There exists any software for streaming other information, like a
custom screen, to a Chromecast TV? Like widgets, stocks, custom idle
backgrounds, etc
reddit / selfhosted

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JoaGamo · 2023-12-31 01:58

Hello! I didn't find anywhere how to customize chromecast TVs. I've
got a few 40''+ non Android TVs with Chromecast 3's in each, but I
want to automate the usage of these such that when they turn on, they
display something useful, like grafana, stocks, the weather, anything.

Does there exist a software to make a proper use of an spare
chromecast+TV?

My actual usage was using it as a secondary monitor displaying my
entire rack's Grafana, rotating between different dashboards every
minute, (everytime the TV turned on, it required manual configuration
and streaming from a VM, which is cumbersome)

Is there something? Anything else that isn't displaying a youtube
video would be good

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Kv603 · 2023-12-31 02:56

I found it was easier to just put a raspberry Pi 3+ (or better) behind
each TV, controlling the TV via CEC.

> My actual usage was using it as a secondary monitor displaying my
entire rack's Grafana, rotating between different dashboards every
minute,

The Pi launches Chrome in kiosk mode at boot, with "[Enterprise Tab
Rotate](https://github.com/z-Silthus/chrome-enterprise-tab-rotate)"
installed so it will switch between 4 different dashboard pages.

cec-client (assuming your TV has a HDMI port supporting CEC) allows
the rPi to force the set to turn on and select the appropriate HDMI
input

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Curious-Region7448 · 2023-12-31 22:37

A lot of people use software intended for smart mirrors for this; one
of the most popular open-source ones is [Magic
Mirror](https://magicmirror.builders/).

As a simpler alternative, if you want to implement via a Docker
container, you could look at
[this](https://hub.docker.com/r/ryanbarrett/catt-chromecast#!).  Take
a look at the "examples" link on his page for how to set up rotating
web pages or even 4 web pages tiled into one.

If you want to do it more ad-hoc as opposed to a scheduled or pre-
configured rotation, there's ["cast all the
things."](https://github.com/skorokithakis/catt)

Good luck; let us know how it goes!