Live Broadcast Help
If you are having problems accessing the live WWOZ broadcast from your computer, don't fret, help is near
at hand. Before you contact us, see if your problem can be solved by one of the solutions below.
If you cannot find a solution to your problem below, please contact us for assistance.
How to listen
You need a streaming media player that can play MP3 file or Windows Media files. For MP3 files, a wide variety
of players exists. We recommend the following players:
Other MP3 Players include:
Windows: Quicktime, MusicMatch, Xaudio, Zinf
Mac: Audion, Quicktime
Linux: Xaudio, XMMS, Zinf
Other Unix: Xaudio
For the visually impaired, we recommend , Text-Mode Player, a command-line MP3 player.
Make sure you have the latest software
We always recommend having the latest version of the software you are using for streaming. On older systems
this often solves the problem of not being able to connect.
Connecting Directly
If you know that you already have the latest software installed on
your computer, but the broadcast still does not work for you, try pasting the direct addresses
to the broadcast directly into the player of your choice.
MP3 Direct Links
http://wwoz-sc.streamguys.com/
http://wwoz-sc.streamguys.com/listen.pls
One of the two will work.
Windows Direct Link
http://wwoz-sc.streamguys.com/wwoz
In your media player, go to the File Menu > and select Open or Open URL. Copy and Paste in the above link and hit OK.
Streaming through Firewalls
Some network administrators will set firewalls to block streams. If you have been able to successfully stream from one location but are unable to from another, like
your workplace or university, contact your administrator to see if the firewall is blocking the stream and if he or she is willing to change the settings for you.
Trouble Connecting
When listening to radio over the Internet, there are many interruptions that can occur between your computer and the
computer streaming the audio signal. Due to so many points of failure, the interruption you experience is often temporary.
1) The first thing to try when unable to connect is to try the connection at different times in the day.
2) Make sure you check the help files of your player in case the trouble is at your end, or try listening to another
radio station with the same software.
3) Because there are so many MP3 players available, in the case of the MP3 stream you might want to try another player and
see which one is best for you.
4) A player will buffer without enough bandwidth. During peak listening hours the problem will be not enough bandwidth on our end - in that case, all you
can do is come back and listen at another time. If the problem is on your end, please increase your player's buffer setting. Check the help files of your
player to see how. Also, not running too many applications in at the same time will help the bandwidth of your player.
5) If you recently upgraded your browser before having trouble, you will most likely need to reinstall the player you are using to use with the
new version of your browser.
Connecting with iTunes on the Mac
A user recommends the following option for listening to WWOZ with iTunes on Macintosh. We have not been
able to verify this because we have no immediate access to a Mac. Please send us any solutions or suggestions
you might find in making your stream connection work.
In iTunes, go to Advanced -> Open Stream, then copy and paste in the direct link from your website: http://wwoz-sc.streamguys.com/listen.pls
This will create a wwoz file in your iTunes library and download a listen.pls file on your desktop. I created a new playlist called "radio station favorites" and dragged this wwoz file to it. Thus, when you go to this playlist and select wwoz, it will start playing the audio that is streaming from your web address: http://wwoz-sc.streamguys.com/listen.pls
This appears to be a bookmark for wwoz that stays in iTunes.
Can the Quality of the Stream be Increased? It Sounds Tinny.
The compression rate we currently have for streaming will be upgraded by the end of December 2006.
System Requirements
Beyond the obvious (speakers/headphone, sound card) we do not
have minimum requirements available because we have not tested our stream with older computers in quite some time. In general,
we recommend that listeners use a PC with Windows XP installed and a high-speed internet connection.
OS: If not using Windows XP, Win 95, 98, 2000, and NT will still allow you to stream.
Browsers: We recommend the latest versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Internet Connection: If you are using dial-up, we encourage you to use a 56K modem.
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