goldenfleece   11 #1 Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) What would anyone suggest would be a good MINIMUM spec for a desktop that was running 24/7 net radio playout software? It would only be doing audio play-out, nothing else, but would have to be consistent and reliable and able to handle 24-7 running with no issues. Playing FLAC audio, and sending stream via OBS initially,and running with external inputs from studio hardware mixer too. Edited July 19, 2020 by goldenfleece Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Albert the Cat   0 #2 Posted July 19, 2020 Raspberry Pi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
zach   234 #3 Posted July 19, 2020 I run a Ryzen 5 2400G and that's on 24/7 on my server, and has been running very good for well over a year now. The new generation is out now, either a Ryzen 5 3400G or Ryzen 3 3200G. The Ryzen 3 version comes in at about £80. I use a lot of FLAC and have had no issues with it.  I have a Pi4 (4GB) and while it could be an option, I think I'd go for the better hardware.  What sort of budget did you have in mind? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Ghozer   112 #4 Posted July 19, 2020 There are so many legal loop-holes you need to jump through for online radio... Also, depends on the output, are you using Shoutcast? (the usual for online radio) If so, then you need a Shoutcast server, which is a monthly cost, and then if you host it in the UK you have to pay license fees for broadcast of audio (so much per track, and only so many tracks per hour max etc) - you have to keep a log of every track played, and how often, the time/date etc... There are ways round such (such as the server being hosted in Sweden as an example) but it's such a minefield... and something I have a fair bit of experience with, having being involved with a few online radio stations... If you want something just to play-out to a server, which will then host the stream - even a single core 1.4Ghz with a couple of GB RAM will do the job... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
goldenfleece   11 #5 Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) May use Radio.co which is a cloud based system but I need to feed mostly live studio to it.Looking at various options, already have a studio so really now need to upgrade my PC to channel the stream to wherever it is going Edited July 20, 2020 by goldenfleece Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Ghozer   112 #6 Posted July 20, 2020 well that website has a guide any ways. including "what computer do I need" never heared of or seen "Radio.co" until now... And honestly, looking at their prices, It's a LOT for what they are providing, and there's NOTHING on the website that says anything about licensing, so I would assume you still need to pay for that seperate... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
goldenfleece   11 #7 Posted July 21, 2020 18 hours ago, Ghozer said: well that website has a guide any ways. including "what computer do I need" never heared of or seen "Radio.co" until now... And honestly, looking at their prices, It's a LOT for what they are providing, and there's NOTHING on the website that says anything about licensing, so I would assume you still need to pay for that seperate...  Yes, so for the time being I may stay with Mixcloud, only £10 a month, unlimited streaming with no copyright issues. Its pretty good at what it does Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Phanerothyme   12 #8 Posted October 25, 2020 Any reasonably modern PC/MAC wouldn't struggle with complex streaming tasks, providing it's a dedicated machine. Your main choice is the software. Spacial's SAM used to be the sine qua non of unattended radio station software, with complex automation script languages and all sorts, but I suspect it must have been superceded by now. If you really want to do internet radio, a PRS licence can be had for as little as £250 ish for a year (with limitations). Are people still using shoutcast? Something better must have come along by now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Ghozer   112 #9 Posted October 26, 2020 13 hours ago, Phanerothyme said: Any reasonably modern PC/MAC wouldn't struggle with complex streaming tasks, providing it's a dedicated machine. Your main choice is the software. Spacial's SAM used to be the sine qua non of unattended radio station software, with complex automation script languages and all sorts, but I suspect it must have been superceded by now. If you really want to do internet radio, a PRS licence can be had for as little as £250 ish for a year (with limitations). Are people still using shoutcast? Something better must have come along by now. It's still Shoutcast... it's still the primary way to stream audio only online... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
