Got Chromecast playback working

I completely understand, I still plan on trying out mpd2cc, but I’d have to spend some time figuring it out and setting it up, I currently run a standard Volumio image.

The Android shortcut is a nice solution, thanks for the info!

I don’t think that there any restrictions on plugins, as long as they don’t adversely affect the normal use of Volumio. Have a read here: Volumio 3 multiroom - #5 by volumio

in Volumio, you’d need to enable ssh access and then run a single install command. It’s not installed like a standard Volumio plugin. It also only works on the Volumio 3 RC images. It will not work any longer with Volumio 2 images because of the age/unsupported status of the OS. It used to work on Volumio 2 but stopped well over a year ago.

I have no interest in building a Volumio native plugin for this but I would never expect or even ask Volumio to approve a plugin that offers a free alternative to something they charge for as a premium service. That is a direct conflict with their bottom line. I have not seen the V3 plugin guidelines but I would expect there to be provisions in place for that exact kind of conflict.

I was just pointing out that Volumio has always encouraged the ‘tinkerers’ in the Community (with suitable warnings that they do so at their own risk), and I think much of it’s early success depended on adoption by such people … I like to tinker. :wink:

I think your expectations for the guidelines may well be misplaced. My link to the Snapcast plugin comment was an example of a forthcoming premium service being potentially provided by a Community plugin. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and each will appear as desirable by different types of user.

At the end of the day, what you develop is entirely up to you. :smiley:

I’ve got aChromecast with Google TV, I currently have a RPi going to a DAC. Wondering if there are any apps to see now playing info for display on the TV? I don’t want to control it as such but perhaps will try to install the normal volumio app and it should follow what’s playing?

I did connect the mini HDMI to the TV once but got a bad ground loop.

Edit: just had a quick look and couldn’t see the app on the Google Play store on the Chromecast. Guess you could sideload it, but guessing not supported.
Could just instal Tidal perhaps but probably a bit pointless

Cheers

Hello.

I also have the Chromecast with Google TV.

I managed to side load the official Volumio App. Which is good enough to show what’s playing, but terrible to use.
Some one is developing a new app for Android Auto (I think) which I also gave a go. And while it had many issues it showed some promise for the chromecast. I haven’t got around to trying either for a while though.
I also tried to find a web browser app, but none of them would resolve a local site/IP so I was stuck there as well.

I did start a separate thread for the Chromecast with TV, but nothing interesting to report. Phone/tablet is still king :slightly_smiling_face:

Thanks, it’s interesting but decided no point as I only use volumio with the RPI 4 , which feeds my rme adi2 fs via USB, then balanced XLR to active monitors. All works sweet and control on phone and webpage app.

On that note, it’s probably easier having a volumio web browser open on the Google/smart TV, and wouldn’t you see what’s playing then?

That was the simplest solution I thought of, but so far I have not succeeded.

I believe with the full Volumio subscription it opens up another set of api/html stuff so you could then have a remote page pointing your Chromecast back to your local Volumio install.

But at my last attempt I did not find a Chromecast browser that would resolve an internal web address/IP which I thought would have been easy. They all look external first.

If you find one, let me know :slightly_smiling_face:

Hi

Have just installed this from github and was hoping it could act as a replacement for Volumios built in chromecast support.

However as soon as I select a cast device from the web UI the track status changes to paused in the volumio UI. The current track will play on the chromecast, but no further tracks will play unless the queue is cleared and the chromecast device is set to Disabled.

I am running the latest version of volumio (3.378).

Logs below.

volumio@volumio:~$ python3 /home/volumio/mpd2chromecast/mpd2chromecast.py
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Platform is identified as Volumio
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Config file is /home/volumio/.mpd2chromecast
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Detected update to /home/volumio/.mpd2chromecast
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Loading config from /home/volumio/.mpd2chromecast
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Config [{‘castDevice’: ‘Kitchen speaker’, ‘castMode’: ‘direct’}]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:09 2022 Starting MPD File Agent

Sat Nov 5 16:14:10 2022 Connecting to MPD…
Sat Nov 5 16:14:10 2022 Current Track://
Sat Nov 5 16:14:10 2022 MPD (play) vol:N/A 0:12/4:57 [04%]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:10 2022 Looking up Cast Device [Kitchen speaker]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:10 2022 Getting cast device object

Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 Current Track://
Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 MPD (play) vol:N/A 0:13/4:57 [04%]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 Failed to get cast device status… 1/20
Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 Kitchen speaker (none) [file] vol:N/A 0:00/0:00 [00%]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 Casting URL:http://streaming-qobuz-std.akamaized.net:80/file?xxxx
{‘content_type’: ‘audio/mp3’, ‘title’: ‘’, ‘autoplay’: True, ‘metadata’: {‘metadataType’: 3, ‘artist’: ‘’, ‘albumName’: ‘’}}
Sat Nov 5 16:14:11 2022 Pausing MPD (initial cast)

Sat Nov 5 16:14:12 2022 Current Track://
Sat Nov 5 16:14:12 2022 MPD (pause) vol:N/A 0:00/4:57 [00%]
Sat Nov 5 16:14:12 2022 Kitchen speaker (play) [file] vol:N/A 0:00/4:57 [00%]

Whats happening here is that you are playing an external stream and it treats it like a radio station. It doesn’t try to play that stream locally like it would with a locally stored track. So its a once-off casting and that’s what you then experience.

For normal local file playback, it detects the local playback kicking in, pauses it (as you’ve seen), casts a local URL to the CC and when it detects the CC playing, it unpauses the local playback and seeks it to about 1-2 seconds behind the CC. The local playback is then monitored every second to detect track/playlist changes and the like to keep the two in sync.

To make this script work correctly with the likes of Qobuz and other external track-streaming sources, I’d have to use the monitoring of the CC playback itself to detect it stopped and use that as the trigger for casting the next entry in the Volumio playlist. I’ll take a look at this if I get some spare time in the coming weeks.

For now, maybe cast from the Qobuz app directly to the CC.

Thanks for the quick reply and detailed explanation.

Happy to test any changes / updates you make should you require it.

is it possible to use this to display the Peppy plug in with the VU meters?