Radio on PC - how to get etc.,

travel_freak

Hello,

I would like to listen to the radio through my PC and laptop.

I've just clicked "listen" on the BBC's website but it keeps telling me I need to download a windows media player Firefox plug in - I have downloaded and installed this but it keeps giving me the same message.

Is there another way to get the radio on my laptop?

I've Googled and something called Radio toolbar came up - has anyone used this and is it safe to install?

Also as I have mobile broadband I have a set limit each month - does anyone know if listening to live radio uses up much MB/GB?

Many thanks in advance.

Sitting at work now, extremely bored and can't get any radio reception from my portable radio so if anyone is awake now and can help I'd be delighted!!

Thx in advance.

Greensprout

IE, give that a try until you get Firefox sorted..

travel_freak

Hi,

Thanks, using IE it brings up the "iPlayer radio console" but when I click on the station and play still nothing happens - I've turned up the volume etc. Any ideas? I take it I don't need to plug in speakers - I can normally hear DVDs/CDs without speakers or headphones.

Many thx

weegie.geek

Screamer radio.

Great little app with loads of radio stations. No other codecs to install, no reaplayer, none of that. It's one standalone app so you don't have to browse to the BBC website.

As for bandwidth usage, you're looking at 1MB a minute, give or take. Some stations will be higher, some will be lower. 128kbps is the average bitrate for a station, and a minute of that will use up 1MB so you can increase or decrease accordingly.


If you want something a little more specialised in terms of the music you want to hear, have a search around the shoutcast website. You should be able to listen to most (all?) of the shoutcast stations with Screamer Radio.

If you get to choose betwee AAC+ and MP3, the AAC+ will give decent quality but will use significantly less bandwidth. OGG Vorbis is far more efficient than MP3 as well.