[CLUE-Tech] icecast question

[David Anselmi]

Francis X. Maier wrote:
[...]
> According to the icecast docs, I should be able to http stream my mp3s 
> straight from my static_dir directory  -- in this case, 
> /usr/share/icecast/static.  I can listen to individual pieces just 
> fine.  See:
> 
> http://168.103.84.5:8000/file/von_bingen/instrumental_piece.mp3

I can point xmms at that URL and it plays at 32kbps.  I didn't do 
anything to add plugins to xmms, it seems to understand already.  Hey, 
that's pretty cool listening to some of the streams listed at icecast.org.

> But I'm completely confused about where to place my playlist, and how to 
> get my browser to read it, triggering the mp3s.  I'm also experimenting 
> with the MuSe broadcaster and xmms-liveice plugin, but both have baffled 
> me so far.

icecast is a little odd to me, I guess it needs a "front end" (or is it 
a back end?) that provides the audio it streams.  So xmms-liveice is a 
plugin that will send what your xmms is playing to icecast (which sends 
it to the rest of the world).

Just using the static directory it will serve individual files but it 
isn't very sophisticated.  If you use a streamer then you have more 
flexibility (like sending out one song after another).  The howto at:

http://quasi.ksl.com/icecast/book1.html

has some info, and for xmms-livecast there's:

http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=11289d

down at the bottom.  Seems that you install the plugin and then 
configure it just like you would livecast (except it streams whatever 
you've told xmms to play).

I'm not sure how much interaction the user gets.  Obviously if you're 
streaming live off audio coming in via a sound card, listeners get 
whatever you're sending at the moment.  But making a playlist seems to 
determine what order stuff goes out to the Internet, not what songs the 
listeners can pick from.

Huh, I can add several streams to xmms and then switch between them like 
they were different tracks in a playlist (though there's a pause for 
buffering each time).  But I guess you could put all your favorite 
stations in one list.

Not sure that's any help, but feel free to ask more specifically.  What 
exactly do you want to do that you're stuck on?  You've got the icecast 
piece working fine I think.

Dave