BBC Ceases To Use MP3...

[Christopher Woods]

This is likely because they're now on Audio Factory. As of right now, 22 of 
the 40 LR stations are now on AF with the rest due to be migrated by Wednesday.

This will bring advantages in terms of a reduction in network complexity 
(seriously, it's a headache-inducing patchwork of different services and 
providers -- plus the audio quality of the old circuits is hugely variable 
and often quite ropey), and it'll bring a cost saving.

However, this means everything is moving to HLS/HDS (eventually also DASH) 
with no more WMA (or MP3). That I'm not so sad about. AAC has completely 
supplanted MP3 and I can't think of many (if any) devices that don't 
support it in hardware or via software update.

That said, there will remain a Shoutcast MP3 stream of Network stations for 
legacy internet radio devices - which won't be around for ever. I use 
(used!) the AAC Shoutcast streams and it'll be a loss to me as they're also 
being canned. But it's like arguing with the wind to expect a Shoutcast CDN 
to be kept running just so me and half a dozen others can listen to unicast 
AAC... ;)

More info published today from the manager of Audio Factory: 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/entries/977a1954-658f-4fb2-a23c-71680c49882f


On 9 February 2015 15:04:47 Steven Carr <sjcarr at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 9 February 2015 at 14:55, CJB <chrisjbrady at gmail.com> wrote:
> > ... well - at least for the Radio Lancashire folk prog. 'The Drift.'
> > This used to download in MP3 format along with hundreds of #'s. Now it
> > appears to be in M4A - the Beeb's usual format for audios. Just an
> > observation. CJB.
>
> I add the following flags to get it back to MP3 (and in a format where
> iTunes recognizes it as a podcast and doesn't screw with it)...
>
> --tag-podcast-radio --aactomp3
>
> Steve
>
> _______________________________________________
> get_iplayer mailing list
> get_iplayer at lists.infradead.org
> http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/get_iplayer