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F.A.Q. for Castie on Windows and XBOX One, Series S and X
Easily search and stream or download files directly from the Web.
Cast or Stream media directly to devices like the XBOX, FireTV, ChromeCast, Windows, a Roku, and more.
Use Castie's built-in DLNA browsing to access and play your media from many devices - all in one simple app.
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F.A.Q. for Castie on Windows and XBOX One, Series S and X
Search the F.A.Q.
Getting started
Setup your wifi network and internet:
Please ensure that your local device running Castie and the device you wish to connect to are both connected to the same WiFi or local area network as well as the internet.
In example, your XBOX running Castie should be on the same wifi or local network as Castie on your phone.
Setup for Windows:
You are ready to use Castie.
Setup for Xbox One, Series X, and Series S:
From XBOX One, Xbox Series X and S Home → Settings → Devices & connections → Remote Features (on) → Xbox app preferences → "Allow connections from any device" AND "Allow PlayTo Streaming".
Device Discovery:
Castie uses your local WiFi Network to scan for compatible devices and will display them under "Please select your playback device".
From your Android device, select "Castie-NAME OF DEVICE" to connect to the Castie companion app on your Windows or XBOX One. Select media and playback.
To connect to a device, simply select it in the device listing. Upon successful connection, Castie will display "Castie on: <device>" and you are ready for playback.
Device discovery happens automatically and periodically. If you cannot detect your device, please try:
Fix connection errors
1. Select Menu → Rescan Devices (Top-Right of Castie).
2. If #1 doesn't work, try resetting your wifi on your device running Castie IE: turn it off then back on.
3. If #2 doesn't work, try resetting your devices one by one including your wifi router and the device you are attempting to have Castie detect.
4. If all else fails, make sure you are running Castie Ultimate Edition as it supports the most devices.
Auto reconnect:
This default option in settings allows Castie to automatically reconnect to the last device it was used on. This is very useful if you are an avid streamer.
Additional troubleshooting for Android 7.0 + and Battery Saving
The Castie companion app for Windows and XBOX One requires you disable Battery Saving for Castie on Android.
On Samsung Galaxy S7-20 phones, go to Settings → Device Maintenance → Battery Saving. Scroll down and find Castie. Turn off Battery Saving for Castie.
For all other Android devices with Battery Saving, the process is similar - you simply need to whitelist Castie and or turn off Battery Saving for it.
Go to phone/tablet settings → apps → Castie → Battery Use (tap) → Allow Background Use. If you are unable to click Battery Use please launch Castie and make sure your device is on Battery power.
Local playback issues?
Once you have completed the above step, if you are having an issue playing local media you may use Castie to test your wifi connectivity from → Settings → Test Castie Connectivity on your phone.
Still having an issue?
If you are still having trouble connecting to or detecting your device, please make sure you are using Castie Ultimate Edition as it supports the most devices.
If you are using Castie Ultimate Edition and still have an issue, please contact us @ Support using Menu → Settings → About → Email Us.
Keyboard and GamePad shortcuts
Depending on the mode you are in, some shortcuts have different functionality. Memorize these to quickly navigate parts of Castie.
XBOX GamePad buttons
Y → Saves the currently showing image to your slideshow collection.
X → Start your slideshow vs using keyword search.
B → Cancel, backup.
B → Stop your slideshow and use keywords instead.
B → When Media is playing, quickly Pause it.
Right Shoulder → Toggle the artwork and title during media playback.
DPad Down → Hide the playback controls during Audio playback.
DPad Up → Show the playback controls during Audio playback.
DPad Right → Next slideshow item, Next playlist item, or +30 seconds.
DPad Left → Previous slideshow item, Previous playlist item, or -30 seconds.
Windows keys
Y → Saves the currently showing image to your slideshow collection.
S → Start your slideshow vs using keyword search.
ESC → Cancel, backup.
B → Stop your slideshow and use keywords instead.
B → When Media is playing, quickly Pause it.
H → Toggle the artwork and title during media playback.
Down Arrow → Hide the playback controls during Audio playback.
Up Arrow → Show the playback controls during Audio playback.
Right Arrow → Next slideshow item, Next playlist item, or +30 seconds.
Left Arrow → Previous slideshow item, Previous playlist item, or -30 seconds.
Castie Slideshow
When the Castie companion app is idle, it will display pretty images as a slideshow or screensaver. You may customize the keywords it uses from Settings.
