Chromecast Available Connections

[Ahole 17]

Wondering if someone has any deeper (how things work) ideas or suggestions ….. 

long term Emby user

 currently my server is the latest non beta version running in docker on Linux server

 I connect remotely via 443 using haproxy

 when I connect remotely quite often when I click on the little cast icon lists of “play on “ devices are given.  Usually it’s an exhaustive list of previously connected devices - like other users iPhones, iPads, Sonos speakers (local to the server)

 and frequently there are no devices that are local to a remote user but in some weird occasional situations I’ll get a Chromecast tab that then has local (for the remote connection) Chromecast options

 one of my remote users complains frequently that his Chromecast options aren’t there. I think he sometimes fixes with an iPhone restart.  
 

how does Chromecast work? An almost always working example is Netflix - it’s Chromecast options work almost every time!  What’s different about Emby?

[Luke 42078]

Hi, chromecast devices are detected by the Emby iOS, Android and web app in chrome. The chromecast needs to need on the same WiFi network as the device that you’re trying to cast from.

[Ahole 17]

Just now, Luke said:

Hi, chromecast devices are detected by the Emby iOS, Android and web app in chrome. The chromecast needs to need on the same WiFi network as the device that you’re trying to cast from.

That part I understand for sure and that is the part that doesn’t work on Emby for me quite often.  
If I am remote to my server and connect to my server via https://subdomain.mydomain.com port 443 using haproxy, what I’m given by the Emby iOS app , or the chrome web app for casting options (on my current remote WiFi network) … are the casting options on the server’s local network.  I need the casting options that are on the remote WiFi network (which is local to a remote user).  Oddly it works sometimes and many times not.  No Chromecast options for the remote local network are even there sometimes. (Even though I can get Netflix or another app to see local remote options)   My point is that it doesn’t work like it’s supposed to because it should work on Emby if it works on Netflix  

 hopefully this makes sense

[visproduction 315]

Hopefully, someone has an exact answer.  I've noticed this issue as well.  With Google TV, the casting is available when the TV is on, of course.  Firestick not so much.  I hear that Roky as well has many issues to have the TV appear as available.  Firestick does seem to work if you can either first use a browser TV app to go to the IP address or domain, if you have one.  Emby also seems to find Firestick TV's if you can get Kodi installed and just turned on with a remote login to your local Emby server IP.  Installing Kodi on Firestick is a lot of hack work, but possible.

It seems that with Firestick and maybe Roku, the TV has to get past the built in TV security that keeps most network connections out.  You either have to have an exisiting connect up and running with a TV App browser, or setup inside an app like Kodi, before the TV even lets you see another outserver.  I am guess that these TV access services just lock everything out for so the software company has less problems.

Hope that helps.  I will be interested to see more details about why this is happening.

[speechles 2055]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Service_Discovery_Protocol

The difference is SSDP. For this to work when the application is not running you have to use SSDP. Then you can see the device and cast to it using the launch protocol. The SSDP request does not tell you Emby is installed on the device. You would need to query the device for installed applications after detecting it with SSDP. If Emby is found as an installed application it would then appear as a device you can cast too. Presently Emby is not using SSDP to detect your castable devices. This is the difference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_and_Launch

Edited March 6, 2025 by speechles

[Ahole 17]

14 minutes ago, speechles said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Service_Discovery_Protocol

The difference is SSDP. For this to work when the application is not running you have to use SSDP. Then you can see the device and cast to it using the launch protocol. The SSDP request does not tell you Emby is installed on the device. You would need to query the device for installed applications after detecting it with SSDP. If Emby is found as an installed application it would then appear as a device you can cast too. Presently Emby is not using SSDP to detect your castable devices. This is the difference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_and_Launch

That helps a bit to understand why Emby is definitely NOT working, while some other apps work every time ie Netflix.  
I’m confused about whether you found a way to force the discovery esp with the locked down iPhone?

[Luke 42078]

Have you reproduced this yourself?

[Ahole 17]

41 minutes ago, Luke said:

Have you reproduced this yourself?

Oh lord.  A thousand times

casting to “local” devices when connected to the server remotely has always been my most consistent challenge

 the problem is that it works sometimes and not others.  
my workarounds have usually been things like “jumping starting” with other apps like Netflix etc

 the most recent weird thing was to use my MacBook, using the chrome web app, skipping the “play on” icon in the web page but going to the “view” tab at the chrome menu and then choosing “cast” there

 the problem I had then was that it would cast great for about 3 to 5 minutes then quit 

 

i always assumed others had no problems because I didn’t see tons of posts about it

 and I assumed it might be due to the way I used Harrods to connect remotely

Edited March 6, 2025 by Ahole

[Luke 42078]

So the server doesn’t detect chromecast. It is the device you’re casting from that does that.

 What impact does Harrods have?

[Ahole 17]

19 hours ago, Luke said:

So the server doesn’t detect chromecast. It is the device you’re casting from that does that.

 What impact does Harrods have?

lol lol

 sorry typo.   I meant to type haproxy 

I’m not sure about Harrods