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As stated in the (www .blogtalkradio .com/motodev) Q&A session yesterday with Motorola about the Droid X, in answer to the question asked at the 29:00 mark,
"The only time that we are enabling the HDMI driver on the device is when you are in the gallery mode. [...] The HDMI driver is not active any time outside the gallery," where the "gallery mode" is their included photo/video viewer.
I'm wondering how true that is...
(www .pcmag .com/article2/0,2817,2365630,00.asp ) PCMag's review stated that the youtube player and blockbuster player were not able to use the hdmi out at all.
As seen in (forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=703111 ) this thread the evo 4g, which also has hdmi out, is capable of allowing any app that uses VideoView to utilize that output, but that's supported by the phone maker.
Will that usability be true on the droid x?
Could we figure out a way to bypass any limitations Motorola includes, and maybe even send (an upscaled version of) the main screen through the hdmi (not just video but anything we could put on the phone's screen)?
I was just at a motorola event and we were able to run nfl mobile through the hdmi.
Yes the tv was in an ice sculpture and yes it was connected to a droid x via the hdmi cable
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
That's great news, thanks for letting us know!
The more apps with handshakes to the hdmi-out we have, the better for us to get it working completely openly
The whole media-center-and-phone-in-my-pocket is just a great idea imho...
With the hdmi out we could:
put any videos and pictures from any source up on your home tv
connect it to the projector at work and give presentations
go with a few bluetooth controllers to your friend's house and play multiplayer (even online) games on their tv with minimal cords to deal with
maybe even video-chat would be possible if you set up the phone with the camera facing out in front of the tv
... ok, that last one sounds like a pretty lame way to get video-chat, but it would save on having to have a computer/monitor/webcam when you wanted to
Of course this is all far into the future stages of development on the phone, but I'd rather create buzz and excitement to build up a developer and user base
Talked to a moto rep, said it might have been a beta device as licensing is what will prevent this thing from being turned on when it hits consumers hands. At least we know it can be done.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
no fun, i'm not much of a C programmer, but if it's just enabling or disabling the driver, I guess it comes down to the security on the phone. If you go into root, I suppose we should be able to start the driver. The only thing I fear is if the driver is signed and only a signed application can access it, then I think we might be SOL
I'm not particularly worried... if we get access to enough apps that use the hdmi driver, we should be able to document enough of the method.
I believe while the hardware can reject unsigned versions of the OS (roms), most apps are self-signed (see developer. android. com/guide/publishing/app-signing.html) so that shouldn't be a problem. We just have to figure out which hoops to jump through (following the programs that use hdmi) to get it to work. They'd have to leave the hoops pretty wide open or else risk the need of updating the thing every time a new app is released that needs to get through.
This is a mixed bag here. The reason why Motorola limited the hdmi driver is likely so they didn't have to put a fps cap on the droid x like htc put on the evo.
This is pure speculation here but I would imagine the way that the evo devs are going to "truly" overcome the fps cap is to mimic the droid x behavior of toggling on and off the hdmi drivers so that the evo can access up to 60 fps.
You guys are on the other end of the boat where by default your fps won't be artificially capped, but you likely won't have full access to the hdmi drivers at first.
I think the sweet spot for both phones is finding a happy medium where we can toggle the hdmi drivers at will.
Any news on this? I would really like to get rockplayer and youtube working through hdmi. In fact, I would like to get the entire OS through HDMI and possibly a bluetooth keyboard and mouse working so I can use it as a little media center pc.
2 way control
I would lime to see this pushed to.the level of controlling the phone through an hdmi touchscreen.
I thought we would be able to see pandora and other apps through the hdmi...This sucks the way it is...also does anyone think the sound is terrible through the hdmi?
There is no point int he HDMi at all if you can only use it for your pictures and your videos from the phone's camera.
They need to make it show what you see on the phone, but on the screen
I remember there was a windows mobiel program that popped up a small window on your desktop that let you see your phone's screen and interact with it on your monitor when connected through usb
anything like this for android?
sp1kez said:
There is no point int he HDMi at all if you can only use it for your pictures and your videos from the phone's camera.
They need to make it show what you see on the phone, but on the screen
I remember there was a windows mobiel program that popped up a small window on your desktop that let you see your phone's screen and interact with it on your monitor when connected through usb
anything like this for android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO, the hdmi dock is a half ass design. For the $, it should do everything. MOTO/VZ dropped the ball on this. Hopefully they will open this up with a sw update.
