Problems with streaming playback

Leandrofiorenza

New member
Hello, how are you?. Well since early this year we moved the radio to another much larger city, to enable us. The problem was that moved the studios, but the FM transmitter plant remained in the city is 300 kilometers (186.41 miles), so the only option is to link via streaming 24 hours a 192k for no loss sound quality. For this we have a PC in the studies that we use RB for Music and other studies is responsible for receiving streaming (also through RB), sound processing, generate Stereo, RDS, check the connection speed Internet, etc..
Since we are linked by streaming the problems do not end ever!.
Here in the studies we have an internet connection great, never had a problem, but the weakness is the transmitter. In that city there is no really good Internet provider.
Furthermore consulted by a satellite link but is far from our budget.

So I was making all kinds of things for my radio silence is not in never (hence the change orders as requested buffer size which certainly cuts down a lot since then).

Recently in the PC transmitter implements a script that does the following:

1 - Check Internet Speed
2 - if the speed is less than "x" then opens with the following playlist Rb
Playlist:
Track 1 - streaming studies to 32 k
Track 2 - Aux track (if streaming does not work)

3 - if the speed is greater than "x" then opens with the following playlist RB
Track 1 - streaming studies to 192 k
Track 2 - Aux track (if streaming does not work)

A PC that's set up very carefully so that before a power is turned back on, and open all the programs and if the power goes out while turning never enter "System Restore" and so on.

I've done a great job to make things work always "OK" and this seems to be impossible.

My biggest weakness is the Internet connection in the city that the transmitter.
Since I have no change Internet providers, are all very bad!
The big problem is that streaming is issued, my problem is that sometimes the radio is silent.
I have fear of losing sponsors and audience.

This morning I received a message from the audience, wondering why on the radio did not hear anything. Quickly enter for remote access to PC transmitter. To my surprise I found that had been frozen RB loading buffer (the buffer was 25% and not moving) I returned to try to play streaming and it worked correctly. But this I decided to take the laptops and start making my own tests with RB streaming (disabling and enabling the plate to simulate a WiFi Internet outage) the idea was to see because it had been frozen RB loading buffer and because the detector silence did not work, and come to conclusions and discovered some very interesting things:


1 - When you load the buffer freezes Boss Radio (I think intentionally does not activate the detector of Silence)
That is very good, but I think audio ran out my radio why: radio boss was loading buffer and the Internet have been cut while the buffer is fills. and I am stuck forever  waiting for it to fill the buffer. Then came the Internet but was not that buffer layers to keep filling up.
I think the solution would be:
If the percentage of buffer size does not change for example 10 seconds,
Change track. But it's good block the detector of silence, because if the load buffer that takes longer than required to fill the silence detector, will not play streaming.

2 - If the buffer is empty in the middle of streaming playback if there would be good if the silence detector is active, to avoid small cuts constantly.


3 - I tried also in case the Internet connection and the streaming server work but not this broadcast anything (bone when RB says service unavailable)
Then when I started to transmit on the same steraming and wanted to try again but despite playing now is running the straming, the program still says service unavailable.
To return to play that streaming is necessary to close and reopen RB.

But there is something I found very good and I emphasize this, I disconnected the Internet for 10 seconds, playing a stream and then reconnected and RB fails to connect instantly and continue to fill the buffer and not noticed anything, it seemed great.  :)
I also want to note that the synchronization of metadata is very good! And this is very important to me because on the PC I get this metadata are then transferred to Stereo Tool and transmits this RDS format.



Thanks and sorry for the extension!
 
1, 2 - Currently there's no timeout set for data delivery, so RB will wait  (while buffering or while playback), no matter how long it takes... This will be changed in 4.7.3.

3 - This will be checked.
 
Could you please give more information on #3 - a quick test showed, that it can play the stream which previously failed.
 
Here's a quick update: http://dl.djsoft.net/radioboss_setup_4.7.2.1.exe
It introduces the "Network timeout" setting (located under Settings->Playback->Miscellaneous) - the setting affects pre-buffering and streams playback. The default is 10 seconds, but you may want to increase this.
 
Leandrofiorenza said:
It works great! I think this will ever remain in my radio silence! Thanks :)
If network connection is slow you'll still experience several seconds of silence...

Regarding the problem #3 you reported (when stream sometimes refused to play once it failed) - this is fixed, but wasn't included in the latest 4.7.2.1 build. This goes to the next update which will be released by July 5th.
 
