[RELEASE] Smart TV (Connect) w/ LG Netcast Driver

This is my first app and driver release (hopefully of many). This is for the LG Netcast Smart TVs. Probably a small audience, but for the ones who have these TVs will find it very valuable.

App Smart TV (Connect)
The Smart TV (Connect) app was designed to be used with multiple different smart TVs, but for now I have only developed one driver. The app is used to discover the devices and then monitor them for IP changes and update the device accordingly. The heartbeat is the interval that the app will check for an IP change. You can set the heartbeat from 1 minute up to 3 hours, but keep in mind that every time the app request the description.xml file it will display a box on the screen. The heartbeat is set to 1 hour by default. You can also change the child device name right from the app.

Driver LG Netcast TV
The LG Netcast TV driver will show you the status of the TV (on/off), the current channel, volume and many more. It will also allow you to change the channel, volume and power the TV off. It will even let you set the volume to a specific level.

Known Issues

  • The driver will not turn the TV on
  • The TV does not have a power or volume event, so it polls the device at a set interval

Adding Additional Buttons
For my use case I need to be able to power the TV off and set the volume to a certain level. Now I know that other people may need additional features that's why I have added a complete button document and example code on my GitHub page. It is very simple to add as many buttons as you like.

Button List

Example Code

Please let me know what you think below.

Thanks for releasing this. Do you know if there is any way to pen a particular app? My remote has dedicated keys for Netflix and Amazon but I didn't see that in your PDF list of commands. I'd like to control those as well as other applications to explicitly request Spotify or YouTube.

Yes, I am working on that part now. I am able to query the TV for the list of all apps on the TV. My plan is to have the user select what apps they want and the driver will spin up child devices for each app. Then each child device will have it's own controls. I am just trying to figure out how to allow the user to choose the apps they want and not spin up 50+ child devices when the user may only want 2 of them. Right now I have the apps stored in a state map, but I'm trying to figure out a way to populate an option box, but I keep getting null pointer references. I am starting to think it's because they are not static. Drivers don't like being dynamic. If that turns out to be the case I may have to change the app handle that. I am hoping I can find a way to keep the app universal, but if that's not the case then I will change direction.

Is NetCast a new LG feature, or an old one? I ask because I have a 2018 LG (OLED 55C8PUA) and so I was excited to see this, but the app failed to discover my TV. Now I'm beginning to think that NetCast might be an old feature. Can someone who knows more illuminate? TIA....

Netcast is old. Your TV uses WebOS, and there’s another driver for that.

Murphy's Law ... as soon as I typed the above message I found that thread. BTW, I noticed you and I have the same model (LG 55C8PUA) I think. Review of the thread suggests you had problems with that driver. I didn't. Device was discovered quickly and operates without a problem (though I'm still orienting myself to details). Are you okay with it now?

Initially I did have trouble, eventually I was able to get my TV discovered in the app though. Not sure what I ended up doing differently but it does work now.

Good for you. I have a detail question about functionality - will respond in the other thread.

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