[German]Google's Chromecast HDMI dongle converts a TV screen into a smart TV. So you can stream YouTube videos wireless to that device. Beside this, there has been Chromecast emulators for Windows and Android out – enabling an ordinary Windows PC or an Android device to act as a Chromecast receiver. But don't mention the iPad – it's out-of-order as a Cromecast receiving device. Really? Just imagine to convert your iPad into a Chromecast receiver – the iOS-App rPlay will do that for you.
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I've blogged about Chromecast several times (but in German). Because Chromecast isn't available officially in Germany and in other parts of the world, several developers begun to write Chromecast emulators. German computer science student Sebastian Mauer implemented Nodecast, a small Node.js based implementation of Leapcast (I wrote here several articles how to use Nodecast on Windows). Sebastian Mauer has implemented also Cheapcast, an Android app I've blogged about several times.
I've also mentioned within ths blog article, that Huihong Luo, mastermind behind many VMLite http://www.vmlite.com/ products like VMLite XP Mode or VBoot, was developing Chromecast emulators. He wrote rPlay, a Chromecast port for Raspberry Pi. I was in touch with Huihong Luo for years, so, after he read my blog post in early august, he mailed me and gave me some ideas he was working on. Last Sunday night I received another e-mail from him, informing me, that the iOS rPlay app has been approved by Apple, so I could give it a try.
Cool: rPlay turns your iPad into a Chromecast receiver
At least, it is pretty simple: Download the iOS app rPlay for iPhone or iPad for free from iTunes Store. Guess, an iPhone won't fit well as a receiver, because of it's "mini display" – but an iPad will be a good device to play YouTube videos from your Android smartphone.
After downloading and starting rPlay on my iPad 1, I was greeted by a screen shown below.
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After launching rPlay, and pushing the Start rPlay button, the emulator listens to Chromecast senders. The app screen shows the following status entries on your device.
Now you are ready to use an Android device as a Chromecast sender. I used the YouTube app on one of my Android smartphone to cast a video. Below is the YouTube app window shown in Android. A video is playing and if you touch the screen, a row of buttons will be visible in the displays upper right corner. Just touch the Chromecast button (second button from right).
That's all, as long, as only one Chromecast receiver is detected within your network (all my devices was connected to my private WLAN for my rPlay test). After the YouTube app streams to the iPad Chromecast receiver, the video will be shown on your iPad (see image below).
If you touch the iPad's display, player buttons will be visible – so you will be able to control playback on your receiving device. To switch video playback back to your local Android device, just tap the Chromecast button again on the device's display.
The image above shows my simvalley SP-140 android device in front and in background my iPad playing the YouTube video (in the upper left a part of my WeTab slate running Windows 8.1 RTM is visible).
Overall: rPlay iOS app runs on my old iPad 1 under iOS 5.x, which is pretty cool. Also streaming from my android device to my iPad 1 was easy like plug & play – just launch rPlay service on iPad, launch YouTube on a Android device and hit Chromecast button – ready. During my first test I've had a few stutters – but later on, chromecasting works like a champ. If you have an iOS and an Android device, just give it a try – it's cool man.
Huihong Luo did a great job, and I'm eager to get in touch with his app for Android. I've have an TVPeCee Android HDMI-Stick (in the image above shown right of the iPad), that will suite as a Chromecast-Stick with an approriate Android app. I've uses the Android app Cheapcast from Sebastian Mauer, but this app has some bugs, so I'm mostly not able to Chromecast via Android.
Similar Articles from my Blog: (but all in German)
a1: Chromecast: HDMI-Streaming-Stick vorgestellt
a2: Meine 2 Cents/Gedanken zu Google Chromecast …
a3: Kann Google Chromcast vielleicht Miracast?
a4: Chromecast im Teardown
b1: Chromecast-Emulatoren als Testumgebung – Teil 1
b2: Nodecast: Chromecast-Emulator how to – Teil 2
b3: Nodecast: Chromecast-Emulator im Hands on – Teil 3
b4: Android Chromecast-Emulator als Beta verfügbar–Teil 4
b5: Chromecast: Update für Cheapcast mit Problemen
b6: Cheapcast: Android Chromecast-Emulator als Beta verfügbar–Teil 4
b7: Chromecast: Update für Cheapcast mit Problemen
c1: AirCast: Android-App zum Streamen auf Chromecast
d1: DLNA im hands-on-Experiment
d2: Den Fernseher per inakustik-Stick mit DLNA nachrüsten
d3: DLNA-Streaming in Windows
d4: DLNA-Streaming unter Android
d5: DLNA unter iOS nutzen
d6: Dein Android Gerät als DLNA-Server
d7: Simvalley SP-140 mit dem Windows Media Player synchronisieren
d8: Miracast bei Windows 8.1
d9: TVPeCee MMS-894.mira: Miracast mit dem HDMI-Stick
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