• A station, a device that generates an audio stream (according to a list of audio files or by directly digitizing an analog stream from an audio card or microphone) and forwards it to a server;
• server (repeater) – a device that receives the audio stream from the station and redirects its copies to all Internet users connected to it;
• client – a device that receives the audio stream from the server and converts it to an audio signal available to the listener of the Internet radio station.

Internet radio server and client functioning is provided by standard hardware and software, so below we consider only the issues of Internet radio station operation as the most complex and responsible component. Besides audio data stream, the station transmits text metadata – for example, information about itself and about the current song, which is offered to the client for listening. The station can be a computer with installed audio player and plug-in codec (or a specialized program) or a professional hardware device that converts an analog audio stream into a digital signal.

Taking into account the requirements for station reliability, the technical solution described below implies the use of specialized professional equipment, the cost of which is quite comparable with the cost of a modern computer system. At the same time, the computer can be used as part of the station as a means of forming materials intended for broadcasting, as well as interactive interaction with the listeners. This solution provides high quality broadcasting over relatively unreliable communication channels and is designed for professional studios used by broadcasting radio stations, although it can also be used by individual users.

The professional equipment used is designed to organize the exchange of audio information over data networks using the IP protocol. Transformation of audio signal for its transfer to the server address via IP-channel is made with the help of Instreamer audio codec which can be connected to various signal sources, including microphone and audio player. The audio data coming from the server are converted by means of the Exstreamer audio codec and output to headphones or a loudspeaker. In parallel, they can be recorded in digital or analog form to the appropriate device.

In the configuration under consideration, the Internet radio station allows you to implement the following basic functions:

• preparation of audio materials on the computer;
• their registration and storage in the non-volatile memory of the transmitting device;
• broadcasting with high quality of audio materials prepared in advance in the set sequence with observance of broadcasting time schedule;
• exchange of audio messages, including messages from the microphone, using the IP protocol in real time;
• registration and storage of digital messages received from the server.

Statistical analysis of Internet radio performance is performed using appropriate programs on the included computer, and the standard capabilities of the devices used can be extended with a high-level Audio Barix Control Language, which allows writing applications for various audio codecs.

The Instreamer audio codec is a multiprotocol converter of high-quality stereo audio signals into a digital data stream transmitted over IP networks. It supports MP3, PCM, G.711 and G.722 audio data formats broadcast in TCP, UDP, Shoutcast/Icecast and Multicast RTP digital formats; provides transmission of streaming audio signals with minimum delay, guaranteeing high sound quality; has music streaming in the background and time-stop music streaming function for IP telephony applications.

Exstreamer audio codec is a multiprotocol converter of IP audio data stream in TCP, UDP and Multicast RTP formats into audio signal for its output to headphones, loudspeakers or amplifier in AACplus, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, G.711, PCM (line decoding) formats. The converters produced are adapted to work with various external devices in specified configurations. They can be used as a receiver and Internet radio player, have a slot for a MicroSD card or a USB interface to connect external flash memory.

Thus, specialized hardware and software tools, presented on the market, allow to create and successfully operate professional internet-radio stations. Such stations make it possible to broadcast high-quality audio signals to any part of the globe where the Internet is available and provide reliable and live feedback to the listeners. Internet radio is an effective means of rapid dissemination of information in a broadcast format with the possibility of statistical analysis of the number of connections and audience interest.

The post Organizing the operation of an Internet radio station appeared first on One-Forever Radio.

We recommend creating the following main components on your site:

Audition page.
This page is worth the most attention, it should be possible to listen to your broadcasts in several ways – built into the page Media player, links to listen to different players (Winamp/iTunes/XMMS, Windows Media, Realplayer). Keep in mind that not all listeners use Windows with Winamp player, do not forget about listeners on Mac, Linux platforms. Radio-tochka.com provides a full set of settings from the control panel for free, so that your broadcasting suits as many listeners as possible.

