BBC ending Shoutcast stream

[merlineng]

Hi all

My wife works from home and listens to BBC R1 endlessly (I mean really endlessly - we have a constant Spotty/Radio battle!)

She's just rang me to say that an announcement came over the radio stating that the stream will end in mid 2023.

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

And it appears she is correct.

Is there anything we can do about this?

I've got many squeezeboxes at home and at work so this would be very problematical.

Cheers
Tony

[bpa]

Hi all

My wife works from home and listens to BBC R1 endlessly (I mean really endlessly - we have a constant Spotty/Radio battle!)

She's just rang me to say that an announcement came over the radio stating that the stream will end in mid 2023.

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

And it appears she is correct.

Is there anything we can do about this?

I've got many squeezeboxes at home and at work so this would be very problematical.

Cheers
Tony

BBC kept Shoutcast for HTTP/MP3 just for legacy devices. The main streams formats the BBC have been supporting use HLS and DASH formats.

If you use LMS with the player then install the BBC Sounds plugin - it will play the live stream using DASH with far more functionality (e.g. skip back to start of program) and much better quality if in UK.

Edit:

You should update your LMS - 8.0.0 is very old. Some plugins need a newer version of LMS.

[merlineng]

BBC kept Shoutcast for HTTP/MP3 just for legacy devices. The main streams formats the BBC have been supporting use HLS and DASH formats.

If you use LMS with the player then install the BBC Sounds plugin - it will play the live stream using DASH with far more functionality (e.g. skip back to start of program) and much better quality if in UK.

Edit:

You should update your LMS - 8.0.0 is very old. Some plugins need a newer version of LMS.

Thanks - already use the BBC Sounds Plugin actually, didn't realise you can play live stations through it? I've always used the BBC plugin for that.

I need to update my info line too - I'm past 8.0.0 (can't actually remember which one as I'm at work)

I'll have a fiddle tonight.

:-)

[bpa]

Thanks - already use the BBC Sounds Plugin actually, didn't realise you can play live stations through it? I've always used the BBC plugin for that.

I need to update my info line too - I'm past 8.0.0 (can't actually remember which one as I'm at work)

I'll have a fiddle tonight.

:-)

Live streams are under Stations & Schedule menu - live entry is one level below station Name. You can save the "Live" entries as a favorite.

[agbagb]

What will happen to the BBC Streams available via MySB.com ? Those are mp3, no?

[Paul Webster]

I assume they will stop working.
It will be time to move to own LMS for BBC fans.

[agbagb]

I assume they will stop working.
It will be time to move to own LMS for BBC fans.

I'm on LMS 95% of the time - but I'll still be sad to see MySB.com further stream-deprived....... Every now and then, MySB.com is a useful stand-alone. Also, on LMS Favorites, I have access to my MySB.com Favorites, largely the BBC mp3 channels. For some reason or another yesterday, BBC / LMS Sounds was having a bad day of drop-outs and weird buffering (sudden jump-backs of an hour or so...), so I simply switched in LMS to the old mp3 BBC streams, which were working perfectly.

[ModelCitizen]

BBC kept Shoutcast for HTTP/MP3 just for legacy devices. The main streams formats the BBC have been supporting use HLS and DASH formats.

If you use LMS with the player then install the BBC Sounds plugin - it will play the live stream using DASH with far more functionality (e.g. skip back to start of program) and much better quality if in UK.

Two, not much noted advantages of the BBC Sounds plugin is that you can stream a program from the beginning even whilst it is still being broadcast live (not possible if casting from a phone to a Google Chromecast device) and listen to a program directly after it has finished (not possible with BBCSounds app on device as there is often an annoying gap of anything up to half an hour before the program can be played after the BBC has finished broadcasting it). This is very handy for me, who likes to start cooking tea at 6pm and wants to listen to BBC Radio 4's PM from the beginning whilst I do (it starts at 5pm and is an hour long).

[merlineng]

BBC kept Shoutcast for HTTP/MP3 just for legacy devices. The main streams formats the BBC have been supporting use HLS and DASH formats.

If you use LMS with the player then install the BBC Sounds plugin - it will play the live stream using DASH with far more functionality (e.g. skip back to start of program) and much better quality if in UK.

Edit:

You should update your LMS - 8.0.0 is very old. Some plugins need a newer version of LMS.

Thanks again - I've now removed my wife's BBC R1 favourite and replaced it with the BBC Sounds R1.

An instant advantage of this (not to mention the ability to go back in time!) is the fact that it now displays the actual song name/programme name - which isn't the case with the standard BBC plugin.

It's been bugging me for years - why have I waited so long!!!

Cheers
Tony

[agbagb]

I was listening to R3 a hour or so ago, via the Sounds LMS plug-in. The live stream was interrupted with a message saying "The stream to which you are listening will be discontinued in mid-2023. You will be able to listen to BBC Radio output via BBC Sounds". Was that a quirk of the system, or is thre some aspect of the LMS Sounds plug-in that is at peril? I understand that the old Shoutcast steams are at risk of ending - but I was not listening to a Shoutcast stream ....

[Paul Webster]

Hopefully it was a BBC glitch.
However, they could insist on API key being used and even shielding it from view ... which would be a significant issue.
They would be able to detect now that an allocated key is not being used ... so perhaps that could trigger the in-stream warning.

[agbagb]

I wonder if the OP could claify exactly what Stream Mrs OP was listening to when she heard the message? I listen - here in France - to the Beeb via the LMS Sounds plug-in almost all day, very day (assorted Beeb channels): today was the first time I've heard that message....

[d6jg]

I’ve been kicked out of the LMS BBC Sounds plug-in but a new BBC account has resolved that for now but I fear the worst given their track record.

There must be some seriously pissed off HiFi manufacturers!

[agbagb]

Hopefully it was a BBC glitch.
However, they could insist on API key being used and even shielding it from view ... which would be a significant issue.
They would be able to detect now that an allocated key is not being used ... so perhaps that could trigger the in-stream warning.

I'm now getting that warning message on BBC R3 via the Sounds plug-in several times a day, on the hour. I'm listening in France.......

[expectingtofly]

I'm now getting that warning message on BBC R3 via the Sounds plug-in several times a day, on the hour. I'm listening in France.......

Which is all a bit odd. The Sounds plugin only has the ability to use the Dash stream. AFAIK its only the shoutcast streams that are ending.. That link explicitly states they are only outputting the message through the shoutcast streams.

I'm not hearing the message here in the UK, but I've had various reports from different places that the message is being heard through the sounds plugin. I think we just have to assume that this is a technical error by the BBC and hopefully the Sounds plugin is not affected.