Database Develop

Many thanks from Noob

Hello all!
Having received my Nexus 7 over the weekend I wanted to thank the community for all the help (unwittingly) provided so far. Despite this being my first android device, so far I've taken tentative first steps to getting it doing what I want and:
- rooted the device using the tool kit;
- got flash working (in firefox beta) for iplayer (works with browser in desktop mode only, but I think that's right?)
The intention is to use USB OTG to expand storage capacity and use the tablet for media consumption and connectivity when out and about. So Tasker has been downloaded (to set home and away profiles) and the readthrough on here digested (initially at least!).
Next steps: find a way (automated through Tasker) to allow the tablet to mount our NAS when at home, so that the media plays pick up all the media on it; and determine how to print from the tablet on the networked printer (hosted by the NAS).
Any clues on a smb client that can be automated on Tasker are appreciated, as are good media players with library functionality (hoping XBMC will handle movies in the future, but a good music player would be appreciated)
Many thanks once again and I hope that one day through my adventures I might be able to help someone else too.

Whats your BIG Chromecast idea? More potential than a "traditional" A/V streamer?

Whats your BIG Chromecast idea? More potential than a "traditional" A/V streamer?
So I've seen many people, developers and users alike, swarming the ideas of the expected basic usages of this wonderful device.
Examples: Out-of-Box expected usage (streaming from qualified providers), mirrored A/V from PC/Phone/Tablet, other connectivity proof of concepts (IE: emulators), ect…
So my question is: What's your big idea to extend the usage of this device beyond "traditional" implementation?
I’ll start by sharing mine (actually 2 product idea’s, that could become 1 at some point in time).
1. All-in-one media station. Taking the concept of a HTPC/XBMC build, and extending it to have the Chromcast as the “presenter”, and the PC/Phone/Tablet as the “remote”. The software package would include a “media server” run on a compatible PC on the same network, accompanied by the “remote” app on the Phone/Tablet (web-based control for PC remote).
I intend to also include the ability to queue/control presentation files such as PPT, PDF, ect… I’d like to have the package useful to both home and business clients/users.
One of my favorite parts of this idea resides in the remote app. Upon selection of the media you intend to cast, use a 2-finger up gesture to begin casting (makes me think of the scene in IronMan2 when he takes over the monitors in the courtroom by using a similar gesture on his “phone”, lol) It’s the little things that get me excited haha.
2. A home automation/security media point. On demand or automated view of automation/security enabled objects in your environment. Example: You have a security system with camera’s in your home, specifically, one is mounted at your front door. Someone appears at your door (motion-trigger), and/or rings the doorbell (another available trigger). HDMI-CEC enabled TV’s would switch the input to the Chromcast and display the camera at your front door.
My brain begins to hurt as all the possibilities for automation and security integration pile up. But hopefully, you get the point.
I’d love to hear from some of the other inventive people on this forum, and interested in the Chromcast. Again, what’s your idea?

Android stick with a BT android remote with cheapcast

Low power consumption httpd, ircd, VPN, or ssh.
Sent from my One true love.

The one thing I'd love to see the chromecast do is be able to connect directly to my phone and use it's 4g for streaming. I would figure something like this should be possible since it's basically what it does during initial setup.
Due to the layout of where I work (big concrete building), I get great signal with my phone in the window, but no signal anywhere else. i'd love to be able to plug the chromecast into the tv during breaks and stream from the phone.

evelbug said:
The one thing I'd love to see the chromecast do is be able to connect directly to my phone and use it's 4g for streaming. I would figure something like this should be possible since it's basically what it does during initial setup.
Due to the layout of where I work (big concrete building), I get great signal with my phone in the window, but no signal anywhere else. i'd love to be able to plug the chromecast into the tv during breaks and stream from the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No during initial setup the chromecast generates its own wifi hostpost. Ofcourse this hotspot has no internet access and so would be useless for anything but setting up.
But why not make a hotspot with your phone? That would do the same thing.