Example keywords: castles, beaches, cities, sunsets, cars, boats, planes, jets, etc.
During holiday seasons why not use a holiday keyword? Have a favorite sports team? Enter them as a keyword. Separate each distinct keyword by a comma.
From settings you may set your requested resolution for images (for XBOX X users), select the update interval (how often the images will update), and more.
During music playback
During music playback, Castie will move the controls around the screen as the music plays and use a smaller set of playback controls as well as use the slideshow. You may hide them pressing down on your DPad or the down arrow.
Using a custom slideshow
To start a custom slideshow based on images you've saved, press "S" on Windows or the "X" button on the XBOX. You may also use the "Y" button on the XBOX or press "Y" on Windows to save an image (or press the "Save" button).
To stop a slideshow and go back to searched images, press ESC on Windows or "B" on the XBOX.
You will need a minimum of 2 saved images to start a slideshow.
Special options during Music or Audio playback
Enjoying the screensaver? Great. Castie music playback integrates with our screensaver option to allow you to see great images while your audio is playing. Castie will default to using your keywords, but you may also activate your slideshow. We also provide special keyboard and gamepad options.
Playlist support
Castie on Android supports music / audio playlists in m3u8 format (EXTINF, title, url). Long-press a folder on Castie on Android and select play all files.
Media Playback
Use Castie on Android to find media to playback on the companion app on Windows or XBOX.
Castie for Windows and XBOX supports most all media formats, as well as subtitles.
When surfing the Web:
1. Browse to your favorite website.
2. Wait for the page to load. If media is detected, "when media is detected" is replaced with "Tap here to play".
3. Press "Tap here to play" and Castie will attempt to stream the media.
<optional> Long-Press "Tap here to play" or "when media is detected" for more options like Add Bookmark, Subtitle, Download, and more.
If no media is detected, please try pressing on the play icon on the media image and see if that detects it.
If the media you attempted to play isn't playing on your selected device, please try another source. Most video websites have multiple sources of the same video either labeled in the video container, or towards the bottom of the page. In general these are labeled Source 1, Source 2, or Version 1, Version 2 etc.
When playing via a Castie folder:
1. Navigate to the item you want to play and single press it.
<optional> To see more options for the item, long-press it to bring up the options menu.
Playback troubleshooting:
There are many different formats of media and it's impossible for Castie to support them all.
In general, to be safe, most all devices support .MP4 H264/X264 video playback with AAC or AC3 audio. When searching for media, please try and select .MP4 AAC/AC3 H264 type media.
To see a full list of media formats Castie supports for your device, please visit Castie Supported Formats.
To see a full list of media formats Castie supports for your device, please visit Castie Supported Formats.
Supported
These formats should work on almost all devices:
► Video: mp4, m3u8 (HLS livestream)
► Audio: mp3, flac
► Images: gif, png, jpg
LIMITED SUPPORT
These formats should work on some devices:
► Video: mov, avi, mkv, wmv, 3gpp, mpg/mpeg, ts, ac1, webm
► Audio: ogg, pcm, wav, wma, wmapro
► Images: bmp
► Subtitles: srt, vtt, ttml
NOT Supported
► DRM protected content: iTunes + Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, DirecTV, Xfinity, HBO and similar
► Adobe Flash
► Microsoft Silverlight
Full playback support is built into Castie. Simply press the buttons to control.
Stop, Play/Pause, Fast-Forward and Rewind (in 10, 30 and 60 seconds) OR Next/Previous when playing a playlist, and jump-to Seeking is available.
In addition to playback controls on your device, other friends or family may also control playback if they are using Castie and connected to the same device. It's like everyone in the room having the same remote control!
Troubleshooting
Sometimes an error occurs and the device doesn't let Castie know there was an error. In this case, please press stop and either try again, or try a different media source.
Some devices support volume controls on the device itself. If Volume controls are enabled on the device you are connected to, you may press "Castie on: <device>" and adjust the volume using the slider then press OK.
In general, due to the many varying devices, and home theatre setups, we recommended that you adjust the volume using your usual methods. IE: Use the remote control you normally would use to adjust the volume. This is because even if volume controls are available, there is generally another device controlling the main volume.
Subtitles support varies by device, and in some cases is not Supported at all. With Castie for XBOX and Windows, we support TTML, VTT and SRT formats.
