6 ms·

Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast

62 points by fomojola 12y ago

fomojola 12y ago
Was looking for an easy way to send pictures on my computer to my ChromeCast, and thought having a "native" app would be a nice way to do it without having to cast a Chrome tab. Since Google explicitly doesn't make SDKs available for anything other than iOS/Android/Chrome I ended up wrapping a couple of things together in a long little afternoon. Let me know what you think!
- vikramhaer 12y ago
  Looks great. I'd use this for videos on my laptop that I want to cast, so definitely looking forward to video support!
  - fomojola 12y ago
    That is coming: ran out of time and didn't want to drag my feet on actually releasing it. Video is also complicated: transcoding becomes a real requirement and its just messy to do that in a performant way. But I have something like 40 apps and libraries I've written that are all 80% there but never get released, so for this one I set an explicit rule that it would be released in whatever stable state it is in by the end of July.
    - dkordik 12y ago
      in that case... congrats on shipping!
neeks 12y ago
If it was for Linux I'd gladly give it a spin.
- fomojola 12y ago
  It will be available for Linux (at least Ubuntu): I just need to brush off my old scripts for generating .deb packages and I'll have something. Just didn't want to dawdle and let it fall into my pile of neglected projects.
  - ehPReth 12y ago
    Would something like https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm help?
    - fomojola 12y ago
      Indeed it could: thanks!
mumrah 12y ago
Looks nice! I've been using https://github.com/googlecast/CastHelloVideo-chrome https://github.com/googlecast/CastHelloVideo-chrome plus some custom Java code to stream video content for a few months now. I'd love to have something like this as a UI instead of my cobbled mess. Drop me a PM or email @gmail if you want to compare notes. Cheers!
- fomojola 12y ago
  Thanks. Will reach out once I get a chance: the video transcoding/streaming will be the real heavy lifting. This was mostly just a node-webkit exercise, but not sure how cleanly it will merge with the Chrome code you linked to.
  - thefreeman 12y ago
    The transcoding isn't actually too bad. You basically just need ffmpeg compiled from source on your box, and you can use https://github.com/fluent-ffmpeg/node-fluent-ffmpeg https://github.com/fluent-ffmpeg/node-fluent-ffmpeg . You just need to transcode everything go h264 / AAC (so make sure you compile with libfdk_aac ). The thing I have been unable to figure out so far is how to start streaming to chromecast before the transcoding is complete. It will play to the point it was transcoded when I started playing, regardless of how far it has gotten since then. I have tried transcoding to HLS which chromecast supports, but have not been able to figure it out. Are you planning on develping this open source? I didn't see a github for the actual project on first glance.
    - fomojola 12y ago
      Thanks for the transcoding tips: will look into that. Wasn't actually thinking about github for this: if I develop a lot of free time I might tidy it up for public consumption, but by default its not particularly well commented or documented.
    - maherbeg 12y ago
      You can actually stream the file directly to the chromecast as it's transcoding. I've got this working in my own chromecast app mkvcast: https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast See https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast/blob/master/lib/controllers/stream-file.js https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast/blob/master/lib/controll... for the parameters to use.
j_s 12y ago
Here is a C# library and sample app to send photos to an Apple TV using AirPlay: https://github.com/spouliot/airplay https://github.com/spouliot/airplay
thefreeman 12y ago
Nice, I have been looking for something like https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client for a while. All of the other NodeJS clients I found were written for version 1 and stopped working, so I ended up forking Popcorn Time and hacking it to work in a regular browser so I could use the official Chromecast Extension.
- fomojola 12y ago
  Yeah, spent a couple of hours trawling the web before I stumbled upon that: gold, that one. I'd originally started using ChromeCast's DIAL support but that's apparently deprecated, which is a shame because the replacement is quite a bit more complicated.
CSDude 12y ago
Try this for on the fly transcoding even unsupported media: https://github.com/mustafaakin/cast-localvideo https://github.com/mustafaakin/cast-localvideo Disclaimer: I made this, but people seems happy using it.
- fomojola 12y ago
  Thanks! Will make a note of that: I was afraid the answer would have to be ffmpeg (as it so often is with video). Was hoping for something neater, but I guess I should just be grateful for ffmpeg.
- aroch 12y ago
  Or use Plex or XBMC and control it from your smartphone
  - fomojola 12y ago
    Those solutions do exist, but to a certain degree the point of this was not to need a phone or Chrome. It is obvious that those are the sanctioned solutions from Google's perspective, but this is an attempt to provide a different option.
slouch 12y ago
If I use this to play music, will my computer still go to sleep and stop playback like when I use a brower-based music app?
- nickpapa 12y ago
  For stuff like that, I use Caffeine (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/caffeine/id411246225?mt=12 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/caffeine/id411246225?mt=12) to prevent my Mac from sleeping.
tmuir 12y ago
Why are there recent Macs without HDMI ports? You'd think that would be ubiquitous by now.
- mrbill 12y ago
  Mini-Displayport to HDMI / DVI / VGA adapters are less than $10.
  - neeks 12y ago
    Did they ever do anything about the audio jack? I always thought it was wack how they not only forced you to buy a dongle, but also a 3.55m to rca cable.
    - anmilo 12y ago
      Some mini-dp to HDMI adapters also pass audio through (including I believe the Apple branded one as well as one I bought after confirming reviews on Amazon), but I've also bought a couple that do not
  - DinkMeeker 12y ago
    Not if you buy them from Apple.
- mumrah 12y ago
  Part of the point of things like Chromecast is to avoid having to hook things up to a TV.
  - tmuir 12y ago
    But you're giving up the freedom to decide what content you consume. Chromecast is the media equivalent of AOL. I know what I want to watch/listen to, so let me decide, instead of hamstringing me with apps, or making me jump through hoops to circumvent the restrictions. Plus, if you're watching a movie, or otherwise streaming for a considerable length of time, you're on wall power anyways, so whats one more cable? Function > Form.
siculars 12y ago
Any way to send vlc to chromecast? Edit: This is great, btw. Thanks, fomojola!

