Clementine: Add Support for chromecast

[dkiser]

Before posting

Please follow the steps below and check the boxes with [x] once you did the step.

• [x ] I checked the issue tracker for similar issues
• [x ] I checked the changelog if the issue is already resolved
• [x ] I tried the latest Clementine build from here

System information

Please provide information about your system and the version of Clementine used.

• Operating System: OSX
• Clementine version: 1.2.2

Expected behaviour / actual behaviour

GIVEN Clementine player is running
WHEN music is playing
THEN I expect to see a cast icon show up in greyed out form if no chromecast is found
AND
THEN I expect to see a cast icon in a color other than grey if one or more chromecast devices is found

GIVEN Clementine player is running with at least one chromecast found
WHEN I click on the enabled cast icon
THEN I expect to pick from a list of device to cast to

GIVEN User clicks on an activated chromecast icon
WHEN I the device to cast to
THEN audio streams to the chosen chromecast device
AND
THEN I expect to see an identifier of song title and clementine on the Screen for video enabled cast devices
AND
THEN I expect the screen to have some sort of screensaver (milkdrop?!) for video enabled cast devices

Steps to reproduce the problem (only for bugs)

[hatstand]

There's no desktop API for chromecast. Feel free to reopen later if/when one materialises.

[Ferroin]

To further expand on this, check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Cast#Operation
In short, the normal method of usage requires tight integration with Google (and therefore is unfeasable), and the alternative method requires reverse-engineering a closed protocol (which would put Clementine in a potentially problematic legal position). The only possibility of getting this legally is if Google decides to publicly document the alternative method, which is not at all likely to happen.

[divisionbyzeroerror]

FWIW: http://www.webupd8.org/2016/03/how-to-stream-audio-to-chromecast-or.html PulseAudio to CC works perfectly for me to stream Clementine to any TV in my house ;)

[earthsound]

Another option is mkchromecast + Soundflower. Once installed, choose Soundflower as the input/output.
http://mkchromecast.com/
https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower/

Airfoil works, too, for $29 ($26 if you visit from the soundcast github page).

[kishoreuk2008]

Actually there's another way to cast your pc songs to chromecast using chrome browser. First you need to download the Enjoy music player from the chrome apps section: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/enjoy-music-player/hncfgilfeieogcpghjnnhddghgdjbekl?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon
This will be saved as a chrome app. In this app there is a cast icon which will enable you to cast through your chrome tab. There are limitations for this. Enjoy

[divisionbyzeroerror]

@kishoreuk2008 that has nothing to do with Clementine.

[tincho]

HI!
(thank you all for working on Clementine!)

+1 to this feature request

I don't know about Chromecast API, but VLC 3 (beta) has a feature using:
Video -> Renderer -> (check Scan... then the devices appear as) -> Chromecast-Audio-NNN

I'd like very much using Clementine and stream its output to the Chromecast (and only Clementine's, not all audio from all apps), as VLC is not my favorite for playing music.

Best!

[lokke3]

I'm in the same boat. I was using VLC as my audio player, and clementine is better in every way other than not supporting chromecast.

[fivestones]

I'd also sure love chromecast support in clementine. When this issue was opened there wasn't really a feasible way, but VLC's chromecast support indicates to me that now there is a feasible way.

[fivestones]

bump

[hatstand]

Don't do that. It doesn't help.

[fivestones]

@hatstand What should I do instead? You wrote in 2016, "Feel free to reopen later if/when [a desktop api for chromecast] materialises." And other apps, like VLC, among many others, are doing casting to a chromecast from a desktop app. I can't just reopen this issue. So I brought up the fact that other desktop apps support this without any trouble, and after almost 2 months, when no one had made any kind of response (e.g., reopening the issue), I said "bump" because I figured no one had seen it and maybe a bump would bring it back to the top.

What does help, that I can do?

Thanks!

[hatstand]

There is still no official desktop API for Chromecast AFAIK but I think we'd accept a PR that used some unofficial open source implementation now that that's commonplace.