2013-07-24, 21:02
(2013-07-24, 20:51)NotShorty Wrote: Supported media types
https://developers.google.com/cast/suppo...edia_types
Quote:All Google Cast devices at a minimum support the following media types
2013-07-24, 21:33
Gotta be asked!
It would make the cheapest(?) smallest and simplest XBMC platform!
It would make the cheapest(?) smallest and simplest XBMC platform!
2013-07-24, 21:39
I doubt it. It runs a streamlined ChromeOS, not android, so I doubt it will be open.
2013-07-24, 21:58
(2013-07-24, 21:02)sialivi Wrote:(2013-07-24, 20:51)NotShorty Wrote: Supported media types
https://developers.google.com/cast/suppo...edia_types
Quote:All Google Cast devices at a minimum support the following media types
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my .mkv with DTS won't play on the $35 dongle out of the box ;-)
Edit: if you're saying that's still worth adding support because of future hardware being capable of more than these "minimum" requirements, then I agree.
2013-07-24, 22:05
Hope this takes off as the android Airplay alternative. Some sort of universal android Airplay functionality was the last thing holding me back from Google owning my life.
Can't see this replacing a proper HTPC, but I can see the protocol being implemented into XBMC much like Airplay, DLNA, etc.
Can't see this replacing a proper HTPC, but I can see the protocol being implemented into XBMC much like Airplay, DLNA, etc.
2013-07-25, 00:01
Seems like everyone is looking at this from a different angle... either replacing the XBMC device itself, or as a method for XBMC sending video to a TV. But to me the more interesting aspect is that Airplay replacement. If XBMC could be a ChromeCast receiver, there's a lot of power in that. There aren't good solutions for Airplay on Android or PC devices... and DRM locks on Apple iOS devices are pretty restrictive. It'd be nice to be able to stream HBOgo from my android device to xbmc.
2013-07-25, 00:18
xbmc as a chromecast receiver seems like the most likely option this could be the open source airplay
2013-07-25, 00:41
I'm seeing it the other way around, add the option to send the content from the Android XBMC app to the chromecast like the youtube demo but instead load local url's, so you will use any android device to browse your xbmc library using the already developed xbmc for android and just play it on the tv
in other words XBMC for android being the sender and not the receiver
I was looking at the chromecast demos on github and it doesnt look that hard to do at first sight
also this will enable to use any android phone or tablet no matter what specs they have since the phone or table wont do the decoding just point chromecast to the right file
in other words XBMC for android being the sender and not the receiver
I was looking at the chromecast demos on github and it doesnt look that hard to do at first sight
also this will enable to use any android phone or tablet no matter what specs they have since the phone or table wont do the decoding just point chromecast to the right file
2013-07-25, 01:24
I registered to post the email I received from Google regarding mkv files:
googleplay-support@Google.com Wrote:Hi **********,
Thank you for contacting Google Play! It was my pleasure assisting you today.
As discussed on the phone, you will be able to cast mkv videos.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reply directly to this email. Also, you can visit our help center at:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/?hl=en&authuser=0
Thank you,
Ashley
The Google Play Support Team
2013-07-25, 01:51
Frankly, the idea of shooting video from XBMC to this dongle doesn't especially excite me. Mostly because that's not what XBMC is really for. XBMC can act as a tablet interface, but it remains primarily designed as a 10-foot interface. It was never intended to be a desktop or laptop interface.
With that said, if this little device supports acting as a UPnP receiver, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to include it in the list for our GSOC UPnP project. But dealing with an entirely new protocol to deal with this single device sure feels like a waste of time at the moment. Maybe people will end up buying 100 million of them and it'll make more sense. Until then, I wouldn't hold my breath.
If they don't sell 100 million dongles, the most interesting thing to me remains using the protocol to make XBMC a receiver for airplay-like content from all mobile apps, not just those that come from Apple. That could also be virtually impossible though, as it certainly seems like XBMC would need an integrated web browser, which we don't have. It might be feasible in Android or possibly Linux, where software does a much better job of talking to each other, but it'd potentially be pretty tricky anywhere else.
With that said, if this little device supports acting as a UPnP receiver, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to include it in the list for our GSOC UPnP project. But dealing with an entirely new protocol to deal with this single device sure feels like a waste of time at the moment. Maybe people will end up buying 100 million of them and it'll make more sense. Until then, I wouldn't hold my breath.
If they don't sell 100 million dongles, the most interesting thing to me remains using the protocol to make XBMC a receiver for airplay-like content from all mobile apps, not just those that come from Apple. That could also be virtually impossible though, as it certainly seems like XBMC would need an integrated web browser, which we don't have. It might be feasible in Android or possibly Linux, where software does a much better job of talking to each other, but it'd potentially be pretty tricky anywhere else.
