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tharmor · 2014-07-22, 15:04

I am a big fan of XBMC but i am disappointed that i will no longer be using it.

I have chromecast and i am fed up using avia/bubbleUpnp/etc to cast hit and missed links from xbmc to my Chromecast.

I don't want to use any dedicated servers but just my mobile/tablet.

Will we ever get this feature in XBMC ?

topfs2 · 2014-07-22, 16:36

XBMC Source code is free to view on https://github.com/xbmc/ patches are very welcomed.

You just need to implement a webbrowser in xbmc and implement the protocols needed, shouldn't take long for you right?

~~Ned Scott~~ · 2014-07-23, 01:08

XBMC is meant to be used on a dedicated HTPC per TV. It's not a one-size-fits-all video solution.

**natethomas** · 2014-07-24, 23:50

(2014-07-23, 01:08)Ned Scott Wrote: XBMC is meant to be used on a dedicated HTPC per TV. It's not a one-size-fits-all video solution.

Well, fwiw, we do allow XBMC to be used in tablet form, so there's no reason we couldn't cast from it. But as topfs2 said, patches are welcome.

Piers · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-25, 00:59 by Piers.)

I think the best way to put it is;

Chromecast = backed by Google, $ everywhere.

XBMC = volunteers relying on donations and limited backing from selected sources, $ limited.

Did I get that right? ...

**natethomas** · 2014-07-25, 01:31

(2014-07-25, 00:59)Piers Wrote: I think the best way to put it is;

Chromecast = backed by Google, $ everywhere.

XBMC = volunteers relying on donations and limited backing from selected sources, $ limited.

Did I get that right? ...

Partially. With limited exceptions, money doesn't actually guarantee development. Most money is used for outreach, planning, and paperwork/legal. Development itself is done almost entirely for free. The amt of money XBMC gets in a year could just about pay for 2/3rds of the cheapest salary of a single software developer in California. So unless something drastically changes (like a Mozilla-style contract with Google), more donations probably won't help this particular issue.

What we're really lacking in is man hours. Devs are willing to freely contribute those hours, but only on projects they actively want to work on for free. And so far no dev, either within the team or from outside in the community, has stepped forward offering to work on making XBMC capable of sending or receive casts.

~~Ned Scott~~ · 2014-07-25, 01:56

How long can Google ignore UPnP* and Miracast* as a better alternative to Chromecast?

Since, those can cast video from XBMC, and sometimes the XBMC interface itself. and they've existed for years. and they work really well and generally have better support than Chromecast.

You can even get HDMI dongles that support UPnP and Miracast in the $30-40 USD price range.

*Google supports both of these formats in general, but for some reason they think the world needed a third standard that only works with a smaller subset of programs and devices.

->Insert KXCD comic here<-

prawnee · 2014-07-25, 12:42

How long can XBMC ignore Google Glass? Why haven't you got developers working on hover boards yet? Pull your fingers out!

Piers · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-26, 03:05 by Piers.)

(2014-07-25, 01:31)natethomas Wrote:
(2014-07-25, 00:59)Piers Wrote: I think the best way to put it is;

Chromecast = backed by Google, $ everywhere.

XBMC = volunteers relying on donations and limited backing from selected sources, $ limited.

Did I get that right? ...

Partially. With limited exceptions, money doesn't actually guarantee development. Most money is used for outreach, planning, and paperwork/legal. Development itself is done almost entirely for free. The amt of money XBMC gets in a year could just about pay for 2/3rds of the cheapest salary of a single software developer in California. So unless something drastically changes (like a Mozilla-style contract with Google), more donations probably won't help this particular issue.

What we're really lacking in is man hours. Devs are willing to freely contribute those hours, but only on projects they actively want to work on for free. And so far no dev, either within the team or from outside in the community, has stepped forward offering to work on making XBMC capable of sending or receive casts.

But that's sort of my point. Having the backing of Google allows developers to possibly get paid, which means they don't need free-time as they're able to work on the job full time. I know that's a vast over generalisation but it still applies.

If the XBMC developers got paid a salary then more time would, obviously, be put into development as they would then be able to afford mortgage/rent, food, bills, etc. I'm sure I'm making sense somewhere.

~~Ned Scott~~ · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-26, 06:59 by Ned Scott.)

(2014-07-26, 03:03)Piers Wrote: But that's sort of my point. Having the backing of Google allows developers to possibly get paid, which means they don't need free-time as they're able to work on the job full time. I know that's a vast over generalisation but it still applies.

If the XBMC developers got paid a salary then more time would, obviously, be put into development as they would then be able to afford mortgage/rent, food, bills, etc. I'm sure I'm making sense somewhere.

