BobaFett Posted May 9, 2006 Posted May 9, 2006 10,000 radio stations at the touch of a button. The world’s first radio capable of accessing over 99% of internet radio stations broadcast on-line anywhere in the world. Compatibility with all three major streaming formats gives the AE Wi-Fi radio unrivalled choice of content from London’s BBC Radio1 to Sao Paolo’s Radio Calypso! No subscription to pay, no signal coverage problems, no pops and crackles and no international content boundaries. Acoustic Energy’s Wi-Fi radio is the world’s first radio capable of accessing over 99% of internet radio stations broadcast anywhere in the world. Compatibility with all three major streaming formats gives the AE Wi-Fi radio unrivalled choice of content from London’s BBC Radio1 to Sao Paolo’s Radio Calypso! No subscription to pay, no signal coverage problems and no international content boundaries. This simple plug and play device links to any Wi-Fi network and broadband connection to stream both live and listen again internet radio content. Channels are listed alphabetically and the easy to use multi-function control knob makes choosing a station simpler than an FM radio! The AE Wi-Fi radio brings all the benefits of internet radio to the kitchen, bedroom or even the garden and can also play music stored on any Wi-Fi enabled PC in the home. Of course AE’s acoustic excellence shines through making the Wi-Fi radio one of the best sounding radios on the market too. * Immediate access to over 4,000 internet radio streams * Search by country or genre * Stereo sound from twin AE drivers * Access to the BBC "Listen Again" services * Real Media, MP3 and WMA compatible * Play music stored on your PC or Mac Media Adapter Want to listen to your own PC library of music anywhere in the house? No problem. The AE Wi-Fi radio is also a fully equipped media adapter, allowing you to play by artist, album or playlist and or generate new playlists from a mix of music and stored radio content. It even has a clock and alarm function making it the ideal bedside partner. Radio revolution Goodbye AM/FM radio, move-over DAB - the AE Wi-Fi radio is a true revolution in home audio entertainment. It offers unrivalled content, is simple to use, flexible, affordable and sounds great. With no subscription charges to pay, the AE Wi-Fi radio is set to be a must have device for 2005/6. “How the AE Wi-Fi radio works” Plug and play simplicity The AE Wi-Fi internet radio could not be simpler to use. There is no software to load, no complex set-up operations and no need to be a PC expert. Simply plug it into the main power and turn on! The AE Wi-Fi radio automatically links into your existing Wi-Fi network (with WEP encryption if enabled) and uses your broadband connection to access the internet radio Gateway. The gateway then uploads channel listings alphabetically by country and genre to your AE Wi-Fi radio fully automatically. You simply select the station name you want using the rotary control knob and LCD display, and press play – as simple as that. There are currently over 2,500 stations registered on the gateway and more are added every day. Every time the radio is switched off and back on again a new channel listing is uploaded meaning the AE Wi-Fi radio will be fully up to date with all the latest stations. AE Wi-Fi radio key features: * Access any radio station anywhere in the world * Plays live and listen again content * Daily updated station listings * Alarm clock radio function * Use as a media adapter to play stored content * Fully upgradeable software * 3.5mm jack output for headphones * Plug and play simplicity * Subscription free AE Wi-Fi radio technical details * Supports Real Audio, MP3 and Windows Media streams * Stereo sound from unique twin AE drivers * Uses 802.11b and 802,11g Wi-Fi connectivity * Offers 128-bit (max) WEP security * Supports HTTP protocol * ‘Reply Key’ enables future interactive features * Uses Linux OS Kernel Some facts about internet radio * Over 10,000 internet radio stations are currently broadcast worldwide * Over 6 million people in the UK currently listen to BBC radio via the internet each month * BBC radio stations alone account for 10 million hours of on-line radio listening per month – 40% of which is ‘on-demand’. * Most mainstream FM/DAB stations also broadcast on the internet * Internet radio is global – the AE Wi-Fi radio is not limited to local and national stations. Access content from over 100 countries. * 150 million broadband subscribers worldwide and growing fast. Saw it selling in SLS (City Electronics). Nice cool gadget, can forget about DAB radio.
