Re: Internet Radio Stations Are the New Wave

On 31 Dec 2009 19:50:36 GMT, awouk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (arthur wouk)
wrote:

i no longer use over the air radio. in my two work/eating/reading spaces
i have two mac comoputers (they have excellent audio cards, both are
hand me downs and cheap) connected to my rather classical audio
systems with big speakers, suited to the sort of music which i
prefer. [as i type, i am listening to die fledermaus from radio
stephansdom in vienna.] i use vlc (free, does everything) as my audio
player.

for your interests, you will find sources in the article below.
i am not yet ready to get a tuner for the car.


December 31, 2009

Internet Radio Stations Are the New Wave

By ERIC A. TAUB

Early fans of the iPhone bemoaned that, unlike many of its
competitors, their favorite "do anything" device couldn't do one
obvious thing: play local radio stations.

They didn't get it. FM tuners are passé. Why include tuner
technology to play a few dozen stations when you can harness
thousands of radio stations over the Internet?

Unlike standard broadcast radio, Internet radio stations can be
heard virtually anywhere (copyright restrictions aside), as long
as you have a device that can go on the Web; that can be a PC, a
smartphone or a stand-alone receiver.

An Internet radio station may have started out life as a
traditional local broadcast outlet, and then management decided
that it would be great to let people hear it everywhere. Or an
Internet radio station may be nothing more than one person in a
basement uploading music or talk to the Web, hoping that someone
out there will listen.

Literally thousands of genres of Internet radio exist, from
oldies, classical and religious to ultraradical talk, from the
right and left. The first trick is finding them, and the next is
playing them. Fortunately, with a little information, both tasks
are rather easy.

TUNE IN To find an Internet station of a particular genre, start
with the basics: a Web search. Type in "60s," "NPR" or "Catholic"
and the words "Internet radio" and you'll come up with a list and
links to those channels.

Another useful source is streamingradioguide.com. The Web site
lists more than 14,000 stations that can be searched by genre.
While extensive, the list is not complete.

Internet radio hardware and smartphone apps that offer radio
transmissions don't typically accumulate station offerings
themselves; rather, they use aggregators, companies that create a
selection of channels. On the Web, you can access radio channels
directly from those aggregators as well; they include Reciva.com,
Radiotime.com, Vtuner.com, 1.fm and Freeradio.tv.

In addition, Apple's iTunes software (Mac and PC) offers hundreds
of Internet radio stations. To listen to them, click on "Radio"
under "Library" in the left vertical column.

TURN ON A wide variety of stand-alone players are now available
that allow consumers to listen to Internet radio without using a
PC.

One compelling feature: many offer wireless connectivity -- with
a wireless router, you can place the player anywhere in the home
within range of the signal, and use the player as you would with
a normal radio.

Livio Radio's wireless line includes its AARP, NPR and Pandora
models. (Pandora's music service allows listeners to "create" a
radio station based on an artist or genre they like. Then,
Pandora automatically plays other music that the service believes
fits the same category.)

Each $200 unit features programming from its model name; however
all are capable of playing any of the 16,000 Internet stations
offered in the unit's menus, from '80s music to police scanner
intercepts.

The models can be connected to an external stereo system, or the
unit's built-in speakers can be used.

Logitech's Squeezebox line of Internet radio devices ($200 to
$400) include, depending on model, a color screen, speakers and
the ability to play both Internet radio and music stored on
connected home PCs.

Models range from a tabletop unit to a boombox to the Squeezebox
Duet. They are designed to send the Internet feed and your PC's
music collection to a home stereo system, and they come with
their own remotes.

For about $120, Myine's Ira Internet radio receiver connects to a
home stereo or powered speakers, and offers 11,000 Internet
stations. It incorporates a simple, two-color display and a
remote.

Sanyo's R227 model, $180 at Amazon.com, takes its styling cues
from the KLH Model 8 radio of the 1950s, and includes not just
the ability to receive Internet stations, but FM ones as well.

The unit features eight presets for both Internet and broadcast
stations, and also functions as a music-playing clock radio.

Philips offers a number of wireless Internet radio models under
its Streamium brand. The NP2900/37, about $300, includes a color
screen, and is housed in a sleek, horizontal sound bar, with a
stand reminiscent of an iMac's.

With four speakers and 30 watts of power, this Streamium can also
play music stored on a network-connected Mac or PC, and can
display cover art. It also includes a month of Rhapsody, a
subscription-based music service.

DROP IN (TO AN APP STORE) Hundreds of radio apps are available at
Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch app store, both free and fee-based.

AOL Radio (free) does what its name implies: it simply offers 200
Internet stations across 25 genres, plus 150 CBS radio stations,
and includes not just music, but comedy and sports as well.

Crave real-life drama? Police Radio and Scanner 911 (both 99
cents), as well as Emergency Radio ($3) allow you to listen in to
dozens of police, fire and emergency service broadcasts around
the country.

For public radio fans, at least three apps will give you easy
access to "All Things Considered" and other shows. Public Radio
App ($3) allows listeners to pause and rewind 300 public radio
shows, and bookmark them to return to listen later. The app also
displays the Web page associated with the show, and can be set to
play as a clock radio.

Other public radio apps are available at no charge, including
Public Radio Player and PRI; the latter plays only shows from
Public Radio International. In addition, many public radio
stations have stand-alone apps for their program stream,
including KPCC in Los Angeles, which is free, and New York's
WNYC, which costs 99 cents (for podcasts). Android users can get
streaming Internet stations using apps like Streamitall and
Last.fm, which are also available to iPhone users (Pandora also
has an Android app). BlackBerry users have FlyCast and Slacker
Radio (which are also iPhone-friendly) among their options.

So the next time you are browsing through your music library,
wishing you had something new, do not lament the absence of AM or
FM. Instead of a limited number of stations, a global selection
is merely a click away.


Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

Television is also going the way of the Internet, as is book
publishing, newspapers, and magazines. Also have to wonder about the
fate of the neighborhood movie theater, land line telephones are being
phased out in favor of ip, and mail volume is on the decline as
brochures have largely been replaced by e-mail and on-line
advertising. This morning I was reading that there have been advances
in converting thought to speech -- now that is fraught with the
ominous portent if you think about it.
.

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