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They even did a front page web design.

I don't get to pick the exact songs, but I haven't gone looking for a station and not found something to listen to. All the way to standup comedy and talk radio.

It works on my phone, browser, Foobar2000, Winamp. If I want to time shift it or make a playlist for an old MP3 player there's StationRipper.

Not quite sure why streaming now a fancy a 'new' technology. Shoutcast is still going strong with 67,814 stations (as of right now). Created in 1998. It has almost every type of station you could want to listen to. Works on any device that can play a stream and you can even rip it to disk if you want.

Not everyone wants to maintain a library of their own MP3 files.

coverred and often available free (as in radio).

This describes me. I used Grooveshark to find specific songs I want to hear (and you can find almost anything that's not very obscure). For just listening, I still use the Internet radio stations found at Shoutcast.

If only there was a way that you could listen to a song before buying it, or read someone else's opinion about a movie before watching it. And if only there were free sources of music and movies to watch...

You'd think those guys would seize any opportunity to stay relevant. It's one thing to shoot yourself in the foot, another to do it when you're inches from death.

AOL has seen $3 billion in revenues this past year and a gross profit of $1.36 billion. Total cash on hand $262 million. Total debt $60 million. AOL Key Statistics

As for SHOUTcast, it offers 40,000 stations and draws about a half million listeners. SHOUTcast It is well represented on streaming media devices like Boxee, ViewSonic's NextTV, etc.

The article reads:
In higher motion videos, though, H.264 seems superior..... In this very high motion skateboard video, H.264 also looks clearer.....

Well then that's it then. Any codec, even the ancient MPEG2, can look good on static or slow-moving subjects. It's when there's lots of motion that MPEG2 breaks down (see Water Polo during NBC Olympic broadcast), and apparently the same is true for VP8. The newer, latest MPEG4 AVC/h.264 codec is better.

AUDIO: The author didn't discuss this, but his encoding used Vorbis versus AAC. Vorbis will beat AAC, but numerous listening tests have shown it will not beat AAC+SBR (HE-AAC) which can produce FM quality sound as low as 28 kbit/s, and AM quality at only 12 kbit/s:

FM - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=322507
AM - http://www.radiojackie.com:11209/listen.pls

OK, I am not any sort of audio expert or anything, but this range of 1.5 to 2.0 Kbps seems a scosh low. If not, why (and there is my question) is that the lowest you see for audio (talk) netstreams (like at shoutcast) nowadays is 16kbps with rarely an 8 out there. And tons of them run at 24 kbps (and I am paying attention to b or B, and man I wish this "industry" would pick one and stick to it) and above. Why aren't we seeing them run much lower, so they can push more streams? What's the difference, where's the catch?

>>>people shouldn't have truly open access points to begin with.

Why not? If I want to open my kitchen and give away free food, I can. If I want to buy a bunch of blank CDs and hand-out copies of Ubuntu Linux, I can. Why can't I give-away free access to Wi-Fi in my home or restaurant?

No reason I can think of, except to limit free speech/protest and give the government even more control over public policy (i.e. push their one true agenda).

Alex Jones the Nutter was just discussing this on his radio show: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=175591 - about how Microsoft, corporations, and government are colluding to silence the people and control what we hear or read.

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

I wonder why last.fm, pandora, and other radio sites don't provide a "low bitrate" option in order to appeal to people with cellphone data rations? That would help them avoid those 500 megabyte limits/fines.

