Develop Reference

Cast to youtube chromecast receiver from other android app

I'm adding chromecast support to the app Narwhal TV for reddit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.elsewhat.reddit&hl=en
As it aggregates youtube videos popular on reddit, I want to reuse the youtube chromecast receiver app.
I've made some progress already: I'm able to connect to the chromecast device and start the youtube app.
However, I am not able to start the playback of a video. Most of this progress is due to the castv2-youtube project https://github.com/xat/castv2-youtube
Start the youtube application
private String CHROMECAST_APP_ID="233637DE";
Cast.CastApi.launchApplication(mApiClient, CHROMECAST_APP_ID, false)
Define the youtube channel
class YoutubeChannel implements Cast.MessageReceivedCallback {
public String getNamespace() {
return "urn:x-cast:com.google.youtube.mdx";
}
#Override
public void onMessageReceived(CastDevice castDevice, String namespace,
String message) {
Log.d("RedditTV", "onMessageReceived: " + message);
}
}
Listen to both the media and youtube channels
Cast.CastApi.setMessageReceivedCallbacks(mApiClient,
mRemoteMediaPlayer.getNamespace(), mRemoteMediaPlayer);
Cast.CastApi.setMessageReceivedCallbacks(mApiClient,
youtubeChannel.getNamespace(),
youtubeChannel);
Send message to start the video
String message = String.format(locale,"{\"type\":\"flingVideo\", \"data\":{\"videoId\":\""+redditPost.getYoutubeId()+"\" ,\"currentTime\":%.2f}}",time) ;
Log.w("RedditTV", "Chromecast message to "+ youtubeChannel.getNamespace() + " :"+message);
try {
Cast.CastApi.sendMessage(mApiClient, youtubeChannel.getNamespace(), message)
.setResultCallback(
new ResultCallback<Status>() {
#Override
public void onResult(Status result) {
if (!result.isSuccess()) {
Log.e("RedditTV", "Sending message failed");
}
}
});
} catch (Exception e) {
Log.e("RedditTV", "Exception while sending message", e);
}
The output of shows the actual message sent (I've also tried to set currentTime as 0)
Chromecast message to urn:x-cast:com.google.youtube.mdx :{"type":"flingVideo", "data":{"videoId":"4Bn2SEHsyNY" ,"currentTime":1420065958051.00}}
The message is sent successfully, but nothing happens on the chromecast side.
I don't have any good way of debugging it either.

Chromecast Android Sender RemoteMediaPlayer producing No current media session

I have been able to successfully cast video to a Chromecast and have the option let the video play when disconnecting and it all works great. However, if I choose to quit the application and let the video continue playing and then try to re-join the currently playing session and try to use the RemoteMediaPlayer to control the video I am getting: "java.lang.IllegalStateException: No current media session".
Just as a background, I am saving the route id and session id on the initial connect into preferences and am able to successfully call "Cast.CastApi.joinApplication" and when in the onResult I am recreating the Media Channel and setting the setMessageReceivedCallbacks like so:
Cast.CastApi.joinApplication(mApiClient,"xxxxxxxx",persistedSessionId).setResultCallback(new ResultCallback<Cast.ApplicationConnectionResult>() {
#Override
public void onResult(Cast.ApplicationConnectionResult applicationConnectionResult) {
Status status = applicationConnectionResult.getStatus();
if (status.isSuccess()) {
mRemoteMediaPlayer = new RemoteMediaPlayer();
mRemoteMediaPlayer.setOnStatusUpdatedListener(
new RemoteMediaPlayer.OnStatusUpdatedListener() {
#Override
public void onStatusUpdated() {
Log.d("----Chromecast----", "in onStatusUpdated");
}
});
mRemoteMediaPlayer.setOnMetadataUpdatedListener(
new RemoteMediaPlayer.OnMetadataUpdatedListener() {
#Override
public void onMetadataUpdated() {
Log.d("----Chromecast----", "in onMetadataUpdated");
}
});
try {
Cast.CastApi.setMessageReceivedCallbacks(mApiClient,mRemoteMediaPlayer.getNamespace(), mRemoteMediaPlayer);
} catch (IOException e) {
Log.e("----Chromecast----", "Exception while creating media channel", e);
}
//-----------RESOLUTION START EDIT------------------
mRemoteMediaPlayer.requestStatus(mApiClient).setResultCallback(new ResultCallback<RemoteMediaPlayer.MediaChannelResult>() {
#Override
public void onResult(RemoteMediaPlayer.MediaChannelResult mediaChannelResult) {
Status stat = mediaChannelResult.getStatus();
if(stat.isSuccess()){
Log.d("----Chromecast----", "mMediaPlayer getMediaStatus success");
// Enable controls
}else{
Log.d("----Chromecast----", "mMediaPlayer getMediaStatus failure");
// Disable controls and handle failure
}
}
});
//-----------RESOLUTION END EDIT------------------
}else{
Log.d("----Chromecast----", "in status failed");
}
}
}
If I declare the RemoteMediaPlayer as static:
private static RemoteMediaPlayer mRemoteMediaPlayer;
I can join the existing session as well as control the media using commands like:
mRemoteMediaPlayer.play(mApiClient);
or
mRemoteMediaPlayer.pause(mApiClient);
But once I quit the application obviously the static object is destroyed and the app produces the aforementioned "No current media session" exception. I am definitely missing something because after I join the session and register the callback perhaps I need to start the session just like it was creating when I initially loaded the media using mRemoteMediaPlayer.load(.
Can someone please help as this is very frustrating?

