Using The Chromecast Audio To Stream Music From Your Local Network

I am one of the earliest adopters of the Sonos system. If you're not familiar with it, Sonos is a wireless audio system that allows you to stream music from a variety of sources including your computer. Currently they offer the following devices:

• Connect - Connects your stereo or amplifier to the Sonos network.
• Connect:Amp - Same as the Connect with a built-in amplifier (add your own speakers).
• Play 1, 3, & 5 - Speakers with a built in amplifier and Connect.
• Playbar - A powered soundbar with built-in Connect.
• Sub - A powered subwoofer with built-in Connect.

There are many advantages to the Sonos system including:

• Has its own mesh WiFi network where each device acts as its own repeater.
• Optionally, it can be connected to your WiFi network.
• You can control the system from your computer or an app on your phone or tablet.
• You need not run any host on your computer to stream local content from your network.
• You can specify which devices are playing the same content.
• Devices can be set up to play only the left or right channels, or both.
• They offer a broad range of online audio sources.
• Superior sound quality.

So why even bother using anything else? The cost. The least expensive Sonos component is $200. Heck, just to connect your stereo to the Sonos network will set you back $350!

THE CHROMECAST AUDIO

Enter Google's Chromecast Audio. At $35 (some retailers sell it for $30), you can buy several of them for the cost of just one Sonos component. It may not be as elegant a solution as Sonos but with a little effort you could save yourself thousands of dollars on a complete home setup.

To play your audio you use a phone, tablet, or computer, then cast from that device to one, some, or all of your Chromecast Audios. Note that you must have a wireless device to set up a Chromecast Audio. That's because it will create its own WiFi hotspot that your wireless device will need to connect directly to in order to set it up for your network's WiFi.

The gap in functionality and elegance between the Chromecast Audio and Sonos is narrowing as manufacturers are adding the Chromecast Audio capability to their own powered speakers, soundbars, and stereos. This is prefered because like Sonos, if the Chromecast Audio is incorporated into an amplified device you should be able to turn on the amp simply by streaming to it.

THE LOCAL MEDIA DIFFICULTY

Still, I hesitated to recommend the Chromecast Audio primarily because there seemed to be no good way to play music from your local network. While the Sonos devices have the smarts to catalog the music on a shared network, the Chromecast Audio was designed to stream everything from the internet. Scouring the internet it would seem the only answer is to use Plex - a media server that you run on a host computer to transcode and play content on your portable devices, computers, or TV's. It works but it is not adept at organizing the media. For example, you may have rated your audio files but while Plex can read tags like "genre" it is not able to read your ratings. You can rate the music from within Plex but if you have a large collection it would be extremely time consuming. Additionally, if your Plex database were ever to be lost you would have to start from scratch!

THE SOLUTION

Enter a combination of JRiver Media Center and the BubbleUNpP app. I'm sure there are other options but I'll focus on what I have used successfully.

JRiver Media Center is a power media manager for images, audio, and video. Its capabilities are too numerous to mention here but these are the ones most relevant to this post:

• Smart Playlists (A.K.A. Dynamic Playlists) that are automatically updated as you update the audio file with ratings, genre, dates, beats per minute, etc.
• Adept at downloading podcasts with all kinds of parameters regarding how many to keep, how they are tagged, amount of disk space to use, storage location, and much more.
• A DLNA server that has very low impact on your system resources. This can be used to send media to other devices like your portable devices and TV.

I even use JRiver Media Center to create playlists that I export to my media library for my Sonos system. It routinely looks where my shared media is and adds anything new. If Sonos were able to use a DLNA server it would be extremely convenient as I would not have to keep exporting playlists for Sonos to read. I could just set up a Smart Playlist and whenever I add new content that matches a Smart Playlist it would be there for my Sonos to play. Score another advantage for the Chromecast Audio...

Finally, BubbleUPnP creates a direct connection between the DLNA server (I.E. JRiver Media Center) and the Chromecast Audio (it also works with the video Chromecast). Note that you'll still need to keep your portable device running BubbleUPnP connected to your WiFi network so it can send the next audio file to the Chromecast Audio. With my DLNA server connected to my Chromecast Audios I now have access to all those awesome Smart Playlists, podcasts, and individual songs, albums, and artists at a fraction of the cost of the Sonos system!

RELEVANT LINKS

Chromecast Audio $30 to $35

JRiver Media Center 30 Day Free Trial, $49.98 for multiple installs, annual upgrades are less than $19 (Note that the free version of JRiver Media Center, called Media Jukebox, does not include a DLNA server.)

BubbleUPnP free or $4.69 to unlock
PC Magazine Editor's Choice Review of the Chromecast Audio (Note that while they say it has a "Con" of only a 3.5mm connector "out of the box" you can add your own 3.5mm to stereo RCA jacks or even an optical cable.)