Leandrofiorenza said:
Ok, but what worried me was that my radio is completely silent, and this was corrected :).
3 - but was able to reproduce the bug?
I didn't see this bug myself, but I've checked the bug tracker and there are similar reports.
 
djsoft said:
Leandrofiorenza said:
Ok, but what worried me was that my radio is completely silent, and this was corrected :).
3 - but was able to reproduce the bug?
I didn't see this bug myself, but I've checked the bug tracker and there are similar reports.
hi, there is an error yet. now start remote access to the PC that plays a streaming 24 hours and was playing a playlist of emergency, which began when he falls for internet. try re reroducir streaming (as internet and shoutcast server was running) but approximately 10 seconds (without reaching the maximum time to wait for the buffer is full, and without even marking buffer 0%) played the next track. I tested the streaming with winamp and it worked fine. RadioBooss then rebooted but the problem continued. got it working by adding a new direction of streaming (other radio test mode) and it worked. then try again to play my streaming and there if he could play properly. maybe it strikes me that at some point cut is online, and then RB was not playing the streaming layers. regards
 
If I understood correctly, this bug was fixed in the latest version. After connection failed, it refused to play the stream from the same address... but now it works.
Please give more details on the issue.
 
djsoft said:
If I understood correctly, this bug was fixed in the latest version. After connection failed, it refused to play the stream from the same address... but now it works.
Please give more details on the issue.

The truth is stranger, so far I do not happen again. And that PC is getting 24 hours streaming.
If at any time fails again, be installing a screen capture software, to see when this error happens and I will notify.


I would ask if possible to implement a new option for streaming playback: If during playback of streaming buffer empties completely (bone that would be a mute) play the next track, instead of trying to load it again, because it's awful constantly hear silences on the Internet playing when wrong, and I can lose audience.

And I would like to soon plenum of a pre-loading buffer.  ;D



When is planning to launch RB 4.8? because I am anxious to new functions.
For future versions I would like the following:

* Audio bars are moved in synchronism with the audio. Bone for example if you use a buffer of 250 thousandths of seconds the audio bars that have a delay time.

* Automatic Updates: I think it would be easy to implement from RSS reader that detects when a new update, showing the changes and also allow the download from there.

* Interact with the form of songs using an API (as I read in the forum, the development of an API is promised).

* A new application programming exclusively for advertising.

* E-mail alerts when an event occurs uncommon, for example RB restarts or is turned ON silence. (Also I read on the forum).

* Interact with the database like Gracenote music or Echonest for meta-data of the tracks and look for them or write them not to need.

Have a nice day :)
 
When playing a network stream, and buffer becomes empty - it goes to the next track. It doesn't try to reload a stream. There'll be some time of silence - program waits several seconds for data before deciding that connection is lost.
To not lose audience, you should perform some steps to avoid stream disconnecting - first of all, find out what causes stream disconnect. If it's ISP problem - switch to another ISP. You can also try using Silence Detector.

All the features (except for the last one) are already planned for the near future.
 
Thanks I think these functions are going to be very useful to all users of Radio Boss  :)

I have clear is that the problem was the ISP. probably a low rate not enough to play uncut streaming at 192 kbps. while the problem is the ISP, if one day internet works very slow this is going to happen again with any ISP. I have silenciolo detector seteado in just 4 seconds. but did not work for that silence was not constant. but it was reproduced streaming every 2 seconds but there was a silence (probably back to reload the buffer) and then reproduced audio and so constantly. I was told that estubo well for two hours, probably because after normalized increase internet speed.
Buy a router TP-Link TL-R480T I had said it was adding two layers of internet connections, with the idea of hiring two ISP. but then I realized you can not add velocities. what this team is a load balancing and does not serve me as they can only get packets streaming by a single ISP may not automatically change if an ISP is slow, it is only possible if it does not work all.
On August 18 I have to return to the city where I have the floor broadcaster and I'll make heavy use of internet and I will capture a video of the PC, so you can see what happens.
My request is that found when these cuts occur in playback of streaming and play the next track.
 
Using a router with several ISP connections is a good idea.
Of cource, it depends on what location you're in... but most ISPs offer several megabit speeds, so playing 192kbps shouldn't be a problem at all.

From RadioBOSS side, I think we'll add buffer underrun detection and allow user to select an action (wait for data/go to next track).
 
the connection that I have in the transmission plant is only 1 mb (according to my test really does not reach 600 KB) reaching well as the speed is stable but eg if I use the ISP to surf at the same time begin to make cuts in reproduction.
To reach this place only 3 ISPs (not including 3G and satellite technologies are very expensive) so here I have not many options.
Thank you very much for the implementation of this! :)
 
Surfing and streaming on a 0.5 mb line doesn't look like a good idea to me... Especially that you're aware of the problems it causes (stream stalls because of insufficient speed).
 
is true, but only rarely surfing
New error detected: when playing streaming if the buffer is empty, there is a brief silence, and then Start the straming playing again, it does not wait for the buffer to complete the number of seconds configured, Thanks
 
Leandrofiorenza said:
New error detected: when playing streaming if the buffer is empty, there is a brief silence, and then Start the straming playing again, it does not wait for the buffer to complete the number of seconds configured, Thanks
So, the stream is playing, then buffer bacames empty for some reason. And then, it starts playback again, but the buffer is not full? Maybe it's just insufficient network speed?
 
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