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Internet Radio Monitoring A growing number of commercial broadcast radio stations simulcast over the Internet John R. Joyce, Ph.D. Download / Listen to an Audio Intro from John R. Joyce. In past columns, we have examined some aspects of Internet radio with services such as Pandora, Yahoo!'s LAUNCHcast, and AIM Radio, among others. These days, you also will find a growing number of commercial broadcast radio stations simulcasting over the Internet. Many of these commercial stations are similar to Pandora or LAUNCHcast in that you can access them through a standard Web browser and they push down their own client player. Players include ActiveX plug-ins, Java applets and Flash applications. A good example of such a station is WTVR-FM, which services my local broadcast area. However, these types of stations are only the tiniest tip of Internet radio. There are many more stations, both commercial and amateur, that broadcast using a standard format, analogous to how radio broadcast stations use AM or FM formats. To follow the analogy further, taking the place of a radio receiver is a receiver program. There are a number of these programs available, ranging from commercial to shareware and freeware. Winamp is one of the more popular of these tools for the PC platform. Winamp was created by Justin Frankel in 1997. He later formed the company Nullsoft to handle further development. This company was later acquired by AOL, but it continues to distribute free versions of its products. Originally created as a basic music player, Winamp has evolved to be much more. The current version, 5.52, is capable of playing an extremely diverse list of media formats. These include WAV, WMA, MIDI, AAC, MPEG, AVI, along with the ever popular MP3. It is available in a free version, as well as a $19.95 Pro version, which adds a number of CD ripping, burning and format features. To extend the appeal of this program, Nullsoft created the Nullsoft Developers Network (NSDN). This provides resources to those that want to extend the program, as Winamp is designed to accept modular software plug-ins to extend its functionality, as well as 'skins' to customize its appearance. Currently there are over 3,714 available skins and 3,579 plug-ins. Plug-ins range from spectrum analyzers to mixers, to any other audio component you can conceive. For our purposes, the main feature of interest is that Winamp is capable of accessing online radio and video stations. This includes everything from commercial stations to over 18,000 Nullsoft SHOUTcast Radio stations. This access includes all of the XM radio stations featured on AOL Radio and hundreds of Internet TV channels. While I have not tried comparing them, other programs capable of playing Internet radio include the Viddi Radio Player, the Crawler Internet Radio Player & Recorder, and the Web Radio Toolbar. Many of these programs are available for free. You can also obtain hardware Internet Radio receivers, such as one of the SoundBridge models from Roku Labs, that don't even require a computer. The Roku units range in cost from around $130 to $150. While the above systems work well and can provide a great deal of flexibility, most do require a PC. For those constantly on the go, something with greater flexibility is desirable. While there are a number of options available, I've found an excellent choice to be Pocket Tunes (pTunes) from NormSoft, Inc., currently in version 4. Pocket Tunes, which was written in C and C++ using CodeWarrior and GCC tools, runs on a wide range of portable devices based on the Palm operating system. The Basic version of this program, available for $19.95, functions as a quite capable music player, supporting MP3, WVA and other formats. The Pro version, available for $37.95, adds a number of additional formats. Note that many Palm devices are bundled with the Basic version of this application, while a few are even bundled with the Pro version. It is the Pro version that supports the various Internet radio and streaming audio formats. Supported audio protocols include HTTP, SHOUTcast and Live 365. I've found pTunes to perform very well, whether being used as a 'simple' MP3 player or to listen to streamed broadcasts. Even using an 802.11b connection the audio quality has been very good, and I have not been plagued with drop-outs. The application comes with hundreds of Internet radio presets, and it is very easy to add your own. It is fully configurable and includes a graphic equalizer, bass boost, volume boost, crossfade and gapless playback, among other features. It too allows the selection of optional skins and has an available SDK for those wanting even more flexibility. Of course, to support streaming audio, you will need a device capable of making some type of Internet connection. pTunes will support devices using 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and direct cell phone network connections. If you have a favorite portable Internet radio player, let me know, along with why you like it. I'll highlight the more interesting responses in a future issue. Those interested in learning more about Internet Radio might want to check out the Streaming Media World Web site. While Internet Radio players are of interest all by themselves and for their entertainment and educational value, these are not their only uses. Now that I've set the stage, we'll next take a look at some of their non-traditional applications, whether at home or in the lab. John Joyce is the LIMS manager for Virginia's State Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. He may be contacted at editor@ScientificComputing.com. Internet Radio Resources • AIM Radio radio.aim.com • Crawler Internet Radio Player & Recorder www.mp3radio.com • NormSoft www.NormSoft.com • Nullsoft www.nullsoft.com • Pandora www.pandora.com • Pocket Tunes www.pocket-tunes.com • Rocku Labs www.rokulabs.com • Streaming Media World StreamingMediaWorld.com • Viddi Radio Player www.viddiradioplayer.com • Web Radio Toolbar www.web-radio.com • Winamp www.winamp.com • WTVR-FM (Lite 98) www.lite98.com • Yahoo! Launchcast launchcast.yahoo.com Scientific Computing Advantage Business Media Rockaway, NJ, 07866