SHOUTcast Streaming with Hosting

Shoutcast is a Streaming Media Technology solution which allows broadcasting audio over the internet just like traditional television and radio broadcasts. Listeners can tune in through any media player: Shoutcast’s underlying technology for broadcasting audio is MPEG Layer 3 (also known as MP3), which can be used to stream audio effectively in a live situation. It can also be used to deliver on-demand audio for archived broadcasts and is compatible with the new aacPlus standard technology. Recon Hosting recommends Shoutcast Streaming Technology as it is compatible with all major media players available today.

So you’ve gotten to the point in your streaming journey where it’s time to make a decision. “What bitrate do I stream in?”

• Bit-rate is measured in ‘kbps’ (kilo-bits per second).
• Higher bitrates = higher sound quality. Lower bitrates = lower sound quality.
• Higher bitrates use up more bandwidth, increasing the cost to the broadcaster.
• Dial up users cannot reliably listen to anything higher than 24kbps.
• Poor-quality broadband connections or distant listeners may have difficulty with bitrates higher than 128kbps.
• Many workplaces (with shared internet connection) ban the use of streams higher than 56kbps.

• Talk radio bitrates are generally MP3 format, 24kbps-56kbps.
• Fair to good quality music bitrates are MP3 format, 64kbps-128kbps, with 96kbps+ recommended.