5 ms·

Query your local network for Chromecasts and have them play media

128 points by albertzeyer 12y ago

Nowyouknow 12y ago
How is this different from something like BubbleuPnP or Plex? No GUI? I'm not a developer so a lot of what I see when I click through to Github is gobbledygook.
- dewey 12y ago
  It's not supposed to be a media center software, it's just casting content to Chromecasts that announce their presence in the local network.
- ohitsdom 12y ago
  The benefit of this library is being able to play media on multiple chromecasts on the same network. So using this, a developer could create a Plex-style app for casting to multiple TVs. One use case could be digital signage at an event, where you'd want to control all TVs from one console.
johladam 12y ago
That is an awesome library. It didn't see any sort of documentation, but I imagine that this does not work on a local library, correct? I believe at some point I heard that there were some DNS settings on the Chromecast that couldn't be changed? Personally, I'm really looking forward to someone creating some sort of an open-source receiver clone that I can install on my Nvidia Jetson or some other SoC. I would love to be able to use it as a (fully supported) Chromecast without the need to actually buy additional Chromecasts. I've been looking at it as a way to add decent audio and video control to a home automation system I'm building, but nothing is as easy as the Chromecast.
- xfalcox 12y ago
  Maybe you can create a local dns entry on your home router, of, if google sets 8.8.8.8 on chomecasts, you can pass a "http://192.168.1.2/npm-web-server/video.mp4" http://192.168.1.2/npm-web-server/video.mp4" ?
  - johladam 12y ago
    I honestly don't know how the Chromecast is set up. Would that prevent me from being able to access Google Play content? I seem to be able to Cast to Amazon FireTV sticks and PS4s, though I have no idea if they work since I don't have one, nor do I know if that even works.
- exelius 12y ago
  Unfortunately, Crestron-style systems are still the only way to go if you want a system that you don't have to babysit too much. They support wireless or wired HDMI across multiple inputs and outputs. But they're pretty expensive (a few thousand dollars per room) so most people don't bother. Something like Chromecast works ok, but there's no easy way to swap back to other inputs (e.g. a game console) without a remote. Chromecast also has some significant input lag (a second or two) when issuing commands to it.
darkstar999 12y ago
Seems like this does most of the work: https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client
- apendleton 12y ago
  There's also a fascinating (in my opinion) write-up on the wire protocol, which was presumably reverse-engineered for this library: https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2#protocol-description https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2#protocol-description
xfalcox 12y ago
What you guys think about pairing this awesome lib with github electron and creating a local local library desktop app? Like a mini-plex!
- freeall 12y ago
  We created this actually. It's called Playback. https://github.com/mafintosh/playback https://github.com/mafintosh/playback
gregwtmtno 12y ago
See also castnow, which is a node based chromecast client. https://github.com/xat/castnow https://github.com/xat/castnow
mailslut 12y ago
Can anyone tell whether with this the Chromecast still needs to have an internet connection to work? In applications like digital signage would just want the Chromecast on a LAN - not with internet access. I've had to roll my own stuff because of that limitation, which runs on a Raspberry PI plugged into the display. Would much rather have preferred to have a single Raspberry PI serving the content, and multiple chromecasts plugged into displays.
- mafintosh 12y ago
  it should work without internet connection
  - hackmiester 12y ago
    Yes, I agree. But does it? It has not, in my experience, worked this way with other applications. Does it with this one? edit: Oops, you are the creator... haha. I will now insert my foot in my mouth.
  - _lce0 12y ago
    I think you are talking about the posted project. The CC itself will refuse to boot without an internet connection .. Once it booted, it provides a limited offline functionality; if it requires to load `appID` from the internet, and it's not connected: it will block Also since last February update, you need an internet connection to stream local content .. I'm sorry Dave, you cant do that
    - pavel_lishin 12y ago
      > Also since last February update, you need an internet connection to stream local content .. I assume it phones home to Google?
      - _lce0 12y ago
        Yep. In order to develop for the platform, you need to register your application[0], and your device[1]. Also you cannot even run your own application without getting google's approval[2], which costs $5.. Then, at runtime, the device will first validate that the app you are trying to run was validated, sending the `AppID` to google. 0: https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#RegisterApp https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#Registe... 1: https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#RegisterDevice https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#Registe... 2: https://cast.google.com/publish/ https://cast.google.com/publish/
d0ugie 12y ago
Nice! So, nodejs on Android to run this from my phone, would I want this? https://github.com/ldesegur/nodejs-android https://github.com/ldesegur/nodejs-android
asw13 12y ago
as
platz 12y ago
also http://greenscreen.io/ http://greenscreen.io/
NeutronBoy 12y ago
This seems like a great start of having an alternative to Airplay, particularly the ability to discover all local Chromecasts, and play media to them selectively. Would be interesting to see if any latency issues popup in regards to media 'start' times.

