What is the --mode= command for R3 high quality aac streams please

[Clive]

On 14/05/2011 09:42, Simon Nash wrote:
> bat guano wrote:
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------
>>> Date: Fri, 13 May 2011 22:07:30 +0100
>>> From: clivebuc at gmail.com
>>> To: get_iplayer at lists.infradead.org
>>> Subject: Re: What is the --mode= command for R3 high quality aac
>>> streams please
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 13/05/2011 21:44, bat guano wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----------------------------------------
>>>>> Date: Fri, 13 May 2011 20:25:56 +0100
>>>>> From: clivebuc at gmail.com
>>>>> To: get_iplayer at lists.infradead.org
>>>>> Subject: What is the --mode= command for R3 high quality aac
>>>>> streams please
>>>>>
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> It seems that R3 is broadcasting 320K aac streams for their evening
>>>>> live
>>>>> concerts. Can anyone guide me as to the correct --mode=?? switch to
>>>>> secure those streams please?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you.
>>
>>
>>>>> Clive
>>>> Hi
>>>> It was mentioned in an email some months ago.
>>>> I can't find the email now, but this is the command to download the
>>>> 320Kbps aac stream in an flv container:-
>>>>
>>>> get_iplayer --get --type=liveradio
>>>> "http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/4/gtis/?server=cp60703.live.edgefcs.net&identifier=Special_Event1_UK@s6485&kind=akamai&application=live"
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Thanks for the replay batguano - I can see this is to access the live
>>> stream (which I have never tried but now I know how). What I was after
>>> is the mode to d/l the file later. My default mode is --mode=flashaac
>>> for R4 and R4Ex but that gets me 128K - is there a 320K equivalent
>>> please?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> Clive
>> Hi
>> I don't think that the Radio 3 'listen again' shows are available in
>> 320Kbps format... but maybe I'm wrong.
>> See if someone else corrects me.
>>
>> By the way, when using my previous command to download the live
>> 320Kbps stream, it gives me better results if I include:-
>> --rtmp-liveradio-opts --live
>> in the command.
>> Like this:-
>> get_iplayer --get --type=liveradio --rtmp-liveradio-opts --live
>> "http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/4/gtis/?server=cp60703.live.edgefcs.net&identifier=Special_Event1_UK@s6485&kind=akamai&application=live"
>>
>>
>>
> Can you say a little more about what kind of better results you get when
> you use this option?
>
> Simon
>>
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>>
>>
>
>
Simon,

In general, any lossy encode at 320K will sound better than one at 128K. 
Less so for spoken word where the frequency range of spoken word is 
relatively low. Much more so with orchestral music where the frequency 
range from the lowest bass to the highest violin is so much greater. On 
the 320K encode, the clipping and sibilance will be much reduced. Now, 
this is all depending on ones own listening conditions and the age of 
ones ears.

If you listen on small, cheap earphones while walking in the street or 
travelling on public transport (as many of us do) then you may not hear 
the difference much. If you play it back through a better pair of 
headphones or speakers then the difference is immediately apparent. I 
get much pleasure from orchestral music on a portable player, on cheap 
headphones, with 128K or 192K encodes. When I plug that player into a 
stereo amplifier and play back through a respectable pair of hi-fi 
speakers, the music sounds constrained, restricted and 'boxy'. 320K 
encodes reduce that effect greatly.

It seems that the 320K encodes can only be accessed from the live stream 
and not from the listen again stream. This means recording live rather 
than downloading later at ones own convenience.

I don't know how to tell the encode rate of a file from the file itself. 
I have d/l an evening concert running to just under three hours and had 
expected a file around 180MB. The file is actually over 250MB so that 
suggests the listen again encode is higher - can anyone clarify this please?

Clive