I just want miracast support

Chromecast ideas
Chromecast supports multiple connections so could do things like a card game where player cards need to be private. The screen shows the playing field and each player sees just their cards on phone/tablet/computer. Is a simple example but there may be other uses to have multiple game play or interaction to same screen.
Chromecast and DIAL protocol are free to license so could be put into any consumer electronics device - SmartTV, refrigerators, home thermostat, etc.

xenokc said:
Chromecast supports multiple connections so could do things like a card game where player cards need to be private. The screen shows the playing field and each player sees just their cards on phone/tablet/computer. Is a simple example but there may be other uses to have multiple game play or interaction to same screen.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is quite an awesome idea! Granted, I see it as a similar setup that the WiiU has tried to do with some of their games. And MS also with the "second screen" for xbox and such.
But why shouln't google get in on this tech as well? I'm very interested to start investigating this idea myself. Mind if I borrow your idea xenokc? lol

Unholyfire said:
That is quite an awesome idea! Granted, I see it as a similar setup that the WiiU has tried to do with some of their games. And MS also with the "second screen" for xbox and such.
But why shouln't google get in on this tech as well? I'm very interested to start investigating this idea myself. Mind if I borrow your idea xenokc? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it!

Unholyfire said:
So I've seen many people, developers and users alike, swarming the ideas of the expected basic usages of this wonderful device.
Examples: Out-of-Box expected usage (streaming from qualified providers), mirrored A/V from PC/Phone/Tablet, other connectivity proof of concepts (IE: emulators), ect…
So my question is: What's your big idea to extend the usage of this device beyond "traditional" implementation?
I’ll start by sharing mine (actually 2 product idea’s, that could become 1 at some point in time).
1. All-in-one media station. Taking the concept of a HTPC/XBMC build, and extending it to have the Chromcast as the “presenter”, and the PC/Phone/Tablet as the “remote”. The software package would include a “media server” run on a compatible PC on the same network, accompanied by the “remote” app on the Phone/Tablet (web-based control for PC remote).
I intend to also include the ability to queue/control presentation files such as PPT, PDF, ect… I’d like to have the package useful to both home and business clients/users.
One of my favorite parts of this idea resides in the remote app. Upon selection of the media you intend to cast, use a 2-finger up gesture to begin casting (makes me think of the scene in IronMan2 when he takes over the monitors in the courtroom by using a similar gesture on his “phone”, lol) It’s the little things that get me excited haha.
2. A home automation/security media point. On demand or automated view of automation/security enabled objects in your environment. Example: You have a security system with camera’s in your home, specifically, one is mounted at your front door. Someone appears at your door (motion-trigger), and/or rings the doorbell (another available trigger). HDMI-CEC enabled TV’s would switch the input to the Chromcast and display the camera at your front door.
My brain begins to hurt as all the possibilities for automation and security integration pile up. But hopefully, you get the point.
I’d love to hear from some of the other inventive people on this forum, and interested in the Chromcast. Again, what’s your idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1 will be done when Plex enables Chromecast functionality.

Free app for chromecast: cast ALL your PC movie to HDTV through Google ChromeCast

We have provided a free software Wondershare DreamStream that can support chromecast your PC Video to HDTV
Rich video format support:MP4、AVI、MP4、MOV、WMV、MP3、M4A and much more
Download link: http://www.wondershare.com/dreamstream/
The official release version is on its way!
Hi everyone, this is mini wan from the Product Development Team at Wondershare. We would like to thank everybody
for their enthusiasm, support and valued insights into this beta. We are excited to announce the official release is
on its way, with future support for a wide range of devices. We’re also pleased to announce the inclusion of
optional Auto-Indexing based on your input and comments. Stay tuned for the latest version!

New version of this program just added Chromecast support. Looks promising, but very buggy (see below).
Information link: http://support.wondershare.com/media-center/
Download link on this page: http://support.wondershare.com/media-center/history.html
Wondershare is a Chinese company that has published a lot of low-cost video apps over the last several years. I've tried some of their video converters and DVD authoring programs. They are frequently given away on Giveawayoftheday.com. They have a full-featured video converter program, so it would be logical for them to have a Chromecast extension that could transcode. I'm also curious o see how this interacts with Chrome, since every other app I know that can cast to the Chromecast from a PC has to run within Chrome. I'll try it...
No good on Win7 64-bit, crashes a few seconds after starting:
MediaCenter has stopped working
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: MediaCenter.exe
Application Version: 1.0.0.6
Application Timestamp: 5319ad9a
Fault Module Name: DeviceDiscovery.dll
Fault Module Version: 1.0.0.2
Fault Module Timestamp: 5318a4f7
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00001bd4
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Win7 32-bit on another computer: same crash
Also has an error on startup on WinXP and can't find the Chromecast (yes, I can cast from Chrome running on WinXP, I know it's not officially supported).
Error is: "The procedure entry point inet_pton could not be located in WS_32.dll"
That's 3 for 3. Obviously not ready for prime time. Better give it a few days for Wondershare to fix initial bugs before you waste time trying it.
Update: problem identified as an incompatibility with Roku media players on the same network.
Also note that it has a couple of types of bad behavior:
1. Installs Wondershare Helper to auto-run on Windows startup (common to their other apps, can be removed from startup without hurting anything)
2. Starts auto-indexing ALL drives and media files on your system without prompting to ask which folders you want to index. In fact it has no settings at all to control auto-indexing.