Update: "Real HDMI" in the market
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=769990&highlight=control+hdmi
Hi,
I'm pretty new to Android development. So my understanding after reading a couple threads here is that HDMI access on the stock Droid X is limited to the gallery only, is that right? And the point of the "Real HDMI" app is that it will automatically redirect all output to the phone's display through HDMI, right? So no API exists which gives programmatic control over the HDMI port? That's a shame if so.
Do any of the Android devices allow easier HDMI port control or do we need these kinds of work arounds for all of them?
Thank you very much for any information anyone can provide.
Sorry to be a pest, but can anybody answer my questions? Should I consider posting somehwere else?
Thanks again.
commie64 said:
Sorry to be a pest, but can anybody answer my questions? Should I consider posting somehwere else?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe try posting in the Real HDMI thread over at DroidXForums.com because username GMAN (who made real hdmi) has a thread there. I'm sure his knowledge of the subject is pretty extensive.
It's been almost 3 weeks since I purchased 4 Chromecasts. I have some Pros and Cons about my experience. I encourage you to add your own Pro/Con list.
Pros:
- Cheap. At $35 it's an impulse buy. I expect to see it at the checkout aisle of the supermarket next to the gift cards.
- Cheap will make it ubiquitous. Every app developer will rush to make their app Chromecastable.
- Extremely easy to set up. Some have had troubles as we've seen on this forum but my daughter set hers up without a single phone call to me. And she has absolutely no tech skills.
- I absolutely, positively love the ability to queue YouTube videos. I wish Netflix had that and I hope other app developers pick up on that. I wish there was one central queue where I could queue up Netflix, YouTube, Google Music, et all in one big queue. I could plan a whole night's viewing and then just sit back and watch.
- Shared control. It's nice that I can start a video and leave the room and my wife can take over control of it on her device. Very clever.
- Doesn't tie up my device. I can do other things while watching a video. Multitasking as it were.
- I can start a video on my phone then cast it to my family room TV, then pause it and start playing it on my bedroom PC, then pause it and finish it on my tablet. Very versitile.
- Video quality is superb. 1080p is very nice from the Chromecast. As good as cable TV.
- Audio is also superb. 5.1 is a nice surprise.
- If you have multiple wifi routers with multiple SSIDs you can control a Chromecast across SSIDs. And you see all the Chromecasts no matter which SSID you're currently using.
CONS
- Using the phone/tablet as a remote is not as convenient as a real remote. We have an unwritten rule in our house that when someone starts a conversation we pause the TV. With a real remote I can do this in a split second without looking at the remote. Using Chromecast I can't. Not only do I have to look at the phone, thus ignoring the person that is talking to me, I have to find the app that cast the video and start it up again to be able to pause it. This has made for an awkward situation more than once.
- It's not a perfect device, lots of app tweaking needs to be done.
- Sometimes I get spinning circle on my phone and it never casts.
- Sometimes I get spinning circle on my phone but the cast actually starts. This is not good at all as I have no way of pausing or stopping it from my phone. Same thing happens to my tablet so it's not a device specific issue.
- There's no ability to reduce picture quality. If I'm in a hotel using my phone's hot spot capability I could easily eat up 5gb of data watching a 1080p movie when 480p, or even less, would have been satisfactory.
- It has connectivity issues with some routers, especially Verizon FIOS' Actiontec router. There's not much in the way of documentation to help with this. The help information refers to turning off a feature that the router doesn't have.
BOTTOM LINE
The Chromecast is not a perfect device, like all devices, but the low cost and ease use make up for a lot of its misgivings. Almost all of the Cons I have listed can be corrected by software updates. I only see this product as getting better and better. The only fear is that it becomes another Google castoff like Google TV or Google Reader or Google Q or Buzz. But at $35 there's not much risk.
This product is a sign of the future and the future is bright. With many devices battling for this space, Apple TV, Roku, etc. we will all be the winners. Just as many people have multiple game consoles so will many people have multiple streaming devices. This is going to be a fun ride.
TabGuy said:
There's no ability to reduce picture quality. If I'm in a hotel using my phone's hot spot capability I could easily eat up 5gb of data watching a 1080p movie when 480p, or even less, would have been satisfactory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, what? Have you been able to get it to work using a hotspot? Everything I've read says it's not currently possible.
We need more app's....
