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SharpCaster

★ 334 Open GitHub ↗

Chromecast C# CLI + SDK

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![SharpCaster Logo](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tapanila/SharpCaster/master/Assets/sharpcaster-logo-64x64.png)

# SharpCaster

[![.NET Build Status](https://github.com/Tapanila/SharpCaster/actions/workflows/dotnet.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Tapanila/SharpCaster/actions/workflows/dotnet.yml)
[![NuGet Status](http://img.shields.io/nuget/v/SharpCaster.svg?style=flat)](https://www.nuget.org/packages/SharpCaster/)
[![Chocolatey](https://img.shields.io/chocolatey/v/sharpcaster.svg?style=flat&include_prereleases)](https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/sharpcaster)
[![Homebrew Tap](https://img.shields.io/badge/homebrew-tap-brightgreen?logo=homebrew&style=flat)](https://github.com/Tapanila/homebrew-sharpcaster)

SharpCaster is a cross-platform toolkit for communicating with Google Chromecast devices. It includes:

- C# SDK (NuGet): A library for .NET apps to discover, connect, launch apps, and control media on Chromecast devices.
- Sharpcaster Console (CLI): A cross‑platform command-line app for controlling Chromecast from your terminal, distributed via Chocolatey and Homebrew.

C# SDK supports .NET Standard 2.0 and .NET 9 (including Native AOT).
Sharpcaster console is built with Native AOT for fast startup, low memory usage and doesn't require .NET installed, works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

## Table of Contents
- [Features](#features)
- [Installation](#installation)
  - [C# SDK (NuGet)](#c-sdk-nuget)
  - [Sharpcaster Console (CLI)](#sharpcaster-console-cli)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Comprehensive Examples](#comprehensive-examples)
- [Media Queue Management](#media-queue-management)
- [Volume Control](#volume-control)
- [Event Handling](#event-handling)
- [Custom Chromecast Channels](#custom-chromecast-channels)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)

## Features

✅ **Device Discovery**: Automatic discovery of Chromecast devices on your local network using mDNS  
✅ **Media Control**: Complete media playback control (play, pause, stop, seek, volume)  
✅ **Queue Management**: Support for media queues with navigation (next, previous, shuffle, repeat)  
✅ **Application Management**: Launch and manage Chromecast applications  
✅ **Custom Channels**: Extensible architecture for custom Chromecast channels  
✅ **Cross-Platform**: Compatible with .NET Standard 2.0 and .NET 9  
✅ **AOT Ready**: Full support for Native AOT compilation in .NET 9  
✅ **Async/Await**: Modern async programming model throughout  
✅ **Event-Driven**: Rich event system for real-time status updates

## Installation

### C# SDK (NuGet)

Install via NuGet Package Manager:
```bash
Install-Package SharpCaster
```

Or via .NET CLI:
```bash
dotnet add package SharpCaster
```

### Sharpcaster Console (CLI)

Control Chromecast devices from your terminal.

- Homebrew (macOS/Linux):
```bash
brew tap Tapanila/sharpcaster
brew install sharpcaster
```

- Chocolatey (Windows):
```powershell
choco install sharpcaster --pre
```

After installation, run `sharpcaster` for interactive mode, or use direct commands like:
```bash
sharpcaster list
sharpcaster "Living Room TV" play "https://example.com/video.mp4" --title "Sample"
```

For full CLI usage and examples, see `SharpCaster.Console/README.md`.

## Quick Start

### 1. Discover and Connect to Chromecast

```csharp
using Sharpcaster;
using Sharpcaster.Models;
using Sharpcaster.Models.Media;

// Discover Chromecast devices
var locator = new ChromecastLocator();
var cancellationToken = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5)).Token;
var chromecasts = await locator.FindReceiversAsync(cancellationToken);

if (!chromecasts.Any())
{
    Console.WriteLine("No Chromecast devices found");
    return;
}

// Connect to first found device
var chromecast = chromecasts.First();
var client = new ChromecastClient();
await client.ConnectChromecast(chromecast);
Console.WriteLine($"Connected to {chromecast.Name}");
```

