[Icecast] What Does Icecast Do

[Geoff Staples]

If you are broadcasting the same feed on all three stations, then, you 
can encode at a high bit rate (FM quality - see the Icecast 
documentation to decide format and bit rate).  Then, use Icecast to 
serve the feed and your stations can then attach to the feed and receive 
their signal. You can use authentication, or even an obscure mount name 
(If it isn't published anywhere, how could anyone guess that your feed 
is on http://232.156.023.232/uTe8GQ64.ogg)

But, here's a practical consideration: If you stream a private feed for 
your other stations to pick-up for rebroadcast, you will have a latency 
caused by buffering and other factors. So, you won't be able to have a 
program at a remote station start at exactly 10:00, for example. Nor 
will you be able to have the three stations synchronized.

The big advantage of streaming technology is that the origination point 
and the access points can be literally anywhere the Internet is 
available with no advance planning. You can even use wireless Internet 
technologies for broadcasting or receiving. But, it sounds like your 
origination point and your three access points are fixed locations - and 
there are only three of them.

Since you're talking about fixed locations and especially if you're 
broadcasting 24 hours per day, you may find that ISDN telephone lines 
are more reliable and less expensive (or at least competitive) than 
Internet technology.

Of course, you would still use Icecast for streaming to your audience as 
you mentioned no matter what you do for the links to your three radio 
stations.

Geoff

New Life Bible College and Seiminary wrote:

> Hello,
> I have another question as to what we need to use with our stations, 
> if Icecast is what we need.  We will be simulcasting three stations 
> through DSL. No one will be accessing this but our stations.  We will 
> put out our programming from the main office, hook up a computer at 
> three stations to receive the feed and put it out on air.  Then also 
> we will be on the internet with one of the stations.  Someone told me 
> that there were dedicated programs that are built just to stream from 
> one station to the other, that other people can't access. They said 
> that was best for streaming between stations.  What are we best to 
> do?  Use one of these programs for that and then use Icecast for 
> streaming through the internet?  Any ideas?
>
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