Chromecast support

[Topken]

Possible to add Google chromecast support either through the core or a plugin in the future?

[Batter Pudding]

Have you checked up on what Chromecast is? I doubt this is gonna be something for Winamp unless Google write their own DRM controlled Winamp Plugin. This is DRM heavy and there are some heavy restrictions on even just the SDK for this. It is not going to be a simple plugin that someone can knock up in their spare time.

[rockouthippie]

I ordered one of these, it was back ordered until September. I've read some stuff about these. Basically, the Chromecast runs a browser which mirrors the browser on another machine, smartphone or tablet. If it detects Youtube or html5 video, your browser gives a button that causes the Chromecast to scrub the link out of the page and start playing the video on the TV.

But it won't natively play shoutcast streams. At least I doubt it will. Android won't. It will play mp4 video and mp3 audio in <video> and <audio> html5 tags.

It probably wouldn't be that hard to get this to work given there is already an Android app.

Hackers have already rooted one. They say it looks like Android mixed with Chrome.

[wonderbrawl]

Just to let you know that there is a viable workaround that has worked flawlessly for me so far. You need Google Chrome and Chrome Remote Desktop extension. Once you've set up your Chrome Remote Desktop, make sure that you allow your computer to be remotely accessed. Weirdly, you are allowed to "remotely" access the same computer that you are using (i.e. the local and remote computer is one and the same) and then you can cast that tab to the Chromecast. Then you can open Winamp, turn off your PC speakers (but don't mute Windows obviously) and because Chrome Remote Desktop shares your audio output too, the sound will come out of the TV with the Chromecast.

Unfortunately, this is only any good for Audio, as video output on a casted tab of Remote Desktop is poor quality, so it isn't any good for the visualiser, etc.

So, to re-iterate

1. Install Chrome Remote Desktop for Google Chrome
2. Set up access to and from your PC (and don't forget the PIN/Password you'll need)
3. Access your PC using the same PC (hence, infinite desktops)
4. Cast the remote dekstop tab to the Chromecast
5. Mute/turn off the PC Speakers but not Windows audio
6. Play Winamp.

[Victhor]

Selfmirror desktops.. Good, clever

[Glysterine]

I am a mobile karaoke jockey and was looking for a way to chromecast my second screen of lyrics. Rolling up and untangling 50 feet of RCA cable every few days is not fun and my vga to rca converters with loop outs keep dying (the only one you can find these days overheats if run for the typical karaoke set). They won't be selling those forever, so i buy them in pairs, and I don't want to pay for 50 feet of hdmi (if that can even be done without a distribution amplifier). Chrome's remote desktop should definitely be able to handle two or three colors of text and a black background.

[MrSinatra]

there are apps and even plugins that grant winamp direct access to airplay.

I hope some dev who wants it for himself figures out the SDK to enable a plugin for winamp to stream to the device, b/c that would be a great way to wirelessly stream audio (and maybe the vis stuff too) to any HDMI input. that would be pretty neat and quite a boon for winamp. (and one would think their WfA app would benefit from it too)

[cclambie]

Would love Chromecast plugin so +1 support for this.

Question:
Would you suppport a Dev fund to do it?
Eg. Kickstarter style fund to raise say $250 to investigate and build this plugin?

I would happily manage this, and have a couple of Developers I work with in mind that I could contract to do it.

(I am a IT project manager) I for example would happily pay $10 towards this, so just need 24 other people like me to make it happen?
Interest? PM me and if I get the interest, I will create kickstarter and make it happen.

The SDK is out there, so just needs to be worked out.

[irajacobs]

Originally Posted by wonderbrawl

1. Install Chrome Remote Desktop for Google Chrome
2. Set up access to and from your PC (and don't forget the PIN/Password you'll need)
3. Access your PC using the same PC (hence, infinite desktops)
4. Cast the remote dekstop tab to the Chromecast
5. Mute/turn off the PC Speakers but not Windows audio
6. Play Winamp.

Haha, make sure you do number 5, or you get an ECHO Echo echo

You get a stupid image on the tv, but the audio is great! Thanks a lot wonderbrawl.

[twosevens]

It's now possible to display the entire content of your desktop via Chromecast, which means you can cast content hosted in applications outside Chrome, such as Winamp, to your television.

