BBC AAC streams now in iTunes and so perhaps available for internet radio devices?

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  • PhilipSPhilipS Posts: 825
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    buglawton wrote: »
    My iPhone apps - Reciva or Wunderradio - seem to hang when I search for and try to play any BBC main station - so what is the best App to use?

    TuneIn. I've gone through most of the others, including those two, and it's the one I use most consistently. Pure Lounge isn't bad, but I've only got it because I have an Evoke. On its own it doesn't match up to TuneIn.
  • buglawtonbuglawton Posts: 1,258
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    Thx. All BBC streams used to play perfectly on Nokia s60 and iPhone Reciva/Wunderradio in the Realaudio days - busted now by the BBC it seems.
  • Lump HeadLump Head Posts: 1,273
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    Is there any aac stream link for World Service ?
    If not what is the best one ?
  • macharemachare Posts: 940
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    I have at last managed to find these URLs - though not from any BBC publicity.

    Has anyone seen any BBC announcements - or are they still maintaining their policy of secrecy?

    The only problem that I now have is that when I listen to Radio 3 I get drop outs. But getting my rural broadband service upgraded is even more of a challenge,

    What I really need is for the same stream to be made available on satellite. - Some hope!
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    machare wrote: »
    Has anyone seen any BBC announcements - or are they still maintaining their policy of secrecy?

    The only problem that I now have is that when I listen to Radio 3 I get drop outs.
    There is no secrecy, from the summer r3 blog, HD sound is still in test mode and is an option.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/2011/06/-interactive-editor-gabriel-gi.shtml
    Listening

    To listen to Radio 3 live in normal quality, click the word 'Listen' in the red panel in the top right hand of the screen. You'll also find information about the programme that's on now and next. To listen in HD Sound – the highest quality audio stream offered by the BBC – click the HD Sound button. Most people should have no trouble with this stream, but it's still new for us so we've kept it as an option.
    Although the AAC HD stream now does seem to the default for r3 on radioplayer so there is some progress! Guess the internet set providers and the tunein app will also soon make the AAC HD stream now the default, but the problem will be it probably is geolocked for UK listeners only.
    Lump Head wrote: »
    Is there any aac stream link for World Service ?
    If not what is the best one ?
    Seems WMA or MP3 only
    http://radiofeeds.co.uk/query.asp?feedme=BBC+World+Service
  • Nick_GNick_G Posts: 5,137
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    There has still been no announcement from the BBC that these streams are available for internet radios, i.e. the 'naked' urls that internet radios can use, as opposed to the iPlayer or website streams that are wrapped in Flash and are therefore not accessible. I do find this rather odd as the urls were released in the spring.
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    Nick_G wrote: »
    There has still been no announcement from the BBC that these streams are available for internet radios, i.e. the 'naked' urls that internet radios can use, as opposed to the iPlayer or website streams that are wrapped in Flash and are therefore not accessible. I do find this rather odd as the urls were released in the spring.
    Maybe the BBC does not see the need to pass the url info onto the public as the preferred PC player is the UK radioplayer, and since HD sound is now the UK Radioplayer default for r3 is out of the testing phase.
    The BBC seems to have supplied urls to other radio listing suppliers (Tunein, itunes, Reciva etc) to add to their directories if they want to add them!
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    Reciva does not seem to have listed the HD AAC stream, only the WMA stream, perhaps it's because some internet radios do not work with AAC streams?
    https://www.reciva.com/stations/search?q=radio+3&codec=&categories=&min_bitrate=&max_bitrate=&working=true&start=0&count=10
  • buglawtonbuglawton Posts: 1,258
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    Curious, I have an old Intempo (Reciva) internet radio that does handle AAC+ streams, now I am not sure which streams I selected for BBC R4.
  • InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
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    hanssolo wrote: »
    Reciva does not seem to have listed the HD AAC stream, only the WMA stream, perhaps it's because some internet radios do not work with AAC streams?
    https://www.reciva.com/stations/search?q=radio+3&codec=&categories=&min_bitrate=&max_bitrate=&working=true&start=0&count=10

