Hello
I was wondering if there was any savvy xda user out there who had figured out the best method for streaming torrents to the chromecast both with and without a pc?
I know there is torrentTv for the pc which allows you to drag and drop files and cast them to a target which kinda works but it's functionality isn't terribly well designed (ie once it's started playing how do you control it?)
For android I have a mix of apps that allow this but none with particularly satisfying results.
The most foolproof seems to be:
Ttorrent for downloading torrent sequentially
And local cast to cast or
pixel-dms and bubble upnp to cast or
Aviva to cast
Other torrent downloading solutions include
vuze
Torrent stream controller
Popcorntime
with the casting method being reliant on what happens once you start trying to play the file.
Now I have been testing various combinations (after determining I couldnt get xbmctorrent to complete a movie on my pi without crashing) and tTorrent +local cast seems to work pretty well but I think potentially it cuts the file off at about 95% (ie right near the end).
I suspect because the file isn't being fully pre allocated the player only picks up the length of the file as it relates to what has already been allocated when you start watching it. Rather than playing to the end of the file which has been completed whilst you were watching it.
So does anyone know a better method? I can't actually believe that someone hasnt built a torrent downloading + chromecast/upnp streaming apk yet. The chromecast is now over a year old and this is the kind of stuff I expected people to hack together in week 1.
Anyway a single app solution would be a lot better. Or a solution which includes fully preallocating the file would perhaps work better?
So why not just use Plex? I have a local Plex server setup on my desktop computer and I have Plex for Android on my Nexus 6. Works phenomenally!
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk, probably while driving.
kdoggy said:
So why not just use Plex? I have a local Plex server setup on my desktop computer and I have Plex for Android on my Nexus 6. Works phenomenally!
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk, probably while driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have seen plex, and did install it at one stage a while ago before I had the chromecast, to try and do netflix streaming (as before the chromecast I could only do netflix on my phone or pc, no other solution to play it on the tv I could find except for buggy screencasting).
However I already have serviio installed on my pc, which works very will with the sony bdp and bravia 2010 TV, so I wouldnt really want to install plex unless I knew it provided significantly better functionality. Also my serviio setup just works, I dont want to mess with it for no reason.
So specifically what does plex do installed on a pc with the android app that all the other stuff I already installed doesnt do?
I was under the impression that without paying for plex it is crippled? Or is it just the extra plugins or channels which require a subscription?
Does plex allow torrents to be added? What device does the downloading?
Ideally I want a situation where if I am unable to use my pc (one of these days the power supply is going to die and I know I will come home from work and wont be able to switch it on) I can just stream whatever I want to watch or if I cant find it on streaming or the whole rest of the world is on the internet and streaming is knackered I can just torrent stream it to the chrome.
ie what I want is wholly phone based, or pc based with the phone as a remote, not a mis-mash of both.
I use plex... I have my torrent folder listed as on of my media folders in plex settings.. so once the torrent is done I can play from laptop tablet or phone, or cast from any of the 3
Sent from my SM-N900V
I use atorrent, and stream with Bubble. Works fine. Bubble can log into my home network and send video to the Chromecast via mine or my wife computer.
Yeah the whole point was that I wanted to stream torrents WHILE they are downloading. Like xbmctorrent or aceplayer or torrentvideoplayer or torrent stream controller or popcorntime or whatever.
NOT casting stuff once it's finished downloading, which is simple and I'm sure is covered ad nauseum on the forum.
I thought my post was pretty clear.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
popcorn-time.se Android version have Chrome cast support
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
I'll have to look at atorrent, it does offer sequential downloading but I am not sure if it pre allocates the files.
Ok tested a torrent download streamed to raspbmc using atorrent and bubble upnp.
It does work but still only seems to do about 98% of the file. (Been testing stuff on raspbmc as the performance should be similar enough, also I want to be able to do this to the ccast and xbmc)
I suspect the file is locked maybe preventing the last couple of percent of file being played?
Anyway this is the same sorts of results I was having with Ttorrent.
Which leads me to believe that until someone builds a caster with an integrated torrent client that allows the full file to be cast you would have to accept only being to play 98% of the file without having to stop and restart playback once the torrent has completed downloading.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Ok well there are two versions of popcorntime. One appears to offer ccast support the other doesn't but it may be available via an external player.