TabGuy said:
- Extremely easy to set up. Some have had troubles as we've seen on this forum but my daughter set hers up without a single phone call to me. And she has absolutely no tech skills.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I was setting it up, I had no idea I needed a WiFi device for first time set up. I was using my desktop connected to my router with the WiFi turned off. So quickly I assumed it was because of that. (I have a WAP broadcasting another SSID so i turned off my router) After I turned on my router, I was still getting the same problem stating my WiFi was off. Then I feared that my desktop needed to be a WiFi device to work with the Chromecast. After some quick searches I found that the WiFi device was just for setup which I did on my phone and got it up and running smoothly.
TabGuy said:
- If you have multiple wifi routers with multiple SSIDs you can control a Chromecast across SSIDs. And you see all the Chromecasts no matter which SSID you're currently using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my setup was kind of like this, and i feared that it would not work. After the setup, I just installed the extension on Chrome for all my computers in the family and it showed up on all of them. Relieved and happy that it was simpler than I was dreading.
andrewhchiu said:
As I was setting it up, I had no idea I needed a WiFi device for first time set up. I was using my desktop connected to my router with the WiFi turned off. So quickly I assumed it was because of that. (I have a WAP broadcasting another SSID so i turned off my router) After I turned on my router, I was still getting the same problem stating my WiFi was off. Then I feared that my desktop needed to be a WiFi device to work with the Chromecast. After some quick searches I found that the WiFi device was just for setup which I did on my phone and got it up and running smoothly.
So my setup was kind of like this, and i feared that it would not work. After the setup, I just installed the extension on Chrome for all my computers in the family and it showed up on all of them. Relieved and happy that it was simpler than I was dreading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Common sense should tell you that you can't connect to the Chromecast through your wireless network before it get connected to your wireless network. Assuming it's protected with a password how do you suppose Chromecast would connect to it? And for open networks I think it's illegal to just auto connect to open networks. I would think that most people buying a Chromecast would have a smartphone or tablet.
rkirmeier said:
Common sense should tell you that you can't connect to the Chromecast through your wireless network before it get connected to your wireless network. Assuming it's protected with a password how do you suppose Chromecast would connect to it? And for open networks I think it's illegal to just auto connect to open networks. I would think that most people buying a Chromecast would have a smartphone or tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured it was going to be something like connecting a bluetooth device where it would broadcast its own signal and then you can connect to it. but i guess i wasn't thinking.
Echo the majority of the above comments, still too early to be overly concerned that Google hasn't yet released their chrome cast API.
I'm in UK so had to wait slightly longer than others for my US bought one (first day purchase) to arrive here in the UK, but its here I love Google play , Google movies and YouTube integration
Waiting for CM casting to go live and hopefully be implemented into aokp.
Not tried casting chrome tabs from my laptop yet or my hard wired pc workstation, is it true that sounds cabled PC's can have issues connecting to chromecast
Am I meant to be able to cast from chrome browser tabs on my N4 ?
I have a client who has a M7 and a Tab Pro 10.1 and he wants to know how to stream the screen of his tablet to his TV or PC at his office to use for a demonstration and use kind of as a remote whiteboard. He saw someone doing it at a meeting he went to last week, but did not ask how they were doing it. I have searched all around and it looks like he has to be rooted to do it, but it seems unreliable and I don't want to have to fix or set this thing up every time he uses it. I am sure he wont mind rooting his tablet if it means he will be able to stream his screen. I was hoping Chromecast would be able to do it easily, but it looks like that is not a feature yet and it can only be done fairly reliably through Chrome on a computer.
Has anyone done this yet? What do you recommend?
He has a:
HTC One M7
Tab Pro 10.1 (stock)
Intel Nuc running Windows 8.1 Pro 64 connected to the TV
Chromecast
Vizio 70" TV
Thanks in advance!
I just purchased my chromecast but i still have some questions.
I saw that a new update in a few weeks will have the full screen casting wich is why i just bought the device to cast everything my device shows.
I currently have a rooted galaxy s4, i see alot of questions about rooting the chromecast however are there any apps for a rooted galaxy s4 to have more benefits from the chromecast? Also does the usb port for power source always have to be plugged in or does it come with some sort of battery?
Thanks in advance guys.
Pixelhouse said:
I currently have a rooted galaxy s4, i see alot of questions about rooting the chromecast however are there any apps for a rooted galaxy s4 to have more benefits from the chromecast? Also does the usb port for power source always have to be plugged in or does it come with some sort of battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't really think of any benefit to a rooted device driving Chromecast as opposed to a non-rooted one. In some cases, a rooted device may have fewer options because some video apps don't like root. CinemaNow is an example, though it doesn't have Chromecast support (wish it did), and you can get around that using something like Root Cloak, though that has some drawbacks too.
