UK BBC Local Radio Stream problems

[RobbH]

BBC Sounds is not in my list of 3rd-party plug-ins. I have "Show All 3rd-Party Plugsins" set on.

What version of LMS are you running?

From https://github.com/expectingtofly/LM...ds_Plugin/wiki:

You will need an LMS installation of version 7.9.1 or higher (7.9.3 recommended)

[rockhopper]

BBC Sounds is not in my list of 3rd-party plug-ins. I have "Show All 3rd-Party Plugsins" set on.

Apologies if I've wasted people's time, just found out I'm running an out of date version of LMS.
Updated to v8.3.0 and BBC Sounds now listed in plugins.

[rockhopper]

BBC Sounds is under 3rd party plugins.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

Apologies if I've wasted people's time, just found out I'm running an out of date version of LMS.
Updated to v8.3.0 and BBC Sounds now listed in plugins.

All sorted. Now listening to the correct stream via LMS BBC Sounds.

Thank you very much to all, and especially slartibartfast.

[slartibartfast]

All sorted. Now listening to the correct stream via LMS BBC Sounds.

Thank you very much to all, and especially slartibartfast.

[emoji106]

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Man in a van]

All sorted. Now listening to the correct stream via LMS BBC Sounds.

Thank you very much to all, and especially slartibartfast.

When you get five minutes of sunny weather tomorrow, you know what you have to do



ronnie

[slartibartfast]

You need to have the PlayHLS plugin installed for the normal Search to find HLS stations (same as BBCSounds), otherwise it will find the Shoutcast MP3 stream.
That said, I just tested the MP3 URL and in stream metadata says it is BBC Radio Northampton

Input #0, mp3, from 'http://stream.live.vc.bbcmedia.co.uk/bbc_radio_northampton?s=1668071502&e=1668085902&h=6383508c998ff3a080c0ea97ac793746':
  Metadata:
    icy-br          : 128
    icy-pub         : 1
    icy-name        : BBC Radio
    icy-description : BBC Radio
    StreamTitle     : BBC Radio Northampton
  Duration: N/A, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 128 kb/s
  Stream #0:0: Audio: mp3, 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s
   5.57 M-A:  0.000 fd=   0 aq=   16KB vq=    0KB sq=    0B f=0/0

I don't see any HLS stream options even though I have PlayHLS 2.9 installed. I am sure I used to see them but not sure which PlayHLS plugin I was using at the time. Do you see HLS options for BBC stations?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[rockhopper]

BBC Sounds Plug-in

Further to the issue I faced in my OP where I was not hearing Radio Northampton. As advised, I now use the BBC Sounds plug-in, which worked fine, initially.
However, since Friday (18/11) I'm getting a prerecorded announcement saying "Thank you for listening to BBC local radio on the internet. Unfortunately the current program is unavailable. This is due to contractual reasons or a temporary technical fault....".

I used to get this message whenever the Olympic games were on, and I put it down to whatever 3rd party streaming network I was using nabbed streams to provide feeds for the games.
I assume that is now what is happening for the football world cup.

Yet, why is this happening when using the BBC Sounds plug-in? My TV is streaming local radio correctly as usual. LMS is showing the expected programs as per the usual radio schedule.

[Paul Webster]

I think this happens during lots of big sporting events.
It is not that the streams have been nabbed - but more that BBC does not have the rights to stream content that might include clips from the sporting event to an international audience ... and perhaps they think you are outside UK or they have a configuration problem.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/listening-outside-the-uk/outside-uk

Next time it happens, try to listen to the same station via BBC Sounds app (the one from BBC) on your phone and and via BBC web site from a computer on the same LAN as your LMS.

[rockhopper]

I think this happens during lots of big sporting events.
It is not that the streams have been nabbed - but more that BBC does not have the rights to stream content that might include clips from the sporting event to an international audience ... and perhaps they think you are outside UK or they have a configuration problem.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/listening-outside-the-uk/outside-uk

Next time it happens, try to listen to the same station via BBC Sounds app (the one from BBC) on your phone and and via BBC web site from a computer on the same LAN as your LMS.

Thank you very much for your help.

My TV is on the same network as my LMS hosted on my laptop. I checked again this morning and my TV's internet is happily streaming my local radio from BBC Sounds from bbc.co.uk. As is my phone via BBC Sounds app for Android.

I followed the link. I do use a VPN. My virtual IP address location is showing as London, England.
Regardless, disabling it has had the desired effect on LMS / BBC Sounds / local radio. Result!

I remain curious as to why LMS or BBC Sounds plug-in is more sensitive to the VPN, but the main thing is it is now working. Thank you.

[Paul Webster]

LMS and the BBC Sounds plugin don't know about the VPN.
It is BBC that is seeing traffic from the VPN provider and blocking.

Are your TV and phone (via WiFi) definitely using the same VPN connection?

[d6jg]

LMS and the BBC Sounds plugin don't know about the VPN.
It is BBC that is seeing traffic from the VPN provider and blocking.

Are your TV and phone (via WiFi) definitely using the same VPN connection?

It could easily be that the official Apps are connecting to a different CDN which is unaware of the VPN (at the moment)

[rockhopper]

LMS and the BBC Sounds plugin don't know about the VPN.
It is BBC that is seeing traffic from the VPN provider and blocking.

Are your TV and phone (via WiFi) definitely using the same VPN connection?

Apologies for the delayed reply. Yes, all my devices are on the same network from my Virgin Media Hub.

[Paul Webster]

But where is the VPN connection initiated from and is it transparently applied for all devices on the network?

If your TV has a web browser then you can access a site that shows the IP address of the visitor to verify that it is seen as a VPN address.

[rockhopper]

But where is the VPN connection initiated from and is it transparently applied for all devices on the network?

If your TV has a web browser then you can access a site that shows the IP address of the visitor to verify that it is seen as a VPN address.

Dear oh dear, I must be getting old or going senile!
I use AVG VPN s/w, installed on my laptop which also hosts my LMS. You have made me realise my TV's browser won't be included, nor will my phone!
Very sorry and thank you for your patience.

[vinnielo]

I documented the strange behaviour of the BBC local radio mp3 streams over the past few weeks.
They were either down or playing the wrong station:
Please see https://forums.digitalspy.com/discus...ment_101878339

BBC Radio Berkshire silent.
BBC Radio Derby (mistakenly said BBC Leeds before) airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Devon airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Foyle airing BBC Radio Lancashire.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Kent silent.
BBC Radio Lincolnshire airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Norfolk airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Nottingham airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Sheffield airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Solent for Dorset airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Somerset airing BBC Surrey.
BBC Radio Suffolk airing timeshifted BBC Radio Tees.
BBC Radio Surrey airing timeshifted BBC Radio Merseyside.
BBC Radio Wiltshire airing BBC Surrey.

It all seems to be fine again now.