If a subtitle is hardcoded, it will be Supported regardless.
If a subtitle is embedded, limited support is available depending on device.
If a subtitle is embedded in a Livestream it should be enabled by default.
In brief, these devices support these types of subtitles:
► Castie on XBOX/Win SRT, VTT, and TTML
► Roku - SRT, VTT & TTML subtitle format
► Chromecast / Googlecast - VTT subtitles
► Amazon FireTV - SRT subtitle format (or VTT, and TTML in addition with Castie for FireTV)
► DLNA Servers & devices - generally NOT Supported
► Various TV's & Blu-Ray - depends on device
Castie will attempt to auto-detect subtitle support, and if available, search for a subtitle in the same folder as the video being played PRIOR to playback and attempt to use it as the subtitle. You may modify this option from settings.
To adjust subtitles on/off or select a different language, press the CC button on Castie for XBOX/Win and select your subtitle option. The process is similar for our Castie for FireTV app. For Roku you need to press (*) on your remote.
In addition to auto-detection, you may attempt to Manually add a subtitle to a video using the long-press options menu either from "Tap here to play" or from the media image in folders. If subtitles are Supported on the playback device you selected, you will have the option to search for them.
Castie has a built-in Subtitle Search feature that we recommend powered by OpenSubTitles.org.
OST has millions of subtitles for your favorite movies and TV shows. When you select Search for Subtitles
using a long-press on a media item or from "Tap here to play", Castie will search for a subtitle and present you with a list of subtitles
to select from. Search isn't exact or perfect, but chances are you will find something that should match much of the time. Even if you find
a subtitle, Castie cannot guarantee that your device will support it. Please refer to Subtitle support for your
device to see if it supports them. Some devices also require you to enable Subtitles on them as well, like the Roku.
Troubleshooting:
On Roku devices, you need to press the (*) button on your remote and press "Enable Closed Captioning" in the Roku on screen Options menu to turn on subtitles.
YES
While Castie did not start out with Screen Mirroring functionality, we listened to our users and it IS supported on devices that support it - Simply select Castie Mirror from Castie on Android and select your device. It is currently experimental on XBOX however and may not work. It works fully with Castie on XBOX / Windows on Windows however and other devices like Roku, FireTV, and Chromecast.
Mirroring is still disabled for DRM protected content like Netflix, Disney+, etc. Sorry.
YES
Loading NON-DRM protected videos, music, and images into Castie from another app IS Supported.
"Mirroring" videos from apps like iTunes + Google
Play Movies, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, DirecTV, Xfinity, HBO
and similar IS NOT Supported as they are DRM protected.
Fix issues with playback
Video loading failed
Please double check that the video format is Supported on the device you are attempting to playback to.
Search for another source for the video that failed, IE: Source 2, Version 2 etc. Sometimes when on a website there are multiple links for a video either in the video container as links, or towards the bottom of the page.
when media is detected...nothing detected
If Castie cannot detect any media, try the following:
Reload the the webpage by pressing the reload button.
If you see a play icon or button on the webpage near the media, try pressing that first. Sometimes in order for media to be detected, a press of play needs to happen first.
If Castie is still unable to detect media on the website, please try the following:
Try another website, or another source for the media. The particular website you are on may not be Supported. If you'd like to request we add support for that website, please contact us @ Support using Menu → Settings → About → Email Us and tell us about the website.
Various Media loading failed
While rare, some major audio and image formats are not Supported by all devices. Please double check that the media format is Supported.
If you are loading from a DLNA Server or Samba, please double check that your network is working properly and if needed, reboot the wifi router and the devices.
Playback controls, but no audio or video on screen
This may happen if the device fails to send Castie an error response. Please try the following:
Press Stop. Try a Castie Top Right Menu → Rescan Devices and wait 10-15 seconds. This will force a rescan of devices. Try again.
Press Stop. Reset your wifi on the device running Castie (phone, tablet) by pulling/swiping down your devices top menu/status bar, and turning your wifi off by pressing the wifi icon. Wait 5-10 seconds and press the wifi icon again to turn it back on. Try again.
Playback still does not work
Are you using the Ultimate Edition of Castie? It supports the most devices.
Reach out and contact us @ Support using Menu → Settings → About → Email Us.
Please give us an opportunity to help you before leaving a negative review.