Even as low as 16 kbit/s (8 MB/hour) the sound can be good enough for car listening as you drive to work. It's approximately equivalent to a staticy FM Radio, when you use the HE-AAC or aACplusSBR codecs:

Sample 12kbps: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=451889 (Radio Jackie London)
Sample 12kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=581471&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=81555&file=filename.pls
Sample 16kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=898671&file=filename.pls

Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=949619&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=768143&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=923081&file=filename.pls
Sample 20kbps: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=228460&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>If fact it does not take 56kbs to transmit analogue voice but something closer to 28k will get reasonable quality

You can get voice quality as low as 8 kbit/s using a cellphone voice codec

Or if you're looking for music-quality reproduction then AAC+SBR will get you as low as 16k. Try it - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=220024&file=filename.pls or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=327466&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=435962&file=filename.pls Or- http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=403869&file=filename.pls

Or 12k for AM Radio quality - http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=459250&file=filename.pls (Radio Jackie London) http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=225101&file=filename.pls

>>>you want the same line to carry the same traffic, plus internet traffic, plus ip headers, plus voip/tcp/udp/whateverp headers. And you think you'll get something decent? Good luck with that.

Yes. The analog phone line is limited from 0 to 4000 hertz bandwidth. It's worse quality than AM radio (~10,000 hertz). If you do VOIP over a dialup modem, you can use digital compression equal to 48k AAC+SBR and achieve FM quality (0-to-15,000 hertz). So yes it's more efficient and it also sounds better.

Aside-

Yes 48k AAC+SBR can sound as good as FM radio - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=520194

No I did a "back of the envelope" calculation and figured about 90% of the world's humans have access to music (via phoneline internet, radio, et cetera). Even somebody who lives in a desolate place like Afghanistan, if they have a phone, could listen to western music like this stuff - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=367385 Or they could use solar powered radio. Or tapes. Or records.

So if I compress the Beatles music into a 20 kbit/s HE-AAC file, then that should be okay since I'm only preserving ~2% of the original song.

That's fair use? (shrug). Or not. If I did create a radio station or catalog along those lines, it might sound like this: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=979360

P.S.

I also enjoy listening to Radio Jackie in London - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=225101 (dialup) - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=715112 (broadband)

P.S.

I also enjoy listening to Radio Jackie in London - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=225101 (dialup) - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=715112 (broadband)

The difference is the + part, which refers to AAC + SBR.

Without SBR the 48k sample would sound like your typical 48k MP3 (11,000 max frequency - AM radio quality), but the SBR is specifically designed to recreate the high-frequency components (upto 22,000). It's an illusion but a very effective one. AAC+ is what is used for digital radio to let it sound FM or CD quality at only 64k.

Here's an AAC+ sample at 80k - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=1807
And another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=710541
Another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=991083
Here you can do your own searching for AAC+ stations: http://classic.shoutcast.com/

The difference is the + part, which refers to AAC + SBR.

Without SBR the 48k sample would sound like your typical 48k MP3 (11,000 max frequency - AM radio quality), but the SBR is specifically designed to recreate the high-frequency components (upto 22,000). It's an illusion but a very effective one. AAC+ is what is used for digital radio to let it sound FM or CD quality at only 64k.

Here's an AAC+ sample at 80k - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=1807
And another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=710541
Another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=991083
Here you can do your own searching for AAC+ stations: http://classic.shoutcast.com/

The difference is the + part, which refers to AAC + SBR.

Without SBR the 48k sample would sound like your typical 48k MP3 (11,000 max frequency - AM radio quality), but the SBR is specifically designed to recreate the high-frequency components (upto 22,000). It's an illusion but a very effective one. AAC+ is what is used for digital radio to let it sound FM or CD quality at only 64k.

Here's an AAC+ sample at 80k - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=1807
And another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=710541
Another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=991083
Here you can do your own searching for AAC+ stations: http://classic.shoutcast.com/

The difference is the + part, which refers to AAC + SBR.

Without SBR the 48k sample would sound like your typical 48k MP3 (11,000 max frequency - AM radio quality), but the SBR is specifically designed to recreate the high-frequency components (upto 22,000). It's an illusion but a very effective one. AAC+ is what is used for digital radio to let it sound FM or CD quality at only 64k.