As for power, Chromecast requires power - it has no battery, and because Chromecast automatically updates and it's never a good idea to lose power during a flash process, I recommend using wall power over a switched USB port (like most TV USB ports). But that's just my personal opinion - lots of people use TV switched USB ports just fine.
mdamaged said:
FWIW, you can still use most of those apps if you use xposed+RootCloak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: I'm using Cydia Substrate with Root Cloak Plus.
bhiga said:
Can't really think of any benefit to a rooted device driving Chromecast as opposed to a non-rooted one. In some cases, a rooted device may have fewer options because some video apps don't like root. CinemaNow is an example, though it doesn't have Chromecast support (wish it did), and you can get around that using something like Root Cloak, though that has some drawbacks too.
As for power, Chromecast requires power - it has no battery, and because Chromecast automatically updates and it's never a good idea to lose power during a flash process, I recommend using wall power over a switched USB port (like most TV USB ports). But that's just my personal opinion - lots of people use TV switched USB ports just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright thank you for the info and the advice!
I thought perhaps by having a root you would have more options like castingthat don't have the cast function by default,
or send your entire screen to your chromecast.
bhiga said:
:good: I'm using Cydia Substrate with Root Cloak Plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I kinda jumped the gun with the reply, did not see you mentioned it, had it cleaned, replying now so you don't look like a nut.
Pixelhouse said:
Alright thank you for the info and the advice!
I thought perhaps by having a root you would have more options like castingthat don't have the cast function by default,
or send your entire screen to your chromecast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you have a point there... Koush's mirror app at least at first release, did require root. Also, mirror4cast requires root as well, so you are correct that root does give you some additional options.
The basic functionality, is mainly built into the Google Play Services (and for native screen mirroring it seems partly in the kernel), and that's not affected by root.
I've been searching the forum without much success, I want to install the Chromecast OS ( or in this case, HubCap) on a general cheap android tablet. Since Chromecast is similar in foundation, is this possible? I would like the tablet I get, like an 8" Chinese generic or anything, which already has wifi and a display, to be the display I can choose to cast to.
My further thoughts is that it makes a portable video frame I can use with my Google Home, but that's for my own further experimentation. I still haven't been able to find if HubCap on Chromecast still allows the Chromecast to be controllable from Google Home, though I would assume so.
Any directions I should look into? I would love it to be as easy as rooting the tablet device and installing a HubCap slip-streamed Chromecast package ( if any were to exist, even ) , but I have a feeling it's not that easy, despite Android seeming to be resilient as to the platform it is being installed on.
Ty
werelwolf said:
I've been searching the forum without much success, I want to install the Chromecast OS ( or in this case, HubCap) on a general cheap android tablet. Since Chromecast is similar in foundation, is this possible? I would like the tablet I get, like an 8" Chinese generic or anything, which already has wifi and a display, to be the display I can choose to cast to.
My further thoughts is that it makes a portable video frame I can use with my Google Home, but that's for my own further experimentation. I still haven't been able to find if HubCap on Chromecast still allows the Chromecast to be controllable from Google Home, though I would assume so.
Any directions I should look into? I would love it to be as easy as rooting the tablet device and installing a HubCap slip-streamed Chromecast package ( if any were to exist, even ) , but I have a feeling it's not that easy, despite Android seeming to be resilient as to the platform it is being installed on.
Ty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is extremely doubtful...
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
turn rooted galaxy S6 into chromecast and/or Fire Tv box...help? (please)
werelwolf said:
I've been searching the forum without much success, I want to install the Chromecast OS ( or in this case, HubCap) on a general cheap android tablet. Since Chromecast is similar in foundation, is this possible? I would like the tablet I get, like an 8" Chinese generic or anything, which already has wifi and a display, to be the display I can choose to cast to.
My further thoughts is that it makes a portable video frame I can use with my Google Home, but that's for my own further experimentation. I still haven't been able to find if HubCap on Chromecast still allows the Chromecast to be controllable from Google Home, though I would assume so.
Any directions I should look into? I would love it to be as easy as rooting the tablet device and installing a HubCap slip-streamed Chromecast package ( if any were to exist, even ) , but I have a feeling it's not that easy, despite Android seeming to be resilient as to the platform it is being installed on.
Ty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe I am looking for the same thing! I just recently upgraded to the galaxy s8. My old device is a rooted galaxy s6. I would like to use the galaxy s6 to hook up to my LG HDTV (model is LG 55LF6000, a "dumb" tv and is not wifi capable). I have been searching for "a way to turn the gs6 into a chromecast and/or Fire Tv". The hope is that I can then turn my "dumb" TV into a SmartTV and (hopefully) be able to utilize KODI as well as other smarttv type functions as if it were one to begin with.