The media session ID is part of the internal state of the RemoteMediaPlayer object. Whenever the receiver state changes, it sends updated state information to the sender, which then causes the internal state of the RemoteMediaPlayer object to get updated.
If you disconnect from the application, then this state inside the RemoteMediaPlayer will be cleared.
When you re-establish the connection to the (still running) receiver application, you need to call RemoteMediaPlayer.requestStatus() and wait for the OnStatusUpdatedListener.onStatusUpdated() callback. This will fetch the current media status (including the current session ID) from the receiver and update the internal state of the RemoteMediaPlayer object accordingly. Once this is done, if RemoteMediaPlayer.getMediaStatus() returns non-null, then it means that there is an active media session that you can control.

As user3408864 pointed out, requestStatus() after rejoining the session works. Here is how i managed to solve it in my case and it should work in yours.
if(MAIN_ACTIVITY.isConnected()){
if(MAIN_ACTIVITY.mRemoteMediaPlayer == null){
MAIN_ACTIVITY.setRemoteMediaPlayer();
}
MAIN_ACTIVITY.mRemoteMediaPlayer.requestStatus(MAIN_ACTIVITY.mApiClient).setResultCallback( new ResultCallback<RemoteMediaPlayer.MediaChannelResult>() {
#Override
public void onResult(RemoteMediaPlayer.MediaChannelResult mediaChannelResult) {
if(playToggle ==0){
try {
MAIN_ACTIVITY.mRemoteMediaPlayer.pause(MAIN_ACTIVITY.mApiClient);
playToggle =1;
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}else{
try {
MAIN_ACTIVITY.mRemoteMediaPlayer.play(MAIN_ACTIVITY.mApiClient);
playToggle =0;
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
});
}
Ignore, MAIN_ACTIVITY, it is just a static reference to my activity since i run this piece of code from a Service. Also, setRemoteMediaPlayer() is a method where i create a new RemoteMediaPlayer() and attach the corresponding Listeners.
Hopefully this helps. Also, sorry if any mistake, it is my first post to StackOverFlow.

How to join an active session running on a Chromcast device

I have to Users (User A and B) and one Chromecast device (C1).
User B starts a stream on C1.
User A connects to C1
Now User A should be able to control the stream running on C1. But every time I want to start a session the running stream on C1 is shut down and the receiver app is restarting.
Is there a way to join an active session? Or is that a job which has to be done by the web app running on the Chromecast device?
EDIT:
my sender app is a native Android app
Thanks!

You should have a look to the TicTacToe application. I think it does exactly that where 2 players can join the same game :
https://github.com/googlecast/cast-android-tictactoe
Hope this helps.
JN

What sort of sender are you using? Is it a native app (i.e. using Android or iOs SDK on a mobile device) or the sender is a chrome app?

On the receiver, you create a Receiver object and a ChannelHandler. You use the receiver to generate a ChannelFactory which you then pass to the ChannelHandler. The ChannelHandler now handles the creation of channels on the receiver. You will want to add an EventListener to the handler to listen to messages. Based on those messages you can do various things.
receiver = new cast.receiver.Receiver(YOUR_APP_ID, [YOUR_PROTOCOL], "", 5);
var dashHandler = new cast.receiver.ChannelHandler(YOUR_PROTOCOL);
dashHandler.addChannelFactory(receiver.createChannelFactory(YOUR_PROTOCOL));
dashHandler.addEventListener(cast.receiver.Channel.EventType.MESSAGE, onMessage.bind(this));
receiver.start();
...
onMessage = function (e) {
var message = e.message;
switch (message.type) {
...
}
}
On the sender, after a session is created you will want to send a check status message to the receiver to see if there are already channels attached. You can do this via your MessageStream and your receiver needs to respond in such a way that the MessageStream gets its status updated. You check that status to see if there are channels. If there are you can start listening to updates for your receiver. If not you can send a load event to the receiver to start your activity.
MediaProtocolCommand cmd = mMessageStream.requestStatus();
cmd.setListener(new MediaProtocolCommand.Listener() {
#Override
public void onCompleted(MediaProtocolCommand mPCommand) {
if (mMessageStream.getState() == 'channelsExist') {
//Start New Activity
} else {
//Join Existing Activity
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(MediaProtocolCommand mPCommand) {
}
});
This is kind of a vague response, but it could be more specific if I knew what you were trying to do. My app is using Google's RAMP protocol to play videos so my MessageStream and all it's messages are already defined. If you're doing something different, you need to create your own MessageStream.

