Media Server and Chromecast

[CharlieD]

Before I go too far and find myself down some hole, I thought I'd ask some questions here around the router's minidnla and Chromecast. Tried searching the forum but did not find anything yet.

I have the RT-AC66U with Merlin's 374.38_1 firmware. Yesterday I dug out an unused 1 TB external drive, formatted it with an ext3 file system and plugged it into the router. (I had a much smaller drive already attached where all I was doing was keeping the traffic stats so they would survive a power cycle.) I copied a bunch of music files (mp3 format), images (jpeg) and videos in various formats. Turned on the media server and its log file says it found the files. A browser connection to port 8200 on the router confirms this. So, it looks like the minidnla is working.

I also have a Chromecast connected to my TV.

Now, the question is, can I get the music, pictures and videos on the drive attached to the router cast to the Chromecast? From what I've found so far, it looks like the only possibility might be the Plex media server (http://plex.tv). There is a server (free) I could put on my Linux server and there is an app ($5) I could put on my android tablet. The andriod app is Chromecast enabled.

Does anyone have any experience with this combination? Do I need both the server and the android app or just one of these? Since all my music, pictures and videos are already on my Linux server anyway. do I even need to copy them to a drive attached to the router?

Any suggestions, hints, links to documentation on this are appreciated.

Thanks
Charlie

 

[r00t4rd3d]

I use Avia, you can view and cast from network shares, etc. It cost $2.99 to unlock the Chromecast stuff.

 

[thelonelycoder]

Plex is great! Do it.
- Install the server package on your Linux Server
- Open Plex Web as instructed, create account with plex, add libraries that point to your servers Media files (make sure you name them according to the Plex Server FAQ)
- Point your Chromecast/Plex app to your Server
Enjoy!

 

[r00t4rd3d]

Plex is great till you have to buy a PlexPass. Paying $75 to get functionality from a $35 device is absurd in my opinion. If you have a linux server running just install Serviio.

 

[thelonelycoder]

Plex is great till you have to buy a PlexPass

I am using it without subscription. Is there a limit to its use I am not aware of?

 

[CharlieD]

Installed the media server app on my Linux box and the Plex for Android app on my tablet and phone. Pointed the media server to where I keep my music, photos and a couple of test videos on the server itself and it all works. Only cost was $5 for the android app. Now to experiment with the various plugins for TV content.

 

[Zooks64]

Plex is great! Do it.
- Install the server package on your Linux Server
- Open Plex Web as instructed, create account with plex, add libraries that point to your servers Media files (make sure you name them according to the Plex Server FAQ)
- Point your Chromecast/Plex app to your Server
Enjoy!

I use Plex to stream my media to my Rokus and now my Chromecast.

It is free and so very easy to use. I love that it grabs synopses and theme music (I found that annoying and turned it off) for the shows I have.

The Media Server is free to use. You do not have to subscribe to the PlexPass to use it. The $5 fee for the app is just a one time expense (I bought it from the Amazon Appstore so the whole family would have access to it without having to share a Google account or buy individual copies).

 

[thelonelycoder]

I love that it grabs synopses and theme music (I found that annoying and turned it off) for the shows I have.

Thats actually a feature I like very much. Gets you right into the mood.

 

[TeTo]

I try plex, avia, allcast and many others.
For me, the best app for chromecast, asus router and android enviroment is LocalCast...

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