Just click the Cast button in Chrome and click the small triangle in the top-right corner. Pick the "Cast entire screen (experimental)" option, then select your Chromecast and you'll be asked if you "want Google Cast to then share your screen". Click OK and there you go. Works perfectly for me.

[MrSinatra]

I assume it sends the audio as well?

I wonder if it would work with the amazon firestick?

[twosevens]

Originally Posted by MrSinatra

I assume it sends the audio as well?

I wonder if it would work with the amazon firestick?

Yes, it sends the audio.

Don't know about the firestick.

[Benski]

You could probably make an output plugin that sends the audio to the chromecast.

[Wordsmythe]

This quest has been the holy grail for me since I have not found anything to replace WinAmp which has the functionality I have come to expect. Unfortunately, I'm afraid WinAmp has turned into a program which has been largely abandoned, so it is up to us, the FANATICS, to make it work with new technology.

When I first looked at the Chromecast Audio dongles, it was with the intention of adding synchronized audio to speakers throughout my home, all powered by WinAmp audio. I was hoping to replicate a SONOS-type system with my household WIFI using existing amplified speakers.

I have a low power 1.6ghz thin client PC dedicated to playing music from a couple large USB flash drives using WinAmp with a crossfading plugin and a volume DSP. It has been my personal radio station at my home and my office since the early 2000s, playing 24/7/365 without a single commercial. This is nothing cutting edge, but I have literally used it for years and it works so well.

I first tried Chromecast Audio dongles using WinAmp and the Chrome browser to mirror the desktop audio to the Chromecast and the results were disappointing. I was not able to make it work with the Chromecast Audio dongles, but I did have some success with the regular Chromecast units, but the overhead to make it work with audio/video was more than the computer and my network could handle.

Then I tried TVersity Screen Mirror for the audio and that worked, but had a bit of a chop, every now and then, which was annoying and the computer overhead to run WinAmp, TVersity and Chrome was close to maxing out my little computer.

The best solution I found to this problem to date has been AirParrot 2. It bypasses the need for the Chrome browser and doesn't take a lot of machine resources to work. Basically it mirrors and streams all the audio or audio/video to any Chromecast as well as other similar devices. They have a free demo and a single license is less than a pizza.

The audio quality is very good and seems to be synchronized. It allows my WinAmp crossfading plugin to provide near professional mixed audio to any audio device with a AUX input.

My only concern is that Google has been known to update these dongles and sometimes break their functionality with third party solutions, but so far, so good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I can now wirelessly stream WinAmp through my home using Chromecast Audio and with the addition of WinAmp Playa Control plugin, I can control many features of WinAmp right from my Android phone and my Android tablet. Very cool!

If anyone is interested in the names of the WinAmp plugins I use to make this work, please respond here. I believe they are all still available online and free with the exception of Air Parrot 2.

Enjoy!

[Miezekeks]

maybe :
https://github.com/acidhax/chromecas...ster/README.md

[Wordsmythe]

I tried this on a couple Win7 machines and I was never able to get it to work.

I would get the chime that it was connected, but then it would never start playing.

I tried several different possible "fixes" as outlined online and still ended up with nothing.

Has anyone had success with this?

[tim_kov]

Originally Posted by Wordsmythe

I tried this on a couple Win7 machines and I was never able to get it to work.

I would get the chime that it was connected, but then it would never start playing.

I tried several different possible "fixes" as outlined online and still ended up with nothing.

Has anyone had success with this?

I did as well and have informed myself about it a lot. However, no luck for now

[Wordsmythe]

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, AirParrot 2 has been the only solution that I have found that's easily installed and really works.

I have even been able to take advantage of the Chromecast Audio's ability to play synchronized audio with multiple Chromecasts and fill my home with synchronized audio originating from a single, low power PC running WinAmp and a few plugins.

Maybe someday WinAmp will incorporate this ability, but in the meantime this will work with Chromecast (video) dongles, Chromecast Audio dongles, and even Apple TV and AirPlay.

If anyone finds another solution that works, please let us know!

[DJ-Garybaldy]

We use Google Chrome on Windows or MK Chromecast on Linux

With Google Chrome you need to "Cast the desktop" audio and all and then you should have music playing on the Chromecast. That's literally all their is to it.

I use RadioDJ to play my music.

[MrSinatra]

i like the Playa control, but aWAR is to me the best remote control for winamp.

does your crossfader plugin do beat mixing or why do u use it instead of the built in one? which one do u use?