62 points by fomojola 12y ago

Was looking for an easy way to send pictures on my computer to my ChromeCast, and thought having a "native" app would be a nice way to do it without having to cast a Chrome tab. Since Google explicitly doesn't make SDKs available for anything other than iOS/Android/Chrome I ended up wrapping a couple of things together in a long little afternoon. Let me know what you think!

vikramhaer 12y ago
Looks great. I'd use this for videos on my laptop that I want to cast, so definitely looking forward to video support!
- fomojola 12y ago
  That is coming: ran out of time and didn't want to drag my feet on actually releasing it. Video is also complicated: transcoding becomes a real requirement and its just messy to do that in a performant way. But I have something like 40 apps and libraries I've written that are all 80% there but never get released, so for this one I set an explicit rule that it would be released in whatever stable state it is in by the end of July.
  - dkordik 12y ago
    in that case... congrats on shipping!

neeks 12y ago

If it was for Linux I'd gladly give it a spin.

fomojola 12y ago
It will be available for Linux (at least Ubuntu): I just need to brush off my old scripts for generating .deb packages and I'll have something. Just didn't want to dawdle and let it fall into my pile of neglected projects.
- ehPReth 12y ago
  Would something like https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm help?
  - fomojola 12y ago
    Indeed it could: thanks!

mumrah 12y ago

Looks nice! I've been using https://github.com/googlecast/CastHelloVideo-chrome https://github.com/googlecast/CastHelloVideo-chrome plus some custom Java code to stream video content for a few months now. I'd love to have something like this as a UI instead of my cobbled mess. Drop me a PM or email @gmail if you want to compare notes. Cheers!

