[How to do instruction] Getting playback via Chromecast devices

[dresdner353]

Hi folks,
    I've just released an update to my mpd2chromecast "plugin" with some improvements:

• The plugin now runs via a systemd service (use sudo systemctl to start/stop/enable/disable)
  
• It has a first stab at supporting streaming the MPD output stream (should work for gapless playback)
  

Full instructions here: https://github.com/dresdner353/mpd2chrom.../README.md

Quick guide:
To install or upgrade an existing setup on moOde, you need only do the following:

Code:

ssh pi@moode.local
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dresdner353/mpd2chromecast/master/install.sh | sudo bash

This will download/install the script and related python modules it requires. It may take some time.

If it works, then you can browse to http://[your device ip]:8090 and should get a control panel web page like the attached screenshot. That control panel lets you select a desired Google cast device on your network and should then be able to stream any current playback to that selected device. By setting the cast device to "Disabled", it will disable the functionality. This then lets you use your moOde streamer for local playback or casting to any cast device or cast group you have in your home. It's a great convenience to have.

Note: You can't really enjoy both local and cast playback at the same time. It will work but there are interruptions to local playback as it syncs it with the playback on the cast device. So the ideal usage is to listen to one or the other.

Streaming the file vs MPD Output Stream
The 2nd combo box (with play icon) can be used to toggle between two playback modes:

• Cast file URL (Default)
  This is the default mode which serves the playing track file as a URL to the cast device. The end device will stream the selected file directly and perform all decoding.
  

• Cast MPD Output Stream (experimental)
  This is experimental at present. To use this mode you need to navigate to Moode -> Configure -> Audio -> MPD Options -> HTTP streaming. Then enable the HTTP streaming on port 8000 with FLAC encoding (for lossless). When you select this streaming mode in mpd2chromecast, it passes the fixed URL http://<IP>:8000 to the selected cast device. The end result is that the stream being played is the output stream from MPD and not the original file. This allows for integration of DSP modes in MPD, crossfade and even gapless playback. It's not perfect and mileage may vary depending on how well your network works. But it is a first stab.
  

Appreciate any feedback from those looking to try this out.