Streaming simultaneously in both MP3 (128kbps) and AAC+ (64kbps) using Edcast.

I have Icecast and Shoutcast servers with internet-radio.com (Both are 128kbps)

Is it possible to stream simultaneously in both MP3 (128kbps) and AAC+ (64kbps) using Edcast?

Do I need two servers/ ports? One for each stream/ format? Or can I stream both formats simultaneously to the same Shoutcast/ Icecast server?

Icecast servers can handle different formats on different mountpoints but only in Mp3 and Ogg Vorbis.

With Shoutcast you would require seperate servers for each format.

Support said:

Icecast servers can handle different formats on different mountpoints but only in Mp3 and Ogg Vorbis.

With Shoutcast you would require seperate servers for each format.

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So I can use the same Shoutcast server to stream MP3 or AAC+ just not at the same time?

Reason I ask is that I tried to stream AAC+ on its own but experienced the following issues:

- had to try different Quality settings to bring the stream down to around 128k as my server is set to 128k for MP3. Do I need to do this? I'd prefer to stream at 64k or 48k as this is the advantage of AAC+

- no Flash stream available on my station's Start Page. Is this because Flash Player doesn't support AAC+?

- Windows Media Player goes a bit wobbly when playing the stream but eventually stabilises but only if Edcast is set to around 128k. If streaming faster or slower, WMP fails to play. I heard that WMP may need a plug in to play AAC+?

- iTunes connects to the stream and displays the correct metadata (using the correct URL) but no sound is heard. I heard that iTunes only plays traditional AAC, not AAC+. Do you know if this is true?

I installed the libfaac.dll to enable AAC+ in Edcast. Do you know whether Edcast is definitely streaming AAC+ or traditional AAC?

Thanks

Yes, Shoutcast servers will stream MP3 and AAC+, just not at the same time.

Whatever format that you stream in, it will need to be at the same bitrate that your server is configured for.

Yes, Flash will not play AAC+

In all cases we would recommend Mp3 over any other format. Its more user friendly, more compatible with the media and flash based players and its less likely to cause you any issues.

Support said:

In all cases we would recommend Mp3 over any other format. Its more user friendly, more compatible with the media and flash based players and its less likely to cause you any issues.

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My experience of listening to AAC+ is that its fine for speech based content, and/or such stations where the presenters personality is deemed more important than the music, but for modern EDM it sounds a bit rough and canned, and all of us below age 50 with decent hearing will notice the lack of high frequencies and compression if we listen carefully enough!

if you can afford it (TBH I feel a lot of stations overestimate their potential listener numbers and thus bandwidth requirements) - i'd strongly suggest 192kbps or even above for a dance music station. you can definitely hear the difference, even with resampled content (though of course if you have recorded shows in WAV format, then re-encode them at 192kbps)

@Support - in the sign up process, is that bitrate a maximum bitrate for auto DJ playout (so those whose connections can only reliably stream at 128k can still connect on a 192k station?) - also what happens if someone uploads a lower bitrate file to playout (I know its not best practice but it could happen)?

There's a lot of material out there on the 'net about how good AAC+ is at low bitrates:
aacPlus by StreamGuys

Take a listen to some of these stations - most are streaming at low bit rates, apparently in AAC+
Tuner2 - your ears will know

I'm only interested in AAC+ because (I think) many of my listeners will use their smart phones, away from a wireless network. Lower bitrates are more reliable over 3G networks. They also use less data which is handy for listeners who are subject to a monthly data cap or just have bad internet connections.

General Lighting said:

@Support - in the sign up process, is that bitrate a maximum bitrate for auto DJ playout (so those whose connections can only reliably stream at 128k can still connect on a 192k station?) - also what happens if someone uploads a lower bitrate file to playout (I know its not best practice but it could happen)?

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In the sign up process, a user can choose a bitrate from as low as 18kbps all the way upto as high as 384kbps. Whatever bitrate they choose, if they then also subscribe to the AutoDJ feature, this will be the exact same bitrate as originally configured for the server. We would not recommend a user chooses below 128kbps if they are planning on playing music, but going below this would be fine for speech based stations.

We have this happen a lot with users uploading their AutoDJ files at the incorrect bitrates and it then causes them several problems. Especially with flash based players. If there is inconsistency with the files bitrates or samplerates and channels, when there is file change overs it will then cause buffering and skipping issues.

Support said:

We have this happen a lot with users uploading their AutoDJ files at the incorrect bitrates and it then causes them several problems. Especially with flash based players. If there is inconsistency with the files bitrates or samplerates and channels, when there is file change overs it will then cause buffering and skipping issues.

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Its a big problem inside local / community radio stations as well, a duff file can even crash the playout - so most standardise on a format for all content.

With a station playing a mixture of live and autoDJ content, will it allow DJ's to stream at say either 128k or 192k?

ihatespinach said:

I'm only interested in AAC+ because (I think) many of my listeners will use their smart phones, away from a wireless network. Lower bitrates are more reliable over 3G networks. They also use less data which is handy for listeners who are subject to a monthly data cap or just have bad internet connections.

Click to expand...

there are services like yourmuze.fm which seem to transcode your higher bitrate stream into AAC or similar which works with smartphones - its the only way for instance I can get Party Vibe Radio (256kbps for recorded shows, normally 128 or 192 kbps for live shows) on my blackberry which won't deal with those bitrates..

These services do "recover" the costs by delivering small ads to the users phone - though the nature of these is often amusing rather than an annoyance and I suspect the ads will be ignored anyway as folk keep the phone in their pocket whilst listening in the street. Though how long they last or stay free is undefined..

General Lighting said:

With a station playing a mixture of live and autoDJ content, will it allow DJ's to stream at say either 128k or 192k?

Click to expand...

No, the bitrate will need to be consistent with both live and AutoDJ streams for the same reasons as mentioned above.

ihatespinach said:

- iTunes connects to the stream and displays the correct metadata (using the correct URL) but no sound is heard. I heard that iTunes only plays traditional AAC, not AAC+. Do you know if this is true?

Click to expand...

Latest iTunes Software Is Also Playing AAC+ (HE-AAC)