### 2. Launch Application and Play Media

```csharp
// Launch the default media receiver app
await client.LaunchApplicationAsync("CC1AD845"); // Default Media Receiver

// Create and load media
var media = new Media
{
    ContentUrl = "https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/CastVideos/mp4/DesigningForGoogleCast.mp4",
    ContentType = "video/mp4",
    Metadata = new MediaMetadata
    {
        Title = "Sample Video",
        SubTitle = "A demonstration video"
    }
};

var mediaStatus = await client.MediaChannel.LoadAsync(media);
Console.WriteLine($"Media loaded: {mediaStatus.PlayerState}");
```

## Comprehensive Examples

### Complete Media Player Example

```csharp
public class ChromecastMediaPlayer
{
    private ChromecastClient _client;
    private ChromecastReceiver _device;

public async Task<bool> ConnectAsync(string deviceName = null)
    {
        try
        {
            var locator = new ChromecastLocator();
            var devices = await locator.FindReceiversAsync(CancellationToken.None);
            
            _device = deviceName != null 
                ? devices.FirstOrDefault(d => d.Name.Contains(deviceName))
                : devices.FirstOrDefault();

if (_device == null) return false;

_client = new ChromecastClient();
            await _client.ConnectChromecast(_device);
            
            // Subscribe to events
            _client.MediaChannel.StatusChanged += OnMediaStatusChanged;
            _client.Disconnected += OnDisconnected;
            
            return true;
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Connection failed: {ex.Message}");
            return false;
        }
    }

public async Task PlayVideoAsync(string url, string title = null)
    {
        await _client.LaunchApplicationAsync("CC1AD845"); // Default Media Receiver
        
        var media = new Media
        {
            ContentUrl = url,
            ContentType = GetContentType(url),
            Metadata = new MediaMetadata
            {
                Title = title ?? Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(url),
                MetadataType = MetadataType.Movie
            }
        };

await _client.MediaChannel.LoadAsync(media);
    }

public async Task PlayAudioAsync(string url, string title = null, string artist = null)
    {
        await _client.LaunchApplicationAsync("CC1AD845");
        
        var media = new Media
        {
            ContentUrl = url,
            ContentType = GetContentType(url),
            Metadata = new MusicTrackMetadata
            {
                Title = title ?? Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(url),
                Artist = artist,
                MetadataType = MetadataType.MusicTrack
            }
        };

await _client.MediaChannel.LoadAsync(media);
    }

private void OnMediaStatusChanged(object sender, MediaStatus status)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Media Status: {status.PlayerState} - {status.CurrentTime:F1}s");
    }

private void OnDisconnected(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Disconnected from Chromecast");
    }

private static string GetContentType(string url)
    {
        var extension = Path.GetExtension(url).ToLower();
        return extension switch
        {
            ".mp4" => "video/mp4",
            ".mp3" => "audio/mpeg",
            ".wav" => "audio/wav",
            ".webm" => "video/webm",
            _ => "video/mp4"
        };
    }
}
```

## Media Queue Management

SharpCaster supports advanced queue operations for playlist-style media playback:

```csharp
// Create a media queue
var queueItems = new[]
{
    new QueueItem
    {
        Media = new Media
        {
            ContentUrl = "https://example.com/song1.mp3",
            ContentType = "audio/mpeg",
            Metadata = new MusicTrackMetadata { Title = "Song 1", Artist = "Artist 1" }
        }
    },
    new QueueItem
    {
        Media = new Media
        {
            ContentUrl = "https://example.com/song2.mp3", 
            ContentType = "audio/mpeg",
            Metadata = new MusicTrackMetadata { Title = "Song 2", Artist = "Artist 2" }
        }
    }
};

// Load queue with repeat mode
await client.MediaChannel.QueueLoadAsync(queueItems, 0, RepeatModeType.ALL);

// Navigate through queue
await client.MediaChannel.QueueNextAsync();  // Next track
await client.MediaChannel.QueuePrevAsync();  // Previous track

// Get queue information
var itemIds = await client.MediaChannel.QueueGetItemIdsAsync();
var items = await client.MediaChannel.QueueGetItemsAsync(itemIds);
```

## Volume Control

```csharp
// Get current volume
var status = await client.ReceiverChannel.GetChromecastStatusAsync();
Console.WriteLine($"Current volume: {status.Volume.Level:P0}");

// Set volume (0.0 to 1.0)
await client.ReceiverChannel.SetVolumeAsync(0.5f);

// Mute/unmute
await client.ReceiverChannel.SetMutedAsync(true);
await client.ReceiverChannel.SetMutedAsync(false);
```

