Hi,

This may be of interest to those of you that have HTPC's connected directly to your room AV/TV systems and are looking for a solution for multi-room media playback.

SinCast 3 is an audio/video/TV distribution app that enables simultaneous play back of music, movies, video, and television to multiple PC endpoints. It uses VLC as a streaming engine and provides the following key features:

* Broad range of media sources
- File/folder/playlist/optical drive
- HDHomeRun TV Tuner
- URL
- Webcam
- DVB-S, C and T cards

* Compact easy to use tabbed User Interface
- Browsers for File System and HDHomeRun TV Channels
- List Managers for maintaining URL and DVB Channel Favorites
- Remembers Most Recently Used media sources, destinations and settings
- Command line and silent mode launch options

* HTTP Streaming server for on-demand (pull) access
- Can be accessed using VLC, iTunes and Windows Media Player
- Can be used concurrently with push-streaming
- Allows remote access to media and TV

* Tools for testing and debugging input source and stream output
- Stream output editor
- URL and DVB table viewers

A few other things to mention:

1. DVB and Webcam support is beta in this release.
2. UPnP extender devices are not supported.
3. VLC contains it's own codecs :) and does not require anything additional.

If you would like to download and try out SinCast 3, visit sinderon.com.


Regards,

t-c
sinderon.com

Can this truly be the Softsled solution everyone has been looking for? At only $9.99 and free Media Center Integration as well? I can't wait to find out!

spplutchok:

Can this truly be the Softsled solution everyone has been looking for? At only $9.99 and free Media Center Integration as well? I can't wait to find out!

Hi,

I would charcacterize SinCast as more like Microsoft's "Play To" on steroids :)

Its primary function is to duplicate and push media streams to multiple target PC's so that all PC's are playing the media in sync. It's great for creating "Party Mode".

It can also create HTTP streaming servers so that the media stream can be pulled using
client players including VLC, iTunes, and Windows Media Player.

t-c
sinderon.com

Screen shots? Or a review?

When looking at the site it looks like a lot of configuring and that it is made for a 3' UI not a 10' UI.

Can you access the stream ok a client in VMC or only on WMP/VLC

I don't know to much about DLNA.. just what i've heard drive Flickinger and Ian Dixon on their podcast. I had a question and I think I know the answer. Can DLNA send a magic packet and wake up the designated player or does the player have to have a presence on the network to see the player or to "play to" it. Can it be in stanby (S3)?

Your application sounds exciting!!

Thanks,
Jonathan

Adidas4275:

Screen shots? Or a review?

Product information for SinCast including screen shots is located on www.sinderon.com

When looking at the site it looks like a lot of configuring and that it is made for a 3' UI not a 10' UI.

SinCast is Windows desktop app but UI is coded to be DPI aware. This means that UI (fonts, controls, etc.) will scale and look proportionally correct when Windows DPI is set to something bigger than default 96. High DPI settings are good for users that want to make Windows desktop and apps more readable in living room 10' scenarios.

At first glance, it may seem that setting up SinCast is very complex, perhaps because of the level of detail in readme.txt, but it is really quite easy. It takes about 5 minutes to install and configure SinCast and VLC on a PC.

On each PC
1. Install VLC (configure according to readme.txt)
2. Install SinCast
3. Start SinCast VLC Listener

Start SinCast on one of the PC's
1. Enter PC destination IP addressess or hostnames
2. Select some Media
3. Press Start Simulcast

Can you access the stream ok a client in VMC or only on WMP/VLC

SinCast can push-stream only to VLC
SinCast HTTP server stream can be accessed (pulled) by VLC, iTunes, WMP

t-c

redwoodhomemedia:

I don't know to much about DLNA.. just what i've heard drive Flickinger and Ian Dixon on their podcast. I had a question and I think I know the answer. Can DLNA send a magic packet and wake up the designated player or does the player have to have a presence on the network to see the player or to "play to" it. Can it be in stanby (S3)?

Your application sounds exciting!!

Thanks,
Jonathan

Hi,

SinCast does not use UPnP/DLNA protocols or framework, it uses just plain UDP/IP and VLC media player to accomplish push-streaming ("play-to").

As example, suppose you have two PC's named PC1 and PC2. Each PC has VLC and SinCast installed, and each PC has an instance of VLC running in Listener mode (by simply launching SinCast VLC Listener shortcut).