The one you referenced (popcorn-time.se) on that site it's version 0.1.1 for android and it allows you to play the download via an internal player (no ccast icon for me) or to an external player but when I try that with aviva it won't open and no other player I have offers casting.
The other one (time4popcorn.eu) version 2.4 i think, allows ccast via their internal player, no access to play externally (so no hope of xbmc casting). And none of the movie torrents will download if I'm connected to my wifi (torrents download fine via 4g though so I just switch it back before it connects to any seeds or peers).
Possibly chromecast is just better supported which makes sense because it's only a year old while dnla and xbmc have been around for years.
No one fancies trying to build a more complete torrent casting client?
I'm not talking about transcoding just downloading the files and then serving them in a way that doesn't completely mangle the url leaving the file unplayable at the renderer?
Given the kind of apps which already exist I'm surprised this functionality hasn't already been incorporated.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
So to summarise:
For the chromecast popcorntime from time4popcorn.eu version 2.4 beta allows you to download torrents to stream to the chromecast. Assuming your isp or isp's aren't blocking the torrent site it is searching (for me virgin in the UK is blocking the movie search but not the show search and vodaphone isnt blocking either)
For other dnla players (xbmc):
Atorrent is a free torrent client which allows sequential downloading and can be streamed via bubble upnp (possibly the free version only allows only three executions of externally played files per app launch but this limitation hasn't been much of a limitation to me). I had thought it may lock the file and not allow the final couple of percent to be played without the playback having to be resumed, but I think I may have been using pixel dms as an intermediary to be able to play the file from bubble upnp rather than the file browser. Further experimentation seems to indicate that mp4s and mkvs should play fine streamed via bubble upnp assuming the correct pieces have already been downloaded.
I think i had been using pixel dms previously as I had been watching older avi files which wouldnt play otherwise. Pixel dms seems to work only as far as the file that has been downloaded.
Using popcorntime it is possible to stream avi files ie older episodes or movies which are only available as avi's (fairly certain this wouldnt work on the chromecast but would need to test when the tv isnt in use). You come out of the app before the video starts to play and then launch the file via the file browser using bubble upnp.
Presumably this would work for any other torrent downloaded by popcorntime which is a lot of stuff but not everything.
Hopefully this helps some people as I have been looking for just this kind of information and have been unable to find it. Resulting in me having downloaded many different apps, most of which are generally not very good.
For example local cast would probably be brilliant but it's upnp detection is really shoddy.
Bubble upnp is quality, although I think there may be some limitations in the free version which effect chromecast. Possibly only 20 mins of free playback? Although I think in conjunction with y2cast you could get around that.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
I use showbox with avia (paid)
Showbox is Ok but it's just streaming, from vk.com I think. And at peak times I just can't use streaming services.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Torrent stream controller+BubbleUPnP with Chromecast as a Local Renderer ( local transcoding must be installed in the settings). Maybe it will work with other apps that allow stream torrent.
You can look at the pictures here under the spoilers.
playahate said:
Torrent stream controller+BubbleUPnP with Chromecast as a Local Renderer ( local transcoding must be installed in the settings). Maybe it will work with other apps that allow stream torrent.
You can look at the pictures here under the spoilers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flud torrent + bubbleupnp ( or other media render)
torrentplayer + bubbleupnp ( or other media render)
dr torrent + bubbleupnp ( or other media render)
I use Tera torrent with bubbleupnp
Sent from my SM-G900A using Tapatalk 2
anyone have a utorrent apk that I can sideload?
henryjfry said:
Showbox is Ok but it's just streaming, from vk.com I think. And at peak times I just can't use streaming services.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Single app solution for any Android device: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-media-library-t3971231
Related
hello,
I just get my xoom and i would like to be able to read video file from my Pc (windows). I don't want a stream software (like orb) I would like to read with moboplayer or another one. I try to use es explorer to access file on the computer but when I launch the video but player as to copy everything before. I try to use cfis manager but it is not working with tiamat 1.3.2.
So if someone get a solution it would be perfect
thks
hmmm...did you load the cifs prior to using conf manager? THat's what i use and it works great. ONly option out there unless you encode your videos for streaming.
I play movies from a pc drive by mounting the drive on the xoom.
Here is a guide I wrote up to get it working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1036316
i use tversity. Prettygoood post here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1039808
Two things that may simplify the process for you.
