Screen Casting To TV

When inserting replacement ads into linear TV streams on Android, the Flower SDK runs an internal Proxy Server that rewrites the original manifest (m3u8/mpd) on the fly. As a result, the URL returned by changeChannelUrl() is a loopback address that points to this in-app Proxy Server, not the original CDN.

Loopback URLs are only reachable from the device that produced them. If you hand that URL to another screen — for example, an external TV via Chromecast, AirPlay, or a Smart TV — the remote screen cannot resolve it and playback will fail.

For these screen casting scenarios, use FlowerAdsManager.getScreenCastingUrl() to obtain a URL that the remote screen can play.

FlowerAdsManager.getScreenCastingUrl

Returns a stream URL suitable for casting to an external screen.

Parameter	Type	Description
(none)

Return	Type	Description
screenCastingUrl	string	URL that can be played on an external screen. Falls back to the original stream URL if a casting URL cannot be produced. Returns an empty string ("") if called before changeChannelUrl().

Usage requirements

• getScreenCastingUrl() must be called after changeChannelUrl(). Calling it earlier returns an empty string ("") because the Proxy Server has not been initialized yet.
• On any internal error, the SDK returns the original stream URL so that casting can continue, although ad replacement will not be applied on the remote screen in that case.

Example

private fun playLinearTv() {
    // TODO GUIDE: change original LinearTV stream url by adView.adsManager.changeChannelUrl
    val changedChannelUrl = flowerAdView.adsManager.changeChannelUrl(
        "https://XXX",
        "https://ad_request",
        "100",
        mapOf("custom-param" to "custom-param-value"),
        mediaPlayerHook,
        mapOf("custom-ad-header" to "custom-ad-header-value"),
        mapOf("custom-stream-header" to "custom-stream-header-value"),
        null
    )

    // TODO GUIDE: Use the loopback URL on the local player
    player.setMediaItem(MediaItem.fromUri(changedChannelUrl))
    player.prepare()
    player.play()
}

// TODO GUIDE: Use getScreenCastingUrl when sending the stream to another screen (e.g., TV)
fun startCastingToTv() {
    // Must be called after changeChannelUrl().
    // Returns the original stream URL on error, so it is always safe to use.
    val castingUrl = flowerAdView.adsManager.getScreenCastingUrl()

    castSession.loadMedia(castingUrl)
}

When to Use

Scenario	URL to Use
Local in-app playback	URL returned by changeChannelUrl()
Casting to an external screen (Chromecast, AirPlay receiver, Smart TV, etc.)	URL returned by getScreenCastingUrl()