NAS 245 Introduction to AiCast Control playback on Kodi/XBMC with this dedicated mobile app A S U S T O R C O L L E G E
COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course you should be able to: 1. Use AiCast to control Kodi/XBMC to: i. Add and scan media sources. ii. Playback videos, music and photos on your TV. PREREQUISITES Course Prerequisites: NAS 135 Introduction to ASUSTOR Portal Students are expected to have a working knowledge of: Smartphones or tablet devices OUTLINE 1. Introduction to AiCast 1.1 Introduction to AiCast 2. Preparing Your NAS 2.1 Preparing your NAS 3. Installation and Connection 3.1 Installing AiCast 3.2 Enabling EZ-Router and opening port 88 for Kodi/XBMC 3.3 Configuring self-defined port forwarding service (If your router doesn t support port 88 for Kodi/XBMC) 3.4 Connecting to your NAS with AiCast 4. Adding and Scanning a Media Source with AiCast 4.1 Adding a source 4.2 Scanning a source A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 2
5. Introduction to Basic Functions 5.1 Poster and list view 5.2 Search 5.3 Queueing items and playback 6. Other Functions 6.1 Playback queue management 6.2 Remote control playback functions 6.3 Quickly accessing the side menu A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 3
1. Introduction to AiCast 1.1 Introduction to AiCast AiCast is a mobile app developed by ASUSTOR that allows you to control playback from Kodi/XBMC. AiCast not only allows for the simultaneous playing and browsing of videos but also allows you to immediately open Kodi/XBMC and begin playback even if you are in the midst of web browsing or watching YouTube. AiCast also lets you control playback remotely from any place, even if you are not on your NAS s local network. Key Features for AiCast: Touch and Play Intuitive control interface with comprehensive functionality Supports poster wall view browsing mode Controls for video volume, repeat, random playback, progress bar, pause/play, fastforward/rewind, subtitles, audio channels, and multiple fast-forward and rewind speeds. Controls for slideshow playback Displays associated information for movies, songs and albums (e.g., year, length, synopsis, rating, artist, album covers, etc.) Supports the selection and playback of media remotely Control playback on multiple NAS devices. AiCast is suitable for use on all ASUSTOR NAS devices with HDMI ports. 2. Preparing Your NAS 2.1 Preparing Your NAS Please ensure the following before using AiCast ASUSTOR Portal and XBMC/Kodi have been installed on the NAS The NAS has been connected to a TV via HDMI and both are powered on EZ-Router has been enabled and port 88 has been opened for XBMC/Kodi AiCast has been installed on your mobile device A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 4
3. Installation and Connection 3.1 Installing AiCast STEP 1 Open Google Play Search for AiCast in Google Play Install the app AiCast for Android A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 5
3.2 Enabling EZ-Router and opening port 88 for Kodi/XBMC NAS 245: Introduction to AiCast Note: You only need make the following configurations if you plan to connect to your NAS and use AiCast from outside your local network. You must enable EZ-Router and open port 88 for Kodi/XBMC in order to control playback remotely. The steps below will show you how to do this. STEP 1 Note: Please make sure that EZ-Router has already been activated. From the ADM desktop select [Settings][Ease of Access][EZ-Router][Add]. STEP 2 Select port 88 for XBMC/Kodi and click [OK]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 6
You should now be able to see app#kodi in the Port Forwarding list. 3.3 Configuring self-defined port forwarding service (If your router doesn t support port 88 for Kodi/XBMC) If your router doesn t support Kodi/XBMC s port 88, please follow the steps outlined below. STEP 1 From the ADM desktop select [Settings][Ease of Access][EZ-Router][Add]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 7
STEP 2 NAS 245: Introduction to AiCast Select the [Customization] radio button and make the following configurations for each field: Description: Enter a name for your self-defined service. In our example we will use Port Link. Protocol: Select [TCP] from the drop-down menu. NAS Port: Enter 88 for Kodi/XBMC. Router Port: Enter the router port you wish to use. In our example we have selected port 8888. Click [OK] once you are done. STEP 3 Click on the [Add] button. Select the [Self-defined] radio button and make the following configurations for each field: Description: Enter a name for your self-defined service. In our example we will use Port Link. Protocol: Select [UDP] from the drop-down menu. NAS Port: Enter 88 for Kodi/XBMC. Router Port: Enter the router port you wish to use. In our example we have selected port 8888. Click [OK] once you are done. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 8