128 points by albertzeyer 12y ago

How is this different from something like BubbleuPnP or Plex? No GUI? I'm not a developer so a lot of what I see when I click through to Github is gobbledygook.

dewey 12y ago
It's not supposed to be a media center software, it's just casting content to Chromecasts that announce their presence in the local network.
ohitsdom 12y ago
The benefit of this library is being able to play media on multiple chromecasts on the same network. So using this, a developer could create a Plex-style app for casting to multiple TVs. One use case could be digital signage at an event, where you'd want to control all TVs from one console.

johladam 12y ago

That is an awesome library. It didn't see any sort of documentation, but I imagine that this does not work on a local library, correct? I believe at some point I heard that there were some DNS settings on the Chromecast that couldn't be changed? Personally, I'm really looking forward to someone creating some sort of an open-source receiver clone that I can install on my Nvidia Jetson or some other SoC. I would love to be able to use it as a (fully supported) Chromecast without the need to actually buy additional Chromecasts. I've been looking at it as a way to add decent audio and video control to a home automation system I'm building, but nothing is as easy as the Chromecast.

xfalcox 12y ago
Maybe you can create a local dns entry on your home router, of, if google sets 8.8.8.8 on chomecasts, you can pass a "http://192.168.1.2/npm-web-server/video.mp4" http://192.168.1.2/npm-web-server/video.mp4" ?
- johladam 12y ago
  I honestly don't know how the Chromecast is set up. Would that prevent me from being able to access Google Play content? I seem to be able to Cast to Amazon FireTV sticks and PS4s, though I have no idea if they work since I don't have one, nor do I know if that even works.
exelius 12y ago
Unfortunately, Crestron-style systems are still the only way to go if you want a system that you don't have to babysit too much. They support wireless or wired HDMI across multiple inputs and outputs. But they're pretty expensive (a few thousand dollars per room) so most people don't bother. Something like Chromecast works ok, but there's no easy way to swap back to other inputs (e.g. a game console) without a remote. Chromecast also has some significant input lag (a second or two) when issuing commands to it.

darkstar999 12y ago

Seems like this does most of the work: https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2-client

apendleton 12y ago
There's also a fascinating (in my opinion) write-up on the wire protocol, which was presumably reverse-engineered for this library: https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2#protocol-description https://github.com/thibauts/node-castv2#protocol-description

xfalcox 12y ago

What you guys think about pairing this awesome lib with github electron and creating a local local library desktop app? Like a mini-plex!

freeall 12y ago
We created this actually. It's called Playback. https://github.com/mafintosh/playback https://github.com/mafintosh/playback

gregwtmtno 12y ago

See also castnow, which is a node based chromecast client. https://github.com/xat/castnow https://github.com/xat/castnow

mailslut 12y ago

Can anyone tell whether with this the Chromecast still needs to have an internet connection to work? In applications like digital signage would just want the Chromecast on a LAN - not with internet access. I've had to roll my own stuff because of that limitation, which runs on a Raspberry PI plugged into the display. Would much rather have preferred to have a single Raspberry PI serving the content, and multiple chromecasts plugged into displays.

mafintosh 12y ago
it should work without internet connection
- hackmiester 12y ago
  Yes, I agree. But does it? It has not, in my experience, worked this way with other applications. Does it with this one? edit: Oops, you are the creator... haha. I will now insert my foot in my mouth.
- _lce0 12y ago
  I think you are talking about the posted project. The CC itself will refuse to boot without an internet connection .. Once it booted, it provides a limited offline functionality; if it requires to load `appID` from the internet, and it's not connected: it will block Also since last February update, you need an internet connection to stream local content .. I'm sorry Dave, you cant do that
  - pavel_lishin 12y ago
    > Also since last February update, you need an internet connection to stream local content .. I assume it phones home to Google?
    - _lce0 12y ago
      Yep. In order to develop for the platform, you need to register your application[0], and your device[1]. Also you cannot even run your own application without getting google's approval[2], which costs $5.. Then, at runtime, the device will first validate that the app you are trying to run was validated, sending the `AppID` to google. 0: https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#RegisterApp https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#Registe... 1: https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#RegisterDevice https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/registration#Registe... 2: https://cast.google.com/publish/ https://cast.google.com/publish/

d0ugie 12y ago

Nice! So, nodejs on Android to run this from my phone, would I want this? https://github.com/ldesegur/nodejs-android https://github.com/ldesegur/nodejs-android

asw13 12y ago

platz 12y ago

also http://greenscreen.io/ http://greenscreen.io/

NeutronBoy 12y ago

This seems like a great start of having an alternative to Airplay, particularly the ability to discover all local Chromecasts, and play media to them selectively. Would be interesting to see if any latency issues popup in regards to media 'start' times.