Chromecast (1 Viewer)

[Arturas1976]

So all them are controllers as remote is. Something we mess here serious [DOUBLEPOST=1374837458][/DOUBLEPOST]I personally see this thing as airplay on android and some goodies plus. But the use cases are really various and we can not forget Android sticks from china also
BTW chromecast functionality will be integrated in Google TV, so this is just a start position. So I would prefer to put some fantasy on solutions scenarios building and we could fill those MP single platform gaps to get more people join this super HTPC platform.

In this way I would like to thank Oxan for his great job in such convergence possibilities for other platforms and will hope for his talented input on Cast functionality usage.

 

[Oxan]

That is already developed for android. There are numerous controllers for android. It supports keyboards, bluetooth controllers, IR remotes, Mice. If you go onto youtube you can see lots of videos with different devices controlling android dongles.

Ah, so you still have three way communication: keyboard/IR-remote/mice/bluetooth-controller <--> Android Dongle <--> MPExtended. That reduces the difference with the Chromecast to two points: the input type ('conventional' remote vs phone/tablet) and where the app runs (the remote vs the dongle).

Personally, I think the chromecast wins on both points: I'd much rather use a clueful phone/tablet which can show information and adapt to the context as remote than a conventional remote, and running the app on the remote makes it possible to have different preferences for everyone. However, others can have different preferences and thus want a different solution, and that's fine. However, that doesn't make the other solution better by definition (as you say).

Also, what is already developed isn't relevant for this discussion. Adding Chromecast support to aMPdroid and/or WebMP is quite easy and will probably happen soonin the not too distant future.

 

[kiwijunglist]

Anything that can be done on chromecast could be done on an android dongle. No one needs to develop the interface between android <-> keyboard/mice/bluetooth controller etc.. it's already developed. No need to re-invent the wheel

 

[Arturas1976]

Kiwi, sorry, but you really miss some attractiveness

 

[SiLenTYL]

so.. angry birds on my big screen tv?

as for watching movies etc, i can see chromecast being a step in the right direction, but am i restricted to only be able to use a phone/tablet to control it? id much rather a proper MCE remote, like i currently use.

 

[kiwijunglist]

Kiwi, sorry, but you really miss some attractiveness

I don't even know what this means? But if I offended you then sorry. This is what I have been trying to tell you, it might be the language barrier that is confusing the message. I am not interested in discussing it further.

 

[SiLenTYL]

Wouldn't this simply replace the need for multiseat clients? Sure the main PC (with a TV tuner) is still needed, but you won't need an entire 2nd PC in another room. Of course u would lose the awesome skins

Oxan has some work to do!

 

[Arturas1976]

Exactly also could such solution be used when you get outside - going to parents and show them your MP stuff on their TV, to see video on friends TV etc.[DOUBLEPOST=1374920325][/DOUBLEPOST]Also another scenario if MP could take Cast role - party mode for youtube/spotify or local music could be made.

 

[Oxan]

I don't even know what this means? But if I offended you then sorry.

I think he meant that you miss (dont understand) the attractiveness of the Chromecast, he just phrased it poorly. I tend to agree with him though.

Let me explain the why for the last time with a fancy *ugh* ASCII-art. The traditional setup is as follows:

Controller
(IR-remote /
 aMPdroid /   ------------> MediaPortal ---------------> TV
 keyboard /
 mouse)

However, this has the big downside that you need to have an HTPC coupled with each PC. If you've multiple TVs, that gets expensive quickly.

If you use an Android dongle (like you suggested), you get a setup like this.

							 MPExtended
								  ^
								  |
Controller						  |
(IR-remote /					  v
 keyboard /   ------------> Android dongle ------------> TV
 mouse /
 bluetooth)

With the Chromecast, your setup looks like this:

	   /-----> MPExtended -----\
	   |					   |
	   v					   |
Controller					   v
(phone /	  <-----------> Chromecast ----------------> TV
 tablet)

It looks a bit more complicated, but it isn't. The user interface (i.e. aMPdroid) moves from your android dongle to your phone. The only added complexity is that the Chromecast does the playback instead of the controller, but that's taken care of by Google (i.e. the MPExtended -> Chromecast link is already developed by them). The missing link is Controller -> Chromecast, which is easy to implement.

The big advantage of this setup is that it's cheap ($35), easy-to-setup (you plug in the Chromecast and you're done) and it's generic. You're not bound to MP with this setup, you can just as easy fire up Netflix or YouTube. You also get a context-aware smart remote (i.e. your phone) for free, which is (in my opinion) a lot easier to use than a traditional keyboard or IR-remote. That's why I think the Chromecast is superior compared to existing alternatives.

So far my last post on the why, let's move on to the how now:

• I'm going to try to get my hands on a Chromecast. (I'm not a US citizen, so it's a bit tricky).
• I expect that we'll start by implementing a "play-on-TV" button in WebMP using the Chrome plugin, to demonstrate that it works.
• The next step would be to implement a simple API for playback control (i.e. pause, volume control, etc), so that each controller (i.e. WebMP, aMPdroid, Eve, and other remote apps) doesn't need to reinvent the wheel and only has to wire up the buttons in its own interface. I except this to be quite simple with the SDK.
• The final step would be to add the buttons to all other controllers (which requires support from the individual app developers, of course).

Help from other developers is of course welcome and much appreciated. Let me know if you're interested

 

[SiLenTYL]

If local files can be played...it might just be worth it.

The other thing is... I'm not sure how the video is decoded.. Is the data simply fed to the TV which then decodes? Or does the stick decode?

And the ultimate question.. What's the quality like?