The only European Satellite that could perform this function with Small dishes using the XM/Sirus technology kit for cars is the Eutelsat 10A Satellite, but has problems so Echostar brought it and is launching the high power EchoStar XXI in 2016. http://echostarmobile.com/services/satellite
Echostar Mobile are based in Milton Keynes, also produce domestic STBs so likely to make this work and could sell car units.
The only subscription radio group so far keen to use this, seems to be the Ex Worldspaces's Franz Cantarano company Onde Numeriue in France http://www.onde-numerique.fr/on/?page_id=402 who also have some French terrestrial L band licences and planning to launch with 60 stations. Whether subscription radio will work out for Franz Cantarano in France, time will tell?
The Echostar XXI coverage (if it ever gets launched) means the signal will cover the UK at high power, but there will be no terrestrial repeaters for town centres, but might mean smaller dishes for campers who want internet (and French radio!) at extra cost where there is no 3G/4G coverage.
I listen to the TuneIn app and put on a station from there in my mates car, I link it to her speakers. Signal is generally quite good round town. When I ran my own internet station about 6 years or so ago we had people texting in saying they were locked in while driving around tow, they must have had pretty decent phones even for then! we wasnt on TuneIn at that point but we got reports we was getting listened to.
Then I found out someone was relaying the stream to FM so that solved that mystery lol.
I use the XiiaLive all. It can be set to automatically start last listened to station when connecting to a Bluetooth device. It does mean I can get in the car and have Chris Country start via 4G without pressing anything.
I live in a mostly rural area. EE's 3g / 4g coverage is excellent with virtually no dropout. A decent buffer time can handle it. The only problem I've found is network congestion at lunchtime.
I'd love an app that plays the stream at, say, 0.95x normal speed and gradually builds a 2 or 3 minute buffer in case of signal loss.
So much depends on so much. When I lived in the Gulf, I had my phone set up for Bluetooth audio in the car. As terrain is flat, 3g and 4g coverage is very easy for the operators - even in the desert - so you can stream most radio through the car stereo to your heart's delight.
Here in China, 4G is everywhere too and most stations are allowed through the Great Firewall so you can happily walk around, go on the underground metro or go on the train and stream your radio on the high speed train at 300kmh. I've even listened to streaming audio on the Maglev at 450kmh.
The UK is by far the most challenging, but FM and DAB radio coverage is far superior to anywhere else in the world.
In the US, SiriusXM works great as long as the terrain is relatively flat but gives lots of problems in hilly/forested areas - even when built in a Honda Accord.
Most countries are a free-for-all with dodgy data connections and only decent radio coverage in Metro areas.
Some new cars do already have built-in internet radio. My friend's 15 plate BMW 3 series does. It's free for the first 3 years.
In my car I find it pretty reliable when using a mobile phone and an FM transmitter - at least on main roads and motorways (EE is fine where I live in the countryside, and only had two dropouts from Bristol to Newquay, Cornwall on M5).
The killer for live streaming is reselection - either to WiFi or 2G GSM - because the data interruption on the "handover" can be really long. Normally when it reselects to GSM there actually is 3G or 4G coverage there, just a small temporary perturbation made it change down. Then due to various boring legacy reasons it stays on GSM regardless of 3G/4G coverage until the data session is ended and re-started. If you lock your phone to 3G/4G and turn off WiFi it makes it miles more reliable.
Data tariffs are dropping all the time, but you still need to be careful. By my reckoning listening on the commute 4 hours a day for a month would need around 5GB.
Has anyone noticed that when you change from 4G to 3G when streaming radio, it stays on 3G even if you move into a 4G area? It only switches back to 4G when you turn off streaming radio.
It will be interesting to see how OnStar in the new Astra performs. I read that it is free for the first year, then £79 a year afterwards. Apparently, there is a wifi radio app built in according to AutoCar.
Has anyone tried this? Not had an Astra as a rental in years.