Look for an app like Twonkey that will allow UPNP streams. They are NOT converted so the file will need to be a playable file format on the Xoom for it to work. As a bonus Twonkey will allow you to stream video from the Xoom to your PC or UPNP/DLNA capable TV.
Wait for Plex to release their update for the Xoom. This is VERY close to completion, but I can not give you any exact details. Plex makes Orb look like a steaming pile of you know what, with regard to browsing your media library and the quality of the transcoding. As a few lingering bugs get worked out it will also allow for native streaming of the file with no transcode if bandwidth allows.
Yeah so when is plex coming out for xoom? I've been waiting for it since february! patiently, no less! as it is i'm using skifta as a dlna client, but the image is wonky and it doesn't work nearly as well as plex does on my iphone.
You could just, you know, send me the plex beta apk? I already bought it for android. thanks?
I use Ubuntu at home and here is my setup. You can certainly modify it for a Windows box.
I use Coherence as a UPNP server on ly computer. Youcan use Tversity on Windows for a similar service.
On my Xoom, I run an app call UPNP Play, which will find all UPNP severs on your wifi network. I choose the file I want, and play it via Rockplayer.
So far I haven't had any problems. No need for transcoding at all. Most files I tried have worked beautifully. But I haven't tried a h.264 file yet.
Playon has a beta MyMedia function that converts and streams and works pretty well on my Zoom to watch my .avi and mkv files. Not free but it works pretty well and gives you Netflix too.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
PlayOn is my top favorite since I can watch shows from Hulu on it
Skifta is my second choice because I use it to stream all other types of contents from my primary media server - http://vortexbox.org
stinkyjoe said:
Yeah so when is plex coming out for xoom? I've been waiting for it since february! patiently, no less! as it is i'm using skifta as a dlna client, but the image is wonky and it doesn't work nearly as well as plex does on my iphone.
You could just, you know, send me the plex beta apk? I already bought it for android. thanks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well we are working on the RC for public release right now. Two major bugs were found in it and are being fixed as I type this. Public release should be right around the corner.
Sorry but I cant hand out the beta apks. Hell I probably should not be telling you that its almost out. I know its been far too long and some are loosing interest, but the wait will be worth it.
thx for all in fact the problem was in the cifs.ko not loaded, now everything work except cfis manager that I have to load from the market (not from the app ) :/
Now i have to find a quick way to encode video (all high profile :/)
Would you like to stream XBMC through Avia to Chromecast?
Put this https://www.dropbox.com/s/d8pl1adtlo8rp90/playercorefactory.xml in sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata
Now Avia is the player allowing you to chromecast.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Wow thanks, worked perfectly. Just a note, I had to clear the cache for my xbmc app to get it to load first.
Can't get it to work.. any more details on how to make it work?
What your doing with XBMC is not all that different than what you do with aVia using Plex...
The difference is XBMC has no transcoding capability on it's DLNA server so if the files are not CCast compatible you may run into some issues with those.
It will work as will any DLNA server you could be running.
Can u tell me step by step to cast from xbmc app ?
I have xbmc app in my Nexus 4.
Oh I was using 1channel and streaming I guess that don't work.
Yeah, thanks for this, but how do I get xbmc to stream to cc? I have this file in where you said, and i have cleared cache for both avia and xbmc, but I see no cc button in xbmc or anything like that. how do I get all 3 to see each other?
stewwmann said:
Yeah, thanks for this, but how do I get xbmc to stream to cc? I have this file in where you said, and i have cleared cache for both avia and xbmc, but I see no cc button in xbmc or anything like that. how do I get all 3 to see each other?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't stream it from XBMC you are just routing it through aVia....
It would seem that all your doing is adding player profiles to XBMC (android) which may make it work or be seen by aVia.
Ya I installed like u said but still not sure how to stream.
All I did too get this to work was follow the first post, cleared caches and rebooted my S4. I launched xbmc and When I picked what I wanted to watch avia launched and I hit the cast button. All was good depending on what file type the show in.
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
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argonzal said:
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
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Click to collapse
Depends on the format. Some sources work fine, some doesn't.
Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk
I couldn't get this to work with the build from official XBMC site, but is working well with XAF build from here.
http://www.xbmcandroid.com/2013/05/...-xaf-custom-build-of-xbmc-for-android-is-out/
If installing XAF build you will need to uninstall official build first as it is signed differently (you can back up with XBMC Backup).
argonzal said:
Does this simply play local media through XBMC or will it play add on channels also?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jasenko said:
Depends on the format. Some sources work fine, some doesn't.
Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Many of those channels use streaming methods that are incompatible with CCast at this point in time. It's a good bet that if the streams require an external player ext in Chrome to play, they will not work on the CCast since it has no ability to add extensions to it's limited Chrome implementation.
Many of those channels are available freely on the web and may even be made available in Real Player as channels. (Not sure I don't have Real Player installed) so that might be the way to see that content on CCast.
Unfortunately it is not likely that something like Plex that has transcoding will be able to transcode those files due to the fact that they are streams and not files and Transcoders don't like to wait around for input.
Me personally while I like the channel capabilities in XBMC and Plex I would much rather the content providers support CCast in their own Apps which most have available because then when they change their system for storage their App will change to reflect that as opposed to jst stop working which is common with Channels on Plex and XBMC,
OH and for the record I'm not sure but it seems very likely that the OP was referring to XBMC for Android not XBMC for other Operating systems as far as local content is concerned.
And while it may be true the fact is aVia should be able to see the same files XBMC Android can see on the device and since XBMC does not transcode at all you really not gaining anything other than the importing of the XBMC library to make navigation easier.
Asphyx said:
Unfortunately it is not likely that something like Plex that has transcoding will be able to transcode those files due to the fact that they are streams and not files and Transcoders don't like to wait around for input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
DJames1 said:
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't find it all that interesting...Roku is a much more robust box than Chromecast is. It doesn't rely on a single browser for everything the way CCast does.
CCast is not meant as another version of Roku, It is another version of Miracast and if you look it in that way you see Chromecast is far superior to what it is competing with.
and truth is as recently as a year ago Roku didn't even support DLNA at all....
It took a 3rd Party developer to create an APP that would see and play DLNA content.
DJames1 said:
It's interesting that almost all the Plex streaming channels work with a Roku box as the client player, but none of them work with the Chromecast. Perhaps Roku does something substantially different, perhaps it's just a matter of testing and debugging (Roku is the #1 client for Plex), or perhaps Google has no intention of allowing Plex channels on the CC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't have any real data to prove it, but it seems like Plex tries to route the external stream through the server to your device and then to Chromecast. I managed to start a couple of streams (out of about 20 that I tried) through Plex and unsupported channels, but XBMC was perfect every time providing Chromecast supports the format and the stream was available on the third party site. I mainly wanted and was playing around with XBMC on Android to be able to watch the stuff from some of the channels, but vGET just "killed" that fun for me, working perfectly so far for everything I tried.
When searching through sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata. I couldn't find the userdata folder so I created one. Tried to place the file into it and no luck, even tried placing it in the /files folder. I'm testing this on my HP touchpad jellybean 4.3
jasenko said:
Don't have any real data to prove it, but it seems like Plex tries to route the external stream through the server to your device and then to Chromecast. I managed to start a couple of streams (out of about 20 that I tried) through Plex and unsupported channels, but XBMC was perfect every time providing Chromecast supports the format and the stream was available on the third party site. I mainly wanted and was playing around with XBMC on Android to be able to watch the stuff from some of the channels, but vGET just "killed" that fun for me, working perfectly so far for everything I tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe (and I'm guessing) Plex is (as far as channels are concerned) is trying to do what aVia currently does with content only instead of the player acting as the middleman Plex tries to use the server.
But I don't believe it is transcoding as much as merely stripping the feed from the source web it came from and sending you just the video stream part.
Same here. Çant find the user data file.
frostyguy said:
When searching through sdcard/android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/userdata. I couldn't find the userdata folder so I created one. Tried to place the file into it and no luck, even tried placing it in the /files folder. I'm testing this on my HP touchpad jellybean 4.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have had a Chromecast for some time now. I have been lurking for some time now but can't quite figure out what is the best solution for me.
Here is what I am looking to do.. I have quite a few workout dvd's that the Wife and I use, Yoga and the such. I want to eliminate the need to use the dvd player... my goal is to have everything ripped to my desktop, then use my phone to control what is displayed on the chromecast? especially since i have multiple chromecasts.....I just can't figure out what combination of apps I need to accomplish it... I have used ALLCast but the video will mess up during streaming... (Galaxy S3)
I am assuming I need some sort of media server service running on my desktop..(Plex?)
