Wednesday, August 27, 1997

Wednesday, August 27, 1997

Wednesday, August 27, 1997

The Internet: Tune in and chip out?

By BRIAN BETHEL / Abilene Rpeorter-News

Moving from hacker's dream to reality at the speed of the Net (somewhere just short of light), on-demand audio has become a pretty hot property.

Can't get your favorite national radio shock jock in, say, Albany? Really feel a need for some Industrial Techno? Want to hear your favorite ballgame live -- even if it's on the other side of the country?

You can find all that and more on the Internet. Just be prepared to deal with some pops, hisses and delays along the way.

YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE

Here's the principle behind "streaming," a.k.a. live, on-demand, audio:
-- You click on an audio "program" you want to hear -- usually located on a web site.
-- If all goes well, the server on the other end should immediately begin sending you highly condensed sound data. It can even do this for live broadcasts. Until recently, such technical wizardry wasn't even possible.

-- Within a second or two, your audio player (there are currently three that are common) should kick in. You should hear the audio, which is simultaneously being downloaded and played, as a single, unbroken file.

-- This, admittedly, rarely works this smoothly.

Streaming audio works great for AM-quality voice broadcasts, such as talk shows, and thus there's "talk Internet" in abundance these days.

But a lot of the content available is music. And while current-generation software can support stereo output, you'll never confuse it with CD-quality sound.

If you have a fast connection, such as an ISDN line or maybe even a T1 or T3 connection at work, the sound quality gets much better. But even then, you'll probably hear some pops, hisses and static.

In worst-case scenarios, the file may stall and you'll hear a break in the audio playback while your modem/processor struggles to keep up.

BUT AFTER ALL THAT WORK ...

So, with all that in mind, what's the appeal?

When it does work, and it does more often than not these days, streaming audio is nothing short of amazing.

You can listen to radio stations in your favorite format from all over the world. Lots of Abilene stations (such as KEYJ) are on the Internet, too. (Most good search engines have lists of on-line radio stations you can access.)

Sports programming is a big part of the Internet experience, and there's always a game to listen to online -- even after it's over.

The amount of talk radio on the Internet is staggering, with everything from the paranormal to home repair represented. A lot of shows these days even have archives, so if you can't listen to the program live, you can listen to it later.

Heck, you "Cops" fans can even listen to the Dallas police department's scanner traffic as it happens. (Those traffic stops are kind of boring, though ...)

Once you get a player (I'll tell you how below), surf on over to AudioNet, http://www.audionet.com, to see a good variety of what you can do. Everything I've just described is available there.

The biggest broadcast network on the Internet, AudioNet has literally hundreds of new things to see and do every day, an on-line CD jukebox of popular artists and special events -- even "live" concerts -- galore.

Once you see how much is out there, I guarantee you'll find something you want to hear.

MAKING IT SO

So how do you do all this? Simple.

Well, relatively.

Using your web browser, download one of three current programs: Dallas-based Progressive Networks' RealAudio player, Microsoft's NetShow or AudioNet's new Media Player. Install the software like you would any other application.

A brief word of warning: RealAudio and NetShow are completely different formats. The web site you're on should tell you which program to use to hear what they have to offer.

RealAudio (http://www.realaudio.com) is the most popular and the oldest format. Chances are if you're already listening to audio feeds over the Internet, you're using it.

NetShow (http://www.microsoft.com) is catching on, although as usual Microsoft is playing catchup to a young, upstart company with -- let's be honest -- better, fresher ideas.
But AudioNet's player (http://www.audionet.com) is the most interesting.

Now in its infancy, Media Player supports both RealAudio and NetShow formats. That's a big leap toward simplifying things, and I for one would like to see it catch on.

All of the programs are free for downloading and general use. To get full commercial versions with slightly better audio quality, some of them require a licensing fee, usually less than $40.
Once you have your player, do a search for something like "Internet Radio" or "Internet Audio Networks" or the like. Click on something you want to hear, and if Net congestion isn't too high ...

Well, kick back and enjoy.

THE FUTURE, LIVE AND IN STEREO

Modems are getting faster. Computers are getting faster. With each incarnation, audio software is getting more efficient.

What that means is that someday -- perhaps pretty soon -- we'll be able to get real, honest-to-goodness sound that you can't distinguish from the disc in your CD changer. Your selection will stream over in REAL real time, and the entire process will be seamless.
Until then, there's still a lot of compelling reasons for firing up that browser and seeking out some cool tunes or talk.

But we're still a long way off from perfection, something I'm sure makes record companies and radio stations rest a bit easier.
For now.
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We're still looking for ways to fight Internet SPAM. Send them to biznews@abinews.com, give us a call at (915) 673-4271, or mail in your ideas to P.O. Box 30, Abilene, Texas 79604.
And remember, if you have a topic you'd like to see addressed in this column, let me know.