2013-07-25, 02:22
I really like the idea of XBMC being a Chromecast receiver - just as Airplay is for Apple devices, Chromecast will probably become the same thing for Android and other Google products. Apart from DLNA and Airplay emulators, there aren't any other method to broadcast local data on your TV from Android devices (correct me if I'm wrong). Although currently it isn't possible to do local streaming with the Chromecast, I doubt that it will take very long for someone to figure it out.
I guess we'll have to wait until someone gets their hands on one of these, to see if it's even possible to root or has the specs to suit XBMC.
I guess we'll have to wait until someone gets their hands on one of these, to see if it's even possible to root or has the specs to suit XBMC.
2013-07-25, 03:14
Adding the Chromecast API/protocol to XBMC (aka Chromecast Receiver) to sit alongside Airplay for iOS devices and DLNA for everything else seems like the best solution. Chromecast is basically Miracast mk2, and maybe Google will get it right second time around.
Although I disagree with Nate about the number of sales of Chromecast devices being that important - it's the sales numbers for the "transmitters" that is more important as that's your potential audience when supporting this feature, and those numbers are likely to be in the hundreds of millions (there may soon be millions of potential users assuming Chromecast support is included as a 4.3 upgrade for existing tablets and phones). Nobody questions how many AppleTV devices have been sold when considering the importance of Airplay support in XBMC - the existence of AppleTV is largely irrelevant in that context as far as XBMC is concerned, it's the number of iPhones, iPads and iPods in use that are important.
Though I can't see why I would want to stream content from my local LAN via an Android tablet (or phone) running an "XBMC app" to display on a Chromecast dongle, as you can view this content today with an XBMC client without Chromecast in the mix. However if the Android XBMC app adds such functionality that's external to XBMC itself so not something I'm overly concerned about. I do wonder though what XBMC client the app will be communicating with in order to retrieve the library details when the only client device is a Chromecast - kinda suggests there still has to be an XBMC client somewhere on the network, maybe an XBMC Server will exist by then. Altogether more work than it's worth, perhaps?
Although I disagree with Nate about the number of sales of Chromecast devices being that important - it's the sales numbers for the "transmitters" that is more important as that's your potential audience when supporting this feature, and those numbers are likely to be in the hundreds of millions (there may soon be millions of potential users assuming Chromecast support is included as a 4.3 upgrade for existing tablets and phones). Nobody questions how many AppleTV devices have been sold when considering the importance of Airplay support in XBMC - the existence of AppleTV is largely irrelevant in that context as far as XBMC is concerned, it's the number of iPhones, iPads and iPods in use that are important.
Though I can't see why I would want to stream content from my local LAN via an Android tablet (or phone) running an "XBMC app" to display on a Chromecast dongle, as you can view this content today with an XBMC client without Chromecast in the mix. However if the Android XBMC app adds such functionality that's external to XBMC itself so not something I'm overly concerned about. I do wonder though what XBMC client the app will be communicating with in order to retrieve the library details when the only client device is a Chromecast - kinda suggests there still has to be an XBMC client somewhere on the network, maybe an XBMC Server will exist by then. Altogether more work than it's worth, perhaps?
2013-07-25, 07:06
Apparently the Chromecast dongle is based on the Marvell DE3005 SoC.
There's not much on the web about this part, not even on the Marvell website, but presumably it's from the same Armada 1000 Series as the DE3010 (pdf), and all SoCs in the Armada 1000 Series are built using the 1GHz+ Sheeva PJ1 ARM core which is based on ARMv5/ARM9 architecture, so a generation prior to (but, according to AnandTech, comparable with) the Raspberry Pi (ARMv6/ARM11). The Armada 1000 Series has hardware acceleration for audio and video decode, but running XBMC on this device, or anything more taxing than media playback? Seems like a pretty remote possibility.
The DE3010 is a dual-core part, and I wouldn't be surprised if the DE3005 is only a single core.
It looks like it also has a 2GB NAND, not sure about DRAM.
There's not much on the web about this part, not even on the Marvell website, but presumably it's from the same Armada 1000 Series as the DE3010 (pdf), and all SoCs in the Armada 1000 Series are built using the 1GHz+ Sheeva PJ1 ARM core which is based on ARMv5/ARM9 architecture, so a generation prior to (but, according to AnandTech, comparable with) the Raspberry Pi (ARMv6/ARM11). The Armada 1000 Series has hardware acceleration for audio and video decode, but running XBMC on this device, or anything more taxing than media playback? Seems like a pretty remote possibility.
The DE3010 is a dual-core part, and I wouldn't be surprised if the DE3005 is only a single core.
It looks like it also has a 2GB NAND, not sure about DRAM.
