Video Player with Chromecast Support

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ermacwins

Senior Member
Aug 25, 2009
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Am I correct in thinking there is no video play with chromecast push support? I.e. MX Player, you are watching video on phone then you press cast button?

Not possible or just no app has done it yet?
 

FillTheVoid

Senior Member
Mar 10, 2011
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Avia has paid ($2.99) CC support.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
 
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Pete1612

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There is an app called y2cast which can cast videos to the Chromecast together with an app called Moliplayer. The 1. problem of this is that everytime you turn on your TV, you have to connect y2cast with your Chromecast before you can start casting via Moliplayer and the 2. is that Moliplayer doesn't play every file format (even when you haven't connected it to the Chromecast) and is also very slow/has a lot of lag.

---------- Post added at 03:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:27 PM ----------

Does Avia play every file format and can avia cast every file format to the chromecast?
 

neu - smurph

Senior Member
May 14, 2013
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Google Pixel 4a
There are loads of apps now that will play media from phone to Chromecast - BubbleUPnP is my personal choice, Allcast, Localcast, Avia....there are more.

They vary in their capabilities - most can't cast videos that are not encoded in a Chromecast friendly format. BubbleUPnP can with the help of a Bubble Server installed on a PC on the local network.
 
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Pete1612

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There are loads of apps now that will play media from phone to Chromecast - BubbleUPnP is my personal choice, Allcast, Localcast, Avia....there are more.

They vary in their capabilities - most can't cast videos that are not encoded in a Chromecast friendly format. BubbleUPnP can with the help of a Bubble Server installed on a PC on the local network.

Well then you could just cast the video in a tab via Chrome. I'd love to see a solution where an android device does that, most of the devices are probably capable of doing it.
 

EarlyMon

Senior Member
Jun 23, 2010
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Well then you could just cast the video in a tab via Chrome. I'd love to see a solution where an android device does that, most of the devices are probably capable of doing it.

Share the page to either vGet or Web Video Caster, and cast from there.

It's one extra step - sharing the link - but it works great for supported video formats.

vGet has more options and is a paid app. Web Video Caster just casts and is free.
 

nooktablet

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2012
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Share the page to either vGet or Web Video Caster, and cast from there.

It's one extra step - sharing the link - but it works great for supported video formats.

vGet has more options and is a paid app. Web Video Caster just casts and is free.

for thus you can also use chrome for android (free from google obviously), go to chrome://flags and turn on chromecast support
 
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Krisshp

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2012
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Avia does NOT work on all formats. It's a bit of a hit and miss. Some work some dont


The moment everyone is waiting for is for mx player or vlc to support Chromecast :) !
 

davboc

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2013
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Italy
I think that the limitions are not in the players but in the software of ccast that can play only a few format and codecs.

Do you think that, in future, ccast will be updated and so it will play other video format? Is a feature that can be implemented with a firmware upgrade?

Thanks!
 
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Asphyx

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Dec 19, 2007
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I think that the limitions are not in the players but in the software of ccast that can play only a few format and codecs.

Do you think that, in future, ccast will be updated and so it will play other video format? Is a feature that can be implemented with a firmware upgrade?

Thanks!
Yes and Maybe....

You're right in that the CCast is limited in codec and container support.
But that is really only true if the Player app that gets loaded into CCast relies on the CCast hardware to play the files.
Android itself is almost as limited as the CCast is as far as Compatible file formats are concerned but the video players we use on Android add the support for those different codecs and container types into the APPs themselves.

The same could be done on the CCast side and BubbleUPnP seems to be the one (and Only) app that has gone the farthest in doing that.
All the others seem to just send whatever format the file is in and if it isn't CCast compatible it won't play.

What needs to happen is for someone to create an MX Player type CCast Player app that can play many Container and Codec types without the need for Transcoding. Then others could potentially use that Player App (think along the lines of a JW Player type CCast Application) when sending Media to the CCast without the worry of incompatible file and codec format.

