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BBC Radio Drops WMA For MPEG-DASH
gbjbaanb writes: The BBC has converted its legacy WMA (Windows Media Audio) streams to the "industry-wide and open source" MPEG-DASH format. While this has left some users of old devices unable to receive the broadcasts, the BBC claims the use of WMA was "prohibitively expensive to operate"when existing licence agreements ran out. The BBC says that they are working with "radio industry and manufacturers towards using just one standard."
Missing from most of the articles on this, including the ones on their web site, is that they used to employ a senior Microsoft media guy who, unsurprisingly, set about converting everything to Microsoft Media formats - Ashley Highfield. Here's a 2007 article with a section of the controversy
BBC used to have one of the more progressive approaches to media with early mp3 streams, Dirac codec research...it then just stopped. Nice to see them get back towards the rest of the world - next step, please go HTML 5 video on the site as well and then we can avoid Flash.
I'm surprised you expect to hear about it here. Most people here seem to care about the codecs and whether they're free. DASH doesn't really care about codecs and really just defines how you create and use adaptive streams and is based on existing codecs/formats. It only standardised relatively recently and it's going to be big (but hopefully transparent), for example: http://www.dash-player.com/blo.... Expect to see it as a vendor neutral alternative to things like MS SmoothStreaming and even Apple's HLS, although the later requires you to have a player with your own decoders if you're sending more than a certain size to iOS devices.
That said, most implementors are doing AVC or HEVC with AAC in a fragmented MP4 container. VOD content is probably one file per stream and live is multiple files fragments) per stream.
If you haven't heard of this little wonder yet, then search the web! All BBC streams can be recorded, video and audio and can be output in a number of different formats, including mp3, or if you like can be piped through a format converter of your choice.
Due to Auntie Beeb's rampant xenophobia, those of you outside of the UK may have to use a proxy or VPN to spoof a UK IP address.
Linux users can join in the fun by adding ppa:jon-hedgerows/get-iplayer to your sources, update, then install get-iplayer using your usual method, (I personally prefer apt). There are versions for Wind'ohs and Mac but i don't use either of those so you can employ your own search-fu for them.