trying to create streaming audio media server...

[xbleedblackx]

Hello all, I was looking for some guidance on creating a streaming audio media server. I've kind of looked into using icecast but don't know if this is the best route to take. Any recommendations to get me on the rite track would be appreciated. Also to clarify what my intentions are, basically, here at work we're wanting to take a feed of the local scanner feed we have here at the office and broadcast it for employees to listen at home after hours. This is intended to be secured and only accessible to the 20 or so employees we work with....Also, this is my first post haha

[xbleedblackx]

well, that was fruitfull

[claydoh]

Sorry there, but it looks like few or any of who are in here regularly have much experience with this. Icecast seems a good choice, though.
The difficult part is finding useful how-tos. Note that for the most part, anything related to Ubuntu for instruction works in Kubuntu as well. I'd pay attention to the dates on any articles you find and try to keep it as recent as you can.

If you discover something you want to try, do try asking in here any questions you might have for any pointers or to help with something that might be KDE or Kubuntu specific in setting things up.

[woodsmoke]

Hello all, I was looking for some guidance on creating a streaming audio media server.

Hi

I'm sorry that nobody got back to you but your particular question is not something that people normally do, there are several posts here at the forum and other fora about this but they are somewhat dated.

This is actually very simple. The problem before was finding a simple music app which would reliabley stream internet audio.

Sometimes the apps themselves were "in development" and would not play streams, or would play a cd, etc.

But also because of the evolving situation with Digital Rights Management and whether a stream would be allowed in the U.S. and the file formats, etc.

I have set up several servers for my own use and also for a couple of businesses.

The businesses are worried about "reliability" and also DRM ( which they do not understand and do not WANT to understand because the media and RIAA etc. have purposefully put out a lot of FUD ).

But to the point, what you need are just a few things.

A) An "amplifier" which will "amplify" the sound to your system. That is pretty much whatever you want, hook it into the speakers, etc.
B) Wiring to get from a "sound card" whether onboard or a PCI, whatever, or nowadays you might get an optimally priced bluetooth thing.
C) A computer of any kind, it can actually be rather low end, (and is actually a good opportunity for you to play at "modding" a computer if it will be seen or can be used as a point of interest).

You can use a laptop[b] but sometimes there are problems with the actual hard wiring on some laptops in terms of Kubuntu interacting with it), usually a tower is best.

And the reason that a tower is usually best is that a good PCI card will interact with Kubuntu to provide a nice set of "controls".. in terms of input to the amplifier instead of just a "volume" control. But you do not have to overboard on the sound card unless you think there might be "heating" issues....and again, here is an opportunity to do some "modding" you can purchase some extra add-on fans, DO I HEAR BLUE AND RED FLASHING LEDs? to keep things cooler. You do not need any kind of water cooling etc.

Now you may want to just set the stereo settings to "middle of the road" and then tweak your sound with the "amplifier", that will depend on your preferences.

A point about "quality" of the system... in a noisy environment, a lot of "tweaking" would really be rather lost. HOWEVER....depending on the physical structure of the building, whatever, you could purchase an amplifier that has multiple "outputs" and you could set up "zones" so that people in various zones actually can "hear" "stereo" as opposed to just a kind of wraparound sound.

D) Amarok.

Now yes, there are others who will argue the merits of other players but, (as an aside, I was really enamored of the old xmms which required a lot of tweakage ) but,

Amarok does one thing EXTREMELY well...

It provides all of those wonderful stations on that left panel...and guess what.......they just work all the time!!!

If one goes to Shoutcast, one can find the same stations but sometimes they just "disappear" for random amounts of time.

USUALLY....the real problem with streaming audio is the station itself sometimes they just are not on the net.

The streams that are provided as default by KDE and Amarok are very reliable so that you wouldn't have dead air half the way through.

Now with just the Amarok stream it will be a .pls format and will be high quality of course, but there is one station in the U.S. that is almost 100 percent up time and that is SOMA fm. Soma fm has various qualities of stream, but I'm sure that you already know this because you are already asking about it.

If your station has the outputs I would try to run a "full featured" format like ogg, etc. although you will probably just do .pls as the easy way, because again..... something like say SOMA FM provides a very high quality sound..

And another point about Amarok is EASE of USE with intuitive controls so that somebody could "do it for you" with little training.

AAAnnnnddd as a "thing"....how about getting a large t.v....use it as a monitor....put it up on the wall and have Amarok on there displaying information about the stream...or run a screensaver just a thought.

E) To go off on a tangent about speakers.. in addition to my tower and my speaker system in my office, I also presently use a MyEebo tablet as a sound server in other sections of my apartment and have several of those little round bluetooth speakers like "Jam".

And if it is in range I can also feed them with a bluetooth dongle on the computer for general stuff around the apartment.

The point there being that it might be that a few of those high quality bluetooth speakers and a nice bluetooth dongle on the tower, if the range is ok would be an easy way to get "local" speakers into zones in the area.

AAAANNNNNDDD that would justify....maybe... getting a Kubuntu tablet..!!!

F) So....actually...you are lucky to be doing this at this point in the space time continuum because setting up a sound server really is now pretty much self working.

If you have any other questions, please holler and I' will check back tomorrow.

woodallintosoundsmoke

[sithlord48]

you can use VLC to stream media . audio or video .