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[alanl]

I listen to streaming radio as background music (because there's no, or very few, ads) but find the in-built Web Media thingy almost impossible to use.  When doing a search the results appear to be unsorted, and contain duplicates.  Here's a sample, just searching for a 128k stream from one station:
 

Digitally Imported - Hard House   -   [Hard House] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: N/A State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Eurodance   -   [Eurodance] [128k] Format: Windows Media Audio Country: usa State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Trance   -   [Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: NY City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Classical   -   [Classical] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: Germany State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Hard Trance   -   [Hard Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: NY City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Hard House   -   [Hard House] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: NY City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Trance   -   [Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: NY City: N/A Description: N/A
 M O S T L Y - C L A S S I C A L - Relax... it`s good for you! (powered by Digitally Imported)   -   [Classical] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: dont know State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported Radio - Mostly Classical   -   [Classical] [128k] Format: Real Audio Country: USA State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Eurodance   -   [Eurodance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported - Jazz   -   [Modern Jazz] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: USA State: N/A City: N/A Description: Jazz
 Digitally Imported   -   [Vocal Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: US State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported   -   [Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: US State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A
 Digitally Imported   -   [Goa-Psy Trance] [128k] Format: MP3 Streaming Country: US State: N/A City: N/A Description: N/A

I know this is due to variations of user input.  I'm probably guilty of this myself - I uploaded a couple of my favourites and couldn't find them a few days later

But if the Web Media database can't be maintained would it not be better to just link to one that is.  In another post lalittle said:

Is there a way to create some sort of link or tree item (like the Audible plugin) that will quickly open a web site of my choice in the main MC window?  I'd like to utilize sites like Shoutcast to listen to streaming media.  I can do this by opening a separate IExplorer window, but it would be more convenient if there was a quick way of clicking something in MC and having the site open in the main window (like, once again, the Audible plugin) so that the process would be fully contained within MC.

..snip..

to which the reply was:

..snip...

There is no way (that I know of) to do what you want in the tree. 

At the moment streaming media seems to be poorly served in MC.  I appreciate that many of the MC users are audiophiles who wouldn't touch a 128k stream with a disinfected iPod, but I, and I'm sure many like me who don't make the effort to post on this forum, just want an easy way to get some music into their lives.   Streaming media seems to be the best means of doing this.

Come on, jriver, now you've got the podcasting sorted, what about the streaming media?

Alan

[alanl]

I hope you don't mind, but this is just a bump.  Late on a Sunday night (UK) is probably not a good time to have made the original post.

Alan

[Mr ChriZ]

I'm having problems with it, it won't let me listen to BBC channels.
I get the message "there is nothing to play"
Also I'd like to move Webmedia out of Audio (Why's it in there anyway?)
It's not called Web Audio.  I'm confused as to why the only things
that we seem to be able to move in the tree are things which don't need moving!

Edit:
I see this has been fixed in 119. 

Four hours sleep is not enough. 

[alanl]

I notice that in the Podcast main page I can Google for a web page, say Shoutcast, and then add that as a favorite which I can easily come back to when I want to search for streaming radio.  However in the Start page, setting a page as a favorite does not seem to be an option.

It would be good if the ability to set favorites in the Start page were an option, as it seems ironic that it's easier to go to Podcasts to get streaming radio than the Start page (or Web Media, for that matter!).

Or am I missing something?

Alan

[mountainfair]

I would agree -

I am glad to see radio support, but it seems that it needs some significant upgrading.  This is a critical area to get streamlined and working well.

Yes - it would be great to be able to move the 'web media' item around on the tree, rename it, delete it, and so on.  The whole tree should be totally customizable.

Ideally, webmedia should be its own catagory on the tree and when you expand it you see all of your 'my stations' below it.  When you click on one of the stations it plays, when you click on webmedia it opens a search dialogue.

Yes - results should be sorted or someone should be maintaining the database, or it should be connecting to an existing database or databases. 

Why are your stations stored as cookies?  I dont want to store them as cookies - I regularly erase all of the cookies on my machine, and dont want to have to redo my radio stations.  Why not put them in one of the MC settings folders so they dont get lost or erased, and are associated with the correct program. 

Why does it use internet explorer to go to the website of the station even when firefox is my default browser.  Am I to assume that the cookies are also stored in IE then? (checked this - yes)

Now I dont really understand how internet radio streams work, but with some fooling around it looks like you can store a .pls file that points to the radio station.  These files could be stored in a user designated place on the HD, perhaps in the music folders, perhaps in the MC program folder.  Then they will not be lost as cookies, and could be exported or sent to a friend. 

The MC library database or a separate database could keep track of all of the info about each radio station. 

Finally, the best scenario might be for the database to be downloadable by each user so that they can have the whole database of radio stations on their machine.  Of course it would need to be upgradable and perhaps have an auto upgrade setting.

Maybe with shoutcast and others this isnt neccesary (sp?) - just integrate MC with shoutcast and other existing databases a little better - why duplicate?.  As alanl said, maybe just bring up a selection of websites like shoutcast when webmedia is clicked on... 

Thoughts?

[mountainfair]

Just took a look at how Itunes handles radio - this is a good place to start.  Radio is its own item in the tree, and then it brings up genres in the browser, which when you expand them, connect to a server and download an updated list of radio stations in that genre.  This is great!

Still lacking the ability to move the location of radio on the tree.

Doesnt allow you to search the radio stations, but with genres, maybe this isnt a problem.

Doesnt include all of the info that is stored along with stations in MC - a plus for MC, but itunes database seems to be more groomed/edited. 

If MC is already building a database, this should be easy to implement.

This is a MUCH better system than is in place now. 

Maybe add a browser link that lets you import radio stations from shoutcast and other sites, and we got something really great.