Google has actually contacted us before about XBMC on Android. They wanted to know if XBMC for Android would be stable by a certain time (this was a while back). We told them that we couldn't meet any specific deadline unless Google was willing to contract out some of the developers so they could afford to spend more time on coding XBMC. Unfortunately, they were just hoping we could do it for free, and were not willing to compensate for expedited development.

Keep in mind, that's probably just one guy in one department in a really big company, and for all we know he simply wasn't authorized to do much other than contact developers and try to make them interested in one thing or another. At the same time, that someone seemed to know that Google's media players are lacking on Android set-top-boxes and Google TV, and that XBMC could really help them expand that market. So while we'd love for this to happen, it hasn't happened so far, and not for a lack of trying.

nickr · 2014-07-26, 07:14

I really struggle to see the use case in the majority of cases. I use xbmc because I like the features, and the key feature is the look on screen. I love having it on my TV screen. It also scrapes well, has a very flexible addon system and is open source.

I can't imagine using XBMC on a tablet just to cast it onto a TV screen that is otherwise blank. I see no point in that. I can see it being useful at some times for some people, but it's not really what XBMC is about (IMHO).

But maybe my imagination is falling down somewhere.

tential · 2014-07-26, 17:51

(2014-07-26, 07:14)nickr Wrote: I really struggle to see the use case in the majority of cases. I use xbmc because I like the features, and the key feature is the look on screen. I love having it on my TV screen. It also scrapes well, has a very flexible addon system and is open source.

I can't imagine using XBMC on a tablet just to cast it onto a TV screen that is otherwise blank. I see no point in that. I can see it being useful at some times for some people, but it's not really what XBMC is about (IMHO).

But maybe my imagination is falling down somewhere.

Same. I tried to use Plex+Chromecast just to try it out since I hadn't ever used it before. I was SO disappointed. Browsing my library alone was an EXTREME disappointment. Even browsing my library on my phone/tablet on xbmc was massively faster and easier experience than using Plex+Chromecast. Not to mention I Could choose how I wanted to organize everything EXACTLY how I want it to appear.

I can't say I wouldn't use the feature or be happy about it, but I feel the REAL benefit of XBMC is seeing it on your HDTV. That's where XBMC shines and the bigger interface you use XBMC on the happier you are (at least in my experience).
It's a useful feature to have yes but I absolutely agree. It's not what XBMC is ABOUT. Not sure if I can explain it, but I Think I know how you feel.

I agree with Nedd as well. Why not just let us cast using UPnP? It's a UNIVERSAL STANDARD for crying out loud. Either way though, if we don't get support for Chromecast, I'm not going to cry about it. I'd much rather get a set top android box for $100 and have a dedicated controller to use with my HDTV. The experience of constantly having to whip my phone out, wait for it to sync to wireless and sync up with Chromecast and then be able to do actions with Plex made me irritable. Even doing it with XBMC was annoying. I much rather prefer a dedicated controller+box.

AndroidTV is what we should be looking at next and hoping XBMC can work on there. I hope they give us enough storage to use XBMC on it + other apps.

jmachine · 2014-07-28, 03:20

I just got a CCast recently, and I really like. It's killer for streaming Netflix... I've never watched Netflix with the audio encoded as AC3, which is the case with the Chromecast according to my receiver (I imagine the Win 8 app can also accomplish this, but I've never tried it; usually run Win 7 on my desktop and Mint 17 or OS X on my laptop). I've also found a pretty ideal way to watch anything in my XBMC library. I was already using Mediabrowser3, the XBMC plugin, and had the Android app before getting the Chrome-stick. I STRONGLY prefer it to Plex, with which simply will not connect the server through my VPN, which I almost always use, while the MB3 server has no problem under any conditions. The Android app has a nice interface, it supports Chromecast streaming, and you can set the bitrate for LAN, WAN, and CCast. I only wish there was a way to sync it with trakt so that it would auto-mark the media as "watched" in XBMC. Anyone else tried / have any thoughts on using MB3 with Chromecast?

prawnee · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-28, 10:38 by prawnee.)

I must admit Netflix on Chromecast is a nice experience. I'm using the Chromecast in my bedroom as well as a RPi B+ for my local media as well the TVCatchup addon and I couldn't be happier with the setup. I have a Plex server and the Plex iOS app which also works really well on the Chromecast but it's not XBMC so i rarely use it. Oh and the Upnp Play Using feature is brilliant for a seamless experiance.

un1versal · 2014-07-29, 00:49

(2014-07-25, 12:42)prawnee Wrote: How long can XBMC ignore Google Glass? Why haven't you got developers working on hover boards yet? Pull your fingers out!

Hoverboards and google glass are different technologies, but, if you loan me a delorean capable of time travel I can guarantee you it will be done like last week.