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New Hitchhiker's Episodes Available Online
Michael Sheldon writes "The BBC is now offering the first of the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio episodes as either Real or WMP audio streams. Meaning listeners abroad can now hear the new series, which started playing on UK radio last Tuesday."
Streaming audio files depends on downloading a stubfile.
.rm file but thats not being developed anymore since the author got sued by real
A stubfile is a text file containing a link to another file sometimes the actual
sound file or with real audio maybe to another text file
file.ram -> file.smi -> file.rm
file.ram is a small text file containing a link to file.smi or file.rm
if the link is to file.smi
your going to have to fetch that stubfile too
Easy! create a webpage and put a link to the smi file.
with frontpage and a text editor its as simple as copying the address given in the ram file from the text file and creating a hyperlink in front page giving this as the destination.
in frontpage in preview mode you can right click this link and download the smi stubfile (or stick it on a website or open the page in your favourite web browser).
you can just create a html page full of links to your favourite audio streams
but eventually some of them will cease to work!
if you take a look inside the smi file you will find something which looks like a http link but isnt quite.
rtsp://somesite.com/foo/bar/dtfdstgwe/file.rm
note
rtsp: is the protocol used by a real server maybe some browsers support it?
the random letters makes it a little more work for downloading a series of rm files even if the files you want are called file1.rm file2.rm the random directory name will change each time.
There was a program called streambox vcr which would download and save the
I think you will find a few alternatives.
you can figure out how to find these right?
converting RA format to something more flexable like MP3
converting RA can be slow some converters work at a 1 to 1 speed
winamp is an interesting one you need a realaudio input plugin (real16.exe is one) and lame encoder output plugin. (out_lame.binf_v161.exe)
getting the realaudio plugin for winamp can be difficult unless you are a timetraveller since the original authors website has gone.
Incidently winamp works fastest in its 2.xx incarnation while the plugins work in version 5 they are noticably slower.
realaudio seems to be a very compact format a half hour real audio file might be as small as 8 to 9 meg in size.
streaming mp3 files are pretty much the same just the stubfile contains the location of the MP3 file which sits on a normal webserver somewhere.
Stubfiles are great you can create a link to a stubfile on one webserver which links to an mp3 file on another webserver or just write a stubfile and store it
on your own website.
creating a local html page also works so you could make your own list of mp3 files located elsewhere and stream them whenever you want to listen to them.
just by loading the html file in your browser and clicking on the link.
this little line will let you embed an mp3 file from somewhere on a webpage
(- embed src="http://some site.bar/some.mp3" width="200" height="16" loop="FALSE" align="centre" -)
It works with firefox and IE with the quicktime plugin installed.
change (- -)for left and right triangles and make your own link.
this post is a howto not a haveto some parts of the world might bust your ass for downloading copyrighted materials Stub files are probably legal
The actual stream files less so.
Blarney Quality Restaurant, Plants
H2G2 Returning to BBC Tuesday September 14, @03:58PM Rejected