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LISTENING TO INTERNET RADIO BROADCASTS

QUESTION:

What software do I need to do in order for my computer to be able to play live radio broadcasts from the Internet?

ANSWER:

Audio from the web comes in two basic forms. The first requires you to download some type of audio file in its entirety. After downloading, you use a variety of available sound players to listen to the file. For example, an MP3 song file has a defined length and size. To play the song, you download the entire file and then use an MP3 player to enjoy the performance.

The second type lets you hear the audio while the file is downloading. This method is referred to as “streaming audio” and is the preferred method used by most every radio station that provides live audio content on the web. If you think about it, streaming is the only way live audio can be provided since unlike a recording, there really is no beginning or ending other than the times you start and finish listening.

Streaming is not exclusive to live video and audio. Archives can also use the streaming method of delivery usually because the length of the performance is quite long and could take hours to download making the first form impractical. The other reason for streaming is security. Many performances are proprietary or copyrighted. Streaming lets the owners of the material decide whether or not to make the content savable by the user. You can hear it but you can’t save it to disk.

One of the most popular brands of streaming audio and video is available free from RealNetworks. Their latest version, RealAudio 8 gives you access to RealAudio and RealVideo streaming web sites on the Internet. If you want to pony up $29.99 you can get their RealPlayer Plus that offers additional functionality. Another popular streaming product comes from Microsoft. Their WindowsMedia player is also free and available from the Microsoft web site. A third contender in the streaming arena comes from Apple Computer. Their QuickTime player is available for free on the Apple web site. Paying Apple $29.99 gets you a code key to unlock your free QuickTime to the QuickTime Pro version that offers additional functionality. QuickTime has the ability to stream live audio and video but can also capture entire files to disk for playback. All of the above streaming products are available in both Windows and Macintosh formats.

Once you have the streaming software of choice installed in your computer, you need only to visit one of the many sites that feature live and archived broadcasts. One of the more popular locations you can try is Yahoo! Events. Featuring hundreds of radio stations from around the globe, you can hear programming that was probably not available to you before the advent of this technology. No longer do you need rely upon your local broadcasters to bring you the radio shows you want to hear. A 56k connection is more than adequate, but faster connections such as ADSL and cable modems can provide better sound but only if the provider is sending a better quality audio stream.

www.apple.com/quicktime
www.realaudio.com
www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
www.broadcast.com