Why are there recent Macs without HDMI ports? You'd think that would be ubiquitous by now.
What does that have to do with anything? Chromecast isn't an HDMI port competitor...
Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
31–38 of 38 posts
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 . 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 po…
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 See https://github.com/maherbeg/mkvcast/blob/master/lib/controll... for the parameters to use.
Thanks for the reference! This looks like just what I need.
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 . 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 po…
It's a better experience when you're dealing with a complete file and not an in-progress transcode anyways. With a file you can seek and pause/resume. That's much, much harder with a stream (if at all possible). The other trick is that the Chromecast does some poking around in the stream to figure out the total time. This requires that you support Range requests and return correct Content-Length headers.
Thanks for the tips. I will look into the headers and see if I can't implement the range quests and content-length headers correctly, it doesn't seem like it should be that difficult.
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#34Any way to send vlc to chromecast?
Edit: This is great, btw. Thanks, fomojola!
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#35Why are there recent Macs without HDMI ports? You'd think that would be ubiquitous by now.
Part of the point of things like Chromecast is to avoid having to hook things up to a TV.
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.
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#36Why are there recent Macs without HDMI ports? You'd think that would be ubiquitous by now.
What does that have to do with anything? Chromecast isn't an HDMI port competitor...
Oh, come on. Chromecast is a way to display PC content on a TV. An HDMI cable allows you to display PC content on your TV.
Perhaps you mean't Chromecast doesn't compete very well with HDMI?
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mini-Displayport to HDMI / DVI / VGA adapters are less than $10.
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.
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
Re: Show HN: BigScreen sends pictures and music from OS X to ChromeCast
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
What does that have to do with anything? Chromecast isn't an HDMI port competitor...
Oh, come on. Chromecast is a way to display PC content on a TV. An HDMI cable allows you to display PC content on your TV. Perhaps you mean't Chromecast doesn't compete very well with HDMI?
No, I meant that chromecast's value proposition isn't "if you don't have an HDMI port, you can use this to watch things!", so I don't understand the comment about Macs and HDMI ports. My computer has an HDMI port and I wouldn't dream of that making my chromecast redundant.