Just as some websites are faster than others, some are slower. It's possible the server you are requesting from is under load and slowed down. Sometimes all that is needed is pressing pause for a minute or 2.
If pressing pause and waiting a few minutes doesn't help, you may consider trying a different source for the media.
If you are loading from a DLNA Server or Samba, please double check that your network is working properly and if needed, reboot the wifi router and the devices.
If you are loading from the internet, try another media server link.
WiFi and Network issues
Many issues with WiFi may be solved quite easily:
Investigate a better location for your router where it is closer to your streaming device, or even better, hard-wired to the router.
Extend your signal by adding a WiFi extender to your network. Amazon sells many that are quite easy to setup by following the instructions. If unsure, please consult a technician or a tech-savvy friend :)
TP-Link | N300 WiFi Range Extender (AD-Link)
For WiFi over 5GHz, please only use channels 52-64 and 100-140 as these are the least congested channels. Please also do not have Automatic channel selection enabled.
For WiFi over 2.4 GHz, we recommend channels 2 and 9 but you may also select any that are not congested by downloading a WiFi Analyzer for Windows or Mac and seeing which are not congested.
If at all possible, a hard-wired ethernet connection is always recommended over WiFi if your TV or streaming device supports it (IE: XBOX, laptop, etc).
Power issues
Many streaming devices like the FireTV Stick and Chromecast come with AC outlet power adapters. Please ALWAYS use these outlet adapters vs a usb port of a TV. A TV's USB port simply does not have enough power.
Temporary issues
Many temporary playback issues may be solved by simply unplugging / rebooting a device. A complete power down for a minute and then a power up is recommended over a simple reset.
If your video is scrambled and doesn't look right, the video quality may not be Supported by your TV or streaming device. This happens primarily with Full HD videos (IE: 1080p or higher) on devices that do not support Full HD.
Workarounds
Try searching for the next step down in quality (IE: 720p vs 1080p).
Try using the seek slider (above play/pause button) and jump to another part of the video. Did that fix it?
During encoding of videos, it is not uncommon to have artifacts (or scrambling) in the video at certain points. This should be temporary. However, if the problem continues and the video is essentially unwatchable, this is a sign that the format is not Supported correctly and you will need to find a new version of the video.
Live stream support varries greatly from device to device.
In general, Roku and Chromecast / Googlecast have the best support with FireTV following up. Some devices might not support HLS at all.
Live streaming is also a more complex and resource intensive operation than playing a simple video file. This is because with livestreaming, the once large single file video is broken into many smaller parts.
Castie has no control over the quality of livestreams whatsoever. Therefore, unfortunately, this is a feature that is really hit or miss. If you continue having an issue with a particular stream, please use the Castie Web-Browser to search for an alternative stream.
Workarounds
If playback was working and suddenly stopped, try a power off for 1 minute / on of the playback device.
Not all livestreams are Supported on all devices. If the livestream continues to manfunction, please look for another version.
No audio at all
The audio format may not be Supported. All videos are encoded with something called a codec which stands for code/decode. This is used to encode and decode various formats both audio and video.
Therefore it is possible to have a video without sound, or a video with sound but no video depending on the codecs/formats Supported on the playback device.
The best thing to do is to just search for another video in a correct codec. The safest codecs Supported by most devices are:
Video
1. MP4 (H264/X264) - video and (AAC/AC3) - audio
Audio
1. MP3 (MPEG Layer III Audio)
Audio may be Muted. Double check the audio involved in your streaming setup like your TV, Amplifier/Receiver etc. It's possible you may have accidentally muted the audio or have the Audio source set to AV1 vs AV5 on your receiver for example.
Broken audio connection? Double check the audio connection (IE: Speaker wire, plug, etc) at the source.
For sound bars and the like, make sure you are connected to the HDMI port labeled "ARC" and that "ARC" is enabled on your TV otherwise audio pass-through may not work.
Audio volume too low or high
Double check your audio devices volume and make sure all devices are in sync. It's possible the home theatre audio is set to level 20, but the Roku or Chromecast or XBOX is set to 0 or 10.
No video, only sound is played
The video format may not be Supported. All videos are encoded with something called a codec which stands for code/decode. This is used to encode and decode various formats both audio and video.
Therefore it is possible to have a video without sound, or a video with sound but no video depending on the codecs/formats Supported on the playback device.