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!
cdrshm
Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.
@DJames1 hit it on the head.
Since I have multiple players, I'm waiting for My Movies to release Chromecast support, but I suspect it might be a while...
DJames1 said:
Rip the DVDs to MP4 files on your computer using some video tool like Handbrake. Enable the DLNA server function in Windows if you haven't already, and add your video folder as one of the shared media folders. Install BubbleUPnP on your Android phone. Select your computer as the source, Chromecast as the destination. Select your desired video and cast it to the Chromecast, controlling it with BubbleUPnP.
Plex is certainly an alternative, but you would have to install and set up Plex Media Server on your computer, and currently you have to pay $4/month for Plex Pass to use Plex with the Chromecast. For what you want to do the above combination is simpler and free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW! This works perfect! Thanks for helping me out! It works better than expected!!
Thanks Again!!
cdrshm
+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!
You can also browse files in the chrome browser, such as your movie folder. And simply cast from that. Works instantly, easily, casts in the same quality the file is in, and requires no additional software or set up.
For instance, my data drive is F, I just browse to file:///F:/ on chrome, select my movies folder and start the video then cast from the browser.
^^ That's tab-casting. While it works as long as your computer is fast enough, it has several issues compared to the recommended solution:
1. It puts a heavier workload on your PC due to Google's rather inefficient tab-casting code.
2. Even with a high-performance PC, the video tends to stutter a little when tab-casting.
3. It has to be controlled from the PC. The OP said that he has an Android phone he wants to use as the controller.
If the OP were interested in trying streaming from Chrome, he would be better off to use the newly-renamed Videostream extension for Chrome mentioned in another thread here. It offers much smoother performance than tab-casting.
I use serviio on my computer and Avia on my devices. Works great.
I use Logitech Media Server with avia and it works perfectly...
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk
^^ Also good solutions, but Avia isn't quite free, and they would require the OP to install a new media server on his PC.
Any good solution for mac os?
2fastkuztoms said:
Any good solution for mac os?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plex is probably the easiest option but it currently requires PlexPass subscription as it's still getting the kinks worked out.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
You could use any DLNA server that runs on Mac along with BubbleUPnP as the controller on Android. I would probably choose Serviio.
Asphyx said:
+1 to DJ!
Only thing I would quibble with is I'm not sure the Windows Media DLNA is a very good option but it is free and requires no installation.
Bubble requires SOME DLNA server since it does not have this function built in yet and instead aggregates media from other sources.
Something I suspect Bubble will soon add to it's arsenal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed Windows Media Server sucks. Install the free BubbleUPnP Server side app on your PC. Pay for the pro license of BubbleUPnP on Android and not only can you stream your PC media to Chromecast but you can stream through your PS3 and you can remotely watch all of your videos on your Android device or anyone else's media server in the world
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
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 ? .
Click to expand...
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.
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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:
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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?
Hey all,
I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to keep up with a lot of the new apps and methods for casting. Since the SDK release, things have really been moving quickly. A lot of the apps seem to offer the same features, but some here or there offer something new. It's hard sifting through them and finding those new features though.
Would you guys like to suggest what you have found to be your preferred method of casting? Do you convert your vids, or upload them (like with Real), or just cast direct ...etc
As it stands for me right now, I'm on Windows and using the VideoStream extension in Chrome. From my phone, I'm using either Avia or Allcast. Not sure if I could be doing this more efficiently.
Tried XBMC, BubbleUPnP, Wonder Share Media Center and some other more exotic ways to cast from my computer and, for me, Plex is the way to go.
Especially since it no longer requires a Plex Pass subscription.
A one time 5$ fee for the app and I can cast everything on my computer and control it from my phone.
ataft said:
Hey all,
I don't know about you, but I'm finding it hard to keep up with a lot of the new apps and methods for casting. Since the SDK release, things have really been moving quickly. A lot of the apps seem to offer the same features, but some here or there offer something new. It's hard sifting through them and finding those new features though.
Would you guys like to suggest what you have found to be your preferred method of casting? Do you convert your vids, or upload them (like with Real), or just cast direct ...etc
As it stands for me right now, I'm on Windows and using the VideoStream extension in Chrome. From my phone, I'm using either Avia or Allcast. Not sure if I could be doing this more efficiently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Plex for most everything except local casting, and Chrome Beta (with experimental chromecast support enabled in flags) for streaming things like dailymotion, etc (tried LocalCast for this but it just never worked for me), Chrome Beta does it perfectly, adds the chromecast icon to the video and everything...plex DOES have channels, dailymotion being one of them and it works just as well, but it's nice to have it all in Chrome.