Has anyone noticed that when you change from 4G to 3G when streaming radio, it stays on 3G even if you move into a 4G area? It only switches back to 4G when you turn off streaming radio.
That's the intended behaviour of the network. Nearly all networks are now configured for 'active' hand over between layers only 4G>3G or 3G>2G. After a session ends, there is a possibility of idle mode promotion 2G>3G or 3G>4G and, in some cases 2G>4G. Exactly what happens after a voice call/streaming session ends depends on which neighbour relationships are set up in the base stations.
It will be interesting to see how OnStar in the new Astra performs. I read that it is free for the first year, then £79 a year afterwards. Apparently, there is a wifi radio app built in according to AutoCar.
Has anyone tried this? Not had an Astra as a rental in years.
£79 a year to be spied upon?
I'm sure GCHQ, Phorm etc will do it free of charge if you ask them nicely...
That's the intended behaviour of the network. Nearly all networks are now configured for 'active' hand over between layers only 4G>3G or 3G>2G. After a session ends, there is a possibility of idle mode promotion 2G>3G or 3G>4G and, in some cases 2G>4G. Exactly what happens after a voice call/streaming session ends depends on which neighbour relationships are set up in the base stations.
4G can provide Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services which could reduce the cost of radio stations providing multiple unicast streams, but sadly the wiki reports Verizon in the US tested it and decided it is not cost effective.
The new LG stylus 2 can automatically switch between DAB/DAB+ (and maybe FM) and mobile internet radio streams which seems a good way ahead for stations and listeners if the mobile operators get round to sell the new sets?
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Thanks for that. So, nothing likely in the near future
Then I found out someone was relaying the stream to FM so that solved that mystery lol.
60 mph in real measurements. :cool:
I live in a mostly rural area. EE's 3g / 4g coverage is excellent with virtually no dropout. A decent buffer time can handle it. The only problem I've found is network congestion at lunchtime.
I'd love an app that plays the stream at, say, 0.95x normal speed and gradually builds a 2 or 3 minute buffer in case of signal loss.
Here in China, 4G is everywhere too and most stations are allowed through the Great Firewall so you can happily walk around, go on the underground metro or go on the train and stream your radio on the high speed train at 300kmh. I've even listened to streaming audio on the Maglev at 450kmh.
The UK is by far the most challenging, but FM and DAB radio coverage is far superior to anywhere else in the world.
In the US, SiriusXM works great as long as the terrain is relatively flat but gives lots of problems in hilly/forested areas - even when built in a Honda Accord.
Most countries are a free-for-all with dodgy data connections and only decent radio coverage in Metro areas.
In my car I find it pretty reliable when using a mobile phone and an FM transmitter - at least on main roads and motorways (EE is fine where I live in the countryside, and only had two dropouts from Bristol to Newquay, Cornwall on M5).
The killer for live streaming is reselection - either to WiFi or 2G GSM - because the data interruption on the "handover" can be really long. Normally when it reselects to GSM there actually is 3G or 4G coverage there, just a small temporary perturbation made it change down. Then due to various boring legacy reasons it stays on GSM regardless of 3G/4G coverage until the data session is ended and re-started. If you lock your phone to 3G/4G and turn off WiFi it makes it miles more reliable.
Data tariffs are dropping all the time, but you still need to be careful. By my reckoning listening on the commute 4 hours a day for a month would need around 5GB.
Has anyone tried this? Not had an Astra as a rental in years.
I'm sure GCHQ, Phorm etc will do it free of charge if you ask them nicely...
The new LG stylus 2 can automatically switch between DAB/DAB+ (and maybe FM) and mobile internet radio streams which seems a good way ahead for stations and listeners if the mobile operators get round to sell the new sets?
Because they don't know where you are already from the number plate, facial recognition, mobile phone location, etc...
...and those nice people at Google...
Is there a data cap for Onstar?