Sorry for the late answer, but I figured it out by myself: It wasn't such complicated at all
I started the an Application like this
try {
mSession.startSession(applicationName,applicationArgs);
} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
Log.e(getClass().getSimpleName(), e.getMessage(), e);
} catch (IOException e) {
Log.e(getClass().getSimpleName(), e.getMessage(), e);
}
But it seems, that the MimeData applicationArgs is not needed at all. By removing the arguments and starting the session like below it works really fine!
try {
mSession.startSession(applicationName);
} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
Log.e(getClass().getSimpleName(), e.getMessage(), e);
} catch (IOException e) {
Log.e(getClass().getSimpleName(), e.getMessage(), e);
}
I hope this works for you too!

Can android directly play Dynamic HTTP streaming using flash manifest file (.f4m)

I'm trying to make an app that plays live http streaming on android (i already did the same in iphone). The Android official tutorial shows a sample code on how to do http live streaming, which i followed:
public class liveStream extends Activity implements OnClickListener {
Button streamButton;
MediaPlayer mediaPlayer = null;
#Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_live_stream);
streamButton = (Button) findViewById(R.id.streamButton);
streamButton.setOnClickListener(this);
}
#Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.activity_live_stream, menu);
return true;
}
public void onClick(View v) {
String url = "http://d2233avv69kunu.cloudfront.net/hds-live/livepkgr/_definst_/liveevent/livestream.f4m";
mediaPlayer = new MediaPlayer();
mediaPlayer.setAudioStreamType(AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC);
try {
mediaPlayer.setDataSource(url);
} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
try {
mediaPlayer.prepare();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
mediaPlayer.start();
}
}
thing is I keep on getting an IOException when i try to prepare the player.. I did some research and it appears that I will need to play this off a flash client from my android? If that's so, how can I play live http streaming directly without the third party flash player? Similar to iphone

Android doesn't support flash manifest file (.f4m) live streaming.
Android supported format for streaming

Most android devices from 2.3 on natively support Apple's HLS in some form or another . There are some devices where you'll need to use httplive://.../playlist.m3u8 instead up http://, but as far as I can tell, most devices support an m3u8 URL with just http, especially once you get past Android 3.0

android market not updating on phone

I am trying to test in-app billing in my Android application. The problem is, it appears my market is not up to date since I can't bind to the billing service(I am using the Android example code from here. I keep getting the message This app cannot connect to Market.
Your version of Market may be out of date.
You can continue to use this app but you
won\'t be able to make purchases.
I tried updating the market by opening it, hitting the home, and waiting 5-10 minutes and trying again as outlined here, but it didn't fix the problem. I am testing on a Nexus One with no phone connection - just over WiFi(not sure if this is relevant) with OS 2.2. Has anyone else run into this problem?
Here is the code from my activity:
if (!mBillingService.checkBillingSupported()) {
showDialog(DIALOG_CANNOT_CONNECT_ID);
}
and this is the code from my billing service that is showing the billing is not supported:
public boolean checkBillingSupported() {
return new CheckBillingSupported().runRequest();
}
class CheckBillingSupported extends BillingRequest {
public CheckBillingSupported() {
// This object is never created as a side effect of starting this
// service so we pass -1 as the startId to indicate that we should
// not stop this service after executing this request.
super(-1);
}
#Override
protected long run() throws RemoteException {
Bundle request = makeRequestBundle("CHECK_BILLING_SUPPORTED");
Bundle response = mService.sendBillingRequest(request);
int responseCode = response.getInt(Consts.BILLING_RESPONSE_RESPONSE_CODE);
if (Consts.DEBUG) {
Log.i(TAG, "CheckBillingSupported response code: " +
ResponseCode.valueOf(responseCode));
}
boolean billingSupported = (responseCode == ResponseCode.RESULT_OK.ordinal());
ResponseHandler.checkBillingSupportedResponse(billingSupported);
return Consts.BILLING_RESPONSE_INVALID_REQUEST_ID;
}
}
private boolean bindToMarketBillingService() {
try {
if (Consts.DEBUG) {
Log.i(TAG, "binding to Market billing service");
}
boolean bindResult = bindService(
new Intent(Consts.MARKET_BILLING_SERVICE_ACTION),
this, // ServiceConnection.
Context.BIND_AUTO_CREATE);
if (bindResult) {
return true;
} else {
Log.e(TAG, "Could not bind to service.");
}
} catch (SecurityException e) {
Log.e(TAG, "Security exception: " + e);
}
return false;
}

Maybe it requires the phone to have a mobile data connection. You can try to install the latest market app manually.