This app demonstrates switching between Google Cast and local playback by using CastPlayer and ExoPlayer.

See the demos README for instructions on how to build and run this demo.

Test your streams by adding a MediaItem with URI and mime type to the DemoUtil and deploy the app on a real device for casting.

The Cast SDK behaviour in the demo app or your own app can be customized by providing a custom OptionsProvider (see DefaultCastOptionsProvider also).

Replace the default options provider in the AndroidManifest.xml with your own:

<meta-data
    android:name="com.google.android.gms.cast.framework.OPTIONS_PROVIDER_CLASS_NAME"
    android:value="com.example.cast.MyOptionsProvider"/>

The Media3 cast demo app is an implementation of an Android Cast sender app that uses a default Cast receiver app (running on the Cast device) that is customized to support DRM protected streams by passing DRM configuration via MediaInfo. Hence Widevine DRM credentials can also be populated with a MediaItem.DrmConfiguration.Builder (see the samples in DemoUtil marked with Widevine).

If you test your own streams with this demo app, keep in mind that for your production app you need to choose your own receiver app and have your own receiver app ID.

If you have a receiver app already and want to quickly test whether it works well together with the CastPlayer, then you can configure the demo app to use your receiver:

public class MyOptionsProvider implements OptionsProvider {
  @NonNull
  @Override
  public CastOptions getCastOptions(Context context) {
    return new CastOptions.Builder()
        .setReceiverApplicationId(YOUR_RECEIVER_APP_ID)
        // other options
        .build();
  }
}

You can also use the plain default Cast receiver app by using CastMediaControlIntent.DEFAULT_MEDIA_RECEIVER_APPLICATION_ID.

This demo app uses the DefaultMediaItemConverter to convert a Media3 MediaItem to a MediaQueueItem of the Cast API. Apps that use a custom receiver app, can use a custom MediaItemConverter instance by passing it into the constructor of CastPlayer.

This Media3 cast demo app uses the media session and notification support provided by the Cast SDK. If your app already integrates with a MediaSession, the Cast session can be disabled to avoid duplicate notifications or sessions:

public class MyOptionsProvider implements OptionsProvider {
  @NonNull
  @Override
  public CastOptions getCastOptions(Context context) {
    return new CastOptions.Builder()
        .setCastMediaOptions(
            new CastMediaOptions.Builder()
                .setMediaSessionEnabled(false)
                .setNotificationOptions(null)
                .build())
        // other options
        .build();
  }
}

Whether a specific stream is supported on a Cast device largely depends on the receiver app, the media player used by the receiver and the Cast device, rather then the implementation of the sender that basically only provides media URI and metadata.

Generally, Google Cast and all Cast Web Receiver applications support the media facilities and types listed on this page. If you build a custom receiver that uses a media player different to the media player of the Cast receiver SDK, your app may support other formats or features than listed in the reference above.

The Media3 team can't give support for building a receiver app or investigations regarding support for certain media formats on a cast devices. Please consult the Cast documentation around building a receiver application for further details.