## Event Handling

SharpCaster provides rich event support for real-time updates:

```csharp
// Media events
client.MediaChannel.StatusChanged += (sender, status) =>
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Player State: {status.PlayerState}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Current Time: {status.CurrentTime}s");
    Console.WriteLine($"Duration: {status.Media?.Duration}s");
};

// Connection events  
client.Disconnected += (sender, args) =>
{
    Console.WriteLine("Connection lost to Chromecast");
};

// Application events
client.ReceiverChannel.StatusChanged += (sender, status) =>
{
    foreach (var app in status.Applications ?? [])
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Running app: {app.DisplayName} ({app.AppId})");
    }
};
```

## Custom Chromecast Channels

Create custom channels for specialized applications:

```csharp
public class CustomGameChannel : ChromecastChannel
{
    public CustomGameChannel(ILogger<CustomGameChannel> logger) 
        : base("custom.game", logger) { }

public async Task SendGameCommandAsync(string command, object data)
    {
        var message = new { type = command, data = data };
        await SendAsync(JsonSerializer.Serialize(message));
    }

protected override async Task OnMessageReceivedAsync(string message, string messageType)
    {
        // Handle custom game messages
        var gameMessage = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<GameMessage>(message);
        // Process game-specific logic
    }
}

// Register and use custom channel
var gameChannel = new CustomGameChannel(logger);
client.RegisterChannel(gameChannel);
```

You can also reverse engineer existing channels:

1. In Chrome, go to `chrome://net-export/`
2. Select 'Include raw bytes (will include cookies and credentials)'
3. Click 'Start Logging to Disk'
4. Cast from your favorite web app
5. Stop logging and open the log in [netlog-viewer](https://netlog-viewer.appspot.com/)
6. Search for `type:SOCKET` and find familiar JSON data
7. Collect the exchanged JSON
8. Create a new class inheriting from `ChromecastChannel` and implement your logic

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues and Solutions

**Device Discovery Issues:**
```csharp
// Increase discovery timeout for slow networks
var cancellationToken = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10)).Token;
var devices = await locator.FindReceiversAsync(cancellationToken);

// Manually specify device if discovery fails
var manualDevice = new ChromecastReceiver
{
    Name = "My Chromecast",
    DeviceUri = new Uri("http://192.168.1.100"),
    Port = 8009
};
```

**Connection Timeouts:**
```csharp
// Enable logging for debugging
var loggerFactory = LoggerFactory.Create(builder => 
    builder.AddConsole().SetMinimumLevel(LogLevel.Debug));
    
var client = new ChromecastClient(loggerFactory);
```

**Media Loading Failures:**
- Ensure media URLs are publicly accessible
- Verify correct `ContentType` is specified
- Check that the Chromecast supports the media format
- Use HTTPS URLs when possible

**Network Issues:**
- Ensure device is on the same network as Chromecast
- Check firewall settings (port 8009 must be accessible)
- Verify mDNS/Bonjour is enabled on the network

### Error Handling Best Practices

```csharp
try
{
    await client.MediaChannel.LoadAsync(media);
}
catch (TimeoutException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Request timed out - check network connection");
}
catch (InvalidOperationException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Invalid operation: {ex.Message}");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Unexpected error: {ex.Message}");
}
```

## Demo

![SharpCaster Simple demo](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tapanila/SharpCaster/master/Assets/SharpCaster.Simple.Demo.gif)

## Supported Platforms

- **.NET Standard 2.0** - Maximum compatibility across .NET implementations
- **.NET 9** - Latest features including Native AOT support
- **Compatible with**: .NET Framework 4.6.1+, .NET Core 2.0+, .NET 5+, Xamarin, Unity

## Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

1. **Fork** the repository
2. **Create** a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature`)
3. **Commit** your changes (`git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature'`)
4. **Push** to the branch (`git push origin feature/AmazingFeature`)
5. **Open** a Pull Request

### Development Setup

```bash
git clone https://github.com/Tapanila/SharpCaster.git
cd SharpCaster
dotnet restore
dotnet build
dotnet test
```

### Testing

Tests require a physical Chromecast device on the network:
```bash
dotnet test
```
Some of the tests may require few tries to pass due to network conditions.

## License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE.txt) file for details.

SharpCaster

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