Search, play, and queue YouTube from Android/iOS to WMC

[staknhalo]

Edit: Chrome is the only browser that supports this, and barnabas1969 has confirmed this works on iOS as well.

YouTube just announced a feature that can be useful if you don't already have a YouTube app you're using. They only announced Android as working. No clue if the iOS YouTube client works. Try it and report back!

1) Using Media Center Studio, Relaunch or a similar app, create a launch icon for https://www.youtube.com/tv#/browse (the site works well with a regular remote as well I might add)

2) Navigate to Settings> Pair Device > Enter the code it gives you into the YouTube Android client (to get to where you enter the code on the YouTube Android client hit Settings/Menu and choose 'Add YouTube TV')

3) Now there will be a button at top of videos you play in the Android client to send it to your TV

I figured for those using your Ceton Companion App exclusivly as your Media Center remote, this would be cool to do.

Source: http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2012 ... utube.html

Edit: Link for Relaunch app: http://code.google.com/p/relaunch/

Edit 2: User barnabas1969 has posted on how to set up Event Ghost to exit YouTube when the 'back' button on your remote is pressed. Check his post below for instructions.

Edit 3: To disable the 'Chrome did not shut down properly' message, see other posts in this thread (too many urls in this post I'm told)

[barnabas1969]

Really? I tried your URL in an MCL file, and also in Internet Exploder. In both cases, I get nothing but a YouTube logo. However, it works fine in Google Chrome. So, what's the secret to make this work in IE?

[barnabas1969]

Here's a better option:

http://windowsmediacenter.blogspot.co.u ... ndows.html

[staknhalo]

I mentioned Relaunch in my post. I was using it to launch via Google Chrome as I need it to launch another site I use in Media Center and thus use it for all other webpages. I'll check if it works with IE later after work or just Chrome. If it doesn't work with IE I'll append my post.

[barnabas1969]

While I was searching last night, I found a site somewhere that says that it only works in Chrome. I was hoping to be able to view the site directly in Media Center, but Relaunch serves the purpose. The only problem is that the YouTube TV site doesn't have a way to exit the browser when in full-screen.

With Relaunch, I can force the browser to close when I press the green button on the remote, but then when I open the browser again, I get a yellow bar at the top that says that Chrome didn't close normally in my previous session. I can program a button on my remote to send an ALT+F4 instead, and set Relaunch to detect that Chrome closed, and it will bring Media Center back to full-screen. It's not a perfect solution, but works pretty well.

BTW, I tried it on an iPhone 4S and Android last night. Both work fine.

[staknhalo]

I checked and you're right; no IE support from YouTube's end. Post edited.

[barnabas1969]

Well, I guess that gets more people to switch from IE to Chrome. I switched a long time ago, and I don't miss IE at all.

Is there a place where we can post requests to the YouTube people? I'd like to ask them to add a menu option to exit the browser.

[staknhalo]

This is all I could find : http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/youtube

[barnabas1969]

I posted about it here. If you guys would like to add to that thread, it might help get some attention to the issue. It would be an almost perfect solution if there was an easy way to exit the browser from the YouTube menu.

I never thought I would want to watch YouTube on my big TV because the interface would be too difficult to navigate, but now that I can search on the phone and send the playback to the TV... I really enjoy it. My wife and I have watched some YouTube stuff for an hour or so in each of the last two evenings.

In fact, I actually stumbled across a solution to a problem with my son's car via this interface. It takes forever to put gas in his car. I knew it had something to do with the vent from the tank, but I never considered the carbon canister as a possible culprit. The video I found showed that mud dobbers can sometimes plug up the vent from the carbon canister. This makes perfect sense, and I'm going to check it out this weekend.

[barnabas1969]

I learned a new trick tonight! With EventGhost (EG), I was able to add a new macro that closes the YouTube TV window when I press the Back button on the Media Center remote.

Here's how...

First, you'll need to install an EG plugin. It's called "Microsoft MCE Remote - Vista/Win7" (not the "MCE Remote" plugin). After you install the plugin and install the service, you'll also want install this reg patch.

