Streaming to capturing

March 31, 2003

Bookmarks

If you listen to streaming music as much as I do, you’ll enjoy this piece on recording streaming audio by Mark Twain of TechTV.

Capture Internet Audio Streams
Record your favorite shows for listening at your leisure.
By Mark Swain

Most streaming broadcasting companies don’t want listeners to record their broadcasts. Applications such as Windows Media Player and RealPlayer don’t include record options. So how do you record a live Internet broadcast, or any other streaming audio?

On today’s show we’ll show you how to turn your computer into a TiVo-like device for Internet streaming audio.

Audio interceptor

This method is crude, but it works. Take the analog audio out of your sound card and route it to the audio input of the same sound card. Then use any audio recording application to digitally re-record the input signal. However, this method is a hassle to set up, and the analog quality isn’t nearly as good as is the original digital broadcast quality.

Ideally, you’d intercept and record the digital audio signal. That way, there’s no hardware to set up and the audio quality remains digital The application re-records and recompresses the signal, but the audio is still digital.

There are several Windows and Macintosh applications for intercepting digital audio and recording the broadcast into your favorite audio format.

Live Stream Recorders
Live-stream recorders record any signal—Internet stream, music, audio from videogames, and so on—produced using your sound card.

Live-stream recording is simple. Enter the URL and the file name for the sound file. Hit start/stop record. This method works well, but you’ll need to be at your computer to start and stop the recording.

VCR-Style Recorders
The best stream recorders have a VCR- or TiVo-style interface that lets you program show times. These recorders are handy if you want to record your favorite programs each week.

One of the best VCR-style recorders for the PC is Replay Radio. This simple application lets you record a live stream. It also lets you program the dates and times of your favorite shows. Just enter the station’s URL, the date, and the time to record.

Applian Replay Radio ($29)
Blaze Audio Power Record ($19)

Rip Casting
If you’re a fan of radio stations that use either Shoutcast or IceCast servers, RipCast is the recorder for you. It not only records a live broadcast over the Internet, but also rips the broadcast into individual songs.

Story at TechTV