On Friday, July 6, 2018, Roon Labs announced that their Roon music player software can now stream to Chromecast devices. Included in those devices are Google Home smart speakers: Google Home Mini, Google Home Max, and Chromecast audio receivers. Also included are Chromecast devices with video: Chromecast Gen 1, Chromecast Gen 2, and Chromecast Ultra.

With audio-only devices, Roon streams high-resolution (up to 96kHz/24-bit) gapless music. On Chromecast devices with video, Roon will stream gapless high-resolution music and also display album artwork, artist photos and track information.

Selecting Chromecast Devices In Roon

The new Chromecast feature addition increases the number of Roon-compatible devices which already includes Roon Ready, AirPlay, Sonos, Linn, Devialet AIR, Squeezebox, and other network audio products.

Chromecast devices appear automatically in Roon’s Settings screen under the Audio tab. With the Google Home app, you can set groups of devices to appear in Roon as additional devices. This gives the ability to define multi-device zones like “Whole Home” and “Family Room and Kitchen.” Standard Chromecast controls work with Roon. Android devices display Play and Pause controls in notifications, and Android and iOS mobile devices offer transport controls in the Google Home app.

Other Goodies In The Latest Roon Release

The new Chromecast feature addition increases the number of Roon-compatible devices which already includes Roon Ready, AirPlay, Sonos, Linn, Devialet AIR, Squeezebox, and other network audio products. This release of Roon includes other improvements including enhanced support for other protocols, updated decoders, and support for partial albums on TIDAL.

Pricing and Availability

Roon is available now. The software membership is priced at $199 per year or $499 for a lifetime membership. Roon can be downloaded from the Roon download page.

About Steve Cooper
Steve Cooper is an applications software developer who also builds custom home media solutions. His interests include reading, music & movies, guitar, woodworking and motor racing.
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