As for device to TV casting I use Solid Explorer with the free chromecast plugin.
There are a lot of Apps but there is no KILLER App yet to date....None that just DOES EVERYTHING...
You have Two distinct Groups of Apps...Players and Media Servers (Media Servers being a bit more comprehensive as they also include players to interface with their system)
You're (currently) going to need one of both types to be able to stream everything you might want to stream to a CCast.
Media Servers - Include Bubble UPnP and Plex. (PlayOn is another system but I'm not sure they have added their CCast support yet)
Media Servers usually work in conjunction with a more powerful computer running the server part of the system that can do things like convert (Transcode) media to be compatible (playable) on any device including a CCast, and make your media available via DLNA, UPnP or via a custom Cloud Service.These server systems in most cases do not stream content stored on your local (android) device (some like BubbleUPnP can), but they remove the need to store content on your device altogether by making a master media library server that can be accessed anywhere (even remotely). Some Media Servers will also allow you to sync content locally (Plex does not sure about Bubble) to a device when required so you can view that content even when no Network access is available (think in a Plane or when the only Network is a metered Mobile Data account.) These servers also have corresponding player apps to interface with their servers for best results.
Plex and Bubble are very different in many respects and make a very good symbiotic pair. Running Both gives you a great deal of power as far as what can be streamed and streamed specifically to a CCast due to the transcoding that is available.
Bubble UPnP - can play local DEVICE (aka Android Device) stored content and in conjunction with it's server counterpart (running on a PC) can transcode that media for playback on the CCast when needed. I will also note that Bubble currently has the edge on the CCast Player side support due to it's client (CCast Player) side Subtitle overlay, and if I read his changelog correctly last night will support multiple Audio Tracks during transcode. The ONLY thing Bubble is missing is the actual Media Library service. It can Aggregate content from DLNA,and UPnP sources that exist on the network but has no ability to include Media folders. So it requires a Plex like Server or an NAS with UPnP capability to collect the media it will display. It can however also use Windows Media sharing to get it's content. Not the best option (IMO) but it will work and since Bubble will do the transcoding should work better than Windows Media Sharing does by itself. The developer of Bubble is a regular poster here and can answer any questions you might have (or correct my stupidity if I have Misinformed) . I myself run Both Plex and Bubble on my main Media Server/HTPC
Plex Media Server (PMS) - is a full fledged DLNA server and Library system. You point it to Media folders based on content type (Movies, TV, Music, Photos, etc) It will scrape those contents to find metadata which includes cover art, Description of title, even Actors and Genre. It saves all of this info in a database that can be used to create a very nice looking display of your content, organized and tidy. The server runs on a PC and the Player app (Plex for Android and iOS) will only work with content stored and configured on that PLEX server's database(other DLNA sources will not show up). There is a way to include Local DEVICE stored content into the server but it's complicated, and that content requires the device to be on in order to stream to other devices. Plex also creates a home cloud situation where you can stream directly anywhere you are or SYNC to be able to play content when network is not available. Plex Transcodes media for compatibility and also has Channel support which is important to the cord cutters. Not all channels are CCast compatible but when the rest of the web world catches up to modern standards and makes their content HTML5 compliant that issue will go away. Plex also has a website that can send content to CCast from a PC using Chrome with the Googlecast Ext installed. And if you and your friends all run Plex server you can share content from those servers with each other.
If you run both systems you get the majority of what you need for streaming to the CCast with the exception of Live Browser (Tab Casting)
Bubble will handle the local streaming, Plex will supply the DLNA/UPnP component Bubble requires.
Now onto the other type of software that is where the 99,000 options will eventually be seen....
Media Players - Currently there are half a dozen options available (aVia, Real Player, YournamehereCast, you get the idea)
Most of these are no different than your typical Android media player with the exception being they have added the ability to find and send content to a CCast. In most cases no transcoding is possible which means it only works if the content you want to play is already CCast compatible. Think of every media player you have ever seen in the Play store...IMO they will ALL have CCast ability at some point if they want to stay in the game. The winner being the one who figures out how to get the CCast to play the most media types without the need to transcode. (Think MX Player's ability to support media that Android native can't support only this time it's the CCast that it adds the capability to.) Many of the players you find that support CCast also support flinging to DLNA renderers on the local network which is nice if you also have ROKU or an XBMC HTPC running on your network.