mini_wan said:
I found a free software Wondershare Media Center that can support chromecast your PC Video to HDTV
Rich video format support:MP4、AVI、MP4、MOV、WMV、MP3、M4A and much more
View attachment 2623016
View attachment 2623017
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This program is running flawless
Big high five and thanks for finding it

neo4uo said:
This program is running flawless
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Windows version?

DJames1 said:
What Windows version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 8.1

Shame its windoze only. The installer runs fine under wine in linux and it completel the installation. Then the exe itself is .NET, and mono crashes when trying to load it.

neo4uo said:
Windows 8.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I don't think the problem is with the Windows version. I have my notebook here at at work that still has the Win7 32-bit version I tested with the Chromecast at home, and it doesn't crash when I run it here (although there's no Chromecast on the network here at work of course).
I don't think it's the absence of the Chromecast that's significant though, because I had inadvertently left the Chromecast USB cable unplugged the first time I tried it at home. The Chromecast wasn't on, but it still crashed that first time, same as subsequent times after I got the Chromecast turned on and connected properly.
I think it may be something else on my home network that is responding to the "DeviceDiscovery.dll" and confusing it into crashing. Let's see, my Roku 2 XS and my Android tablet are online all the time. Maybe one of those? I'll try disconnecting those later to see if it makes a difference. Or maybe it's something to do with the Chromecast having different historical IP addresses that are cached somewhere on my computer, and it's crashing when it tries to check one of those non-existent IP addresses?

worked like a charm here, but I can see the quality slightly reduced.. does anybody notice that? but overall recommend apps, can't wait to get a new update of this
keep it up guys.

Yes, the Roku was the problem - somehow it is returning a network response that crashes Wondershare Media Center.
But even though it's working now, the performance is disappointing. The video stutters, even with straightforward mp4 files. It's possible that may be because it's still indexing the large video collection on my secondary hard drive - but I didn't tell it to that, I don't want it to do that, and any software designer with an ounce of sense would have made indexing a low-priority thread.

DJames1 said:
Yes, the Roku was the problem - somehow it is returning a network response that crashes Wondershare Media Center.
But even though it's working now, the performance is disappointing. The video stutters, even with straightforward mp4 files. It's possible that may be because it's still indexing the large video collection on my secondary hard drive - but I didn't tell it to that, I don't want it to do that, and any software designer with an ounce of sense would have made indexing a low-priority thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably because of that, the quality are quite decent in my side (playing 720p mp4 movie) I can see the pixel in my 50 Inch TV from very closer look , however from 1,5 - 2 meters it is acceptable and I dont see the quality degraded.
seems the method are similar with video stream cast extension, but VideoStream Cast extension definitely seems more mature than wondershare apps. but now my problem is solved, I can play mp4 files with .srt :good:

Nope, video continues to stutter after it has finished indexing, and it even loses audio sync while casting an mp4 file that doesn't need transcoding. I have a fast desktop computer (CPU utilization only 5% while Media Center is casting), and a good solid WiFi connection to the Chromecast. One time the Chromecast showed its "Brain Freeze" error message while Media Center was trying to cast to it. I think this app is just not ready for release. For the moment I'll stick with Videostream and do a quick conversion to mp4 if I have a file in an incompatible format. Media Center uninstalled for now, but I'll try it again when it's out of beta.

Tried playing an .avi and it stuttered a lot
win 8.1

I tried it on my PC with Windows 8.1, but it seems it can't find my Chromecast, it says "No cast devices found" =\

The download link doesn't seem to work for me! can anyone upload it somewhere and put the link here?

alakiha said:
The download link doesn't seem to work for me! can anyone upload it somewhere and put the link here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Download link on Wondershare website is broken.
Can anyone share it?

