#fcast — Public Fediverse posts

If you're tired of using proprietary software and devices to cast media to your TV, did you know there is an open source protocol called #FCast?

#CastLab, an app that I maintain, works with this protocol. It is only available on #FDroid: https://f-droid.org/packages/app.fedilab.castlab/

More about FCast: https://fcast.org/

Don't hesitate to take back control. The app also works with #Kodi and any other device supporting #DLNA.

I created #CastLab after coming back from holidays. I just wanted to cast my media to my TV and could not find a simple open source app for that, so I built one.

It has grown since: it supports #Kodi and the open source #FCast protocol. I was even surprised to see it also used to cast music to network speakers.

I will keep working on your feedback. Only on #FDroid, but it could be brought to #iOS if people are interested (through #AltStorePAL).

https://f-droid.org/packages/app.fedilab.castlab

Did you know that I also maintain #CastLab, an open source app that casts your local photos, videos and audio, plus videos from the web, to DLNA/UPnP and #FCast receivers, or to a USB-C external screen. Most smart TVs support DLNA. Screen mirroring is also supported.

You can create playlists, filter media by type and date, and extract videos from web pages.

Available only on #FDroid (iOS possible if there is interest).

https://f-droid.org/packages/app.fedilab.castlab/

#CastLab 1.4.0 is available. This release adds a Simplified Chinese translation and improves #FCast playback, so playlists now advance to the next item automatically.

Release notes: https://codeberg.org/tom79/CastLab/releases/tag/1.4.0

This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum.

Welcome to this week’s The Programmer’s Fulcrum.

It’s your weekly curation of the essential news in the Open Media Network and Fediverse development communities with a focus on devastating big tech via Techno Anarchism.

As usual, we aim to provide actionable content you can use to destroy Techno Feudalism each week. It has the additional […]

#CastLab supports #FCast because it is an open source casting protocol, built as an alternative to Chromecast and AirPlay. You install the receiver app on a TV or computer (Android TV, Linux, Windows, macOS) and cast to it from CastLab.
Unlike DLNA, which depends on your TV, FCast can be installed on any supported device. Both are open and complement each other well.

More about FCast: https://github.com/futo-org/fcast

#CastLab 1.3.0 is available.

This release adds UPnP embedded device discovery (improves detection of devices like Sonos One) with a full #FCast protocol v3 opcode support.
It also fixes casting on some receivers with special characters in filenames.

Full release notes: https://codeberg.org/tom79/CastLab/releases/tag/1.3.0

This week in #FDroid (TWIF) is live:

* Basic 2.0-alpha5 with faster UI feedback (no need for Developer mode)
* #keyboard in the news
* #aTalk brings #OMEMO 2 to #XMPP on #Android
* #Briar keeps Tor secure (no tricks)
* #CastLab w/ #FCast and more (no need to restart)
* #K9Mail #Thunderbird w/ avatars (after 7 days too)
* #LabCoat #Gitlab login
* #SessionMessenger help funding
+ 15 new apps
& 212 updates

You can read now: https://f-droid.org/2026/03/19/twif.html

One should not have to wait 24h for #FLOSS apps!

#CastLab 1.1.0 has been published
Main additions:

#FCast protocol support, Android screen sharing, M3U/M3U8 playlists, USB-C display output, and improved #DLNA discovery (some TVs were not discovered).

More about this release: https://codeberg.org/tom79/CastLab/releases/tag/1.1.0

Already available on our custom #FDroid repo.

The next release of #CastLab will support the #FCast protocol https://fcast.org/

More about CastLab: https://f-droid.org/packages/app.fedilab.castlab/

#FCast - Casting made Open Source:

https://fcast.org/

"FCast is an open-source protocol designed to open wireless audio and video streaming to everybody. With support for various stream types like DASH, HLS, and mp4, it empowers developers to create their own unique streaming experiences. [...]Developers can create custom receivers, integrate the client protocol into their own apps, or even enhance the protocol, contributing to an evolving open ecosystem."

#Casting #Streaming #OpenSource