Here's an AAC+ sample at 80k - http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=1807
And another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=710541
Another: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=991083
Here you can do your own searching for AAC+ stations: http://classic.shoutcast.com/

I was skeptical about your sig:

Yes 48k AAC+ sounds like 160k OGG. Try it: http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=520194 (WinAmp)

So I tried it out and, hey, I was pleasantly surprised. I wish they played more complex music so I could better tell if it really does match up but, without a comparison, I must say it's above satisfactory from what I'm hearing.

My entire 15gb music collection is in ogg barring a few hundred meg of mp3s so I'm definitely put back a little that a 48kbps stream sounds nearly as good as my 160kbps...

Okay the song just switched, I'm beginning to hear some difficiencies. Something about the voices, the "unncceeeee" sound high end and the bass hits...it's a little off. Perhaps it's a case of diminishing returns. You get most of the value from 0-64kbps and all the rest of bandwidth is gravy, but not exactly necessary for listening enjoyment.

Anyway, pleasantly surprised. I wonder how 160kbps aac+ sounds? :)

Yes AAC+ == HE-AAC == AAC + SBR. Here is what 48 kbit/s AAC+SBR sounds like (WinAmp recommended). Is it CD quality? No. Is it equal to a 160 kbit/s OGG encoding? Apparently 1/3 of people think it is, and even I think it's pretty close.

http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=520194

And here's a 64k AAC+SBR with near-CD quality. Yes it is possible to strip ~96% of a CD's bits and still give a good-quality playback: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=77695&file=filename.pls [shoutcast.com] And just for fun, the bottom end at AM radio quality for Dialup/phoneline or cellphone listeners:
- 32k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11289/listen.pls [radiojackie.com]
- 12k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11209/listen.pls [radiojackie.com]

Yes AAC+ == HE-AAC == AAC + SBR. Here is what 48 kbit/s AAC+SBR sounds like (WinAmp recommended). Is it CD quality? No. Is it equal to a 160 kbit/s OGG encoding? Apparently 1/3 of people think it is, and even I think it's pretty close.

http://yp.shoutcast.com/sbin/tunein-station.pls?id=520194

And here's a 64k AAC+SBR with near-CD quality. Yes it is possible to strip ~96% of a CD's bits and still give a good-quality playback: http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=77695&file=filename.pls [shoutcast.com] And just for fun, the bottom end at AM radio quality for Dialup/phoneline or cellphone listeners:
- 32k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11289/listen.pls [radiojackie.com]
- 12k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11209/listen.pls [radiojackie.com]

>>>you need to eliminate 29 out of every 30 bits. If anybody out there is incapable of hearing the difference, they need to go get a hearing test
>>>

Here is what 48 kbit/s AAC+SBR sounds like (requires WinAmp or other AACplus player). Is it CD quality? No. Is it equal to a 160 kbit/s OGG encoding? Apparently 1/3 of people think it is, and even I think it's pretty close.
http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=520194&file=filename.pls

And here's a 64k AAC+SBR with near-CD quality. Yes it is possible to strip ~96% of a CD's bits and still give a good-quality playback:
http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=77695&file=filename.pls

And just for fun, the bottom end at AM radio quality for Dialup/phoneline or cellphone listeners:
32k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11289/listen.pls
12k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11209/listen.pls

>>>you need to eliminate 29 out of every 30 bits. If anybody out there is incapable of hearing the difference, they need to go get a hearing test
>>>

Here is what 48 kbit/s AAC+SBR sounds like (requires WinAmp or other AACplus player). Is it CD quality? No. Is it equal to a 160 kbit/s OGG encoding? Apparently 1/3 of people think it is, and even I think it's pretty close.
http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=520194&file=filename.pls

And here's a 64k AAC+SBR with near-CD quality. Yes it is possible to strip ~96% of a CD's bits and still give a good-quality playback:
http://classic.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=77695&file=filename.pls

And just for fun, the bottom end at AM radio quality for Dialup/phoneline or cellphone listeners:
32k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11289/listen.pls
12k AAC+SBR - http://www.radiojackie.com:11209/listen.pls

Long before nubs found napster..
We have a laptop hooked right into the mixer
The club hooked up DSL for 2 nights
Were uploading the stream to our Shoutcast server
Parties in Toronto & Chicago are picking up the stream

by the way... there is a nice little open source app called streamripper that allows you to record the music should it be good enough.
So yeah... good idea recording industry stay ahead of the curve..

