Stream Encosers for Icecast | The MICRO-BROADCASTERS COMMUNITY Forum

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Stream Encosers for Icecast Mar 10, 2018 16:36:51 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2018 16:36:51 GMT

Hacking Together Radio Streams

In general, setting up a radio stream for webcasting on the internet takes three software components:

1.) A Playlist Generator such as Winamp or Zara;
2.) An Encoder (known officially as a "Source Client") capable of providing the stream format such as mp3, AAC or Ogg and sending it to a software server;
3.) Streaming Server such as Shoutcast V1 or Icecast.

Here at Worldround Radio we use Zara as our Playlist Generator and Icecast as our Streaming Server.

As of today we are testing two Encoders for our two radio streams (KDX,KHZ)... B.U.T.T. and Altacast.

For another detail of complexity, there are two categories of Stream Encoders (Source Clients), those being "Stand-Alone" and "DSP Plug-in (for Winamp)". We are using the Stand-Alone type.

Curious about whether more choices exist, we visited the Icecast Website and found there are other "Source Clients" available.

Source Client Link at Icecast

They do list B.U.T.T., and FYI the one called "Edcast Reborn" is now called Altacast.

Last Edit: Mar 10, 2018 16:39:47 GMT by Deleted

Boomer
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The Dog is listening..

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Stream Encosers for Icecast Mar 11, 2018 3:26:29 GMT

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Post by Boomer on Mar 11, 2018 3:26:29 GMT

I've been using Shoutcast DNAS with 128k mp3 for years. With mp3, it's so compatible with all listeners, no one seems to have trouble with something so basic in any player.

I got a Windows Icecast server going within a half hour, using B.U.T.T and Opus Ogg codec at 128k, sounds great!

A few things were found:

1. Altacast, at least the version I found, seems to not have been updated lately, there was some friction with a company called Radio DJ, that makes DJ software, appearing to have let the air out of the Altacast project, if I'm interpreting it right. I might have hit an old webpage and there's a newer version of Altacast?

2. The Icecast server I got at first installed fine and I was able to edit config.xml, but then realized it was the non-GUI version. I want a GUI window to config, and especially to be able to just click and start the program quickly before a show time, like Shoutcase DNAS does.

I looked for the GUI version of Icecast and found Icecast server 2.0 GUI at Sourceforge. It works, but seems to be intended to broadcast, listen to others and has an IRC chat system, website, and player broadcaster called Kast, and it ran several instances of Kast. I went to config and tried to turn off as much of that stuff as I could, wanting to run the system light.

We'll see how that goes, and maybe make a batch file to start the original Icecast I had installed.. I like how B.U.T.T. has encoders built right into it, getting you started quickly.

Thanks for the info Carl, see we need sites like this, compared to others where radio people are watching over the fence and staring at their neighbors' radios.

Let's help each other today.

Boomer

Last Edit: Mar 11, 2018 3:29:01 GMT by Boomer

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Stream Encosers for Icecast Mar 11, 2018 22:58:04 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2018 22:58:04 GMT

Altacast and Icecast GUI

The Altacast website is up but no updates for past 2-years. Also, it lists a separate encoder for RadioDJ, so that might not be a point of contention.

Altacast Stream Encoders

Earlier versions of Icecast included a GUI (Graphic User Interface) for Windows, but they stopped offering that in more recent versions, although they have talked of bringing it back.

Using Icecast without a GUI has become simple for KDX... There is a desktop shortcut icon we click, the server goes online based on the config settings on a .xml page, and that's it. Once the server is up and running it can be seen as a webpage in the browser with Admin controls over the server.

We also have all the Shoutcast V1 encoder/server software which does work very reliably, but the owner Radionomy no longer lists V1 streams on their Shoutcast Directory. If you are only streaming from your own personal website or set up player links on other websites everything is fine.