These Media players can see media from a variety of sources (including Local DEVICE stored media and those DLNA/UPnP/Cloud Storage servers) but the caveat is the transcoding is not there. (Real Player Cloud will transcode but only content that is stored on their cloud service.)
The one big advantage of a good Media player with CCast support is that it can make content from apps that support an external player but do not have CCast support able to stream to a CCast. You launch the media and when it asks for which player select a CCast compatible player and that player will then give that app CCast support. This is how some are getting XBMC to stream to CCast as well as some apps like Movie Browser UPnP. So even if you have a full fledged media server running it sure doesn't hurt to have a Media Player with CCast support that can give you some CCast capability even if your favorite media app doesn't support CCast by itself yet. But that app MUST support external players which most do these days.
My hope is MX Player or VLC eventually supports CCast because of all the players I have tried over the years those two seemed to be the best ones to use.
There are quite a few extension options that add capability to stream via the chrome browser. I don't use any of them (other than the GoogleCast extension that is required for PlexTV, and YouTube Web to work.) With that extension installed the websites will show the CCast icon on the player controls so you can fling content from PC. I'll let someone else talk about the other extensions that are available for PC and Browsers because like I said above with Bubble and Plex combined I have pretty much everything I need as far as Media flinging to CCast is concerned.
[EDIT] I listed Allcast as a Media Player but after thinking about that it isn't so much a player as it is a Media Flinger so I removed it from the list.) I consider anything Koush does to be a Must have app so get it and buy it if you haven't already!
You ought to talk to bhiga about getting that post into his faq.
using serviio in my computer. I have a post with more info.
caifaz said:
using serviio in my computer. I have a post with more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I tend to shy away from anything Java based and the two media servers I mentioned are Free.
The Players for those servers may have a puchase involved but the server itself I believe is free to use which makes them work for just about any player you want to use.
---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 PM ----------
EarlyMon said:
You ought to talk to bhiga about getting that post into his faq.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL he knows he is free to take anything I say he feels is useful and put it in the faq...
Problem is what I said will most likely change in a week so it probably should stay out just to avoid having to remove them later when things change.
Asphyx said:
LOL he knows he is free to take anything I say he feels is useful and put it in the faq...
Problem is what I said will most likely change in a week so it probably should stay out just to avoid having to remove them later when things change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was lazy and linked.
So far I have setup a Plex Media Server and connected it to Bubble UPnP+Server. Don't see why I would need to get(/pay for plex app) anything else?
Ok so the difference between Bubble and Plex that I notice is that Bubble can play local files?
Edit: and that bubble kills my wifi?
I second the request for MX Player supports CC in the near future.
MOLON LABE
bhiga said:
I was lazy and linked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL You deserve to rest and save your strength for the important stuff! LOL
---------- Post added at 03:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 AM ----------
Zyphur said:
So far I have setup a Plex Media Server and connected it to Bubble UPnP+Server. Don't see why I would need to get(/pay for plex app) anything else?
Ok so the difference between Bubble and Plex that I notice is that Bubble can play local files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Android yes...On PC it requires a DLNA or UPnP source to be active and available to aggregate.
If Bubble adds a full Media Library with database and scraping you wouldn't even need the Plex server....
me personally I love the interface, Local Sync and Share capability of Plex. If you have PlexPass (I Do) then you don't need to pay for the app. But then again it costs more to have PlexPass than it does to buy the $5 app.
Asphyx said:
LOL You deserve to rest and save your strength for the important stuff! LOL
---------- Post added at 03:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 AM ----------
On Android yes...On PC it requires a DLNA or UPnP source to be active and available to aggregate.
If Bubble adds a full Media Library with database and scraping you wouldn't even need the Plex server....
me personally I love the interface, Local Sync and Share capability of Plex. If you have PlexPass (I Do) then you don't need to pay for the app. But then again it costs more to have PlexPass than it does to buy the $5 app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love love love the Plex server interface, so I'm just using that with the Plex app now. Bubble kept killing my wifi, and didn't do anything extra.
