Announce : BBC Sounds Plugin

[merlineng]

expectingtofly

I can't thank you enough for this plugin - my wife works from home and is an avid follower of BBC R1 - she started moaning when the messages started to be announced regarding the closure of the R1 stream - and without your Sounds plugin, I was visualising a funeral pyre of my many SBs on the garden patio...

A sad day indeed that would have been - but thankfully it's only in my imagination 🙏🏻

Cheers
Tony

[expectingtofly]

Just a quick post from a non technical member to thank all the experts out there who keep BBC Sounds working via the updated plug in. I use the BBC Sounds app daily and was really worried recently when local BBC stations started dropping out. All good now since the recent update. Thanks again

I've noticed that the BBC now require listeners to be signed in to access most of their live streams. There are just a few of the national networks left now that are accessible as an open stream. So version 2.32 of this plugin will be required to access live radio.

I must say, the BBC have rolled out this change in an admirably controlled and gradual way, with plenty of warning, meaning minimal disruption. As shown by the very low level of noise around this very big change. They have obviously learnt from the past!

[Trev00r]

Just a quick post from a non technical member to thank all the experts out there who keep BBC Sounds working via the updated plug in. I use the BBC Sounds app daily and was really worried recently when local BBC stations started dropping out. All good now since the recent update. Thanks again

[expectingtofly]

Release 2.32.1

• Further improvements to live stream security token handling

[expectingtofly]

Is the new token only required to access the streams - and not the programme metadata?

This is just a specific extra token for obtaining the live stream. The meta data is part of the BBC Sounds API so will always be available (as long as the plugin as a whole is available).
In terms of the streams, I think the plugin needs to behave exactly like the BBC Sounds app. That's its best chance of the BBC continuing to "tolerate" it.
That's a good idea for the using TV head end though, there are other sources for the meta data I believe so should be possible in another plugin.

[Paul Webster]

The plugin now supports the changes currently being rolled out by the BBC protecting their live streams from being used outside of BBC Sounds.

Is the new token only required to access the streams - and not the programme metadata?
If yes (only streams) then an idea for some more future-proofing that could be useful anyway would be to make the metadata part available when the stream is coming via a different source - such as TVHeadend.
This would then mean that someone with a TV tuner, FM/DAB device (potentially also via WaveIn plugin ... I might even have to get my old Psion Wavefinder working again) (in UK) or satellite tuner (more places) could get the same live listening experience (no rewind etc).

For example - playing BBC Radio 4 via TVHeadend over Freeview TV has a URL in the style:

http://userid:[email protected]:9981/stream/channel/318d9578d523e6c73b420fc9552c669a?profile=something

where the numbers after "channel" can be found via a list of channels at

http://userid:[email protected]:9981/api/channel/grid?limit=500

which returns JSON that has

{
"uuid": "318d9578d523e6c73b420fc9552c669a",
"enabled": true,
"autoname": true,
"name": "BBC Radio 4",
"number": 704,
"epgauto": true,
"epggrab": [],
"dvr_pre_time": 0,
"dvr_pst_time": 0,
"epg_running": -1,
"services": [
"e8dda9b5e1eadab75a0e9a80e55d21ae"
],
"tags": [
"4f9629d87c3b05c4e3d637c7bf643175",
"b689ca8d2cb15ac64a193ddb804f13db"
],
"bouquet": ""
}​

so the "name" field could be used to provide the list to cross-reference with BBC list (although there might be differences).

A shortcut could be to have a plugin menu option that says something like ... treat the currently playing stream as ... and then a list of all BBC stations that the Sounds plugin already knows about.

[garym]

Updated to latest version, with "use token" ticked. I'm listening in the U.S. No issues, listening so far to some Radio 2 and Radio 6. Both 96kbps CBR aac 48hz streams, song title artist etc. displayed ok. Thanks for this!

[expectingtofly]

Release 2.32.0

New Features

• Enjoy ongoing access to Live BBC Radio Streams on your venerable Logitech Media Server

The plugin now supports the changes currently being rolled out by the BBC protecting their live streams from being used outside of BBC Sounds.

[bpa]

Apparently the BBC Distribution Policy was handed down to us on stone tablets.

While I don't like the situation, the BBC has had for many years problems with 3rd parties distributing their content often breaking rights BBC has signed up to protect (e.g. football game commentaries outside the UK, music content in Desert Island discs) and so could be subject to ligitation - and there is a grerater chance of winning significant damages from BBC than from a small 3rd party distributors. So BBC has to take measure to control access.

In the BBC referenced links, they say they'll work with 3rd parties and hardware vendors to allow & control streaming so Replaio could talk to BBC.
edit:
From BBC 3rd party link
"There may be instances of BBC radio being accessed via aggregator apps, but playback of the radio streams will take place with the BBC Sounds product, as per the existing Radioplayer mobile app solution."

[beneix]

"Native playback of BBC radio within web and mobile aggregator streaming apps will no longer be possible"
Great, there goes Replaio Radio on my Android. They really put an inordinate amount of effort into making listening difficult. I already had to swap out various previous hardware units. Apparently the BBC Distribution Policy was handed down to us on stone tablets.

[jophill]

Is this what you are reffering too ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/qu.../radio-changes

And this too, I think: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/qu...ird-party-info which refers to the above. It indicates that changes started on 6 Septermber.

[slartibartfast]

Slightly worrying that the article doesn't even mention using a browser - might they go as far as blocking everything except the Sounds app and others that they officially sanction? Or are we OK because you're fully on top of the DASH/HLS stuff? I hate the way the BBC acts like a private corporation even though it's owned by us!

I am sure the BBC Sounds website will still work in a browser. You are right about the BBC though, they seem to go out of their way to make it difficult to listen to the programmes we pay for. I suppose we should be grateful that they still broadcast on AM/FM 😀.

[darrell]

Oh yes! I hadn't seen that, thanks. I guess this is going to work :-)

It's nice to get slightly ahead of the BBC changes game for once!

Slightly worrying that the article doesn't even mention using a browser - might they go as far as blocking everything except the Sounds app and others that they officially sanction? Or are we OK because you're fully on top of the DASH/HLS stuff? I hate the way the BBC acts like a private corporation even though it's owned by us!

[expectingtofly]

Is this what you are reffering too ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/recent-changes-to-bbc-sounds/radio-changes

ronnie

Radio Orkney and Shetland definitely don't play unless you tick the box for the security token.

Oh yes! I hadn't seen that, thanks. I guess this is going to work :-)

It's nice to get slightly ahead of the BBC changes game for once!

[Man in a van]

Radio Orkney and Shetland definitely don't play unless you tick the box for the security token.

Correct, message on Squeezeboxen Radio "unable to obtain live audio"

ronnie