Or Google needs to create it and add it to the CCast OS as the default player.

As of now there is no option close to that...Bubble supports more container types than others and in conjunction with the Bubble Server will transcode the ones it doesn't support.
Plex seems to transcode everything that isn't directly CCast compatible and the other Player Apps we have for Android don't deal with Compatibility at all they merely send the media to CCast and it works only if it is compatible.

Perhaps in time they will add to the CCast Player side to gain more support but Bubble is so far the only one to really focus as much on the Player side compatibility expansion and features.

Plex is working on it as well but they are less focused on Compatibility due to the fact they are able to transcode everything to whatever format they want. After they get all the transcoding perfected they might turn focus into finding ways to avoid transcoding for those who have issues due to low power servers.
 

Asphyx

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Dec 19, 2007
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perfect explanation! Really thank you. I hope that this device will be supported with the right software, meaning apps, in the near future.

Thanks again.

The problem right now seems to be that every App creates their own CCast Player App (called the receiver) but the DIAL protocol really doesn't require that to happen.

If the Open Source community would create a FREE TO USE Player App for CCast that any Android (or iOS app for that matter) could have the CCast load You might see a situation where all players could use that app to play to CCast and remove the need to code a Player themselves.

The only reason to code your own player then would be if you wanted to add other features like Media Info Mirroring and if the Player was Open Source it could be used inside their custom versions as well provided there is no issue with GPL license and Commercial Use.

the CCast support has come a long way since December...
I hope by next December we see more after people figure it out better.

The holdup is Google Locking it all up with the Whitelist.

I keep looking here hoping to find a developer that has decided to work on a CCast Player side to bring full client side support that others can use.

So Far Bubble is the only one focused on that side of the coding.

In the end the CCast player should support any container, Most Codecs, Client side selectable Subtitles and Multitrack Audio with Client side selection as well.

If they could add Dolby Support (not likely given the Licensing requirements) it would set the bar for all the others.
 

simacca

Senior Member
Apr 27, 2006
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Localcast works well for me. Even let's me access and stream movies/TV shows straight from my USB stick on my Note 2 using an otg cable.



Sent from my Sinclair ZX81.
 

EarlyMon

Senior Member
Jun 23, 2010
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Koush tried software decoding for H.264 video - the processor ran hot enough to destroy his Chromecast, and that was using a known and mature routine.

The MediaTek processor is very good but it has limitations.

Maybe someone will take it further and succeed. I think it's more reasonable to look for more codecs on Chromecast 2, if at all.

Btw, LocalCast now lets you use your phone for headphones for stuff you're casting.
 

Asphyx

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Dec 19, 2007
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Not doubting you here...I know the Hardware is close to being an Egg Cooker even under normal usage....

But I'm curious as to why would he software decode H.264? No need to do that as it's already supported.

I'm just wondering if he was trying to do transcode from unsupported codec to H.264 on the device.

That method I would expect to not work at all.

But by adding loadable Software codecs it should not require the same proc cycles and speed as trying to transcode as it's really just a decoding operation which is roughly half the intense of transcoding which both decodes then re-encodes.
The Tricky part would be getting the player to load codecs on an as needed basis which is where I expect it might make the approach impossible.

I'm personally less concerned with codec support as I am with Containers, Subtitles and Audio Track selection being done on the Player side.

All of my Library is already H.264 But I much prefer MKV container for keeping Subs and Multiple Audio (for Commentary) so once a player comes out that supports all of those without transcoding I'll be a very happy puppy.
 
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EarlyMon

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I don't know but I imagine that he was simply following a standard best practice -

Comparing known quantities to map the solution space before proceeding into the unknown.

The H.264 routine (just a software codec attached to a simple player from what I recall looking at the time) made sense for that, precisely because it was a mature, known quantity that could be compared to the existing feature in hardware.

