If I google internet radio, I get loads of sites that will sell me one, but none that give much in the way of describing them. Here is what I am looking for. I want a box that will connect to our local WiFi system (meaning I would have to program it with the password) and connect to the extra slot on my tuner. It would have to have some way to search the internet for sound sources, in particular something like CBC that has streaming radio but also several channels of continuous music, or to radio stations such as KPLU (continuous jazz) or WQXR (continuous classical). Since CBC has decided to adopt a ruinous programming schedule of snippets for every taste (meaning practically no one will have any interest in listening continuously) I have been sort of desperate for something to listen to. (In my more cynical moments, I think the powers-that-be have decided to close the CBC and save several hundred millions a year and they have begun by discouraging any audience.)
Pandora. Get it now. It’s awesome. It works by means of a system called the Music Genome Project that gives songs many different individual attributes (instead of matching by genre) and then matches them up based on what you’ve “seeded” the station with and what you’ve liked (“thumbs-up”) or banned (“thumbs-down”). Your results may vary, but I have had excellent songs recommended to me on it (that I now own).
I believe they sell a home system, which should work for what you want, but it is also free on the computer and the iPhone.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
It sounds like you want something like this that will take the PC audio output and transmit it wirelessly to your A/V receiver.
A fancier solution would be something like the Squeezebox that doesn’t require your PC to be on. It supports Pandora, Rhapsody, and a set of internet radio stations (but I’m not sure who is hosting these).
Quite a few wireless media streaming devices support internet radio; most of these will support streaming video as well.
Last.fm also has radio (but it is better for it’s feature of cataloging everything you listen to.)
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
Yes, looking at Pandora’s website, I see that they recommend the Squeezebox, among other things.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
Do you know if it’ll support general Shoutcast streams? I like going to www.shoutcast.com and checking out stations there and I’d love to have something I could plug into my stereo.
This is better suited for IMHO than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
It looks like it does.
I understand your confusion. No store has them set up, salesmen don’t know the differences, nor does the documentation really provide guidance. Most share the same features, usually differing by size/number of speakers and complexity of the display. Almost all work on typical wireless networks and have outputs you can plug into your stereo. Since you’re not using the built-in speaker, find one that fits your space or that matches your furniture.
Your prime question is finding the stations you want to hear. It works on my radio* like this: I search a this directory website customized by the radio’s manufacturer. I sample the station on my PC (or Mac), then add it to my favorites on the website. The radio periodically synchronizes its favorites to the favorites on the website. You don’t have to use the keypad on the remote and the small display on the radio itself, thank goodness.
*I have a Sagem Du@l Radio 700. I chose it because it has an external power brick that runs on worldwide voltage. I could end up in a 120 volt country before the end of this radio’s life.
I have a SqueezeBox and like it quite a bit. It plays everything mentioned up-thread including last.fm (which I also like).
Since there are people from, you know, other countries here, I just want to point out that Pandora will read your IP and unless you’re in the USA you’re prohibited from joining their reindeer games.
Do proxies not work for this? It seems like they would, as long as the proxy is located in the U.S.
I don’t want to link to it, but there is also a (free) tool that lets you download the mp3s off Pandora as they come up, and it also integrates Last.fm. It’s a bit of a pain to set up though. It’s called Pandora’s Jar, if you want to look it up (and by the way, they make the argument that it is legal because it only saves what is already downloaded to play again later, like a DVR).
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
I’m a happy owner of one of these.
If I understand the question, I think you are looking for something like that. That one is no longer available. Also, I don’t think it has an audio line out socket to go to your tuner / amplifier. It has a headphone output which would probably work but a proper line level output would be better.
There are lots of newer similar products available now. It wouldn’t surprise me of one of them has a line out. Many (including mine) use the service from Reciva.
I use mine as bedside radio mostly for listening to BBC. It also works well with CBC. It works with any “open” RealPlayer, Windows media or MP3 stream. By “open” I mean that there is no way to login to anything that requires a password. That limits or totally prevents what it can do with services like Live365 and Pandora.
It has “On Demand” which lets you listen to past episodes of many BBC programs. It’s not perfect and I’m sure the newer ones are better but I’ve had many happy listening hours from it.
Supposedly yes.