[Oddsodz]

Warning. Long post incoming.

Hello again. I would like to thank all the folks that have replied to me in this thread already. (Link to post here http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=...pid2575781 ) It has given me some things to think about and maybe better come up with an idea of how things could happen. Please note I said could and "NOT" should.

So due to Kodi using GPL licence (and that is wonderful). It can't really make and then distribute a closed source bit of software as a core feature. IE: The "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" (don't know its real name)
Now with that said. As long as there was Dev/Coders willing and wanting to take the time to make it and that it was legal. Could it be possible in theory for a "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" addon? This way it can be separated but still available from Kodi Dev/Coder team and repository.

To better understand why I am leaning for this type of solution. I better tell you how I use Kodi and my ChromeCast device.

Here at my home I have just one computer. It is homemade (that sounds so ghetto lol) and is best described as a mid priced gaming PC. It is the center of my home entertainment life. I play all my games on it. (Eve Online most of the time with some Elite Dangerous). Do all my emails. Internet browsing and so on. It also has 4 TBs of data storage that is mostly Movies and TV show backups with some music and audiobooks. It has just one 1080p monitor that sits in the center of the square room wall. I just recently got a 5.2.2 AV receiver that is "Dolby Atmos" and "DTS:X" capable and good speakers in a 5.2.2 layout. Yes I did put speakers on my ceiling (best movie to watch to hear that sort of sound so far is "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"). Best way to say it is "Man Cave". Then a few weeks ago. I decided I would get a "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" because I wanted to watch Netflix with the "Dolby Digital +" sound now that I have a AV receiver that can deal with that.

When I decide it's time to watch a movie or whatever. I just start up the Kodi software on the computer and push my chair back and register into sub human known as a couch potato.

Now for a very long time I have been using the Kodi remote control android app called "Yatse" to control my Kodi. It's just like the official "Kodi remote control" app but with a few tweaks and perks. Highly recommend it. So my experience of using Kodi is 99% of the time tapping buttons on my Android phone and watching whatever. Now as I have had some time with the "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" I have come to like how it works with "Netflix" and the "BBC iPlayer" apps (I Live in the UK). I have it pluged into the back of my AV receiver. So when I wish to watch a show on "Netflix". I just open my AV receiver app on my phone. Tell it to select the "Google ChromeCast dongle 2nd Gen" HDMI port as the source. Then tab over to "Netflix" app and press play on what I want to watch. Once the movie or whatever I am watching has started on the Chromecast. I can switch my phone off. You don't need the app to be running or anything like that (was an eye opener when I realised that, I always thought that is streamed from the phone and would kill the battery. How wrong was I). Then when I want to go back to watch something that is in my Kodi library. I do the same thing. And use "Yaste" to select and watch what I want there. It sound like a lot of tapping and messing about on the phone. But in fact it really is not. But the point is 99% of the time I am using my phone to control almost all of my viewing a listening needs. Now in the future. I may get a "nVidia Shield" due to wanting to watch "Netflix" with 4K picture with HDR. The "nVidia Shield" has a 4K "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" built in and can handle 4K Netflix with HDR. And it also can have Kodi. This will also mean a flew less tapping things on the phone. But I am in no rush as I have to get a 4K monitor that does all the versions of HDR first. And I am not made of money (yet).

So that is my Kodi experience. The end result is that I could just get an "nVidia Shield" and not worry about Kodi and DRM. But if Kodi was to somehow have the "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" in a legal capacity. I would then not need a "nVidia Shield" (and save myself £200+). Because Kodi can already do 4K with HDR (I think it can do HDR, I don't really know as I don't have any HRD content and I don't have a 4K HDR display).

This is how I think that the "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" as an addon is a good idea if it was possible. I use "Netflix" in my story above. But it can be the same for almost all the big legal streaming subscriber services. They all seem to support "ChromeCast Receiver protocol".

For folks that have read all the above. Thank you.

For the rest.
TL : DR Oddsodz still likes ChromeCast but has a phone to control it

[Martijn]

This way off topic of DRM so i split it and moved to feature request where the rest of the chromecast threads are

[RockerC]

Oddsodz, you might think that your idea is simple but it is actually very complex and you would need very skilled developers with motivation to achieve its two parts:

First part is that some some very skilled developer(s) would have to fully reverse engineer the Chromecast ("Google Cast" device) receiver protocol and release that as an free and open source licensed library. While that is not impossible it is a huge task that would probably take thousands of hours, so the person or persons doing it would really have to have a deep interest in the work to keep at it. (I don't know, maybe someone has already done that or is working on it right now, but I would not hold my breath). And then another skilled developer (which probably will not be the same person as the first) will have to implement that reverse engineerd Chromecast ("Google Cast" device) receiver protocol as an addon for Kodi, and if that has been done properly what you would have is the ability to recieve non-DRM protected Google Cast streams as if Kodi was a Chromecast receiver.

