Bug with Google Cast for Audio 2.0 devices (playback stutters, stalls, goes into a loop)

Plex Players Streaming Devices
1

Server Version#: 1.40.4.8679
Player Version#: 10.19.0.1069

Google is rolling out “Google Cast for Audio 2.0”
(see bottom of this article : 音频设备  |  Cast  |  Google for Developers)

Some chromecast enabled speaker manufacturers have already updated their firmware to this latest version. There are multiple reports of plex google cast support not working properly with those devices. The main apparent symptom is playback that stutters, stalls and goes into a loop.

I personnaly observe this bug when casting to my JBL Authentics 300 speaker (firmware OneOS 2.2 (24.01.41.50.00))

Under the hood, I can observe that plex media server is flooding the speaker with data, when the data rate reaches the WiFi network bandwidth the playback starts to fail and the apparent symptoms manifests so the delay before it happens depends on the bitrate of the music file and the WiFi bandwidth.
In my case with FLAC encoded files, it takes about 10sec.

There are already reports of the same bug, with different speaker hardware:
See:
Problem with casting music from Synology NAS to Cambridge Audio MXN10 with a Cambridge Audio MXN10
Also this reddit topic: Reddit - Dive into anything

It appears that the fix must come from the cast sender app, that is plex.

Any forecast on when this bug will be fixed ?

Available to provide server log and field testing.

2

Also have this problem. Lots of issues. Just picked up a new Wiim Ultra and it’s basically unusable due to this problem.

3

I would also like to report the same Google Cast issue with KEF LSX II LT. The issue can be recreated in Plexamp and Plex connected to the KEFs via Google Cast / Chrome Cast. The issue is the same on multiple platforms : win 11 - Google Chrome ; iOs PlexAmp, iOS Plex app, Android PlexAmp, Android Plex app.
Issue: Song starts and after 7-10 seconds, it loops back to the start and plays subsequently only 1-2 seconds before looping again.

The issue is specific to my new KEF LSX 2 LT. I have several older chromecast enabled devices and Plexamp and Plex apps work fine with all of them.

Server: Version 1.41.0.8994
Plex Web: Version 4.139.0

4

Here is the same thing when chromecasting to LG Soundbar from a Samsung smartphone. Plex Server (raspberry pi) starts transcoding Flac/mp3 to Opus after about 10 seconds. Then the music playback starts to stutter. No solution to the problem so far. Does anyone have any new information?

5

I’m having the same problem for a few months now.
Is there anyone at Plex looking into this?

I’m streaming from Plexamp (on Pixel 8 phone) to my WiiM Ultra, but it plays for 12 seconds and then keeps looping the same second. It means I cannot use my streaming device with Plexamp.

When I use another application (Symfonium) to stream to my WiiM (also via Google Cast), it does not have this problem.

Can someone at Plex at least acknowledge this problem? And hopefully look for a solution?

6

I’d like to second this. The KEF LSX II / Plexamp Issue is tormenting.
Other chromecast devices in house work absolutely fine.
Workaround is using Symfonium or connect another chromecast device.
But that is not the point of having Plexamp.

Server: Version 1.41.4.9463
Plex Web: Version 4.145.1

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