Example 1:

PC1: Start SinCast, select some media, select PC2 as the destination, press Start Simulcast
PC1: SinCast starts an instance of VLC and VLC begins streaming the media to PC2
PC2: VLC Listener automatically starts playing back the media stream sent by PC1

Example 2:

PC1: Start SinCast, select some media, select PC1 and PC2 as destinations, press Start Simulcast
PC1: SinCast starts an instance of VLC and VLC begins streaming to PC1 (itself) and PC2
PC1: VLC Listener automatically starts playing back the media stream sent by PC1
PC2: VLC Listener automatically starts playing back the media stream sent by PC1

Note that in this example, on PC1 there will be two instances of VLC doing work. One instance will have been started by SinCast to send the stream to PC1 and PC2, and the other instance (the Listener) will be playing back the stream.

Regarding PC standby and wake up and having the player always ready. This release of SinCast does not contain any capability to probe the destination PC's and send magic packets to wake them up, but that sounds quite interesting.

t-c

Hi,

A new release of SinCast 3 is available :)

SinCast 3 version 3.1.2.7 includes significant new features as described below. It also includes bug fixes, minor updates to the UI, and a general "shovel and broom" of the documentation.

New features:
- Win7 Home Premium, Ultimate support
- VLC 101 support
- Detachable Remote Control app
- Automatic Wake On LAN
- Automatic Listener Reset
- Improved HDHR interface using signed tuner locking
- Selectable audio codecs for Media and URL  transcoding

Regards,
t-c

 

A new release of SinCast 3 and SinCast RC are available :)

This release adds features to the Remote Control app that provide for query and display of the current stop/play status and volume stepping of the remote VLC listeners, and a capability to reset the listeners to volume default value.

Here are the relnotes

3.1.2.8 Released 2009-09-02

- NEW: SinCast RC version 1.0.1.5
- NEW: RC stop/play status indicators for destination VLC listeners.
- NEW: RC Volume step indicator for VLC listeners.
- NEW  RC reset destination listener volume to default.
- NEW: RC query for stop/play status of VLC listener.
- NEW: Registry based ICMP and Socket send/recv timeout values.
- FIX: RC not picking up destination host "enabled" state from SinCast 3.
- UPD: Minor SinCast 3 and RC UI tweaks.
- UPD: Documentation including datasheet, readme and FAQ.

Regards,

t-c

 

Hello,

A new release of SinCast 3 and SinCast RC are available :)

This release adds support for displaying DVD menu prior to starting Simulcast so that alternate audio track and/or subtitle track can be selected before playback/streaming to destinations. SinCast RC provides a new control feature that allows selected subtitle track to be shown or hidden.

Here are the relnotes:

3.1.4.2 Released 2009-10-09

- NEW: Option to display DVD menu before starting Simulcast. This allows alt audio track and subtitles to be selected prior to play.
- NEW: SinCast RC version 1.0.2.4
- NEW: SinCast RC Show/Hide subtitles on destination VLC listeners.
- UPD: Documentation including datasheet, readme and FAQ.

Regards,
t-c

Any chance for extender support at some point??

In the context of SInCast/VLC, I'm not quite sure what is ment by "extender support". Is it UI + navigation + stream playback or just stream playback?

Anyway, for stream playback I think it would require that a port of VLC be made that could run on an extender box so that the streams sent from from PC based SinCast/VLC could be decoded and played by the extender---i.e, the extender needs to run VLC codecs.

Is it possible to DIY install software on an extender box?

t-c 

I would look at vmcPlayit as an example - this software extends the PlayOn media services to both MCE PCs and Extenders.

I'm not a developer but would think you'd need 2 parts - a windows application which is extender friendly which would in turn initiate a stream playback.

Awhile back I used to use RF modulation to "distribute" music and visualization to all the TVs in my house from my MCE PC's S-VHS port...now with digital cable this is no longer possible (no RF frequencies available to modulate on)...I've been waiting for an IP solution forever.  SinCast looks to be the ticket but my MCE PC sits in my home office while I have xbox 360s running as extenders connected to all (4) of my TVs.

 -trevor

Even with digital cable you can still use a RF Modulator.  Just split your cable signal at each TV, one goes to the digital cable box and then to your TV, the other goes direct to your TV.  You tune analog TV for the RF video/audio.  Works for me.  I have a triple modulator, so I get three channels this way (one for my video doorbell, one source from my PC, the other from a DVD player).  All TV's have analog tuners so it works quite well. 

All depends what freqs your cable company uses.  With each one I've tried I've disrupted HD signal or my cable modem.  Rotating notch filters to block return signal got expensive as well.