[Wordsmythe]

I have never used aWAR, but I will certainly look into it.

After seeing a previously post about RadioDJ, I took a look at it and while it seems more powerful as it is more database oriented, I felt it was overkill for my purposes and it looks like crossfades need to be set manually for each song, which is next to impossible with 10s of thousands of files.

The crossfade plugin I find more suitable is SqrSoft Advanced Crossfading. It crossfades in real time on the fly without setting custom points for each song.

The crossfade 'trigger' is based on audio levels rather than time, so songs which fade out slowly will have more of a crossfade than songs which end abruptly. Also, you can set minimum and maximum crossfade times.

The plugin comes with a few presets to get your feet wet and, with a little trial and error, you can set it to crossfade like a professional DJ. The presets also help with different types of music... just play with it until you get what you want with the type of music you listen to. (I can give you the settings I use, if you're interested.)

The problem with many audio players which crossfade is they want to use a set amount of time globally to crossfade all audio files. Often time it fails miserably.

I use crossfaded music it for background music both at home and the office and I find the gaps between songs distracting so I want a continuous flow and SqrSoft does that.

Note that it does NOT do beat matching, but that is not important for what I use it for. (I'm not making dance mixes, I just want a non-stop radio station which plays what I want to hear without ads, talk or promos.)

I hope this helps.

Wordsmythe

[DJ-Garybaldy]

Originally Posted by Wordsmythe

After seeing a previously post about RadioDJ, I took a look at it and while it seems more powerful as it is more database oriented, I felt it was overkill for my purposes and it looks like crossfades need to be set manually for each song, which is next to impossible with 10s of thousands of files.

Not at all RadioDJ sets the intro and outro points of a track on Import. (OK so its 99.9% fool proof the odd song may still need tweaking) on the whole cue points should be done automatically.

Yes its got a database that's one of its big plus points. If you backup everyday you never lose all of your songs.

Our database is approaching 3 years old and its rare I have to do any maintenance on it (unless there's a power cut and it needs repairing)

The problem with many audio players which crossfade is they want to use a set amount of time globally to crossfade all audio files. Often time it fails miserably.

I find RadioDJ crossfades amazingly at times Its all about knowing the correct settings

There's no reason to be afraid of a program that needs a database!

[citizencoolville]

Just do it. No BS.

The world is gonna be running on cast function apps for everything.

If your app doesn't have cast function then your app is going to die.

It's that simple. No BS.

Do it.

[StroopWafels]

I think Chromecast has nothing to do with Winamp. Chromecast already works well on its own, unless Google want it to have some features such as CD burning, ripping...

[c627627]

We have music on our laptops. We wish to play that music on Winamp, not other players, then stream that to a TV through Chromecast. [Because large TVs are connected to large speakers, which sound *much* better than laptop speakers.]

Originally Posted by StroopWafels

I think Chromecast has nothing to do with Winamp.

[audacix]

Originally Posted by MrSinatra

I assume it sends the audio as well?

I wonder if it would work with the amazon firestick?

Firestick support would be awesome!

[mturner777]

i cant believe no on has posted in 4 years. is this place dead?

[mturner777]

i didn't post that message in this forum, it was in a different one??? anyways, i have been experimenting with chrome cast methods and programs like winamp, the desktop cast works, but the music quality and sound is much degraded compared to a program like google music or you tube. any ideas??

[AusPanda]

There is a free program that will cast your audio to a chromecast dongle.
https://github.com/acidhax/chromecast-audio-stream

I found it while trying to cast internet radio stations that didn't natively have chromecast. At first I tried casting the tab in Chrome browser, but that sucked.
My experience was

1. Chrome browser cast the entire tab:

* No buffer - starts immediately
* Constant audio glitching and dropouts
* Glitching drove me crazy and could not keep using it

2. Using acidhax/chromecast-audio-stream to cast entire machine audio

* Buffers for several seconds at the start
* No glitching and no dropouts
* Very satisfactory

Seemed to me after much experimentation, that the Chrome browser casting entire tab was attempting to be real-time with no buffer. The slightest interruption caused dropouts. Using acidhax had a large buffer which solved for this.

This was tested both via wi-fi originally then via 100Mb/s Ethernet which did not help the tab-cast problem.

You could certainly use this to cast Winamp.

[Powermaniaxx]

https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/windows/

It works with winamp