    AsI reported in another thread, my Frontier-based wi-fi radio only finds the 48k WMA streams for the BBC nationals. Do any wi-fi radios find and play the HD AAC streams?
  • macharemachare Posts: 940
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    Inkblot wrote: »
    AsI reported in another thread, my Frontier-based wi-fi radio only finds the 48k WMA streams for the BBC nationals. Do any wi-fi radios find and play the HD AAC streams?
    Typically there is a web site where you can add extra stations for your receiver. This is certainly the case for my Roberts 83i which uses Frontier, and I have also done it for some other equipment that I have and which uses vtuner.
  • InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
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    machare wrote: »
    Typically there is a web site where you can add extra stations for your receiver. This is certainly the case for my Roberts 83i which uses Frontier, and I have also done it for some other equipment that I have and which uses vtuner.

    Yes, I've added the higher bit rate WMA streams for my Revo Pico IR but it cannot play AAC. Hence my question - can any wi-fi radios actually play the HD streams?
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    Inkblot wrote: »
    Yes, I've added the higher bit rate WMA streams for my Revo Pico IR but it cannot play AAC. Hence my question - can any wi-fi radios actually play the HD streams?
    With help of Google notice on
    https://forum.reciva.com/read.php?2,16261
    The AAC+ codec needs extra licencing which Reciva (and perhaps some other IR platforms) have not paid for,
    Technically speaking the AAC+ codec could be made available as a firmware upgrade, but the question remains as to who pays for the cost that the codec licensor (VIA) expects to be paid
    maybe the licence also applies to streaming AAC?, so they will play Real, WMA and MP3 only, the spec for the current Revo Mondo only lists these, therefore the BBC has said it will keep WMA going for internet radio sets, but have now dropped Real. The Reciva lists only show the BBC WMA streams.
    However, the BBC have "promised" that support for Real and WMA will stay in place for a "multi-year" transition period
    Maybe why the IR100 plays the 320k HD stream on beta firmware but not standard firmware.
    ronanflood wrote: »
    The R3 .pls stream works on my Logik IR100 running the beta Reciva firmware; shows as 319kbps AAC. I didn't try the other link.
    Does not look like Reciva want to charge and pay for the licence for the full firmware!

    Looks like the only internet sets to play the AAC HD streams are those like the Philips, Sonos, Pure Evoke flow and Squeeze box where the licence has been paid and the R3 HD stream is in the sets station list! So therefore the BBC does not need to publish the AAC/AAC+ stream urls!
  • buglawtonbuglawton Posts: 1,258
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    My Intempo WiFi radio is definitely playing 96 kbps AAC+ streams.
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    buglawton wrote: »
    My Intempo WiFi radio is definitely playing 96 kbps AAC+ streams.
    AAC+ with SBR is only needed below 64k, above 64k AAC+ is not needed just AAC, so perhaps the Intempo (Reciva powered) is working AAC but not AAC+?
    See if it plays the 320k AAC stream
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r3_aaclca.pls
    or the r2 48k AAC+ stream?
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r2_heaacv2.pls
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    As a new guy on the block I am confused about what is or is not possible. Like many of you I want to listen to BBC Radio 3 HD without using my PC Currently I am using a number of applications such as VLC media player (which I do not find user friendly). I know from other blogs that Squeezebox has an app to get HD. I have contacted both Pure and Roberts Radio about whether any of their radios can decode HD. Pure replied that they hope to support it early 2012. Roberts I believe are also looking at it. They both say that the problem is that it is encoded in a Flash wrapper (whatever that means). So using the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r3_aaclca.pls can other radios that are available be used to get BBC3 HD
  • Nick_GNick_G Posts: 5,137
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    I would have thought that any internet radio that can decode AAC will be able to play the direct stream URL. This Roberts internet radio can play AAC streams.
  • macharemachare Posts: 940
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    roger w wrote: »
    So using the URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r3_aaclca.pls can other radios that are available be used to get BBC3 HD
    It depends in part on whether they can use the playlist technology. I have one device that had to be upgraded to do this and even then the implementation is poor.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    Thanks Nick_G. However if you actually phone Roberts Radio about picking up BBC R3 HD, they deny it can be done. Moreover they have had many enquiries about this. I told them I would not buy any of their products until they supported HD, and I am not alone there. Why are they deliberately preventing a large market not buying their products. Also why is the BBC being so obtuse about the whole issue and expecting everyone to listen to the BBC on a PC?
  • Nick_GNick_G Posts: 5,137
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    roger w wrote: »
    Thanks Nick_G. However if you actually phone Roberts Radio about picking up BBC R3 HD, they deny it can be done. Moreover they have had many enquiries about this. I told them I would not buy any of their products until they supported HD, and I am not alone there. Why are they deliberately preventing a large market not buying their products. Also why is the BBC being so obtuse about the whole issue and expecting everyone to listen to the BBC on a PC?

