Re: [Swprograms] Fwd: [uk-radio-listeners] BBC internet streams: improvements in sound quality

[Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx>]

In fact looks like overseas users are going to be offered a different player, my interpretation is sticking with the Real based one, though they say on their comments blog the sound quality of those streams is to improve as well:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/help/faq/development_news.shtml?focuswin

Mike



--- On Thu, 3/7/08, Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Swprograms] Fwd: [uk-radio-listeners] BBC internet streams: improvements in sound quality
> To: "Shortwave programming discussion" <swprograms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Thursday, 3 July, 2008, 4:22 PM
> Rich, 
> 
> I am not sure either. You may be offered something else
> entirely different. 
> 
> Test it and see, here's the direct radio link to the
> beta:
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayerbeta/radio
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 3/7/08, Richard Cuff <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: Richard Cuff <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: [Swprograms] Fwd: [uk-radio-listeners] BBC
> internet streams: improvements in sound quality
> > To: "Shortwave programming discussion"
> <swprograms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, odxa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Date: Thursday, 3 July, 2008, 3:41 PM
> > I know some folks here are BBCR4 and R3 fans, and
> might
> > appreciate the
> > information shown below.
> > 
> > I am not sure how the BBC's capabilities of
> managing
> > what content is
> > displayed for non-UK IP addresses plays into this.
> > 
> > Richard Cuff
> > Allentown, PA  USA
> > 
> > 
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: Mike Barraclough <mikewb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 6:52 AM
> > Subject: [uk-radio-listeners] BBC internet streams:
> > improvements in
> > sound quality
> > To: uk-radio-listeners@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > 
> > 
> > Pasted below is from the BBC Radio Labs blog. I am
> very
> > pleased indeed
> > with the iplayerbeta and more improvements are
> planned:
> > 
> > People have been asking about the bitrates and codecs
> that
> > we're using
> > on national radio within the new iPlayer beta.
> > 
> > The quick answer is "they're different per
> > station, they're different
> > whether live or on-demand, and they'll change at
> least
> > another two
> > times this year". If that satisfies you, you have
> no
> > requirement to
> > read on. If you want more information, however,
> I'm
> > happy to help.
> > Note that I'm only talking about national radio,
> and
> > only for
> > listeners in the UK.
> > 
> > First, you'll notice that for "live"
> > we're currently using Windows
> > Media Player rather than Real Player (for most of you
> - we
> > still give
> > Real to some operating systems). We're doing this
> > because we know
> > online radio is particularly useful in the office, and
> > chances are
> > that Windows Media is automatically installed on most
> > computers, and
> > most corporates won't let you install other
> software.
> > It should,
> > therefore, 'just work'. I should though say
> that if
> > you need
> > RealPlayer for your internet radio or your fridge,
> those
> > streams
> > continue; we've no plans to remove them. (Note,
> there
> > is such a thing
> > as an internet fridge! Mike)
> > 
> > The future for "live" is firstly to
> significantly
> > improve the bitrate
> > (which we'll do in July). In parallel with that
> > we're working on a way
> > of delivering higher-quality still, using a
> Flash-based
> > player and an
> > AAC-family stream. We're working with our
> distribution
> > partners to
> > enable this; the upshot is that it should sound even
> better
> > but use
> > less bandwidth.
> > 
> > For "on-demand", you'll have spotted
> that
> > we're using Flash, within
> > the lovely embedded media player that you're
> familiar
> > with for TV in
> > the iPlayer. Under the hood is a protected MP3 stream
> for
> > now: again,
> > we're shifting over to AAC-family later in the
> year.
> > The real
> > difference here is the quality - we've
> significantly
> > improved the
> > bitrates we can offer.
> > 
> > For on-demand content, we're launching iPlayer
> with
> > four MP3 profiles
> > based on the content of the programme: and we're
> using
> > four different
> > bitrates for these profiles.
> > 
> > Pop music (eg Radio 1 or Asian Network) is 128k
> stereo.
> > Classical music (Radio 3) is 192k stereo.
> > Stereo speech (Radio 4) is 128k stereo.
> > Mono speech (Radio 5live) is 80k mono.
> > 
> > These are the launch bitrates; we'll tweak things,
> and
> > moving to the
> > AAC family will reduce the bitrates we use (to make
> your
> > listening
> > more reliable, whilst maintaining audio quality).
> Again,
> > the Real
> > listen-again streams that your internet radio uses
> will
> > still work.
> > 
> > Finally, perhaps I might be able to let you into a bit
> of a
> > dirty
> > secret. For the last six years, the online streams
> from BBC
> > national
> > radio have been taken from satellite: the same feeds
> you
> > get on
> > Freesat or Sky. So we've been taking a lossy MP2
> audio
> > feed, and then
> > encoding it further into even lower bitrates. As we
> move
> > into higher
> > quality audio online, clearly this has to stop. So,
> from
> > July, it will
> > - we'll be encoding everything within Broadcasting
> > House, plugged in
> > to the studio feeds. So better bitrate is only part of
> the
> > story -
> > it's also better sound.
> > 
> > If you've got feedback about radio within iPlayer
> beta,
> > we're watching
> > your blogs; or if you're blogless, please do
> comment
> > here.
> > 
> > Comments are beneath the item, you need to be
> registered
> > with BBC
> > message boards:
> >
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radiolabs/2008/06/under_the_iplayer_hood_for_rad.shtml
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA
> > 
> > International broadcasting / shortwave blog:
> > http://www.intlradio.blogspot.com
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