Database Develop

My experience with the Netgear Push2TV (AllCast dongle)

So just a quick review of the NETGEAR Push2TV Wireless Display Adapter PTV3000 I just bought. Got it for a bit under $60 USD from Amazon. Did the firmware update at work before coming home -- didn't even have a TV to connect it to there! You do the update from a PC over Wifi and web interface. Now, I first tried to update the firmware from a Mac laptop I had lying around but couldn't. I could bring up the update page, but when I browsed for a file, I couldn't pick it! Tried both Safari and Chrome... Either way, just used a Windows laptop and IE 9 and the update worked fine.
Anyway, at home plugged it into my TV, picked up my Note 10.1 tablet and it works great. With the latest firmware on the Netgear, connection speed is pretty quick -- a few seconds. Video from my Note 10.1 was slightly letter boxed due to the 1280x800 resolution of the tablet ... but when you played video it would go full screen. When playing video, any on screen graphics do no show up on the TV at all. Also, on the Note 10.1 when playing video through it, you do not see video on the tablet anymore. Just black where it should be. This is fine (IMHO) ....
When using the UI of the tablet, the speed on the tablet felt unaffected (butter smooth in other words) but on the TV it was maybe running at 30fps. You could see some flight artifacting but I was sitting very close to my 52" LCD.... Text was totally readable and it looked just as good as Airplay does on the Mac.
NOW, I cannot test with my phone. Why? Well, I didn't know this, but when I tried to connect, it would connect, but after about 10 seconds disconnect. On my TV it would say HDCP Connection Error (or something along those lines.) After a little reading, turned out because my phone is rooted and has a flash count of 1 and System Status: Modified, you cannot use AllShare Cast! That is crap if you ask me, but it's how Samsung set it up.
I tried flashing stock recovery and then using Triangle Away, but the phone still says "Modified" and that sets the count back to 1. Pretty lame ... I am on a stock rom/kernel and now recovery, but something is flipping the status. I'm sure if I flashed back to 100% stock it would work fine, just like it does on my bone stock tablet .....
Honestly, this is a real bummer to me as I was excited at how well it worked with the tablet and for travelling, this tiny little box would be great for using in hotel rooms.
Oh I didn't mention, the size of it is very small -- like a deck of cards, and very light. Also it has a Mini_USB input (not Micro) and while the power adapter is 5v/1amp, it says when you turn it on you can easily power it from the USB port on a TV. Very handy.
So to sum it up:
Stock phone with unmodified system status? Get it. Cheaper than Samsung AllCast dongle and more functional because it supports Miracast (Sony Xperia, Nexus 4, some LG phones) and also Intel WiDi so basically all the current crop of Windows 7 and 8 laptops running with 3rd gen intel processors.
Modified phone like me? Better stick to the MHL HDMI adapter and you will have to get up to walk to your phone to switch the video or buy a long HDMI cable.
Fire away if you have any questions.
Edit: I made a quick Youtube video showing this thing in use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnqhZdjm16s

so... whats the point of chromecast vs HDMI out?

So, I finally bought a chromecast and after 30 minutes was left wondering "why did I buy this instead of just getting a 15' HDMI cable to dual monitor my laptop on my TV.
It seems like casting from a tab uses more resources, uses double the bandwidth, and has limited features compared to just dual-monitoring.
In order to continue using a VPN and chromecast I have to mod the firmware on the router. chromecast uses a fair amount of resources when casting video. And as far as I can tell there's no benefit (besides it being wireless) compared to HDMI out dual monitoring... am I missing something or is it really just nothing that special?

