And if you kill the app or log out, streaming will carry on uninterrupted! I’d always come across functional or how-to articles that told me to use this App or that App, or use the Chrome browser and use cast.įinally, and ironically, the best description came from Synology’s blog:Ĭhromecast is basically a Chrome browser, you can’t see it, you can’t feel it, but it’s there: when you select a song to stream, DS audio/video simply passes the HTTP(S) url to the browser, meaning the stream goes from the DiskStation to the Chromecast, the device is never a bottleneck. One major symptom of this locked-down-ness (and probably of Google’s marketing prowess) is just how hard it was to find some useful information of WHAT the damn thing was doing. It’s not clear if this is the whole software the box is running, and if it’s the latest version. Google does release some sort of source code. Thankfully, it does not have a camera or a microphone. It’s an internet connected device that updates itself and there is no way to access what’s inside. It’s a black box that has very little to configure (good) and it’s locked down in a weird way (very bad). The Chromecast Audio is a modern appliance. This is great, but even greater is that you get root access – it’s a Linux powered box that you own and have control over – you can de-Appliance it. Synology gives you an appliance – it’s a snap to setup, to update, and to add functionality (“Apps”) to. We got the Chromecast at the same time as the Synology NAS did and I found the two to be a study in contrast.

I was simultaneously curious, impressed, and a little disgusted by the Chromecast Audio. Feel free to skip to the section that says “Commandline” …

And so another internet connected creature entered our home. Sorry that was two much fun.) for home audio solutions (It’s what the kids call speakers these days) a friend of mine encouraged me to try out Google’s Chromecast Audio device. When I was casting about (I’m allowed one Dad pun per article.

Google chromecast setup help line