SHOUTcast server
What is SHOUTcast
SHOUTcast is a indepentent platform, dedicated to streaming media on the Internet. SHOUTcast Radio is a relevant web site that provides a SHOUTcast server directory. The software, developed by Nullsoft, allows digital audio content, mainly in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be transmitted to and from a media player software allowing the creation of Internet radio stations..
Software design:
- SHOUTcast software uses a client-server model where each control communicates through a network protocol that mixes audio data with metadata such as song titles and station name. It uses HTTP as a transport protocol, although there is a choice of multicast. SHOUTcast servers and clients are available for Microsoft Windows, FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, and Solaris. Custom-only versions are available in Palm WebOS, Windows Mobile, Android OS, BlackBerry OS, Palm OS, Series 60, iPhone and iPad, UIQ, PlayStation Portable, DSOrganize and Wii.
The output format is supported by multiple clients, including Winamp, Exaile, Totem, Amarok, XMMS, Zinf, Songbird, foobar2000 and Apple iTunes from Nullsoft. SHOUTcast servers are usually linked to playlist files, which are small text files (usually with Pls or m3u endings) that contain the SHOUTcast server URL. When this URL is visited by a web browser that is identified as Mozilla-compliant (as most), the server will return a generated SHOUTcast server information/status page rather than streaming audio.
- Uses:
The most common use of SHOUTcast is to create or listen to audio streams on the Internet. Some traditional radio stations use SHOUTcast to expand their presence on the Web.
- History:
Built in 1999, the SHOUTcast broadcast protocol uses tags and metadata responses that all start with ICY, an abbreviation of "I Can Yell," the original name of the protocol. A cybercrime listed the icanyell.com/.net/.org domains before Nullsoft so Nullsoft changed the protocol name from I Can Yell to SHOUTcast. Despite the change of brand name, the ICY prefix continues in protocol specification.
- SHOUTcast Directory and Website:
A feature of SHOUTcast servers is the ability to optionally publish server information, including the number of current listeners, to a station list maintained by Nullsoft on the SHOUTcast website. Site visitors can choose a station to listen to and download a playlist file to use in their own SHOUTcast-enabled media player. In September 2008, Nullsoft redesigned the SHOUTcast web site, which had been around since 2000.
SHOUTcast was redesigned again in 2010 with more AOL appearance. As part of the redesign, the list and services were renamed "SHOUTcast Radio" instead of "SHOUTcast Streaming Technology". Redesign included a fully functional option for displaying the web page and the list with the old layout.
VideoLAN argues that "AOL's license to use SHOUTcast Radio servers could force us to integrate our Shoutcast Radio-based Spam and Adware Toolbar into our browser," and thus prevents open source software To use the SHOUTcast Radio servers. Therefore, VideoLAN has removed support for SHOUTcast Radio from version 1.1. Of the VLC media player and alternately turned users into the Icecast directory. Only access to the SHOUTcast station list was removed, not the ability to play SHOUTcast streams.
- Popularity:
Since 2008, up to 600,000 concurrent listeners can be seen at peak times, according to SHOUTcast self-reported statistics. The maximum and minimum number of listeners show wide fluctuations over the course of a day, with about three times the number of listeners at peak times compared to less time use. Since 2010, SHOUTcast Radio has more than 30,000 channels.
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