Recording BBC radio
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From: Whiskers on 19 Jul 2005 15:33 On 2005-07-19, Bruce Stephens <bruce+usenet(a)cenderis.demon.co.uk> wrote: > Whiskers <catwheezel(a)operamail.com> writes: > > [...] > >> Then they are trying too hard. All I want to do is 'time shift' >> retrospectively, which is a lot more convenient than predicting >> which programme I might want to hear at some time other than the >> scheduled broadcast and setting up a tape-recorder to grab it off >> the air 'in real time' (which has been common practice since >> tape-recorders became popular in the 1960s, and standard operating >> procedure with TV programmes since the advent of the VCR). > > That's what they're trying to allow, I think (for 7 days after > broadcast, anyway, which I think is a bit mean for some of the > once-a-week series they have on BBC7). It's just that the Radio 3 > implementation doesn't work for me where the Radio 4/BBC7 ones do. So > I think it's (arguably) a bug rather than a deliberate feature. Bug or design fault. I hope the BBC can start to use it's own FOSS methods soon. Too bad the Ogg Vorbis streams were discontinued; I do not like Real Player - it just doesn't work very well for me, quite apart from the proprietary aspects. (I'm happy to use proprietary software that works well; Opera is my default browser). >> I do understand the BBC wanting to protect their copyright material >> from 'piracy', and pirate copies are a lot easier to produce using >> computers and the internet than using a tape-recorder, but what they >> are doing can be circumvented by anyone determined enough, so it >> will only deter the honest or lazy - witness the rapid availability >> of "mp3" versions of the latest "Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" >> series in the bunny groups. > > Well, in that particular case they had high quality RealAudio and WMA > streams, nicely cut to the right length (most of the Radio things seem > to be a bit random, as though they weren't sure when the thing > actually began or ended). > > I'd guess the MP3 downloads will expand a bit. I expect the H2G2 pirated things were carefully recorded in real time from the "Freeview" or "digital satellite or cable" broadcasts of Radio 4; the quality is very high, better than DAB let alone VHF-FM or web-streams. The BBC 'listen again' streams seem to be created automatically, with a 'bit extra' at each end to allow for slight variations in the timing of the first-time streamed broadcasts. We shall probably be able to buy official tapes or CDs of the latest H2G2 radio series - they may even be available now. Such things are 'nice little earners' for the BBC. -- -- ^^^^^^^^^^ -- Whiskers -- ~~~~~~~~~~
From: spike1 on 22 Jul 2005 20:59 Whiskers <catwheezel(a)operamail.com> did eloquently scribble: > On 2005-07-17, Whiskers <catwheezel(a)operamail.com> wrote: > > snip > >> To get the .ram file from the BBC, I used my browser to get to the 'listen >> again' radio player, and clicked on 'use external Real Player' and 'saved' >> the file, then opened it to see the 'hidden' rtsp:// address for the actual >> stream. > > What I just described, worked for a Radio 4 programme on Sunday ('Just a > Minute'). When I tried to listen to a Radio 3 programme, not only does the > Real Player thing from the BBC not work at all (no sound, and no 'use > external player' button), but there seems to be no .ram file involved and I > can't see how to discover the true stream URL. There's a ram file, it just takes a little digging to find it, by saving the ..shtml.html file of the programme link and looking through that. The clues are there... 1: var AudioStream = "/radio/aod/shows/rpms/radio3/sundaygala"; 2: document.write('<embed src="'+AudioStream+'.rpm" type="audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin" pluginspage="http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/askbruce/articles/download/howdoidownloadrealplayer_1.shtml" width="0" height="0" name="RP" autostart="true" console="one" nojava="true" />'); putting these two together, makes /radio/aod/shows/rpms/radio3/sundaygala.ram and the contents of that file is... rtsp://rmv8.bbc.net.uk/radio3/r3sundaygala.ra?start=25 You just need to know what to look for. Just testing it now and the stream works in mplayer. -- ______________________________________________________________________________ | spike1(a)freenet.co.uk | "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" | |Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| | | in | "I think so brain, but this time, you control | | Computer Science | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Whiskers on 23 Jul 2005 11:10
On 2005-07-23, spike1(a)freenet.co.uk <spike1(a)freenet.co.uk> wrote: > John Peach <jpeach(a)globix.com> did eloquently scribble: >> Find out the real stream source; you can do this by looking at the clip >> info from clip source in realplayer and then grabbing that page which >> contains the stream source. >> Then use: >> >> mplayer -dumpfile <filename> -dumpstream rtsp:<whatever>. > > Nah, I prefer to save as wav and then oggify. > mplayer -ao pcm:file=test.wav rtsp://rmv8.bbc.net.uk/radio4/comedy/fri1830.ra > > For example (if you want to save "the now show") Mplayer happily plays the un-converted stream.dump file, so unless disc space is an issue or you want to listen using a portable digital audio player, there is no need to process the file - thus saving CPU usage. I agree that oggenc seems to give both smaller files and better sound than lame (MP3), but some gadgets can't play ogg files. -- -- ^^^^^^^^^^ -- Whiskers -- ~~~~~~~~~~ |