codecobalt said:
So, I finally bought a chromecast and after 30 minutes was left wondering "why did I buy this instead of just getting a 15' HDMI cable to dual monitor my laptop on my TV.
It seems like casting from a tab uses more resources, uses double the bandwidth, and has limited features compared to just dual-monitoring.
In order to continue using a VPN and chromecast I have to mod the firmware on the router. chromecast uses a fair amount of resources when casting video. And as far as I can tell there's no benefit (besides it being wireless) compared to HDMI out dual monitoring... am I missing something or is it really just nothing that special?
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Hi Codecobalt,
The main benefit is convenience. There's something just very natural about selecting content from your phone and then having it play on the TV - with how the chromecast connects it's actually the device that creates the connection to the provider and as such there shouldn't be any increased bandwidth usage (only control information is sent via your phone in most cases - excepting applications that pass your data via external services).
If you wish to use a VPN you may have to mod your router however you can normally just add a route or some mechanism to stop it's connection to google DNS servers which will force the device to fall back to locally defined DNS servers if that helps. If you require assistance with the whole router thing let me know (as I've done many of them in many different ways).
Again as I said, the main reason for the device is convienience - I personally although being a tech head don't like the idea of having to launch movies with a mouse and keyboard off a laptop and all the rigmarole that comes with it (since purchasing chromecasts I haven't used my local movie stash in around 3 months).
Well that's my speel about it, if you have any specific requests please do not hesitate to ask and I hope you grow to love the device as much as I do.

I have no real gripes about it, I just don't see the real benefit to me, but I'm a laptop user who always has my laptop in front of me. I can understand though how you like the ability to use your android phone to launch videos wirelessly. I love to use my phone to launch youtube videos on my PS3.
It just seems like so long as you already have an HDMI out connection (and a laptop infront of you at all times) it's more universal to just dual monitor. for instance while casting "Watch ESPN" on my PC to TV, I can't fullscreen the video in the tab so that the video on my TV is fullscreen and still use the PC.. which kind of defeats the purpose. but with dual monitor I can have the video fullscreened on my TV while still using my laptop screen for everything else.
If it were a wireless option to dual monitor I would LOVE IT! but that's not what it was intended to be. I like it being wireless, but since I already have a 15' ethernet cable (just prefer it to wifi when available), usb to mini usb cable to charge my ps3 controller, and a wired headset for my ps3, one extra cable (the hdmi) running across the floor doesn't really bother me too much.
It's cool tech and very affordable for what it is, but it just left me wanting much more... thought I had to be missing the point.
For people without a ps3 or xbox or multiple TV's/chromecasts I can see the advantage.. just not for me I suppose.
I mostly wanted it so that I could watch my comcast xfinity online account (watch espn/2/u, FX, FXX, etc to stream live TV as an alternative to my netflix while I'm away from home and have a real screen. the ps3 doesn't have an xfinity app and I liked the idea of being able to stream only 1 specific tab. but then I have to use the zoom function on the tv to make it fullscreen and still use the laptop.

codecobalt said:
So, I finally bought a chromecast and after 30 minutes was left wondering "why did I buy this instead of just getting a 15' HDMI cable to dual monitor my laptop on my TV.
It seems like casting from a tab uses more resources, uses double the bandwidth, and has limited features compared to just dual-monitoring.
In order to continue using a VPN and chromecast I have to mod the firmware on the router. chromecast uses a fair amount of resources when casting video. And as far as I can tell there's no benefit (besides it being wireless) compared to HDMI out dual monitoring... am I missing something or is it really just nothing that special?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Casting from a tab (or the entire desktop) is not Chromecast's core use case. If that's all you're doing, then you are better off using HDMI or WiDi.
Chromecast's advantage, in addition to the sheer browsing/usage/convenience factor that @Kyonz mentioned, is "offloading" the playback duties. Chromecast's power usage is far less than your laptop, and you're free to take your laptop/phone/tablet and run if you need to while Chromecast continues to play. Someone else in the household can easily take over control of Chromecast from another device as well (there's some annoyance/bad to this too, but it's good as long as everyone plays nicely).
Likewise, I can move where media is being played back in most apps by pausing the playback, and resuming it on another Chromecast. Sadly, it won't turn off the TV though.
The previous paragraph deals solely with Chromecast-native applications, ie, not tab-casting or desktop-casting with the Cast extension from Chrome. Like I said in the beginning, if you're mainly trying to cast your computer's tab or screen, Chromecast is not the ideal solution.

I find the chromecast handy in my TV room... No hdmi cables everywhere. Just pull out my phone or tablet and pull up whatever I want to watch then send it to the chromecast and put the phone down.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

rans0m00 said:
I find the chromecast handy in my TV room... No hdmi cables everywhere. Just pull out my phone or tablet and pull up whatever I want to watch then send it to the chromecast and put the phone down.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
+1
also a nice way to upgrade an older non-smart TV to semi smart......