I just downloaded a few DJ Danger Mouse tracks out of curiosity and my reaction is: absolute meh, give me this anyday.

STTNG, Voyager, Stargate, Atlantis are online via ShoutCast...

ShoutCast is the Nullsoft/AOL internet radio site. Do you mean Fancast?

Assuming you meant the latter, I went to their site and found ST:TOS, but nothing about ST:TNG. I don't think that TNG is available on any of these ad-supported, media-company-supported sites.

Strange.
Shoutcast is still around.
Screamer, vTuner and others.
There are the subscription services like Live365 and Rhapsody.

I love how many flawed arguements are presented here.

- I don't buy CD's because that screws the RIAA (Uh, lots of indie music has nothing to do with the RIAA and you find those in record stores
- I don't listen to todays music (well, that sucks for you because there is a lot of good stuff!)

etc etc etc

There is a MASSIVE movement to eliminate the middleman (RIAA). Tons of websites are popping up where music is shared FREELY. Most of it used to suck but a lot of it is turning out to be pretty good.

With FREE software that lets bands remix their own albums, hardware being at an all time low, and the learning curve to use it getting smaller and smaller there's just no reason to complain!

I don't illegal download music... I used to... in fact I had so much illegal music at one point we added it up and I would do approximately 137 Million years in prison. Do the math... yes that was about 2.2 terabytes of mp3's. Don't ask... and yes there were probably copies of the same music in there.

I came to realize that 99% of that music I had I didn't like or listen to. I just downloaded it because it was there. A friend of mine turned me on to a lot of free bands... NOT INDIE BANDS that posted music on different websites.

Techno, Rock, Hardcore, Deathmetal, Soft Rock, Classical... etc was all there and it was GOOD. I mean REALLY good. Sure... I had to wade through the crap and that will always be the case but most of the sites do a really good job of recommending other music you'd like.

Internet Radio stations like Digitally Imported or Chronix Aggression also do a lot of the work finding good music depending on what you listen too.

If you like more mainstream music just go to www.shoutcast.com and listen to what they play. A LOT of it you can find cheaper digitally than you can on a CD.

Here's a few radio stations that I have to pimp because of their pure dedication to the music and not to some corporate entity... or at least I never hear them voice support... and their music is awesome. Most of these stations have multiple stations with different flavors! Did I mention it's free to listen?

1FM (Alternative Rock)
181FM (Alternative Rock)
ANTYRadio (Alternative Rock)
ChroniX Agression (Metal/Rock)
Digitally Imported (Techno)
Idobi Radio
KinkFM
Radio Paradise
SomaFM

Just go to http://www.shoutcast.com./ Also, if anyone reads this post your favorite sites for Internet Radio. You cannot fight the RIAA head on. You have to fight it with your wallet... but why suffer without music when you can do both!

I listen to Shoutcast streaming radio stations (using a really old version of Winamp, hmm).

I'm into industrial music so my favorite streams are from sites like these:
http://www.digitalgunfire.com/
http://www.ampedout.com/
and sometimes, Radio Free Positron.

Probably the last 10 CDs I've bought have been through those sites. It's been many years since I paid money in a brick-and-mortar store for a CD, especially one on an RIAA label.

...Without this collaboration, musical works would be lost in a sea of other copyrighted works without some reasonable way of locating and licensing what you want....

I don't think so Tim. Shoutcast works perfectly fine to find new music with. Tags on the streams narrow you down to genres and from there the artist's name and song title are displayed while it is playing. So new music (and sales) is actually easier to find/generate on the Internet if you know where to look.