Zoner Photo Studio

NOTE: This is not a review of Zoner Photo Studio. Rather, it is an account of how I came to give it a try and why you should consider it as well.

You probably haven't heard of Zoner Photo Studio (ZPS) but you really ought to check it out. I do a lot of photo management and editing but have struggled with products that excel in certain areas and are lacking in others. I've tried many products and kept coming back to:

• Adobe Lightroom - For management, RAW processing, and minor editing.
• Adobe Photoshop Elements - For scanning and editing.
• Faststone - For quick resizing, batch processing, and annotations (excellent for work related needs)
• ON1 Photo - For more involved editing, resizing, and special effects.

They are all great products but you'd need a flowchart to know when you should use which one. Over the years, then, I've searched for something that would handle the majority if not all my needs - and especially those of others. I was rarely able to recommend just one product! Most often I would suggest Adobe Photoshop Elements but I'd have to add that while it can do many things it has really been dumbed down and is actually harder to use than in years past as you have to dig under the surface for the proper tools.

I've known of ZPS for a couple years now and, while I liked it initially, I was rather dismayed at its inability to handle layers and felt some concern over the lack of knowledge about the product in the US.

Some would say that ZPS is primarily a media management tool yet its editing capabilities were extensive. I looked at how I use layers and found that ZPS could yield the same output without layers. I backed off of my insistence and took another look at its capabilities. To my surprise, ZPS in its current form has all of the features that I use all of the other products for - and then some.

Here are just a few of the reasons why I now recommend ZPS:

• The Manager module has the power of Lightroom but is easier to navigate.
• Keywords are written into the JPG files as they are assigned (it is not an extra step like it is in Photoshop Elements).
• Performs batch processing of keywords, effects, name changes, time changes, etc.
• Edits are non-destructive so you can always revert back to the original.
• RAW processing with default settings that provide an excellent starting point.
• Has lens profiles that can correct idiosyncrasies with manual overrides. 
• You can quickly make video slide shows of your photos with transitions, background music (you can match the length of the slideshow to the music), and even automated panning & zooming.
• Supports GPS, panoramas, HDR, tiltshift, and much more.
• Zonerama - A free location where you can upload an unlimited amount of full resolution photos (this is a big deal!).
• Can run on low powered machines yet take advantage of more powerful systems with high-end GPU's.
• You can import directly from a scanner.
• You can add audio notes to your images.
• Find duplicates.
• Synchronize folders.
• They offer several video tutorials.
• Online magazine/blog with lots of great advice and inspiration.
• Free technical support.
• They offer a very capable free version.
• They offer a free, 30 day trial of the pro version.

Here are some helpful links:

• Zoner Photo Studio main site
• Zonerama main site
• Zoner Photo Studio Android App
• FAQ
• News Magazine/Blog
• Difference between Free & Pro
• Tutorials
• Zoner on Wikipedia
• Photography Blog Review
• FileCritic.com Review
• Introductory Video
• Free Version
• Pro Version (30 day free trial)

Gmail Freezing in Chrome

If you are having problems with Gmail locking up in Chrome you may want to give this a try:

In the address bar of your Chrome browser, enter this:

    chrome://flags/#automatic-tab-discarding

You'll see an option that looks like this:

If it is set for Default or Enabled, change it to Disabled:

Be sure to click the blue RELAUNCH NOW button at the bottom:

There may be other issues involved but I went from 4 lock ups before 10AM to none for more than 22 hours since making this change.

Using Your Regular Google Calendar with a Different, Non-Google Email Address

When you receive a Google Calendar invite using an email address that is not associated with your Google account you will not be able to respond (accept/reject/maybe) the invitation.

Here's a workaround:

Create a Google account for whatever other email address(es) where you want to be able to receive calendar invites (for ease of reference, let's call this you@xyz.com). You will then want to make that calendar totally shareable with your normal Google Calendar account. You'll also need to stay logged into the Google account associated with you@xyz.com and then you'll be able to respond the the calendar invite. Google allows you to be logged into more than one Google Calendar account at a time. As long as you have turned on the ability to see the you@xyz.com event in your normal Google Calendar account you will be able to view the event.

Note that unless you copy it to your normal Google Calendar account the event will actually be located only in your you@xyz.com Google Calendar. Consider this when creating reminders.

How To Fix A Hijacked Browser in Windows 10

It's happened to us a couple of times already.  A user is browsing the web and then a message comes up saying something like "This site says.... Call technical support immediately at 1-800-XXX-XXX" and you are prevented from closing that tab or going to any other tab. Here's an example:

If you shut down the browser and reopen it it will come up with the same message. How any company could make a browser that could be overtaken like that is amazing to me.

If your browser's been hijacked, DO NOT click any of the buttons in the message. If they are unscrupulous enough to take over your browser like that they are likely to do something worse if you click on their pop-up.

