Chromecast Audio problems

[LambertZijp]

Dear reader,

I am trying to play audio from my windows 10 pc to my stereo set. I have a Chromecast Audio. I don't know what generation but on the box is depicted a round small black device with above it a yellow connection cable.

I got the setup working using Spotify (Spotify for windows 64 bits).

I installed Google Home on an android device. When Spotify is playing, Home recognizes something is playing and even knows the name of the track.

When I drop an audio file in a Chrome browser tab page and select "cast", I can hear some shards of the track, but Google Home thinks nothing is playing. I can however adjust the volume with Google Home.

Audio from a youtube video or podcast fails.

The right-mouse-click menu of the windows explorer when clicking on an mp3 file and selecting the "Cast to device option" keeps searching for devises.

The windows Media Player also cannot find the Chromecast Audio device.

When I use VLC (VideoLan) and cast it to the speakers, I hear nothing, but Google home knows the track that is playing and thinks it all works fine.

Might well be a VLC issue, but since VLC is widely used, maybe someone here knows how to fix the problem or can recommend an audio player for windows that does a decent job?

[Byteguy · Accepted solution]

Lots of things going on here.

First, there was only one generation of Chromecast Audio.  Sadly.  Google no longer sells it but they are still supporting it with updates and features.

Spotify (and other music services like YouTube Music) work exceptionally well because you are fully in the Casting universe.

Dropping a track in Chrome uses mirroring instead of casting.  That sometimes works well and sometimes does not.  It depends a lot on your computer.

YouTube is a video service, it doesn't support audio-only devices like Chromecast Audio.

Windows Explorer and Media player are Microsoft products, their "casting" is Miracast; an older competing standard that is not compatible with Google's Chromecast devices (and isn't supported as broadly)

VLC has been trying to make casting work for a few years.  Contact their Support channels.   I have heard mixed results on their efforts.

Here is ANOTHER option, YouTube Music supports the ability to upload you own audio files and it works very well with Chromecast Audio and Google Home devices:

https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/9716522

However, you have to pay for a premium subscription in order to cast.

[LambertZijp]

Thank you Byteguy for this very informative answer!! I have spent many hours yesterday to find out what was going on.

Uploading the audio to some file server on the net in order to play the music seems very cumbersome.

You write that VLC is trying to support casting for years... Is it that difficult? Is there no API available; I mean, is Google secretive about the specifications?

[LambertZijp]

UPDATE:

I tried a trial version of AirParrot. It worked, be it with fits and starts and interrupted by a voice reminder that it is a trial version.

On the videolan forum I came across a discussion about chromecast to TV, mentioning a firewall. I ruled it out because Google Home was able to report the name of the tracks I dropped into VLC. Checked it anyway: VLC was behind the firewall...

Enabling access to the local network solved the problem: VLC now works as a charm.

Thank you anyway Byteguy for making the effort to help me!