The second part is that Kodi would have to implement EME (Encrypted Media Extensions) standard with support with CDM (Content Decryption Module) interface for proprietary Google Widevine and Microsoft PlayReady binaries as discussed in this other thread http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=313075 Without having this as well as the first part in combination you could not decrypt and decode DRM-protected streams coming from content providers such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO.

Personally I think that you can pretty much just forget about this idea until some developers from a other open source project realize the first part and release that as a modular free and open source licensed library that could be reused by other project such as Kodi.

PS: An example where the first part have happened for something similar is the ShairPlay library ( https://github.com/juhovh/shairplay ) which Kodi has implemented as an integrated Aple AirPlay receiver. I think that you can safley assume that if someone else has not reverse engineered Apple's FairPlay protocol and released ShairPlay as an free and open source licensed library then Kodi would not have the capability of recieving AirPlay streams today. But remember that AirPlay does not make use of DRM and that makes it much less complicated.

[Memphiz]

Wat? Airplay is broken for years because of fairplay encryption which is not broken in libshairplay. Also shairplay is only for airtunes streaming (music only) and only works because of the old rsa encryption which was broken by examination of a time capsule or other apple router with airtunes capability.

[Derek]

All that to save £250 i think you have more chance of getting the nvidia shield for free and thats unlikely. (Is that a pig flying past my window?)

Your talking about years of unpaid or at least a year of paid work i'd say to accomplish this, not trying to put a spanner in the works tho would be great but for every 1000 ideas only one is lived and those are more times down to £. I do many offshore studies costing into the millions and only about 10-20% of those go ahead; actually prob. less now with the oil prices etc.

Ask google to do it they could afford the bill but dont know if they'd want this eh?

Also You'd need the hardware for kodi to do 4K/HDR + the display which isnt cheap and as someone who uses 4K its worth it (But im prob. saying that because ive paid alot for it) but 1080p is perfectly sufficient and still makes up 75% of the content i play.

Sorry for going off topic a bit but just replying to your comment i think the shield is a bargain and it runs Kodi! win win win.

[Oddsodz]

Oh I see where my post went.

Anyway. Thanks for reading.

I have no illusions of what it would take to achieve the goal of having a "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" addon in Kodi. I did not post this just so I could possibly save myself £250 on a "nVidia Shield". This post was as a reply to a bigger question of DRM and Kodi. To be honest. I am not that fussed about it. I can live without DRM in Kodi. I was just giving a possible solution. Since getting a good AV receiver, A lot of the things I want from my media setup have all come together really nice. I know in about 3 months when money is right. I will have a 4K HDR display of some sort. And then I will be set for a few years. To me, Having a fully DRM enabled "ChromeCast Receiver protocol" addon in Kodi would address so many requests from users who wish for things like netflix and hulu amazon and so on from around the world. It would leave Devs to work on other things instead of updating every single stream service addon change that comes down the road. Far less "Technical Debt". That was what I was trying to convey.

Again, Not saying Kodi should do it. Just pointing out the pro for it.

Thanks for reading.

Oddsodz

[RockerC]

Having to maintain a reverse engineered code to handle Chromecast receiver protocol would probably adds more "Technical Debt" than supporting EME DRM nativly in Kodi, again look at cat-and-mouse chasing AirPlay receiving code in Kodi as an example. Kodi nativly suppoing EME is technically more sustainable development than reverse engineering a moving target that is a closed source proprietary protocol.

Oh yeah, users "having to buy a $250 Nvidia Shield TV" is a bad motivation when they today can get a 4K HDR capable Xiaomi Mi Box for less than $60(US) including shipping, and prices for 4K boxes is getting lower everyday:

http://www.lightinthebox.com/sv/xiaomi-3...15677.html

Yes you might WANT a Ferrari to drive to work everyday, but you do not NEED a Ferrari to drive to work everyday, a Volvo will do just fine

[Oddsodz]

Having to maintain a reverse engineered code to handle Chromecast receiver protocol would probably adds more "Technical Debt" than supporting EME DRM nativly in Kodi, again look at cat-and-mouse chasing AirPlay receiving code in Kodi as an example. Kodi nativly suppoing EME is technically more sustainable development than reverse engineering a moving target that is a closed source proprietary protocol.

Oh yeah, users "having to buy a $250 Nvidia Shield TV" is a bad motivation when they today can get a 4K HDR capable Xiaomi Mi Box for less than $60(US) including shipping, and prices for 4K boxes is getting lower everyday:

http://www.lightinthebox.com/sv/xiaomi-3...15677.html

Yes you might WANT a Ferrari to drive to work everyday, but you do not NEED a Ferrari to drive to work everyday, a Volvo will do just fine

Oh, That looks interesting. I am only thinking about the Nvidia Shield due to the fact it can have Kodi and Chromecast on one box with HDR with audio passthrough (For DTS:x and Atmos). But I got time