I never got it to work with my jellybean android phone. installed the app but never saw a chromecast feature in anything... chrome browser, watch espn, gallery nothing... but again didn't really try too hard.. hdmi for me.

codecobalt said:
I never got it to work with my jellybean android phone. installed the app but never saw a chromecast feature in anything... chrome browser, watch espn, gallery nothing... but again didn't really try too hard.. hdmi for me.
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Click to collapse
Not all apps have the casting feature. Avia does YouTube does. ESPN and gallery do not
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

One of the Advantages is to be able to stream content to TVs in other rooms for Family and Friends without having to tie up your Laptop.
Truth is a Laptop has the fewest options available for using the CCast. None of the CCast compatible Apps will run on a Laptop and the only real benefit is you can launch a Netflix, Hulu and YouTube movie to the CCast from their Webpages.
So you can watch a movie on your TV while you do other things with the Laptop.

In the OP's case a secondary out from the computer doesn't "tie it up" much except for CPU and network usage. Well, launching a full screen game or something would likely jam things up.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.

When using the hdmi out wont the graphics card be stressed also? Using the chromecast eliminates that altogether i thought...i use plex mostly for my entertainment system and debated getting a dedicated graphics card...in the end i chose casting between my devices because i have the bandwidth to support it and no desire to push my graphics card too hard if i chose to watch a 1080 trilogy....hows my logic?

That's reasonable logic too. Chromecast had hardware processing for the (limited) formats it supports, so it uses far less power than a laptop, perhaps even less power than a tablet because it's not also powering a screen. Personally I like the "start it up and let it go" aspect - no worries about what I do on my phone/tablet/computer once it's playing.

Cast phone screen to Chromecast?

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!

Raspberry Pi wireless streaming server, is it possible?

Hi all,
A few years back I made a system for in the car based on a Raspberry Pi 2, it incorporated a Rpi2, a hdmi splitter and OSMC installed. I made 2 7" IPS LCD screens with custom made housing that attached to the front seat head rests. This way I could play movies in the car for the children when we were traveling with the car. It really worked well and I could control the movies by using the wifi access point feature in OSMC and the Kodi remote control app for Android.
Downside is that both children (a girl and a boy) have to watch the same movie and now that they're 6 and 5 there's a constant struggle as my son doesn't like barbie movies and my daughter does not like teenage mutant ninja turtles!
So, I want to make a new one. My plan is to use a Rpi3 as media server with hard drive attached and kodi on 2 android tablets connected via Wifi to the Rpi3. This way it must me possible for them to choose and watch their own movie seperately.
Is this possible? And is the internal wifi adapter fast enough as I didn't have too much luck with this (very unstable en below average speeds). I could also us a Wifi access point connected to the RJ45 network connector. Or buy the new RPi3+ which has a 300 Mb network port and maybe improved wifi?
I looked everywhere for some guide but I don't seem to find it.
Anyone good tips??

Yeah it's surely possible dude/dudette. But the question is would it be entirely practical is a different story.
The RPi 3B+ has the network capabilities you are after (as long as you're not streaming 1080p across the network for both tablets), the only thing is for it to be effective would be the tablets need 5ghz connections also to utilise the 5ghz networking speeds. I don't have the data sheet on hand which tells me the speeds but 2.4ghz certainly wouldn't suffice both streaming.
The only problem you would encounter would be is Read speeds of the RPi 3B+ and is it worth destroying a hard drive by putting it in a car (vibrations/G forces *if you crash*) is it worth it? I know HDDs are cheap these days so it might not even be a worthwhile issue in today's world.
I wouldn't bother with an ethernet connection, you could utilise the USB to RJ45 Gigabit speeds it apparently allows. Yet again Read speeds might be the downfall on SD cards unless you have a uber SD card.

