BBC HiDef radio

Posted by: MartinKocurek on 30 June 2015

Could you help me which iRadio I should use to utilize fully new capabilities of our streamers and listen HD radio?

I am not from UK and tehre is plenty of BBc radios.

I have NDX (without FM/DAB) - just iRadio.

 

Thank you

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Hi, so called HD radio is not really HD as we use the term generally on this forum. HD web radio or iRadio is simply a term used to describe lossy feeds with higher bandwidth (192 to 360 kbps) compared to traditional web radio which has been the rather paltry 128 kbps or less.

The BBC in the UK have launched web radio using HLS containers which are more suited to streaming media which contain higher bandwidth lossy codecs such as AAC. The new firmware from Naim supports these formats.

But put simply I say so called HD radio really refers to anything with a lossy codec above 128kbps which typically is somewhat mid-fi.

Simon

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by MartinKocurek

OK, many thanks for explanation.

I like to listen to pure English radios - I like to listen british accent :-)

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Depending whete you are you can have a dose of British accents from the BBC World Service on shortwave, web radio as above and online.

You then find of course there is not a single British accent, there is a whole collection of regional and country accents.. And some times over a distance of just 60km an accent can change a lot, especially for those parts of the  local population that haven't moved around. Otherwise the accent becomes a more generalised regional accent. These are more common on the radio.

These more local accents are quite uncommon on the radio unless you go local radio.

Simon

 

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by joerand
Originally Posted by MartinKocurek:

I like to listen to pure English radios - I like to listen british accent :-)

Hah hah

When I had a Garmin GPS in my car my kids always set the voice to 'the British lady'. They found that voice more authoritative and entertaining than its American counterpart.

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Adam Meredith
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:
And some times over a distance of just 60km an accent can change a lot,

Probably an inevitable consequence of shouting.

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Mike-B
Originally Posted by MartinKocurek:

Could you help me which iRadio I should use to utilize fully new capabilities of our streamers and listen HD radio?

I am not from UK and tehre is plenty of BBc radios.

I have NDX (without FM/DAB) - just iRadio.

 

Thank you

 I believe the new BBC HLS streams are not available outside UK,  I believe it will be either MP3 or AAC @ 128kbs & possibly 320kbs on Radio-3 

The HLS service differentiates HD with 339kbs & regular SQ with 135kbs,  but as Simon says its not really HD,  just a bit more D than the lower bitrate

 

Can someone from Naim please advise on where the BBC HLS service is available

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Claus-Thoegersen

Even with the servers under stations Naim's choice, there is a BBC 3 channel streaming at 328 aac, but no sound there. It seems you need to be in the UK to listen to it, unless you are going to see if you can find a workaround making the service believe you are in the uk, but this is usually done on a pc. I do not know if you can change that on the router with some of the availabel services. 

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Simon-in-Suffolk
Originally Posted by Adam Meredith:

Probably an inevitable consequence of shouting.

Oh yes, nothing like those strained larynx vowels.

 

Posted on: 30 June 2015 by Simon-in-Suffolk
Originally Posted by Claus-Thoegersen:

Even with the servers under stations Naim's choice, there is a BBC 3 channel streaming at 328 aac, but no sound there. It seems you need to be in the UK to listen to it, unless you are going to see if you can find a workaround making the service believe you are in the uk, but this is usually done on a pc. I do not know if you can change that on the router with some of the availabel services. 

Hi according Jim Simmons at the BBC the Beeb will be migrating to HE-AAC v1 streams (AAC in a special container) for the international and mobile listeners. These bit rates will be at 96 and 48 kbps.

But it is a good question and am away from my Naim so can't check, I don't know whether vTuner points to these services yet,or still the legacy MP3, AAC direct and WMA codecs for non UK listeners.

Simon