The best thing to do is to just search for another video in a correct codec. The safest codecs Supported by most devices are:
Video
1. MP4 (H264/X264) - video and (AAC/AC3) - audio
Audio
1. MP3 (MPEG Layer III Audio)
Try updating your streaming device to the latest firmware if available and try again. On the Roku for example, you would go to settings - update - check for update.
Recorded videos are upside down!
This may happen if you record the video upside down on a phone or tablet. There is software available for Windows and Mac that may flip the video to the correct orientation. Correct the video and try again.
Don't forget, when recording videos, always use Landscape (wide mode). Recording in Landscape mode offers the most compatibility with devices.
Android app crash
Please keep in mind there are over 15,000 Supported devices by Castie. We do our best to ensure Castie is stable and bug free, but sometimes a bug gets through and we apologize.
If the Android app crashes during browsing or playback, please contact us @ Support using Menu → Settings → About → Email Us.
Please always add crash details to your support request if possible.
If you are prompted to send us a logfile, please do so.
If you do not have a log file, please provide us with any of the following:
1. Any screenshots or videoclips showing the crash on your device.
2. As much detail as you may remember about what you were doing prior to the crash.
3. Website address that caused the crash, if applicable.
Questions about upgrades
Castie is available in free, premium and Ultimate Editions. All free editions have the limitation of 10 minutes of playback per item, no ability to add bookmarks, or the ability to download.
Premium Editions are essentially the upgraded version of that edition.
IE: Castie for Chromecast Premium is the upgraded version for Chromecast devices only and will support unlimited playback, downloads, and bookmarks.
Ultimate Edition is the best version of Castie because it supports all devices we support in one package.
IE: Castie Ultimate Edition is the upgraded version of All device versions and will support unlimited playback, downloads, and bookmarks on any device Castie supports.
Downloading is a premium feature.
While surfing the Web in Castie, Long-Press "Tap here to play" and select "Download file here" to download the media item.
While folder-browsing in Castie, Long-Press the media item for more options and select "Download file here" to download the media item.
Downloading and Streaming torrents is a premium feature.
While surfing the Web in Castie, locate either a magnet link or a torrent link and you will be prompted to choose stream or download.
Streaming a torrent may or may not work well depending on the peer speed, network speed, the number of peers and Castie has no control over this. Castie will wait until a preset buffer fills and then launch the media item on your selected playback device if you chose to stream the item. This buffering may take a few minutes, longer, or < 30 seconds depending on speed conditions. As always, try to download H264 MP4 video with AAC/AC3 or mp3 audio as it supports the most devices.
Please make sure you have selected a playback device if you chose to stream. If a stream fails to load on your selected device, don't worry, you may try another device by going to Castie Menu → Downloads after selecting a new device, or re-trying your selected one.
Seeking forward during streaming will be disabled, but you may rewind.
Once the download is complete, Castie does NOT seed the torrent, so it does not upload it perpetually.
Files are stored on your local device for playback. Want to back them up? Proceed to Castie browsing and Local Files → sdcard → Castie/Downloads and long-press the item you'd like to move to your Samba / Local Network storage and select Backup File. To setup Samba, either click Local Networks and run the wizard or set up a share manually from Castie Menu → Settings → Manually setup under network.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter a black screen during streaming of a video torrent AFTER it started and played successfully, you will need to rewind, and then pause and wait a few minutes. You've reached a spot in the video that has not yet buffered to be able to be played. To see where you are in the download, check the Castie Download notification from your drop-down phone/tablet status bar menu.
If you encounter an error downloading, please try restarting your phone/tablet or wifi router, and re-try the torrent or magnet link you were attempting. Castie will re-start where it left off.
We recommend that you are using a strong WiFi when downloading and NOT your local phone/tablet mobile LTE connection.
When Castie for Windows and XBOX is idle, it shows beautiful images. You may customize your images by keyword, and save them to your slideshow to view later, as a slideshow. There are millions of these, and none are the same. Great when listening to music, or just relaxing.
Easily access, browse and play all your media from one app. Full DLNA support. Playlist support. Subtitle support. Live-TV support (HLS live-streams). Castie for Windows and XBOX along with Castie on Android are a great combo for your media needs.
Castie is free to try, but it's people like you that keep us going!
Browse the internet using Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, or your favorite search engine. Media is auto-detected, and when found is simply a TAP away from being played on the device you select. Long-press the item for more options like downloading, or searching for subtitles.
