For those with HDMI Chromecast devices it’s long been a point of contention and suffering that those devices were not eligible to be linked into a multi-speaker group via the Home App, especially if the said Chromecast was connected to your amplifier you basically couldn’t include your best speakers into your streaming groups. That all changes today thanks to an update to Chromecasts that finally enables these features.
Following the update HDMI Chromecasts join the ranks of the other multi-room enabled devices including the Chromecast Audio, Google Home devices, Google Assistant speakers, Google Smart Displays as well as many other Chromecast enabled speakers from various OEMs.
If you do have a HDMI Chromecast hooked up to a CEC compatible device you’ll also be able to use the Auto On feature of the CEC protocol, meaning that if you start a stream the Chromecast will turn on your device and switch it to the correct input.
Have you been waiting for multi room audio to come to HDMI Chromecasts? What device do you want to see added next?
Audio streaming works for my chromecast devices in groups, but no video when casting from YouTube music.
Video devices don’t even show textual information about what is playing.
Hey Just wondering, I’m trying this preview program V1.36. I’m assuming this means that we can play a video on to a HDMI Chromecast and hear the Audio through 1 or more Chromecast audio’s? I have 1x HDMI Chromecast, and 2x Chromecast audio’s (all now on 1.36), i can assign all 3 to a group but i can’t cast video and have audio synced. I either get video and no sound, or audio and no video depending on where i cast from. Could somebody please let me know if i have the wrong idea about what this release is meant… Read more »
I joined the preview program and restarted my Chromecast 2nd Gen and the multi-room feature was enabled.
I have a “chromecast 2nd gen” with firmware version 1.36.xxxxx and it works. I also have a “chromecast” with firmware version 1.35.xxxxx, and it does not work. I’m guessing firmware version 1.35.xxxxx does not support this feature.
https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7124014?hl=en-AU
Awesome thanks Paulhebb53!
That was the critical missing piece of info we all needed.
Needed to go into the Chromecast device’s settings in Google Home and turn on ‘Preview Program’ to enable the update.
Then had to force the Chrome cast device to update from a PC on the same network:
Linux
curl -X POST -H “Content-Type: application/json” -d ‘{“params”: “ota foreground”}’ http://:8008/setup/reboot -v
Windows
Invoke-WebRequest -Method Post -ContentType “application/json” -Body ‘{“params”: “ota foreground”}’ -Uri “http://:8008/setup/reboot” -Verbose -UserAgent “curl”
Tell us how to set ot up or does it do it auto
No Android TV sorry either???
Yep I can’t do this yet on my two hdmi chromecasts
But I can’t add my Nvidia Shield to my audio group, so I still can’t do this. 🙁
Have you been waiting for multi room audio to come to HDMI Chromecasts? Yes!
What device do you want to see added next? HDMI Chromecasts
Be nice if you could specify stream url’s in scheduler (or whatever it’s called.) I tried, it’s rather amusing hearing assistant reading out a url letter by letter, then isn’t available right now
Be nice if you could specify stream url’s in scheduler (or whatever it’s called. I tried, it rather amusing hearing assistant reading out a url letter by letter, then isn’t available right now
Cheer up guys this is awesome.
Typical Google troll-out.
Just spoke with Google again about this feature – “This may or may not work to all Chromecast devices for now.”
Still not working here, as per google usual.
CEC (Consumer Electronics Protocol), not CNC (Computer Numerical Control).