Send TTS notifications to Chromecast Audio?

Other Devices & Integrations Home Theater & Smart Speakers
1

Hi!

I’m checking out Home Assistant on RPi3 and was impressed that a fresh setup automatically found my Chromecasts. I was even more impressed that you very easily could send TTS notifications to Chromecasts.

Is this possible with Vera? I’ve read solutions using a LMS/squeeze2cast but that would require a separate server running.

2

Someone probably would have to write a plugin for Vera to talk to Chromecast. If the Chromecast is a DLNA device (not sure as I don’t use them), the existing DLNA plugin may be able to do this…

3

You can use Vera Concierge and the Vera Alerts plugin.
The Vera Alerts plugin has a profile to send TTS messages to your Google Home and/or Google Cast devices.

4

[quote=“RichardTSchaefer, post:3, topic:196621”]You can use Vera Concierge and the Vera Alerts plugin.
The Vera Alerts plugin has a profile to send TTS messages to your Google Home and/or Google Cast devices.[/quote]

Richard- this is exactly what I want to do. I currently have several scenes that start music (Pandora) on my Yamaha receiver, but want to incorporate several speakers throughout the house. I’ll have them all connected with Chromecast Audio devices, but need to bridge them to the scenes. If I setup a new profile (what type of profile? Vera-Concierge?) in VeraAlerts, the commands can be received by Chromecast devices? Would I still need a Google Home?

5

You do not need a google Home … but you will need to install the Local Vera Concierge Server (Part of the setup for a Google Home).

Even if you do not have a Google Home you can use Voice commands from your mobile (Android or IOS) to control your Vera.

6

That’s great - I have Vera Concierge now setup and have successfully used the mobile app to voice control my vera.

However, I’m having a hard time getting the setup from Vera Alerts profile of Vera-Concierge to kick off anything on Chromecast group (device name=Whole Home). In some Vera Alerts tests (“send message now”) I was able to get the chime on chromecast, and on all devices, but couldn’t get anything I typed into the message to select pandora station, etc.

Any ideas?

7

If you get the chime … it’s because you have blocked one of the two ports that Vera Concierge Use.
You need to open 8989 (https) and 8998 (http)

8

[quote=“RichardTSchaefer, post:3, topic:196621”]You can use Vera Concierge and the Vera Alerts plugin.
The Vera Alerts plugin has a profile to send TTS messages to your Google Home and/or Google Cast devices.[/quote]

Richard

I just bought my first ChromeCast device connected to the living room TV.

I tried the TTS in the Vera Concierge Local Server Configuration web page, it works and sent my TTS message to the ChromeCast / TV, but the Youtube video that was playing did not resume after.

I assume you never found a way to resume the currently playing content?

Thanks.

9

Google has a new feature in the works that I should be able to use instead of initiating a new cast to play the TTS.
That should allow me to interrupt and resume … I will check the status …

10

[quote=“RichardTSchaefer, post:9, topic:196621”]Google has a new feature in the works that I should be able to use instead of initiating a new cast to play the TTS.
That should allow me to interrupt and resume … I will check the status …[/quote]

Sounds good!

I’ve searched this afternoon but not really found anything.

What else can we do with Vera and Chromecast?

I wanted to be able to have some basic playback transport controls, play / pause / stop / mute etc.

Be nice if you could easily send a http json request to the Chromecast somehow.

11

I believe you already have the ability to play/pause/stop/mute via voice control.

Do you want this as part of a scene/pleg action ?

12

[quote=“RichardTSchaefer, post:11, topic:196621”]I believe you already have the ability to play/pause/stop/mute via voice control.

Do you want this as part of a scene/pleg action ?[/quote]

Richard

Regarding Vera sending the TTS to Google Home or ChromeCast devices via Concierge. How do we incorporate that in to Vera scenes or Pleg actions?
As there isn’t actually anything in Vera currently you can select for Concierge.

Regarding the transport controls over ChromeCast devices. I will have to test voice control with the GH Mini and the Chromecast Video device I have in the living room, to see what’s possible. I’ve only had the Chromecast a few days.

But its always nice to have some extra control either in Vera or the Imperihome app of devices around the house.

For example with the Harmony Hubs via the Harmony plug-in for Vera, I can add HTTP requests in to the Imperihome app to create buttons to control the volume on my daughters TV upstairs.

By default Imperihome only supports Harmony Activities. It doesn’t have any support for adding Harmony devices or commands / buttons off those devices. But by using a HTTP request I can add these extra buttons.

I thought maybe being able to do something similar with the Chromcast device for transport controls might be handy.

And also having them in Vera scenes or Pleg actions maybe to send a video or audio to a chrome cast / GH devices when a certain scene or Pleg actions runs or an IP camera stream if possible, for when the doorbell goes.

Or have your Home scene run a Harmony activity to switch to the ChromeCast and start auto playing your favourite music.

I don’t really have anything specific in mind, I was just wondering what we might be able to do with Vera and Chromecast / GH devices in general? Which currently doesn’t look to be a lot.

Harmony HTTP requests used in Imperihome app.

[code]VolumeUP

http://VERA-IP:3480/data_request?id=lr_Harmony213&cmd=issue_device_command&cmdP1=50844023&cmdP2=VolumeUp&cmdP3=5

VolumeDown

http://VERA-IP:3480/data_request?id=lr_Harmony213&cmd=issue_device_command&cmdP1=50844023&cmdP2=VolumeDown&cmdP3=5[/code]

13

I do whole house announcements w chromecast Audio’s and autovera and autocast

The only issue with autocast is that it takes time to “render” what u want to say and then cast it. Can take up to 10 seconds

14

So I have this working now, where sending a Vera Alert via scene will audibly speak from the speaker/chromecast device.

However, I’m still not able to figure out how I speak a command TO google home device.

My goal is that when I include the recipient and message in Vera Alert that it “speak” to my Google home device (such as “Start Playing Pandora on Kitchen”).

Any idea what I’m missing?

15

Im not even sure if MP3 format is supported yet but it will be. It might be just WAV and AIF format, for now.

Has anyone successfully played an MP3 or AU format file in BRPG?