The Download link is to http://download.wondershare.com/cbs_down/media-center_full1694.exe, which is the version everyone has been testing for the last couple of days. They are probably updating it, which is a good idea since the testing showed it wasn't ready for general publication. Probably best just to be patient and wait to see if an update version shows up in the next few days.

DJames1 said:
The Download link is to http://download.wondershare.com/cbs_down/media-center_full1694.exe, which is the version everyone has been testing for the last couple of days. They are probably updating it, which is a good idea since the testing showed it wasn't ready for general publication. Probably best just to be patient and wait to see if an update version shows up in the next few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything related to Wondershare Media Center seems to have been removed from their web site.
www.wondershare.com/media-center/
Looks to me like it was deliberately removed...

Download link is dead.
Can any one upload it and share with us?
I have searched for a streaming app for windows, to chromecast... for long time now

lemondroid said:
Download link is dead.
Can any one upload it and share with us?
I have searched for a streaming app for windows, to chromecast... for long time now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This product will be on-line as soon as possible, we will inform you the first time

DJames1 said:
New version of this program just added Chromecast support. Looks promising, but very buggy (see below).
Information link: http://support.wondershare.com/media-center/
Download link on this page: http://support.wondershare.com/media-center/history.html
Wondershare is a Chinese company that has published a lot of low-cost video apps over the last several years. I've tried some of their video converters and DVD authoring programs. They are frequently given away on Giveawayoftheday.com. They have a full-featured video converter program, so it would be logical for them to have a Chromecast extension that could transcode. I'm also curious o see how this interacts with Chrome, since every other app I know that can cast to the Chromecast from a PC has to run within Chrome. I'll try it...
No good on Win7 64-bit, crashes a few seconds after starting:
MediaCenter has stopped working
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: MediaCenter.exe
Application Version: 1.0.0.6
Application Timestamp: 5319ad9a
Fault Module Name: DeviceDiscovery.dll
Fault Module Version: 1.0.0.2
Fault Module Timestamp: 5318a4f7
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00001bd4
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Win7 32-bit on another computer: same crash
Also has an error on startup on WinXP and can't find the Chromecast (yes, I can cast from Chrome running on WinXP, I know it's not officially supported).
Error is: "The procedure entry point inet_pton could not be located in WS_32.dll"
That's 3 for 3. Obviously not ready for prime time. Better give it a few days for Wondershare to fix initial bugs before you waste time trying it.
Update: problem identified as an incompatibility with Roku media players on the same network.
Also note that it has a couple of types of bad behavior:
1. Installs Wondershare Helper to auto-run on Windows startup (common to their other apps, can be removed from startup without hurting anything)
2. Starts auto-indexing ALL drives and media files on your system without prompting to ask which folders you want to index. In fact it has no settings at all to control auto-indexing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it, thanks!:good:

Most Effective way to stream Local files.

Hey Guys, new to the forum.
I purchased the chromecast, looking to stream local files and get rid of my hdmi cable. I can cast a tab fine, but experience a bit of lag when viewing at max bit-rate. (extreme 720p)
My computer is i7 4770k @3.5ghz and card is HD7970. SO i dont think hardware is the issue. My router is a Linksys EA6900 and its about 5m away from the dongle.
Has anyone managed to actually stream full HD to the chrome cast without noticeable lag or reduction if FPS, or is it simply not available at this point of time?
Thanks

MaverickH93 said:
Hey Guys, new to the forum.
I purchased the chromecast, looking to stream local files and get rid of my hdmi cable. I can cast a tab fine, but experience a bit of lag when viewing at max bit-rate. (extreme 720p)
My computer is i7 4770k @3.5ghz and card is HD7970. SO i dont think hardware is the issue. My router is a Linksys EA6900 and its about 5m away from the dongle.
Has anyone managed to actually stream full HD to the chrome cast without noticeable lag or reduction if FPS, or is it simply not available at this point of time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
720p tab casting even of Flash video works well for me, but I seem to be an exception rather than the norm...
Are there any obstructions between your router and Chromecast, especially the TV itself?
My system is a dual Quad-Core Opteron 2.9 GHz Shanghai, 32 GB RAM, running Win 7 Professional x64. AMD/ATI Radeon HD 7750 graphics.

