DLNA/UPnP target. So you could send media to it outside of just what supports DIAL.
I can Cast photos from my Win10 laptop. Did you mean something different by Pictures?
I think the difficulty with turning the Chromecast into a DLNA renderer has already been mentioned: the Chromecast only plays streams from a web server, and DLNA is a different protocol. I suspect that Google's dev kit for Chromecast doesn't allow generic apps that don't fit their model.
DJames1 said:
I can Cast photos from my Win10 laptop. Did you mean something different by Pictures?
I think the difficulty with turning the Chromecast into a DLNA renderer has already been mentioned: the Chromecast only plays streams from a web server, and DLNA is a different protocol. I suspect that Google's dev kit for Chromecast doesn't allow generic apps that don't fit their model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well technically the CCast only loads Webpages and it is the WebPages that can receive and play streams.
So the CCast is whatever the webpage it loaded makes it be.
The Default screen makes it a Slideshow.
There is no reason why that default screen can't also add code to identify as a DLNA Renderer so you can send Content directly to it via means other than DIAL.
When you DO use DIAL it will go off the default page and load up the webpage and when the Webpage unloads it will go back to default making it into a DLNA Render target again.
In fact I think there maybe an Android app that does allow CCast to become a DLNA Render Target but because Google has a Idle TImeout period for all receiver apps you have to enable it each time you want to send content to it.
By putting that functionality in the Default screen it would always be available when the Device itself is in idle without any timeout due to idle because that is what the default screensaver is there for.
As for the Pictures you are right...Win10 Can send pics as well....