    [cynic]Because they'd prefer people to use a DAB radio to listen to them digitally[/cynic]

    It does seem odd that there's been zero publicity from them about these streams. It must be about 6 months since they became available outside of iPlayer, maybe more.
  • macharemachare Posts: 940
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    roger w wrote: »
    Thanks Nick_G. However if you actually phone Roberts Radio about picking up BBC R3 HD, they deny it can be done.

    Well all I can say is that my Roberts Stream83i can play the BBC R3 HD stream (not the flash stuff that you get on your PC).

    The URL that I have added to http://www.wifiradio-frontier.com is:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r3_aaclca.pls

    It works very well. The Roberts handles the playlist technology much better than my Naim equipment.
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    roger w wrote: »
    Thanks Nick_G. However if you actually phone Roberts Radio about picking up BBC R3 HD, they deny it can be done.
    There is also "HD radio" in the US maybe they were thinking of this rather than "HD sound"?

    There are also 2 internet radio platforms which they use: Reciva and Frontier Silicon, it could be some of the earlier Reciva firmware did not have the MPEG 4 AAC licences.
  • catherine91catherine91 Posts: 2,636
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    I did once see a small HD logo on a TV promo for a Radio 3 programme but there was no explanation of how to access the HD sound. I wouldn't have known about the streams without reading this forum, not that I normally listen to Radio 3 anyway.

    In Radio Times they have something where you can win an "FM, digital and internet radio" - er, internet is part of 'digital'!
  • hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,555
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    Nick_G wrote: »
    [cynic]Because they'd prefer people to use a DAB radio to listen to them digitally[/cynic]

    It does seem odd that there's been zero publicity from them about these streams. It must be about 6 months since they became available outside of iPlayer, maybe more.
    Why do they need to do this as it would be listed for the set users by by the internet stations listing provider on itunes, Vtuner, reciva etc
  • Nick_GNick_G Posts: 5,137
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    hanssolo wrote: »
    Why do they need to do this as it would be listed for the set users by by the internet stations listing provider on itunes, Vtuner, reciva etc

    Well if you search BBC Radio 3 on both Reciva & V-Tuner you get the 192k WMA and 48k WMA streams listed respectively:

    https://www.reciva.com/stations/search?q=bbc+radio+3&categories=&codec=&min_bitrate=&max_bitrate=&working=true

    http://vtuner.com/setupapp/guide/asp/BrowseStations/Searchform.asp

    So, unless the radios access a different database, it isn't on their lists. You would have to add the stream manually, and of course, this would mean knowing it exists in the first place!
    I did once see a small HD logo on a TV promo for a Radio 3 programme but there was no explanation of how to access the HD sound. I wouldn't have known about the streams without reading this forum, not that I normally listen to Radio 3 anyway.

    In Radio Times they have something where you can win an "FM, digital and internet radio" - er, internet is part of 'digital'!

    I remember seeing those exact same trailers for the Proms over the summer Catherine, and I thought exactly the same thing! It's all very well showing an 'HD Sound' logo in the corner of the screen but if you don't tell people about it how is it going to even register? It was very discreet and could easily have been missed.
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