bhiga said:
720p tab casting even of Flash video works well for me, but I seem to be an exception rather than the norm...
Are there any obstructions between your router and Chromecast, especially the TV itself?
My system is a dual Quad-Core Opteron 2.9 GHz Shanghai, 32 GB RAM, running Win 7 Professional x64. AMD/ATI Radeon HD 7750 graphics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its pretty much line of sight and the perpendicular to the back of the TV. What kind of router are you using?
Also what file type are the videos you are watching and how big are the files. For example, if i watch a .mp4 blue-ray RIP its size is around 1.8Gb i experience minor FPS decrease on the High setting. Extreme just leads to lagging.
The way i see it there's the potential for 3 issues.
1. The computer hardware
2. The router connection
3. Google chrome's wireless hardware

MaverickH93 said:
Hey Guys, new to the forum.
I purchased the chromecast, looking to stream local files and get rid of my hdmi cable. I can cast a tab fine, but experience a bit of lag when viewing at max bit-rate. (extreme 720p)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to stream local file (movie) is better to send the file and let Chromecast buffer and decode it than stream a tab.
I've been using this here and works like charm: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/videostream-for-google-ch/cnciopoikihiagdjbjpnocolokfelagl
I don't believe I tried sending a 1080p but 720p is flawless and I can't see why it wouldn't
They also have an Android app for remote control the stream, so I pretty much click play on the PC and sit on the sofa with the phone to control.
If your video is not in a compatible format, I'll go ahead and do a shamelessly self-propaganda: I did this little batch converter specifically for the CC and it seems to be working fine.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2699870

Budius said:
to stream local file (movie) is better to send the file and let Chromecast buffer and decode it than stream a tab.
I've been using this here and works like charm: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/videostream-for-google-ch/cnciopoikihiagdjbjpnocolokfelagl
I don't believe I tried sending a 1080p but 720p is flawless and I can't see why it wouldn't
They also have an Android app for remote control the stream, so I pretty much click play on the PC and sit on the sofa with the phone to control.
If your video is not in a compatible format, I'll go ahead and do a shamelessly self-propaganda: I did this little batch converter specifically for the CC and it seems to be working fine.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2699870
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i tied to use Videostream, but for some reason it gets stuck on the loading screen. I turned off all my firewalls, changed permissions, ran chrome canary, ran as admin but it still doesn't work.
i think that's the issue. CC needs to buffer video. It sounds like VideoStream is the kind of program i need so will just have to keep working at it.

MaverickH93 said:
Yes i tied to use Videostream, but for some reason it gets stuck on the loading screen. I turned off all my firewalls, changed permissions, ran chrome canary, ran as admin but it still doesn't work.
i think that's the issue. CC needs to buffer video. It sounds like VideoStream is the kind of program i need so will just have to keep working at it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, those HERE are the media types that Chromecast can natively run. Anything besides that it will not work (unless you're just mirroring the screen, but as you noticed, it's pretty slow, or you have some media server on your computer doing some on-the-fly conversion, which can run pretty slow and heat your PC a lot).
I suggest getting a video that you're sure within the spec to test. Probably if you download a YouTube from those "youtube downloaders" website or just something you recoded with your phone, it will be in spec (mp4 container, h264 codec, AAC or MP3 audio).
So what I've done (check my last post) was to code myself a batch converter (helps being a Java developer) so currently my computer at home is converting my whole video collection to compatible format.

Can I upload a mp4 video say dropbox and stream it to chromecast? Any online hosts allow this?

LoL.
I have a Raspberry Pi running Rasbian and it has 1TB USB drive attached, I'm running Apache2 and point it to my drive so it appears in http. I then use the Android NAS Cast app, settings configure to the http of the directory with the MP4 and it casts perfectly decent quality. So there is no desktop involved, Android in your hand and the small Linux server and Chromecast.
As has been said, Chromecast as very limited codecs. You can explicitly seek out the compatible videos, or recode using ffmpeg. The Raspberry Pi is too weak to do real-time recoding but you can batch up and have recoding those files not compatible, and then if low on disk-space, delete the original non-compatible.
I'm 90% through overnight building my own Rasbian system (been on a Dockstar on older Linux for years) and built ffmpeg overnight.

nigelhealy said:
As has been said, Chromecast as very limited codecs. You can explicitly seek out the compatible videos, or recode using ffmpeg. The Raspberry Pi is too weak to do real-time recoding but you can batch up and have recoding those files not compatible,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said on the other thread.
I found a FFMPEG for RaspianPi but it was so painfully slow. Like a low-res 20 seconds video would take 30 min to encode. Now imagine a tera-byte drive it would take a few years, not really good. Best option is really to get the best-fastest machine you have available and leave it running for a week or two.