Use Nexus 7 as a remote desktop machine

Hello Everyone,
First post here ! I've been reading a lot of very interesting things around here but I find myself stuck, hence this new thread (no ****, sherlock). I've been looking around on Google and here but couldn't really find what I was looking for so here I am.
First of all, a bit of context so that you get what I'm trying to achieve. I have a very old computer that I use for gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamers looking to play in 4K 360FPS and not part of the PC Master race by any means. With that said, I'm still looking at 1080p 60fps as my goal. And amazingly enough, my old PC allows me to do that. In fact, despite its age, my PC runs fairly well. So well that I don't feel the need to spend money to change it (plus money is tight). So, playing on my PC is actually great, can't complain there. However, I also enjoy playing in the living room. I actually play more with a controller in "console" mode than sitting at my desk. If my PC was close to the TV, the problem would be easily solved. As it's not the case I have to rely on other solutions.
I have a nvidia shield TV and tried Gamestream and Steam Link. Both are unfortunately dependent on my local network quality. Considering I'm using powerlines to connect my PC to the router, the quality is sometime unstable which doesn't meet my requirements. As stated previously, my PC is OLD and I don't think it's powerful enough to run and stream the game with a decent output either. So old hardware and unstable local network = bad experience in game streaming. And this is where I'm trying to achieve the contrary then what everyone is doing : people are streaming there games to their living room, I plan do the opposite.
I have a Nexus 7 sitting in a drawer somewhere that I don't use anymore. I was thinking of the following setup :
- Move my computer to the living room and plug it to the TV --> enjoy good gaming performance right in the leaving room
- Use my Nexus 7 in my office using remote desktop app --> less heavy than gaming, I should be able to work on Word, Excel, browse the web. Basically, use my PC for computing stuff via remote desktop with little to no delay.
- My office would actually look cleaner as well with a very minimalistic setup ^^
Problem :
- Is there a way to connect the Nexus 7 to a monitor using HDMI;
- Keep the Nexus 7 charged;
- And connect a keyboard and mouse to the Nexus via USB ? Or BT is the way to go ?
- Could this be achieved more easily with a Chromecast ? If yes, how should i proceed ?
- Would using the computer for everything else than gaming be OK in that configuration ?
It looks like a fun project to try. However, if it proves to be impossible or if you think the performance would be too poor to be usable, than I'll think about building another cheap PC (I have an old I5 760 lying around) : 1 for gaming and 1 for office stuff.

Is the Nexus 7 the 2012 or 2013 variety? From what I can find, the 2012 does NOT have a slimport USB but the 2013 DOES. In which case, buying the right cable should let you connect it directly to a monitor.
If you have the 2012 version... I can't give a true recommendation since I've never tried this, but if you do end up going the chromecast-attached-to-a-monitor/tv route, I would use Chrome to cast the desktop (apparently you can do this) to the chromecast instead of casting from your tablet. Meaning, don't cast your remote desktop from the tablet to the TV, use the tablet to remotely cast your desktop to the chromecast. Hopefully that's clear. The amount of lag from casting a remote desktop would probably make it unusable.

Hello,
I have the 2013 model so yes, with the right adapter I should be able to connect it to a monitor. Now There is still the issue of using a KB and mouse with it while keeping the tablet charged (the battery drains quite fast when casting). Maybe that's too much to handle for a tablet ^^
asmalldharma said:
Is the Nexus 7 the 2012 or 2013 variety? From what I can find, the 2012 does NOT have a slimport USB but the 2013 DOES. In which case, buying the right cable should let you connect it directly to a monitor.
If you have the 2012 version... I can't give a true recommendation since I've never tried this, but if you do end up going the chromecast-attached-to-a-monitor/tv route, I would use Chrome to cast the desktop (apparently you can do this) to the chromecast instead of casting from your tablet. Meaning, don't cast your remote desktop from the tablet to the TV, use the tablet to remotely cast your desktop to the chromecast. Hopefully that's clear. The amount of lag from casting a remote desktop would probably make it unusable.
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Click to collapse

Torontonian22 said:
Hello,
I have the 2013 model so yes, with the right adapter I should be able to connect it to a monitor. Now There is still the issue of using a KB and mouse with it while keeping the tablet charged (the battery drains quite fast when casting). Maybe that's too much to handle for a tablet ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16834989578
Your tablet should have wireless charging, so maybe a slimport cable, wireless charger, and Bluetooth keyboard and mouse would work?
Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

Your tablet should have wireless charging, so maybe a slimport cable, wireless charger, and Bluetooth keyboard and mouse would work?
Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Looks like I learned something today ! Didn't even know they made a dedicated dock for the Nexus 7 tablet ! looks this little device could actually help me solve my problem. I'll look into it in more depths.
I actually use wireless charging but can't actually put it on my current tablet stand (or else it looks messy as hell)
Thanks for the great tips !