U S I N G  S H O U T C A S T

 
Description

Shoutcast is a distributed streaming audio system which enables the broadcasting and receiving of Internet streaming audio. More information is available at <http://www.shoutcast.com>. Although Shoutcast server software is not currently available for the Macintosh platform, MACAST will now allow users to tune into Shoutcast streams served from other platforms.

 

Tuning In

To tune into Shoutcast streams, choose Open Location from the File menu and type in the IP address of the desired server. Pressing (Command-L) or clicking the 'Open Location' button will also open this dialogue. After typing the address, pressing return will cause MACAST to attempt to connect to the server. Clicking "Add to playlist" will place the item at the bottom of the playlist, so that it can be easily accessed in the future. Once a server is on the playlist, its name can be changed from the simple IP address to something more convenient. Names can be changed by highlighting the server in the playlist and choosing "Get Info" from the File menu. (Command-I) will also bring up the "Get Info" dialogue.

Finding A Server

There are two comprehensive lists of Shoutcast servers, available on the web at <http://yp.shoutcast.com> and <http://yp.icecast.org>. These servers provide brief descriptions of the servers and IP addresses to connect to. Also of note is the server stream rate. Keep in mind that it is impractical for a user with a connection slower than the stream to attempt to connect, as the low speed and frequent pauses to rebuffer would be inhibitive. When MACAST is run for the first time, it will configure the Internet Preferences to automatically play Shoutcast streams when a Shoutcast link is clicked. This will work with most browsers, however, Netscape users must configure the browser separately. Please see "Configuring Netscape for Shoutcast".

Configuring Netscape for Shoutcast

Instructions for configuring Netscape browsers to send Shoutcast streams to MACAST directly are as follows:

1. Open Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator
2. Go to Preferences
3. Click on the Applications tab
4. Click the "New" button
5. Fill the dialog as follows:
     a. Description: Shoutcast
     b. MIME type: audio/x-scpls
     c. Suffixes: (Blank)
     d. Handle by... application (pick MACAST 1.0)
     e. File type: LIST
     f. Uncheck the 'Macintosh File' and 'Use this MIME type for outgoing attachments' checkboxes
5. Done

Rebuffering

When MACAST connects to a Shoutcast stream, it fills its buffer with the stream from the server. As it plays, it refills this buffer continously. However, if the stream plays faster than the connection at which it is being refilled (this occurs when the server or user is on a slow connection), MACAST will eventually empty the buffer. When this happens, MACAST pauses to rebuffer. While it is rebuffering, the stream will stop until the buffer refills entirely. When the buffer is full, MACAST will again play the stream.

Icecast

Icecast is a freeware alternative to Shoutcast. It is an open source audio streaming server that anyone may modify, use, and tinker with, and it is developed under the GNU General Public License. More information is available at <http://www.icecast.org>.

 

 

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