Budius said:
Like I said on the other thread.
I found a FFMPEG for RaspianPi but it was so painfully slow. Like a low-res 20 seconds video would take 30 min to encode. Now imagine a tera-byte drive it would take a few years, not really good. Best option is really to get the best-fastest machine you have available and leave it running for a week or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried running it locally (Ubuntu desktop) lots of error messages saying
Failed to get FFPROBE
I have the ffprobe command though.

nigelhealy said:
Tried running it locally (Ubuntu desktop) lots of error messages saying
Failed to get FFPROBE
I have the ffprobe command though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what does say in the LOG tab?
Try running from the terminal: ffprobe <video_path>.mp4 Does it work or does it say "can't find command ffprobe" ?
at the end of this https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/UbuntuCompilationGuide it shows how to add the ffmpeg to the path
ps.: let's keep debug/conversation regarding the Converter on the converter thread? I guess it's more logical and we don't hijack MaverickH93s thread

moved to the app thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=51533199

I use Plex and I love it, try it if you haven't!

The best way is Localcast https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.stefanpledl.localcast
Great for android!
Enviado desde mi Amazon Kindle Fire HD mediante Tapatalk

MaverickH93 said:
Its pretty much line of sight and the perpendicular to the back of the TV. What kind of router are you using?
Also what file type are the videos you are watching and how big are the files. For example, if i watch a .mp4 blue-ray RIP its size is around 1.8Gb i experience minor FPS decrease on the High setting. Extreme just leads to lagging.
The way i see it there's the potential for 3 issues.
1. The computer hardware
2. The router connection
3. Google chrome's wireless hardware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So your router is behind the TV? That's how mine is set up, although my Chromecast is actually off to the side of the TV.
My router is a Netgear WNDR4500
I've mainly been watching Flash videos, as that's what the websites my little one likes has (Nickelodeon, BabyFirstTV, Disney Junior)

nigelhealy said:
LoL.
I have a Raspberry Pi running Rasbian and it has 1TB USB drive attached, I'm running Apache2 and point it to my drive so it appears in http. I then use the Android NAS Cast app, settings configure to the http of the directory with the MP4 and it casts perfectly decent quality. So there is no desktop involved, Android in your hand and the small Linux server and Chromecast.
As has been said, Chromecast as very limited codecs. You can explicitly seek out the compatible videos, or recode using ffmpeg. The Raspberry Pi is too weak to do real-time recoding but you can batch up and have recoding those files not compatible, and then if low on disk-space, delete the original non-compatible.
I'm 90% through overnight building my own Rasbian system (been on a Dockstar on older Linux for years) and built ffmpeg overnight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boy wish you had a tutorial or walk through of setting this up. I would love to use my beaglebone black for that if possible. Any links that would point me in right direction? mind sharing?
I would really like to use headless systems for this. Thanks

I think Plex is the easiest way to stream local movies since it makes everything organized and can convert file formats if needed. The phone app makes it a breeze to control everything. I use localcast to stream pics and videos taken from my phone.

paracha3 said:
Boy wish you had a tutorial or walk through of setting this up. I would love to use my beaglebone black for that if possible. Any links that would point me in right direction? mind sharing?
I would really like to use headless systems for this. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as I Googled beaglebone is just a little Linux machine like the RaspberryPi. Just install a mini-DLNA on it and that's all you need. Most Android apps in Google Play will run from a DLNA (bubble and LocalCast do it).
Quick Google I found this tuto on mini-DLNA on RaspberryPi (http://bbrks.me/rpi-minidlna-media-server/) should work for the beaglebone too.