It sounds to me like they are trying to charge for basically what I get for free with http://shoutcast.com/. Sure the content might be different, but there are TONS of channels available up there.

I think I'll stay away from this one. I have better things to spend 13 bucks on.

Get 100% commercial-free music and original programming from Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, SIRIUS Football Radio, Metropolitan Opera Radio, Deepak Chopra, Jimmy Buffet and the Rolling Stones to name a few. Try getting that from any other internet radio.

Why would I want to spend $13/mo for something I can get for free?
http://www.shoutcast.com/
Yeah, I know, you can't get it over that special receiver you bought.

When AOL partly funded mozilla, it was already in its downward spiral. AOL was never a great company, but it was at one time a fucking huge company worth bajillions on the stock market.

Up until the dotcom hype, AOLs businessmodel was pretty simple; you sell a subscription service that is slightly (but not vastly) expensive. Obviously, to maximize profits from subscriptions (and to make sure you don't suddenly lose 50% of your income from one month to the next) you have to make it hard for people to quit, and easy to signup (hence the AOL coasters that you got in the mail, magazines, etc.)

It's a fairly straightforward business; you provide a simple service and try not to annoy people so much that it seems worth their time to jump through the hoops to cancel their subscription. Much like bland, unadventurous magazines and newspapers - their contents is maybe 10% useful and the rest is filler, but they stay clear of printing too much gore or "incest - how to?" columns. And they flood you with those subscription inserts.

Then the dotcom hype happened, which meant that AOL was now worth bajillions based on basically it's name. "America" - can't go wrong there, you don't want to invest in Lithuania, and "Online", well, that has dotcom written all over it.

In this period they did the stuff like fund mozilla, and buy the guys behind winamp (whose media player hasn't improved vastly, but their shoutcast streaming audio site is just how streaming audio should be).

Then, after the dotcom crash (and Time Warners (reverse)takeover of/merger with AOL) came the stark reality of post-dotcomhype business. Being an ISP is no longer a simple affair - with technlogies like cable (docsis 1.0, 2.0), (V)(H)(A)DSL (1/2+) being upgraded every two years, the death of dialup at the time where dialup had just become so ubiquitous that it's built into telephone exchanges; there's not much value in being an ISP (too much competition) and doing it right is hard. AOL had always been doing the ISP bit a bit halfheartedly, and even with TimeWarner on board, they found they can't really be a persuasive content company!

So, cut to present time, and AOL is trying its damn hardest to get away from being an ISP, and to be as much as Google and Yahoo as they can.

There's no reason they shouldn't be good at the things Yahoo and Google do. Except that they've sullied their brandname by sucking at everything they've ever done. And being mismanaged.

Opening up AIM and trying to get their video search on other people's sites is just recognizing a simple fact; their brand sucks. They desperately need people to use their services first, find out they're worth using, and then worry about reeling them into 'the AOL experience' (with AOL's ads) later.

AOL's best bet would be to start doing stuff under different brand names, if possible to set up small companies with just a few people, with a start-up kind of atmosphere, where they don't have to bother much about tying into AOL's infrastructure (and management structure) beyond perhaps using AIM screennames as some sort of single sign on mechanism.

Ok, sorry for trying to have a little fun at your expense. Just so you don't think I'm a complete anonymous asshole, have you heard of these...?

On Classical, (these guys even do OGG!)

Parnasse

And of course, there's always Shoutcast which, while not an MP3 site, I've still found to be a great way to find new artists.

(These were all on the first page of Google hits when searching for 'free online classical mp3')

--
Cheers!

Internet radio doesn't seem to be doing too badly to me. I just checked Shoutcast and there are well over 10,000 stations. There's aren't an excessive amount of ads either (at least on the stations I listen to). As for portability, what I do is usually just leave Streamripper on while I go to class, then fill my mp3 player up with the songs later. Probably isn't 100% legal, but it works and I personally don't find it unethical since it doesn't cut out the ads or anything.