2016-11-03, 03:45
Problem. I'm listening to podcasts while I'm doing my computing on my (currently) Windows laptop. As the title says, I'm probably looking for the freest audio 'cast' solution, so let's not limit my options to Windows, let's extend them to Linux, macOS , and mobile devices as well (which do not necessarily have to be smartphones, btw).
While you listen to your podcasts and if you are like me, you often want to rewind (skip back) a few secs, if you zoned out and missed a thing. No big deal, but the rewind (skip back) button is probably the most used one by podcast listeners. While doing my computing on my laptop, it makes much more sense to run the show (podcast) from the same device, so I can switch context windows and pause/rewind with a few key combinations with ease, wherever I am in the system.
Compare that to having to reach to an external device, such as s smartphone: you have to take off your hands from the keyboard, which is not an ergonomic thing to do. Check out: 'repetitive strain injury.'
I'm looking for the freest solution to 'cast' my audio podcasts across the room to some receiver dongle (attached to my TV or a home stereo, it doesn't matter which one), while I'm allowed to comfortably control playback from the laptop, preferably from any app on the Windows PC (Mac, Linux). I currently use MPC-HC and VLC media player.
I'm a newbie in the world of home media computing, what I understand my options are:
- Bluetooth, usually sucks in and of itself. (As a case in point, Apple just improved it with its proprietary W1 chip and secret sauce, delayed shipping of the earphones product expected coming as the result of their efforts.) I heard it has different versions or encodings like that, some of them may suck less, but support less hardware.
- Some kind of 'casting' solution (not as in casting couch, sorry), which requires not only a direct connection like Bluetooth, but a home Wi-Fi network as well. Check. Casting solutions like Google Cast and Apple's AirPlay add a secret sauce over Wi-Fi, if I understand correctly. Researching other options like Amazon TV and Roku, I'm not sure how do they work: is there such a thing as 'Amazon cast' and 'Roku cast?' Even if such things exist, they are probably not any freer than the Apple and the Google variant.
Bluetooth has latency, casting does not. AirPlay requires me to play my stuff in iTunes ( at least on Windows), Google Cast requires a Chrome browser - correct me if I'm wrong. Neither solution goes well with my keyboard-wizardry, my hope is the 'free casting' solution works from any software (such as my currently preferred MPC-HC or VLC media player).
As casting usually adds a secret cause over Wi-Fi, I wonder if there is a 'free casting' solution for me. Something that works over Wi-Fi, but the secret sauce add-on is free/open source, and works on most of these platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, mobile devices like smartphones (or similar). Or, how about casting over good old Wi-Fi only? Is bare Wi-Fi casting a thing? Probably 'secret sauces' help, but still. How about new and upcoming extensions to the Wi-Fi standard? They may be nice, but I also can't wait forever.
Does my aim/request sound reasonable to you, or too weird? Do you have similar problems? What's your solution? First post. Thanks!
While you listen to your podcasts and if you are like me, you often want to rewind (skip back) a few secs, if you zoned out and missed a thing. No big deal, but the rewind (skip back) button is probably the most used one by podcast listeners. While doing my computing on my laptop, it makes much more sense to run the show (podcast) from the same device, so I can switch context windows and pause/rewind with a few key combinations with ease, wherever I am in the system.
Compare that to having to reach to an external device, such as s smartphone: you have to take off your hands from the keyboard, which is not an ergonomic thing to do. Check out: 'repetitive strain injury.'
I'm looking for the freest solution to 'cast' my audio podcasts across the room to some receiver dongle (attached to my TV or a home stereo, it doesn't matter which one), while I'm allowed to comfortably control playback from the laptop, preferably from any app on the Windows PC (Mac, Linux). I currently use MPC-HC and VLC media player.
I'm a newbie in the world of home media computing, what I understand my options are:
- Bluetooth, usually sucks in and of itself. (As a case in point, Apple just improved it with its proprietary W1 chip and secret sauce, delayed shipping of the earphones product expected coming as the result of their efforts.) I heard it has different versions or encodings like that, some of them may suck less, but support less hardware.
- Some kind of 'casting' solution (not as in casting couch, sorry), which requires not only a direct connection like Bluetooth, but a home Wi-Fi network as well. Check. Casting solutions like Google Cast and Apple's AirPlay add a secret sauce over Wi-Fi, if I understand correctly. Researching other options like Amazon TV and Roku, I'm not sure how do they work: is there such a thing as 'Amazon cast' and 'Roku cast?' Even if such things exist, they are probably not any freer than the Apple and the Google variant.
Bluetooth has latency, casting does not. AirPlay requires me to play my stuff in iTunes ( at least on Windows), Google Cast requires a Chrome browser - correct me if I'm wrong. Neither solution goes well with my keyboard-wizardry, my hope is the 'free casting' solution works from any software (such as my currently preferred MPC-HC or VLC media player).
As casting usually adds a secret cause over Wi-Fi, I wonder if there is a 'free casting' solution for me. Something that works over Wi-Fi, but the secret sauce add-on is free/open source, and works on most of these platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, mobile devices like smartphones (or similar). Or, how about casting over good old Wi-Fi only? Is bare Wi-Fi casting a thing? Probably 'secret sauces' help, but still. How about new and upcoming extensions to the Wi-Fi standard? They may be nice, but I also can't wait forever.
Does my aim/request sound reasonable to you, or too weird? Do you have similar problems? What's your solution? First post. Thanks!
