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

[Simon Nash]

Clive wrote:
> 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
> 
> 
Clive,
I agree about these benefits of 320k streams compared to 192k or 128k.
With 320k, I can really enjoy the music (on a good hi-fi system).  With
192k or 128k, I can listen to it but I find it hard to really enjoy it.

I think the question in my previous post might not have been quite clear.
I was asking specifically about the benefits of using the "--live" option
of rtmpdump, and batguano has now explained this.

   Simon