I have to throw my hat in the ring for plex, too. Downside is that you have to put your videos in a certain folder and name them a certain way for the server to see them. It doesnt let you just open a random video file like VLC and have it sent to the chromecast. Upside is that it transcodes the videos to a supported format on the fly.
As far as streaming videos/pictures off your phone, there are a few choices, but none of them are ready for primetime yet. Allcast shows some of the videos/pictures taken on my phone sideways and upside down. I also havent found an easy way to tell Allcast to stop casting and return to the chromecast homescreen (screensaver). Localcast has an option to let you rotate the files so you can at least see them with the correct orientation, but it still has some issues with connecting. Localcast does, however, have an option to stop casting so you dont burn-in its screen on your TV.

gianptune said:
I have to throw my hat in the ring for plex, too. Downside is that you have to put your videos in a certain folder and name them a certain way for the server to see them. It doesnt let you just open a random video file like VLC and have it sent to the chromecast. Upside is that it transcodes the videos to a supported format on the fly.
As far as streaming videos/pictures off your phone, there are a few choices, but none of them are ready for primetime yet. Allcast shows some of the videos/pictures taken on my phone sideways and upside down. I also havent found an easy way to tell Allcast to stop casting and return to the chromecast homescreen (screensaver). Localcast has an option to let you rotate the files so you can at least see them with the correct orientation, but it still has some issues with connecting. Localcast does, however, have an option to stop casting so you dont burn-in its screen on your TV.
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The naming should be a non-issue though. Most of the movies and shows you download are already named the correct way.

Any Advice For an Audio Player (Local Files only)

I have 1,000 CDs that I've ripped to my PC as WAV. They are basically all of the rock genre (Classic, hard rock, heavy metal, nu metal, 90s grunge, etc.), and because of that, I prefer lossless. I've tagged all of them to the Discogs database, using Foobar2000.
I use this same collection on my PC and also copied to the MicroSD of my Note 9, which I connect to my Kenwood DMX907S head unit through Wireless Android Auto.
The objective is to create several playlists based on tags. Also, I want to be able to normalize the sound, so that regardless of the quality of the recording, all tracks are equally as loud at their highest points within the tracks. For playing on PC, this can be easily done, using Foobar2000. From what I understand, there is an Android App for Foobar2000, but it was not nearly as developed as the PC version and therefore cannot create playlists based on the type of tags I'm looking to utilize.
Tags include:
Genre
Artist
Album
Date Added to Library
Possibly other custom tags (for instance, Live or Studio / Original or Cover)
Are there any Android Auto compatible music apps out there that can create these types of playlists using local files, such that they're compatible with Android Auto? ...AND can manage the sound levels as needed?

I use Bubble upnp as I also use it to cast. Give it a look to see if it does everything you are interested in.

Note10.1Dude said:
I use Bubble upnp as I also use it to cast. Give it a look to see if it does everything you are interested in.
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I added that app and am currently trying it. I'm noticing that all artists are listed as <Unknown>. Is this because when tagging, I used the %artist% tag instead of %album artist% ? Is there a way to adjust this in the app?

I had some rips that didn't read correctly and ended up using MP3TAG on my PC to fix their metadata. I rip all my CDs to FLAC with EAC, and generally it just works, so I can't be of much help.

Although BubbleUPNP is an excellent DLNA media player, it doesn't support Android Auto and there are no plans to include it anytime soon (I requested the dev for this feature to be added and was told it was basically impossible unless the whole app was rewritten from scratch. That was a couple of years ago now, and unfortunately nothing's changed since).
For local music playback, I'm using 'Oto Music' from the Play Store. It's a very well designed music player with Replay Gain and full AA support, although I'm not too sure if regarding your playlists it could be what you're looking for... In any event, it's a free app and constantly gets upgrades and new features.

Now you got me wondering. I use BubbleUPNP in the car all the time, but possibly only from my tablet via bluetooth. I thought it also worked from my phone via AA... I'll have to re-check that.

Note10.1Dude said:
Now you got me wondering. I use BubbleUPNP in the car all the time, but possibly only from my tablet via bluetooth. I thought it also worked from my phone via AA... I'll have to re-check that.
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Use anyaudio app to get any music app in AA. And you need root and AA AIO TWEAKER to enable it.
[App][5.1+][Alpha] AnyAutoAudio - Use any audio app in Auto
AnyAutoAudio So I was tired of not being able to use the audio apps I normally use in Auto and decided to try and do something about it. This app is the result :fingers-crossed: How does it work? By using the notification listener permission...
forum.xda-developers.com
[ROOT ONLY] AA AIO TWEAKER - The ultimate Android Auto Utility
Meet AA AIO TWEAKER, the new Swiss Army Knife for a less restrictive and more feature-ful Android Auto! How do I use it? Allow root access, choose what you want, reboot, and then forget about it :) How does it work? This app uses SQLite...
forum.xda-developers.com