Contacts and/or feedback.
Your radio station’s most valuable guide and helper is user feedback – their voices, opinions, and messages. If listeners like your broadcast and have the opportunity to influence it or voice their opinions, it will keep them coming back to you again and again. A feedback form should be included that allows listeners to quickly and easily send requests to the DJ on the air, or influence the DJ’s broadcast program.

Playlist page.
Useful for the visitor will be the ability to view new releases, songs that have been on the air most often, song ratings by vote, and just the complete playlist of your radio so listeners have an idea of the broadcast. If visitors like what your playlist contains – they will likely become your listeners.

DJ Page.
Create a page about your radio DJs, a list of the shows they host, a schedule of their show times. Listeners who prefer a particular DJ, or radio show, will come back to your site and listen to the broadcast.

The post Setting up a Web site appeared first on One-Forever Radio.

Global reach. The broadcasting area is not limited, as in the case of over-the-air broadcasting, to the range of the repeater. A user connected to the Internet anywhere in the world can access a broadcasting program.

High quality of sound signal. Applied software and hardware means allow to deliver a signal reliably without quality loss and fading (fading, framing – change of signal amplitude and phase due to the movement of a transmitter or receiver in the radio communication system and / or signal propagation through an inhomogeneous medium).

Multimedia accompaniment. Broadcast sound signal (eg, music) can be accompanied by the transmission of alphanumeric or graphic information.

Listener Feedback. Simple and convenient communication can be organized via the Internet in the form of voice communication or exchange of messages in the course of broadcasting.

These features allow to organize broadcasting taking into account listeners’ preferences (to form a permanent audience of interest), to enhance the perception of broadcasting audio programs by means of multimedia accompaniment, to provide the necessary quality of broadcasting, regardless of the place of signal reception.

Internet radio facilitates the provision of a wide variety of information – from detailed information about the music being broadcast to very diverse knowledge in a wide range of fields. Given that a significant number of listeners are regular Internet users, access to audio information, including music (without infringing on intellectual property rights, by the way), through Internet radio is the most convenient and natural for them.

Internet radio makes it possible not only to familiarize listeners with the broadcast program in advance, but also to flexibly change it to account for audience preferences. To that end, there are real-time interactive opportunities through voice messaging, live on-air communication, and digital exchanges in the form of e-mail or short messages.

Digital messaging can be tailored to specific focus groups and related to a particular topic being discussed in a broadcast. The ability to organize real-time voting on a given topic and objectively evaluate its results allows for flexible formation of the content of music programs and topical columns.

Thanks to the interactive interaction with the audience, as well as the presence of tools to control the number of connections made to listen to Internet radio and participate in the discussion of broadcast programs, it is possible to objectively determine the rating of the radio station and the level of interest in its individual broadcasts.

The post How Internet radio works appeared first on One-Forever Radio.

So, the word Internet-Radio came from the two words Internet (which we have now dealt with) and Radio, to which we summarized the conversation about the Internet.

Radio (lat. radio – to radiate, emit rays, radius – beam) – the technology of wireless transmission of information by means of electromagnetic waves of the radio range.

That is, we can conclude: initially separate technologies of digital data transmission Internet and analog radio signal come to their unification. All this generates new forms of transmission of information and multimedia content: music, radio and TV broadcasts via the Internet.

In the future, Internet radio is expected to supplant the current popularity of frequency wave radio and simple wired radio in its bulk. Internet radio may become very popular over time.

Already today we can see that the line between the division between analog and digital radio broadcasting is blurring. Almost all popular FM radio stations have their broadcasting on the Internet and the most interesting thing: the original projects, as internet radio stations, try to reach the FM-band, and some of them successfully do it. Moreover, with the transition to digital broadcasting in the FM-band, this process will actively develop in the future: internet radio stations will be able to buy licenses for broadcasting in the FM-band.

The post What is Internet Radio? appeared first on One-Forever Radio.