As a side note, I have had every single samsung "galaxy s" phone; even before they were noted as such, starting with the samsung moment, the epic 4g touch, all the way up. I have rooted every single one of them, BUT I DO NOT want to root my Galaxy S8 (sungstratum mods do wonders without a need for root) bc Im in love with some of the knox features (secure folder, samsung pass etc) never having used any before due to using rooted devices.
I did find a few forums that appeared to mention ways to sort of do this, where the receiving device needed to be rooted (in my case the gs6) and the sending one did not need to be rooted (gs8). However, I cannot find them anymore, they were rather old (2015 I believe) and weren't descriptive enough or easy to follow in order to get the job done... So round-about-way of saying/asking... I think we are looking for the same thing, correct?
Wish/Help Request (summarized): use old android device as chromecast/fire Tv (rooted gs6) connected to "dumb", no wifi, HDTV // using newer android device (gs8) as the remote/casting device (chromecast) or as the Fire Tv remote if going that route is possible also... SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP US! <Many thanks in Advance!
-E.Almighty777 (I've got that god-complex ;-P )
EvanAlmighty777 said:
I believe I am looking for the same thing! I just recently upgraded to the galaxy s8. My old device is a rooted galaxy s6. I would like to use the galaxy s6 to hook up to my LG HDTV (model is LG 55LF6000, a "dumb" tv and is not wifi capable). I have been searching for "a way to turn the gs6 into a chromecast and/or Fire Tv". The hope is that I can then turn my "dumb" TV into a SmartTV and (hopefully) be able to utilize KODI as well as other smarttv type functions as if it were one to begin with.
As a side note, I have had every single samsung "galaxy s" phone; even before they were noted as such, starting with the samsung moment, the epic 4g touch, all the way up. I have rooted every single one of them, BUT I DO NOT want to root my Galaxy S8 (sungstratum mods do wonders without a need for root) bc Im in love with some of the knox features (secure folder, samsung pass etc) never having used any before due to using rooted devices.
I did find a few forums that appeared to mention ways to sort of do this, where the receiving device needed to be rooted (in my case the gs6) and the sending one did not need to be rooted (gs8). However, I cannot find them anymore, they were rather old (2015 I believe) and weren't descriptive enough or easy to follow in order to get the job done... So round-about-way of saying/asking... I think we are looking for the same thing, correct?
Wish/Help Request (summarized): use old android device as chromecast/fire Tv (rooted gs6) connected to "dumb", no wifi, HDTV // using newer android device (gs8) as the remote/casting device (chromecast) or as the Fire Tv remote if going that route is possible also... SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP US! <Many thanks in Advance!
-E.Almighty777 (I've got that god-complex ;-P )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, this is not at all what I am looking for. I am looking to repurpose a tablet itself to be the device displaying the video, is if it were a tv/Chromecast single device combo. It would be a small screen, yes, but it is the best way I can describe its function.
Ty
werelwolf said:
Sorry, this is not at all what I am looking for. I am looking to repurpose a tablet itself to be the device displaying the video, is if it were a tv/Chromecast single device combo. It would be a small screen, yes, but it is the best way I can describe its function.
Ty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand, and in a nutshell that is exactly what I would need to do with my galaxy s6. Repurpose it as a Chromecast , it could then play things on that screen or the big one it's attached to.. however, I guess mine requires a little extra.. as I believe you would just need this to get done what you need:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...mirror-android-phone-screen-to-t3015383/page2
this app in googleplay may do the trick too: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nfo.oneassist&hl=en
I noticed there are 2 links to apps that do exactly what you want... Not too hard to come across... If you happen upon the extra step I'm needing (getting it onto the TV from the "Chromecast tablet/phone) please let me know sir!
EvanAlmighty777 said:
I understand, and in a nutshell that is exactly what I would need to do with my galaxy s6. Repurpose it as a Chromecast , it could then play things on that screen or the big one it's attached to.. however, I guess mine requires a little extra.. as I believe you would just need this to get done what you need:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...mirror-android-phone-screen-to-t3015383/page2
this app in googleplay may do the trick too: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nfo.oneassist&hl=en
I noticed there are 2 links to apps that do exactly what you want... Not too hard to come across... If you happen upon the extra step I'm needing (getting it onto the TV from the "Chromecast tablet/phone) please let me know sir!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is much more similar to what I am looking for yes, and thank you for providing references! I'll see what I find..
Ty