You should now be able to see both of your configured services in the Port Forwarding list. 3.4 Connecting to your NAS with AiCast STEP 1 Open AiCast and select the [ + ] button. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 9
STEP 2 NAS 245: Introduction to AiCast AiCast is able to connect to your NAS via 3 methods: Connect via Cloud ID: Appropriate for use with a NAS that has already configured a Cloud ID. Connect via Host/IP: Appropriate for use with a NAS that is using a static IP or hostname. Auto Discovery: Automatically searches and connects to NAS devices on the same local network In our example, we will select the simplest method (Auto Discovery) to connect to a NAS. After selecting [Auto Discovery], AiCast will scan your local network for ASUSTOR NAS devices. STEP 3 Select your NAS and then enter the username and password for it. Select the button to connect to the NAS. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 10
After connecting, AiCast will open up to your movie content by default. If you have added and scanned a media source previously, it will display your movie content. If you have not added or scanned a media source yet, the Please add videos. message will be shown. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 11
4. Adding and Scanning a Media Source with AiCast Note: AiCast will not support the add and remove source functions if you have installed XBMC on your NAS. 4.1 Adding a source In order to connect to your NAS with AiCast and view associated information for movies and music, please first add a source. In the following examples we will be adding a movie source as an example. Adding a source for the first time STEP 1 After logging in, AiCast will show a message, prompting you to add videos. Select [OK]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 12
STEP 2 Select the folder or sub folder that you want to add as a source and then select the button to add it. Adding additional sources STEP 1 Select the icon and then select [Add Source]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 13
STEP 2 Select the folder or sub folder that you want to add as a source and then select the button to add it. 4.2 Scanning a source The two examples below will illustrate how to scan sources in order to get associated information for your movies and music. After adding a source for the first time STEP 1 AiCast will display a message prompting you to scan for content. Select [OK]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 14
STEP 2 Select the icon beside the folder that you want to scan and then select [SCAN]. Rescanning already added sources after adding content to them STEP 1 Select [Video] from the side menu. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 15
STEP 2 Select the icon beside the folder that you want to scan and then select [SCAN]. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 16
5. Introduction to Basic Functions 5.1 Poster and list view Select the or icon from the top right-hand corner of the interface to change between poster and list views. Poster View List View 5.2 Search Enter keywords into the search bar to search for content. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 17
5.3 Queueing items and playback Queueing items: You can queue movies and music by selecting the selecting [Queue item]. icon and then Playback: Select the button to begin playback of audio and video files. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 18
6. Other Functions 6.1 Playback queue management To manage the playback queue, first select [Queue] from the left-hand panel. Removing items To remove items from the queue first select the icon. Removing a single item: select the icon towards the left of the item. Removing all items: select the [Remove] button at the bottom of the screen. Adjusting the queue order Hold down the icon for the item you want to move and drag it to adjust its place in the queue. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 19
6.2 Remote control playback functions Item Icon Function 1 Sound / Mute 2 Volume Control 3 Video Poster 4 Playback Progress 5 Elapsed Time 6 Repeat 7 Shuffle 8 Rewind 9 Fast-Forward 10 Stop 11 Pause 12 Play 13 Subtitle Options 14 Audio Options 15 Increase Fast-Forward or Rewind Speed 16 Increase Rewind Speed 17 Fast-Forward Speed A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 20
6.3 Quickly accessing the side menu When using the video or audio functions, swipe left-to-right from the left side of the screen at any time to quickly bring up the side menu. A S U S T O R C O L L E G E / 21