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Winamp [aacPlus]

iTunes [MP3]

Windows Media Player

Need help tuning in?

Which format should I choose?
Dial-up users, go aacPlus
A note about firewalls
What is aacPlus?
What do I need to listen to your aacPlus streams?

WHICH FORMAT SHOULD I CHOOSE?
It largely depends on what media players you have installed on your computer and your personal preferences. If you're impatient and don't feel like screwing with it, just start clicking the orange LISTEN links at the upper right corner of the page. One of them is bound to work.

Winamp [aacPlus]
Streaming CD-quality in stereo that beats Windows Media and MP3. Also a good call if you're trying to skimp on the bandwidth to make sure your company's IT department doesn't notice. You'll need the latest version of Winamp. This stream is also compatible with VLC Player on Mac and other *nixes.

iTunes [MP3]
If you want to listen using iTunes, this is the way to go. Compatible with a ton of players including iTunes on Mac/PC, Winamp, RealPlayer and many more.

Windows Media Player
You'll need Windows Media Player and follow the instructions for installing the Orban aacPlus plugin here.

DIAL-UP USERS, GO AACPLUS
Ummm, why are you still on dial-up modem? I guess that's your choice if you want to surf the web at glacial speeds. But please, for your listening pleasure, make sure to grab a copy of Winamp and choose the Winamp [aacPlus] stream links.

A NOTE ABOUT FIREWALLS
All of our streams now stream on port 80 which means you should have no trouble picking them up through a firewall. Now that doesn't mean that your overly paranoid corporate IT staff isn't actively filtering streaming media on your firewall. But that's an entirely different situation and one that neither we nor you can do anything about.

WHAT IS AACPLUS?
aacPlus is a new audio format that allows for stereo, near CD-quality streaming audio at only 32 kbps. This means that high quality Internet radio has finally become affordable. Offers vastly superior fidelity over MP3, Windows Media, Real Audio and Ogg Vorbis at equivalent low bitrates.

<geek>

From Coding Technologies' website:

MPEG-4 aacPlus is the combination of three MPEG technologies comprising Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), coupled with Coding Technologies' Spectral Band Replication (SBR), and Parametric Stereo (PS) technologies. SBR is a unique bandwidth extension technique which enables audio codecs to deliver the same quality at half the bit rate. PS significantly increases the codec efficiency a second time for low bit rate stereo signals.

SBR and PS are both forward and backward compatible methods to enhance the efficiency of any audio codec. As a result, aacPlus delivers streaming and downloadable 5.1 multichannel audio at 128 kbps, near CD-quality stereo at 32 kbps, excellent quality stereo at 24 kbps, and good quality for mixed content even below 16 kbps mono. This level of efficiency fundamentally enables new applications in the markets of mobile and digital broadcast.

</geek>

WHAT DO I NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR AACPLUS STREAMS?
You'll need the latest version of Winamp on Windows or VLC Player on Mac and other *nixes. iTunes does not currently support the aacPlus format (aac and aacPlus are similar but different beasts). Hopefully Apple will eventually support aacPlus in the next major revision of Quicktime.

Media Player Downloads

For Windows:
iTunes
Windows Media Player
Winamp
RealPlayer
Foobar2000
Quintessential Player

For Macintosh:
iTunes
MPlayerOSX
Audion
MacAmp Lite X

For Linux/*nix/*BSD:
XMMS
MPlayer
mpg123

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