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Making Sense of Internet Radios

post #1 of 15
6/22/11 at 8:07am
Thread Starter 
Making Sense of Internet Radios
Author - Len Calderone


Radio, as we have known it, has morphed into something exciting, where we no longer have to tune-into a program at a certain time, or be forced to listen to music that is lackluster. We, the listeners, now control the media.

With streaming radio growing at a dazzling rate, you would expect a host of products to support this development. Well, the manufacturers are continuing to answer the call; and they continue to keep us happy, even if we are still wondering how the internet gets into the radio. Let's try to make some sense of how we can listen to thousands of radio stations from all over the world from our radio. In this article, I'll look at the table-top devices, otherwise known as Internet Radios. Whether you favor iHeart, Live 360, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, or Slacker, let's explore, discover and play.

Read the complete article at HomeToys.com
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post #2 of 15
6/23/11 at 4:02am
Nice tip. Thank you for the link.
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post #3 of 15
6/23/11 at 6:30am
The station I listen to at night is on the AM band. I can't use a AM radio next to our bed because of the RF thrown out by my CPAP machine. I'm currently using a PSP pumped through a Bose knock off Zenith. It uses their net player app from Shoutcast, so if they don't add it, you don't get it.
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post #4 of 15
7/3/11 at 9:20am
I bought one of those Logitech Squeezebox's for the family back in December. My son tried to set it up and "bricked" it by hitting a wrong button. There was nothing in the owners manual that mentioned anything about resetting it to factory settings so I sent an email to Logitech and they sent me the info. That fixed the issue and it has worked pretty well since then with a few glitches. Occasionally it downloads a software update and freezes. I have to unplug it for a few seconds and then it will start working again. It also locks up about once a month and needs a reboot by unplugging and replugging. Other than that I am pretty well pleased with it (love my Pandora) but sometimes wish I had gotten the stereo model.
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post #5 of 15
7/3/11 at 5:34pm
SO what codecs do these various models support? Many don't support HE-AAC (a limitation of a popular chipset), and non-support of HE-AAC *should* be a deal-killer for anyone looking for reasonable-quality audio.
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post #6 of 15
7/5/11 at 6:10am
hey thanks for tips...
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post #7 of 15
7/5/11 at 7:25am
Just for future reference for anyone curious about "Internet Radios". These hardware devices are pretty slick, but if you already have an Android or iOS capable smart phone there are several apps for each that will let you do the same thing. Many are free and will save you from paying for hardware you don't necessarily need. Of course, you may prefer to have a dedicated device for this purpose in your system, but I've been very happy with using my Android phone.
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post #8 of 15
7/5/11 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert2011 View Post
Just for future reference for anyone curious about "Internet Radios". These hardware devices are pretty slick, but if you already have an Android or iOS capable smart phone there are several apps for each that will let you do the same thing. Many are free and will save you from paying for hardware you don't necessarily need. Of course, you may prefer to have a dedicated device for this purpose in your system, but I've been very happy with using my Android phone.
There iPhone/Touch docks galore as well. (Even Bose makes one)

I noticed the same thing Five28 mentioned, most models require the use of headphones if you want stereo.

As far as Apps go, do they have they same restriction with the PSP radio app? (no ability to add stations) iHeartRadio, for example, is OAO by Clear Channel. I would be surprised to find an Infinity station in the list.
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post #9 of 15
7/5/11 at 9:17am
I'm using TuneIn radio for Android and have not found any restrictions.
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post #10 of 15
7/6/11 at 9:33am
I have not studied the internet radios available. but from time to time I use the many
stations that come attached to the free, i-tunes program. it looks to be about 1000 stations.
online, I go to my favorite AM and FM station as they both stream a broadcast.
the FM was a OTA one but the owner dropped Jazz for a new rock format.
but the old jazz station is still HD and online.
however having it tied to a clock radio set up would be good.
but I would like to be able to add my favorites to it's memory.
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post #11 of 15
12/18/11 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheQueenBee View Post

I have always liked the streaming internet radio stations. I am just amazed at how far our technology has taken our listening pleasures. I use the sonoro one. Really colorful and pretty!

We live in a downtown area where AM reception is pretty awful, and other than an long-established independent rock station and NPR, local non-college radio is a Clear Channel dominated wasteland. Thus, we picked up a Sangean Internet radio for the bedroom about five years ago so we could segue from our local stations to the BBC and some of our favorite stations we've heard around the US and the world. I also stream using Reciva Radio's mobile app (17k+ stations, as well as thousands more on demand) on my Ipad and iPhone as well, as well as the Vtuner app in our SC-57. It's made our XM/Sirius subscription pretty much irrelevant.
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post #12 of 15
2/3/12 at 7:45pm
Strictly streaming iTunes with ID3 display:



My Rokus:

M2000 Living Room
M500 Bathroom & Workshop
M1000 Basement HT workout.
M1001 Kitchen

Everything online, all favorites sync
on all devices, instant play without need
for additional displays or computers, fully
searchable iTunes database, large display,
coax/opti digital or analog out.
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post #13 of 15
2/22/12 at 7:34am
i love using pandora, but i have an old car and hate the FM transmitters i've used. is there a cheaper way to get pandora in my car that actually sounds decent?
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post #14 of 15
2/22/12 at 7:49am
Just yesterday, I picked up a bluetooth device, for about $70, from Costco; Jabra Journey. It has a clip for affixing it to the sun visor. It enables phone communication and provides a speaker for output of phone audio including voice directions from a GPS app or music from an appropriate app.
YMMV
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post #15 of 15
3/13/12 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CooperM View Post

i love using pandora, but i have an old car and hate the FM transmitters i've used. is there a cheaper way to get pandora in my car that actually sounds decent?

Not sure if it is that cheap, but if invest about $40 into a new car stereo most come with an aux audio in jack, or USB, in both cases a hard line going into the car stereo should mean no loss in quality.
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