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It's dead, Google have stopped making them.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/google-kills-the-chromecast-audio/
Hmm, may have to get a few. Was always a good way to get good, "smart" sound from old hifis. Some of the newer smart stuff (i.e. Sonos) doesn't sound that great.
The newest casting software on Android lets you build them into multiroom groups which is pretty sweet.
Do the normal chromecasts have an audio out or is it just HDMI?
I wonder if the next Home Minis will have an audio out to replace this? Be better to talk to it directly than casting from your phone.
Well I just bought a spare! I have a DIY wired speaker setup throughout my house, driven by a Chromecast Audio through a 20 year old Sony Hifi. So I'm stuffed/dependent on 2nd hand units if my breaks.
Can't remember the last time I used mine, was really keen to stream from Youtube but so many vids were restricted which was a pita. May put on Classifieds!
That's a shame. I've a couple, one in the kitchen and another linked up to the main stereo, and they're good at what they do. I mostly use them for streaming from Tidal or internet radio.
I suppose there's always the Raspberry Pi Zero and a DAC hat for alternative small solutions, but it's a bit more involved than the Chromecast was.
they're a great idea, but mine just keeps losing connection so it doesn't know that it's still playing, or just stops altogether. You can't play a whole album on it without having to close and reopen Spotify and reopen Google Home and blah blah blah.
It's more hassle than it's worth. which is really disappointing, as i love the concept!
Nooooooo!
They better bring out something to replace them, even if it has Google assistant built in.
Otherwise it's off to the Amazon ecosystem with their new Echo Input!
Might have to get a spare.
It’s more hassle than it’s worth.
if you're using your internet provider's hub for your wifi then i'd wager that's your problem, not the chromecast. i have 4 of them. it was frequently glitchy, gave poor playback, and would frequently disconnect. trying to cast from phone or laptop was a waste of time. now i've fitted a tp-link wifi router and set the virgin hub up as just a modem ( very easy ), the whole setup works perfectly and completely trouble free.
if you don't want yours, let me know, i'll give you 15 quid for it posted.
I was thinking it would be very handy if the Chromecast had a microphone/Google Assistant. Its a lot easier to just ask it to play something, instead of having to find your phone and use the app etc.
Something like the Google Home Mini with an audio out would be good.
I like ours but I can't get PowerAmp to cast to it, which is really annoying as it's the only music app I use.
Do the normal chromecasts have an audio out or is it just HDMI?
It's just HDMI. (Which, y'know, carries hi def audio.)
Never use mine, so if anyone wants it, pm me
It’s just HDMI. (Which, y’know, carries hi def audio.)
Only embedded in the digital signal though. You can't just wire up a HDMI to RCA adapter.
[i]they’re a great idea, but mine just keeps losing connection so it doesn’t know that it’s still playing,[/i]
Mine went through a long phase of being glitchy, it would cut out or I'd lose control of the volume. At some point it fixed itself, occasionally I still lose volume control in Spotify but if I open the Google Home app I can normally adjust it there.
I never got on with mine as I wanted to stream youtube to some speakers but you had to have ti playing on your phone screen for it to stream. I understand why they did it (to stop you getting a free music streaming service without the video ads) but I ended up wishing I had just got a full fat chromecast (which I did).
I am tempted to dig them back out and wire them up to some speakers and see if Amazon prime music will stream to them.
I thought you could split out the audio from hdmi? I was planning on doing that with my video ones so they will play youtube music properly.
Buggery bollocks! Got one for Christmas and love it.
Just panic bought 3 more from MyMemory for £25 each...
I thought you could split out the audio from hdmi? I was planning on doing that with my video ones so they will play youtube music properly.
Not simply. You can get a HDMI to 'audio' cable (jack, RCA) but it's a digital signal not analogue audio. Some AV receivers will decode it but the average hi-fi amp won't. There's also the HDMI handshake to get through so by design a simple dac wouldn't work.
I never really got on with mine after having a few issues with setting it up. If anyone wants it drop me a pm and I’ll chuck it in a Jiffy bag.
That is disappointing, I have two and use them loads. often in a group.
Very recently they have let you add video ones to an audio group, so this surprises me.
Also a tip for streaming youtube videos over chromecase audio, i use allconnect on iphone. works really well.
you can use it to listen on your phone with a lock screen too, no need to pay for premium.
My brother has a few dotted around the house making old systems smart, seem to work really well playing radio/music when controlled via a google home. I can see you tube being an issue for casting but google music plays fine. I keep getting reminded they are pushing you tube as a music channel but never really seen the point.
£25 each? Crikey, sure I bought mine for £18 or £20 each or something.
Re youtube - wasnt it possible to use firefox to stream fromy our phone but not need to be the front window?
Am I right in thinking the audio and video versions work differently? The video one would stream direct from source (unless mirroring of course) so you could shut your phone down after setting a film to play for example but the audio one needs your device to actively stream to it.
Google Play Music is shite, it won't play 99% of the music on my phone. It recognises it but refuses to play it. PowerAmp just plays it
Google Play Music is shite, it won’t play 99% of the music on my phone. It recognises it but refuses to play it. PowerAmp just plays it
I just let it run streamed or DL from the app onto my phone for offline, no idea which HDD has my MO3 collection on it and I'm certainly not bothered enough to look it up, synced it to google play music a few years back when I first had a fibre connection.
Am I right in thinking the audio and video versions work differently?
No, they work the same in that regard.
Google music (and Internet radio and playlists) work fine via Google Home or mini, it's just a pain having to purchase both, and have to tell it what to play on. Compared to say an Echo dot which has a direct cable output. The advantage with Chromecast audio though was it had digital out.
As mentioned in the artical they are going to bring out more smart speakers. Presumably more of a market for the kitchen speaker / multi room than a hifi add on. Plus they can push the personal assistant. Alexa has already made some good ground with Sonos and others.
Picked up an Onkyo GX30 speaker with built in HeyGoogle last week (PSA half price RicherSounds) for not much more than a Mini. Have to say it sounds good in a small room for such a tiny box. Shop demo won me over. Bit bassey but am told you can adjust an equaliser somewhere.
Discontinuing could mean more chance of licensing to a 3rd party that builds something new with a digital out in the future.
I was thinking it would be very handy if the Chromecast had a microphone/Google Assistant. Its a lot easier to just ask it to play something, instead of having to find your phone and use the app etc.
Something like the Google Home Mini with an audio out would be good.
You can configure a Home mini to control a specific Chromecast so all audio is automatically played through the Chromecast. I do that in a few rooms. Voice control and a decent set of speakers.
You can stream from Amazon Music to Chromecast Audio, you couldn't when I first bought my one, but it's been supported for a while now.
Discontinuing could mean more chance of licensing to a 3rd party that builds something new with a digital out in the future.
I thought it already had digital out through an analogue/optical jack port?
I use digital out on my Chromecast to my Q Accoustics amp.
Then I have are the most used gadgets I have, only annoying thing is sometimes the app I'm using loses control of the cast. The Home app sorts that out but it's annoying.
Oh crikey, my inbox is full of messages!
Sorry everyone (except Phil) he got in first, so it’s gone. I apologise for being too lazy to reply to everyone 😁