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

[Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From James Cridland's personal blog:

My friends outside the UK get the improved navigation and everything except the Flash player (it should drop into Real Player for on-demand content).

Full blog and comments:
Iplayer gets radio, properly this time:
http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/26/iplayer-gets-radio-properly-this-time/#comments


--- 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: swprograms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Thursday, 3 July, 2008, 4:28 PM
> 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
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > ------------------------------------
> > > 
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > > 
> > > <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > >   
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uk-radio-listeners/
> > > 
> > > <*> Your email settings:
> > >    Individual Email | Traditional
> > > 
> > > <*> To change settings online go to:
> > >   
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> > > 
> > > <*> To change settings via email:
> > >   
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> > >   
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> > > 
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> > > 
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> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > -- 
> > > Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA
> > > 
> > > International broadcasting / shortwave blog:
> > > http://www.intlradio.blogspot.com
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