Chapter Synopsis

This chapter introduces you to the icecast program itself, related applications, and the concepts behind audio encoding and streaming.

The most popular audio encoding format at this time is MP3. Though the alternative encoding solution, Ogg Vorbis, is gaining in popularity, MP3 is here to stay. This chapter explains the basics behind MP3 and audio encoding principles. Be aware that some of this chapter was borrowed from the O'Reilly publication, MP3: The Definitive Guide. This chapter is available on the Internet. I felt it important enough to have borrowed and altered some of the content and to have listed it here. I do not in any way take credit for the majority of the chapter and its contents. Because this book is no longer under active publication and because the material is still important enough to be cited, I have placed partial content here in this chapter.

This chapter explains what hardware and software applications are required to stream via a networked connection; either over the Internet or within a centralized LAN.

Before going live with any form of audio, some form of audio encoders should be in place. This chapter explains the types of free encoders available and how to install and use them immediately. It also explains the technical details behind the most popular audio format, MP3. Ogg Vorbis is also looked at as the new audio encoding solution.

Though newer icecast users are adapting quickly to version 2, there are some who still prefer the older release. Development on icecast version 1.x is now deprecated. However, there exist applications that still require and use the older release quite well. This chapter explains the pros and cons associated with this prior working release.

Configuring the icecast1 server is only the initial step of creating an audio server. Icecast requires a streaming utility to which listeners can connect. A streamer handles incoming requests for audio streams. This chapter examines a few of the more popular streaming tools available.

The latest icecast release has many new features. This chapter lays out detailed instructions for obtaining the latest release, installing the program, and beginning preliminary customization.

Many of the icecast and related XML configuration files appear cryptic upon first glance. This chapter breaks down each element and explains what each does and how to edit them to accommodate your streaming needs.

In addition to having a functioning icecast server, there are several other streaming solutions available. This chapter looks at some other streaming programs for use with Linux and Windows.

With the emergence of the latest icecast audio server there are new audio streaming utilities available. Those listed here are used for streaming in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats.

Existing static audio files may not be in the format of choice. Convert MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files to different formats for ease in transmission.

If listener statistics are important to you or your company, this chapter explores some possibilities on how to best log, track and graph user connection times.

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of real-world applications and suggestions to make the audio streaming experience easier and more dynamic.

This is a handy resource of all available applications covered in this book along with detailed descriptions of each.

This is a handy resource of all available applications covered in this book along with detailed descriptions of each.

Provided are some default and customized icecast.xml and ices.xml files for your perusal. Other default configuration files are provided as needed.

The section covers the basics of what you need to know before streaming audio over the Internet and what constitutes "fair use" of static audio and music files.