The first thing you should do is launch your Task Manager by pressing the CTRL - ALT - DELETE keys all at the same time. Click on Task Manager and you should see:

On the Processes tab, Right-Click on the entry for your browser and select End Task:

Now click on the Cortana icon in the lower left hand corner

or click in the Cortana space (same area as the icon) and type: google.com

Your browser will launch normally and continue to do so thereafter.

Set Up Chrome Remote Desktop On Another User's Machine And Keep Your Google Account Private

NOTE: Please let me know if you found something confusing or unexpected.


If you are the "tech support" for others you may find it easier to set up Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) on their computer so you can access their machine without the user needing to do anything more than turn their computer on. The problem is that if you don't do it right you can risk opening up your Google account to the other user. The following guide will help you set up CRD and keep your account and Chrome settings private. NOTE: You should never access another person's computer without their permission. Explain your intent before you use this method to add someone else's computer to your list of accessible computers in CRD. Finally, keep in mind that when you access someone else's computer using CRD they will be notified.


Install Chrome on the user's computer and make sure it is setup to run in the background (you can find this under Chrome's Settings | Advanced Settings).

Open Google's Web Store.

Add Chrome Remote Desktop (CRD) to the user's account.

Click the Person1 or their name in the upper right of the Chrome browser.

Select Switch Person.

Add your account but note it will try to load all your extensions in (it will only add it to your session - not the user's - so you really don't need to worry about it).


Under My Computers, click "Get started".

Click Enable remote connections and install the Chrome Remote Host Service.



IMPORTANT: When all is set, logout of your Google account, then go back to the "Switch User" option at the top right of the Chrome browser and remove you. You should still be able to access the user's machine.

Now when you open up Chrome Remote Desktop on your machine (under your account, of course) you should the user's computer as an available option.

Getting Started with Google Hangouts

Google's Hangouts is like Skype and other messaging services. You can conduct chat/text sessions, call landlines or cell phones, and have a video conference with as many as nine other people. While the other services have their niche (I use Skype routinely as well), Hangouts is useful because so many people use Google services on a variety of devices and it is the easiest way to connect to people who use Chrome OS devices (Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, etc.).

Note: You will need a Google Account. It is not necessary to have a Gmail address (you can use another service's email address).

Here's a "Get Started" guide from Google. There's also a very brief introduction video which shows what you can do with Google Hangouts:

https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/2944865?hl=en

The following is my take on Google's "Get Started" guide...

First, you should install the Hangout plug-in on your computer:

https://www.google.com/tools/dlpage/hangoutplugin

There are 3 primary ways to use Google Hangouts on your computer:

1. Within Gmail
2. Within a browser (like Chrome, IE, etc.) as a Web Page (the address is https://hangouts.google.com/)
3. As a Desktop App (you'll need to have Google's Chrome Browser installed)

I use option 1 (within Gmail) most often. It's just my personal preference.

Go to Gmail and settings (cog at the upper right).

Click the Chat option and make sure Chat is set for ON (click on the picture to see a larger version):

I also recommend that you move "Chat" to the right-hand side of your Gmail. It will make it easier to see your Hangouts contacts as they will be closer to the top of your screen. To do this, in Gmail settings click Labs, scroll to the "Right-side chat" option and click "Enable". Be sure to scroll to the bottom and hit "Save Changes".

​

Go back to the main Gmail view (click Google or Gmail at the top left), click the downward pointing triangle next to your name or Google image, and select "Try the new Hangouts". Changing from Google Chat to Google Hangouts will add audio and video capabilities.

Here's an old article about changing from Chat to Hangouts (it may look a little different today):

http://www.omgchrome.com/how-to-enable-hangouts-in-gmail/

If you want, you can also use the desktop app which gives you quick access to Google Hangouts. It uses the Google Chrome browser engine but you don't have to have the browser up to use it. Here are the instructions:

https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/6098392?hl=en

Finally, you can also install Google Hangouts as an app on your phone or tablet.

Here's the app for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.talk&hl=en

Here's the app for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hangouts/id643496868?mt=8

Here are some links to helpful videos about Google Hangouts:

• Hangouts Playlist by Google
• How To Do A Google Hangout by AARP (Note: This video is a little old. It is no longer necessary to have a Google+ account.)
• Hot To Use Google Hangouts - This is a very general overview of Hangouts but I like it because you get to see it in action. The producer uses the web page version of Hangouts primarily but shows how it interacts with the Gmail client, apps, and desktop client.

There is also something called Hangouts "On Air." The principle is the same but you can actually have live, public or private Hangouts that can be recorded for later use. NOTE: As of September 12, 2016, this has been rolled into YouTube Live.

Also, check out these photos of an inexpensive video conference room setup and recommended equipment.

Hope to see you on Google Hangouts!