1) Then, create a new macro

2) Add an action as follows: Window -> Find a window.
The parameters for "Find a window" are as follows:

a) check ONLY the following boxes (with values in parenthesis, if applicable. Obviously, don't enter the parenthesis in the value boxes):
Stop macro if target is not found
Program (chrome.exe)
Window Name (YouTube TV - Google Chrome)
Window Class (Chrome_WidgetWin_1)
Child Class (Chrome_Render_WidgetHostHWND)
Only return (1)

b) Add another action to your macro as follows: Window -> Close

c) Add an event to your macro (above the first action in your new macro) named "MceRemote.Mce.Back" (without the quotes).

What this accomplishes is to trigger your macro every time you press the Back button on the MCE remote (I use the "exit" button on my programmable remote to send this IR command). The first action in the macro is to find the YouTube TV window (running in chrome.exe). If it is not found, the macro stops. If it is found, it closes the window. This makes the YouTube TV window behave just like any other Media Center menu/app... and anyone who can operate Media Center will need no instruction on how to do it.

[staknhalo]

I added a 'me too' to your YouTube forum comment.

I use a Harmony 300i and use the 'Exit' button (mapped as Alt+F4) to exit it. I'll add your Event Ghost comment to the top for people who want to use that method or don't have a programmable remote.

Eh/ apparently a post can't contain more that 3 urls :/ I just directed them down to your comment.

[barnabas1969]

I use a remote that is similar to a Harmony, but I have my "exit" button programmed to send the Back command in Media Center.

I discovered that I can even setup EG to trigger double-press and long-press actions for the buttons on the remote. I decided to make the Back button send an ESC key (that makes the YouTube TV app go back to the previous page), double-press sends a Windows "Close" command, and long-press sends the letter "G" (takes you to the YouTube TV "home" screen).

I did some similar stuff for the Hulu Desktop too. I love EG.

[staknhalo]

Hey, so I found a simpler solution to disable the 'Restore' notification upon relaunch. The trick is to navigate to "C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" and mark the file 'Preferences' as 'Read-only'. The only downside to this is you must make any settings adjustments you want to Chrome beforehand, as none will stick after you do this.

[barnabas1969]

Hey, so I found a simpler issue to disable the 'Restore' notification upon relaunch. The trick is to navigate to "C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" and mark the file 'Preferences' as 'Read-only'. The only downside to this is you must make any settings adjustments you want to Chrome beforehand, as none will stick after you do this.

Hmmm... I don't get a "restore" notification anymore. Maybe it's because of my solution (posted above) that actually sends the proper Windows Close command to the Chrome window.

[staknhalo]

Hey, so I found a simpler issue to disable the 'Restore' notification upon relaunch. The trick is to navigate to "C:\Users\*username*\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" and mark the file 'Preferences' as 'Read-only'. The only downside to this is you must make any settings adjustments you want to Chrome beforehand, as none will stick after you do this.

Hmmm... I don't get a "restore" notification. Maybe it's because of my solution (posted above) that actually sends the proper Windows Close command to the Chrome window.

Correct, that's why you don't see it. Someone can do this instead of your method if they don't want to. The more choices the better

What this does is basically prevent Chrome from logging that it shut down incorrectly.

With Relaunch, I can force the browser to close when I press the green button on the remote, but then when I open the browser again, I get a yellow bar at the top that says that Chrome didn't close normally in my previous session. I can program a button on my remote to send an ALT+F4 instead, and set Relaunch to detect that Chrome closed, and it will bring Media Center back to full-screen. It's not a perfect solution, but works pretty well.

Edit: See, you did experience it at one point

[barnabas1969]

Ah, yes... I see that now. I didn't re-read the whole thread before I posted my reply. Your solution will probably work too, but does your solution prevent history and other things from being updated when using Chrome as a normal browser? I occasionally pick up my keyboard, and lookup something on the Internet. Especially when I'm watching a show (usually news) and they mention that more info can be found online. I just pause the show, pick up my keyboard, and press the "Internet" button, which takes me directly to Google.

I realize that my solution is more complicated, but it also offers more functionality. As you may know from some of my other posts, I love EventGhost. I think it's the cat's meow, the best thing since sliced bread, and all those other old sayings.

[staknhalo]

I forgot that a later update to Chrome made me have to do something else on top of the step listed above to disable the 'Chrome did not shut down properly' message. I had to help newfiend figure it out again seeing as I never bothered documenting the steps when I did it the first time; he posted the steps needed here: http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 482#p60482