SiriuslyCold Posted May 9, 2006 Posted May 9, 2006 i don't think streaming audio is quite up to the quality of DAB radio though
BobaFett Posted May 9, 2006 Author Posted May 9, 2006 i don't think streaming audio is quite up to the quality of DAB radio though Have you try DAB radio before? I had tried both and I prefer this. ;)
varun1624705824 Posted May 9, 2006 Posted May 9, 2006 Have you try DAB radio before? I had tried both and I prefer this. ;) Not entirely true. I have a Cambridge Audio DAB and a Turtlebeach Audiotron (the latter is not made any longer but basically a hifi mp3 player which could access music stored off an NAS without requiring a computer in-between, Web-based-access as well as full front panel control with a large multi-line digital display, Internet radio streaming capabilities, et al, with RCA and TOSlink out; look it up on eBay) and the quality of DAB is consistently better - primarily because it's consistent. Internet radio stations stream at different bitrates, with the best doing only 128k and stuttering at times (partly because of our outstanding ISPs!). Most instrumental / regional (read: non-US) stations do 64k at best and are rubbish on a half-decent stereo setup. That said, one station that's consistently good is Club 977 - mostly 80s and early 90s with some "recent" music too, good ads (yes, I enjoy listening to the ads!), and not too much talk, unlike MediaCrap whose DJs are totally in love with their own voice. Check it out at club977.com - I think you can stream through your browser too. If you want a GOOD Internet radio cum mp3 player that you can hook up to your hifi, the only really good choice today (if you don't want to have your PC running all the time) is the hifidelio, which, unfortunately, is prohibitively expensive. Of course, if you ARE willing to have your PC running, then the PC itself, with a quality sound card and a small monitor, ideally touch-screen (hey, I can fantasize, can't I) would be quite ideal. - V.
BobaFett Posted May 10, 2006 Author Posted May 10, 2006 Not entirely true. I have a Cambridge Audio DAB and a Turtlebeach Audiotron (the latter is not made any longer but basically a hifi mp3 player which could access music stored off an NAS without requiring a computer in-between, Web-based-access as well as full front panel control with a large multi-line digital display, Internet radio streaming capabilities, et al, with RCA and TOSlink out; look it up on eBay) and the quality of DAB is consistently better - primarily because it's consistent. Internet radio stations stream at different bitrates, with the best doing only 128k and stuttering at times (partly because of our outstanding ISPs!). Most instrumental / regional (read: non-US) stations do 64k at best and are rubbish on a half-decent stereo setup. That said, one station that's consistently good is Club 977 - mostly 80s and early 90s with some "recent" music too, good ads (yes, I enjoy listening to the ads!), and not too much talk, unlike MediaCrap whose DJs are totally in love with their own voice. Check it out at club977.com - I think you can stream through your browser too. If you want a GOOD Internet radio cum mp3 player that you can hook up to your hifi, the only really good choice today (if you don't want to have your PC running all the time) is the hifidelio, which, unfortunately, is prohibitively expensive. Of course, if you ARE willing to have your PC running, then the PC itself, with a quality sound card and a small monitor, ideally touch-screen (hey, I can fantasize, can't I) would be quite ideal. - V. I have not tried Turtlebeach Audiotron before, but I have tested listening to the AE Internet Radio several hours without any stuttering sound using Maxonline 6500. Which ISP are you using?
varun1624705824 Posted May 10, 2006 Posted May 10, 2006 I have not tried Turtlebeach Audiotron before, but I have tested listening to the AE Internet Radio several hours without any stuttering sound using Maxonline 6500. Which ISP are you using? It depends on the station, mate. Just pointing out that it's important to take their sales=spiel with a liberal handful of salt. Those stations that are good are VERY good. The VAST majority of those "thousands of stations" though, are just plain mediocre with poor sound quality, the ISP of choice notwithstanding. - V.
hifi_enthusiast Posted May 10, 2006 Posted May 10, 2006 i don't think streaming audio is quite up to the quality of DAB radio though yup. problem is the bandwidth (too many squeezebox owners in Singapore? :)) There are several radio stations on squeezenetwork above 128 bitrate (160/192) BUT they stutter all the time on my MOL. The highest non-stuttering bitrate seems to be 128. In the near future we will be seeing more commercially network attached storage boxes that can host music servers to serve music to players like Roku/ Squeezebox so the issue of 'computer on all the time' will be a thing of the past (i know there are some already + the DIY hacked firmware route but talking about the 'mainstream')
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