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Author Topic: Adding Radio Stations  (Read 2944 times)

Mike48

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Adding Radio Stations
« on: October 22, 2018, 01:09:06 am »

MC 24 on Windows.

A scream of anguish about the needless complexity of adding and playing Internet radio stations in MC.

Follow the instructions in the Wiki (https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Connected_Media), and the stream is added to Files > http://.  Why not added to Streaming?  It's not a file, it's a stream. And there's no place to add a name for the stream, so good luck finding what you want later.  Oh, and like almost all MC Wiki pages, this one refers to features/nomenclature/procedures that have been superseded.

Or add the URL under Streaming, and when you try to play it, dialog boxes ask if you want to save a file, and no music plays. ??

I understand that MC24 makes streaming services available, and I appreciate that. Still, I want to enter URLs directly, to compile a collection of some at good resolution (256k+). Why can't this be simple?

And yes, I see that JRiver has its own high-rez streams now, and that is really nice. Still, I'd like the option to add other high-quality streams without the insanely tedious steps given in the Wiki.

Is there any reasonably up-to-date guide to how this all works?  Are there any plans to make a simple thing (adding an internet radio station, along with its name) a simple operation? Like 1 or 2 steps?
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Spike1000

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Re: Adding Radio Stations
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2018, 03:09:08 am »

Wow, you do sound stressed.

This is how I do it:
File | Open URL...
Paste the URL I wish to play.

Once playing under Playing Now right click the entry that's playing
Send To | Playlist | Internet Radio

Internet Radio is a playlist that I've created.

Think that's 3 clicks (or 2 and an enter)

I also have a view called 'Radio Stations' that displays a 'File List' based on Media Sub Type 'Radio' that I have manually set on all the entries in the playlist 'Internet Radio'. (Ctrl-A To edit them all at once and set the media sub type)

The 'Streaming' View is new in MC24 I think and isn't under the control of the user. My Radio Stations view is at the same level as 'Streaming' and pre dates it; you probably just need to just create your own view... . .

I don't use 'Connected Media'.

Spike

dtc

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Re: Adding Radio Stations
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2018, 06:15:40 am »

You can right click on Streaming and it brings up a dialog box to add urls. It will work with a webpage, but does not work with a directly streaming url, if I remember correctly.  There really should be an option in Streaming to add streaming urls directly. Streaming urls should not have to be dealt with as playlists.  Urls that stream directly rather than through a user interface are less common than they used to be, but they should be supported in a much more transparent way.
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Mike48

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Re: Adding Radio Stations
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2018, 05:19:52 pm »

Thanks to both Spike and dtc for their helpful replies.

I like using the actual URL for a radio station, because you know what you're getting. My impression (which may be wrong) is that the services like radio.net are not likely to offer higher data rates. If that's changed recently, it would be good to know.

What would be nice in MC is a button somewhere "Add Radio Station" that would let you enter the URL, a name, and automatically tag the Media Subtype as Radio. Then there should be a corresponding place in the Tree (other than File > http://  -- totally unintuitive) that would collect these, maybe a subdivision of Streaming. Maybe even a built-in Radio view, though making one, for the hardened MC user, is not difficult.

Today for some reason the left panel of my Split View stopped responding. When I selected it, then something in the Tree, that something would always to into the right-hand panel. Finally I gave up and restored the database from a day-old backup, in the process losing a dozen radio stations I'd added last night.  >:(
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