Zyphur said:
I love love love the Plex server interface, so I'm just using that with the Plex app now. Bubble kept killing my wifi, and didn't do anything extra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's App does play local DEVICE stored media which Plex Apps don't do....
Good reason to have both. Not sure why Bubble would kill your WiFi....No issues here...
Asphyx said:
Asphyx said:
Well it's App does play local DEVICE stored media which Plex Apps don't do....
Good reason to have both. Not sure why Bubble would kill your WiFi....No issues here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I noticed that, but I put things on my plex server before I put it on my phone anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bubble handles subs way more efficient. My plex server doesn't have the balls to transcode so anything that needs subs (think forced subs) makes bubble a must in my situation
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
sherdog16 said:
Bubble handles subs way more efficient. My plex server doesn't have the balls to transcode so anything that needs subs (think forced subs) makes bubble a must in my situation
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why I noted in my post that Bubble currently has the edge on CCast support because it does more on the client side where it SHOULD!
I haven't really had time to test his new version which is supposed to transcode and keep multitrack audio but that in itself would be another major innovation that puts Bubble ahead of Plex from a pure CCast support POV.
I have AllCast, LocalCast, and Bubble.
I now use Bubble exclusively. It was the easiest to plug and play with my current setup.
1. I can cast direct to the chromecast from phone or tablet local storage using the respective device.
2. I can cast tablet local storage using my phone and vice-versa. Also really cool. (And no it doesn't have to go thru the "caster" if you will. My phone can tell the CC to get content direct from tablet)
3. I have movies on my Windows PC. By enabling media sharing (and Wake-on-Lan!) I can use my portable to tell CC to access my PC media directly. I know its direct cause I can turn off my portable and it still plays. Also, if I open Bubble on another device (or restart on initial device,) it picks up right where it should (slider position, play/pause status, etc.) You can also enable (.srt) subtitles. These are sent directly from your portable tho. But this takes very little CPU and battery to do. Plus you can control the font, color, etc. easily. I'm able to cast the subtitles from my Windows PC as well. Simple as it could possibly be.
4. My content is all MP4 with AAC audio so I don't need any transcoding, but if you need it, install the Bubble "server" on your Windows PC. I quote it like that since its not really a server in my sense of the word. Its a wrapper for your current server (it works with several, easiest of all your built-in windows media server) and can transcode on the fly and offer a web control interface.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Not sure why people were hating on the chromecast, i think it's excellent.
I just purchased one yesterday and set up plex off my home server. Working great so far!!!
Hey guys, I've had my Chromecast for 2 days and found something that seems to be amazing (and still being developed).
It is a Chrome browser extension named Videostream for Google Chromecast.
It is free, simple to use, and seemingly great quality.
They have a website if any of you are interested.
www.getvideostream.com
I have tested it with some music videos (.mp4, 720p) and anime (.mkv, 720p, embedded .ass subs don't display at the moment, for me at least).
Hope this helps everybody, and sorry if it is general knowledge. :laugh:
Got my Chromecast yesterday, within 30 mins have got the free Plex Server installed on my Laptop which holds copies of all my media (music, photos and video), and installed the paid Plex app as a client on phone and tablet and happily streaming media.....:good:
Later on I also installed BubbleUPnP on the client devices, which appears to do a better job as a Plex Server client than the Plex App itself.
Playlisting / Shuffle etc across all media types, along with ability to cast media on the device are the main 'killer' features in BubbleUPnP lacking as far as I can tell in the Plex App and it seems a little faster overall to get the stream running. So I bought a license (don't think I actually needed one for my usage, but gotta reward good development). I don't mind paying for the Plex app either, even if I'm not likely to use it much, given that the Plex server software is free.
But for those with tight pockets it does appears that the free Plex Server plus free BubbleUPnP app is a viable solution if all the media is already Chromecast compatible (which mine mostly was) and doesn't require transcoding. And if it's not Handbrake to convert to Chromecast format is also free.
Also good excuse for a tidy up - do I really still need to keep the entire 6 seasons of LOST having watched the lot at least 4 times....??? :silly:
Anyway the purpose of this post really is to say thank-you to Bhiga for maintaining an excellent FAQ and Asphyx for the informative posts in this thread and others. Without the background reading I'm sure I'd have been messing around until the small hours yesterday trying to get things set up rather than relaxing with a couple of films that have been sat on my hard drive for months unwatched.