Apples to apples.
 
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Asphyx

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Dec 19, 2007
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perhap he tried that since H.264 is the most hardware intensive compression compared to say On2, Cinepak or the older Indeo...

If it could software decode H.264 then it could pretty much decode everything else just fine with the exception of MPEG2 which requires specific hardware.
 

ermacwins

Senior Member
Aug 25, 2009
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What needs to happen is for someone to create an MX Player type CCast Player app that can play many Container and Codec types without the need for Transcoding. Then others could potentially use that Player App (think along the lines of a JW Player type CCast Application) when sending Media to the CCast without the worry of incompatible file and codec format.

Are you saying if a player i.e. MX player had the cast function builtin into it then you can cast any video format that MX player supports?
 

Asphyx

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2007
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Are you saying if a player i.e. MX player had the cast function builtin into it then you can cast any video format that MX player supports?

No not at all.....an App's (aka Transmitter) ability to cast to a CCast has little to do with it can support but what the CCast supports....Other than through the player app it tells CCast to load to receive the stream (aka the Receiver app).

Every App tells the CCast to load a player and it is that player that determines what format can be played not what the App that started the cast supports.

So even if MX Player supported CCast now...Doesn't mean at all that streaming from it to a CCast means MKV or MOV files will play on the CCast despite the fact they play in MX Player just fine.

That is unless MX Player wrote a custom player (receiver) for the CCast that supported all the formats MX Player does or MX Player added the ability to transcode any format to work with the receiver they load into the CCast.

As of today just about every app that supports more than just the standard CCast compatible media do so via Transcoding.
And thats not likely to change soon unless someone figures out a way to do it without frying the unit.

I bet it would work a lot better if the player app was run outside of the Google Sandbox the way Netflix is when it does it's own decryption.

The question is will anyone other than one of the Partners who invented the DIAL protocol ever get that type of access to the hardware?
Not without Google being fully on board....
 

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    Share the page to either vGet or Web Video Caster, and cast from there.

    It's one extra step - sharing the link - but it works great for supported video formats.

    vGet has more options and is a paid app. Web Video Caster just casts and is free.

    for thus you can also use chrome for android (free from google obviously), go to chrome://flags and turn on chromecast support
    1
    I think that the limitions are not in the players but in the software of ccast that can play only a few format and codecs.

    Do you think that, in future, ccast will be updated and so it will play other video format? Is a feature that can be implemented with a firmware upgrade?

    Thanks!
    1
    Not doubting you here...I know the Hardware is close to being an Egg Cooker even under normal usage....

    But I'm curious as to why would he software decode H.264? No need to do that as it's already supported.

    I'm just wondering if he was trying to do transcode from unsupported codec to H.264 on the device.

    That method I would expect to not work at all.

    But by adding loadable Software codecs it should not require the same proc cycles and speed as trying to transcode as it's really just a decoding operation which is roughly half the intense of transcoding which both decodes then re-encodes.
    The Tricky part would be getting the player to load codecs on an as needed basis which is where I expect it might make the approach impossible.

    I'm personally less concerned with codec support as I am with Containers, Subtitles and Audio Track selection being done on the Player side.

    All of my Library is already H.264 But I much prefer MKV container for keeping Subs and Multiple Audio (for Commentary) so once a player comes out that supports all of those without transcoding I'll be a very happy puppy.
    1
    I don't know but I imagine that he was simply following a standard best practice -

    Comparing known quantities to map the solution space before proceeding into the unknown.

    The H.264 routine (just a software codec attached to a simple player from what I recall looking at the time) made sense for that, precisely because it was a mature, known quantity that could be compared to the existing feature in hardware.

    Apples to apples.
    1
    @EarlyMon can you help with coding local content to play?

    Probably not as I'm on a new job and slammed.

    Regardless, drop me a PM, let me know where you are with the SDK and any other details since the conversation started and I'll be happy to chip in as time allows.