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ColinB
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 Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 12:21 pm Post subject: The new Radio Player interface |
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I'm sure I've seen a thread on this same topic but after a quick search I can't find it, so apologies for duplication if that's the case...
Anyway, I really don't like the new Radio Player interface. I'm listening to Radio 2 for the first time this week (with nothing worthy of the effort of tuning in at times that suit me during the week) and I'm now listening to Tony Blackburn's POTPs on my Mac using Radio Player.
The sound isn't as good as the now-discarded player; it's obviously compressed more highly - due in part to the audio codec that's employed with Adobe Flash, no doubt - and it's muddy compared to other streams that deliver Radio 2's output.
I've switched to the stream on TuneIn Radio and it's much better. Quite why that should be is anybody's guess because that app will only be pulling the feed that the BBC puts into the digital domain - but it does sound better.
The system I have attached to my Apple Mac takes an SPDIF output from the back of the machine, with the combined amp/sub-woofer sending analogue outputs to stereo speakers, so the monitoring quality is good. But the Beeb's new player just sounds flat.
I learned last week that the BBC is to open up iPlayer more widely to allow streaming of other TV networks' output as well. That's good - in theory - as long as they don't compromise quality by compressing too heavily in Flash (efficient though it is as an online media delivery platform). |
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Helen May
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19294
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Colin,
So this new Radio player is now the only way of listening to BBC radio via a computer?
I've only listened through the laptop speakers so haven't really noticed any difference but the speakers aren't that good so not the best way to test it. Seems anything new is worse than what we previously had these days. 
H
_________________
88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!
I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005 |
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Ian Robinson
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 3597
Location: Chorley, Lancashire
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:52 pm Post subject: Re: The new Radio Player interface |
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| ColinB wrote: | | Anyway, I really don't like the new Radio Player interface. |
I was thinking it was just me. For something that's been such a long time coming, it's really ugly and user-unfriendly. So many searches, so many clicks, and a system that really requires you to know what you're looking for in the first place.
My only real bugbear with iPlayer is it never knows the shows I'm into but at least it offers me something. You go to iPlayer and it says "Try me! And me! And me!" but this just says "come on then, find something if you can figure out how."
And that's all before you actually hear the damn thing... |
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Fred
Joined: 04 Apr 2007
Posts: 225
Location: Cirencester, Gloucestershire
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Helen May
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19294
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Fred, I've saved the links.
H
_________________
88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!
I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005 |
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