fomojola 12y ago
Thanks. Will reach out once I get a chance: the video transcoding/streaming will be the real heavy lifting. This was mostly just a node-webkit exercise, but not sure how cleanly it will merge with the Chrome code you linked to.
- thefreeman 12y ago
  The transcoding isn't actually too bad. You basically just need ffmpeg compiled from source on your box, and you can use https://github.com/fluent-ffmpeg/node-fluent-ffmpeg https://github.com/fluent-ffmpeg/node-fluent-ffmpeg . You just need to transcode everything go h264 / AAC (so make sure you compile with libfdk_aac ). The thing I have been unable to figure out so far is how to start streaming to chromecast before the transcoding is complete. It will play to the point it was transcoded when I started playing, regardless of how far it has gotten since then. I have tried transcoding to HLS which chromecast supports, but have not been able to figure it out. Are you planning on develping this open source? I didn't see a github for the actual project on first glance.
  - fomojola 12y ago
    Thanks for the transcoding tips: will look into that. Wasn't actually thinking about github for this: if I develop a lot of free time I might tidy it up for public consumption, but by default its not particularly well commented or documented.
  - maherbeg 12y ago
    You can actually stream the file directly to the chromecast as it's transcoding. I've got this working in my own chromecast app mkvcast: https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast See https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast/blob/master/lib/controllers/stream-file.js https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast/blob/master/lib/controll... for the parameters to use.

j_s 12y ago

Here is a C# library and sample app to send photos to an Apple TV using AirPlay: https://github.com/spouliot/airplay https://github.com/spouliot/airplay

thefreeman 12y ago

Nice, I have been looking for something like https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client for a while. All of the other NodeJS clients I found were written for version 1 and stopped working, so I ended up forking Popcorn Time and hacking it to work in a regular browser so I could use the official Chromecast Extension.

fomojola 12y ago
Yeah, spent a couple of hours trawling the web before I stumbled upon that: gold, that one. I'd originally started using ChromeCast's DIAL support but that's apparently deprecated, which is a shame because the replacement is quite a bit more complicated.

CSDude 12y ago

Try this for on the fly transcoding even unsupported media: https://github.com/mustafaakin/cast-localvideo https://github.com/mustafaakin/cast-localvideo Disclaimer: I made this, but people seems happy using it.

fomojola 12y ago
Thanks! Will make a note of that: I was afraid the answer would have to be ffmpeg (as it so often is with video). Was hoping for something neater, but I guess I should just be grateful for ffmpeg.
aroch 12y ago
Or use Plex or XBMC and control it from your smartphone
- fomojola 12y ago
  Those solutions do exist, but to a certain degree the point of this was not to need a phone or Chrome. It is obvious that those are the sanctioned solutions from Google's perspective, but this is an attempt to provide a different option.

slouch 12y ago

If I use this to play music, will my computer still go to sleep and stop playback like when I use a brower-based music app?

nickpapa 12y ago
For stuff like that, I use Caffeine (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/caffeine/id411246225?mt=12 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/caffeine/id411246225?mt=12) to prevent my Mac from sleeping.

tmuir 12y ago

Why are there recent Macs without HDMI ports? You'd think that would be ubiquitous by now.

mrbill 12y ago
Mini-Displayport to HDMI / DVI / VGA adapters are less than $10.
- neeks 12y ago
  Did they ever do anything about the audio jack? I always thought it was wack how they not only forced you to buy a dongle, but also a 3.55m to rca cable.
  - anmilo 12y ago
    Some mini-dp to HDMI adapters also pass audio through (including I believe the Apple branded one as well as one I bought after confirming reviews on Amazon), but I've also bought a couple that do not
- DinkMeeker 12y ago
  Not if you buy them from Apple.
mumrah 12y ago
Part of the point of things like Chromecast is to avoid having to hook things up to a TV.
- tmuir 12y ago
  But you're giving up the freedom to decide what content you consume. Chromecast is the media equivalent of AOL. I know what I want to watch/listen to, so let me decide, instead of hamstringing me with apps, or making me jump through hoops to circumvent the restrictions. Plus, if you're watching a movie, or otherwise streaming for a considerable length of time, you're on wall power anyways, so whats one more cable? Function > Form.

siculars 12y ago

Any way to send vlc to chromecast? Edit: This is great, btw. Thanks, fomojola!