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standalone internet radios equate to 70s nostalgia

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hislop

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May 19, 2012, 10:51:23 AM5/19/12
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It takes me back looking at stand alone internet radios on the web.
Expensive, bulky, single mono speakers, specs for audio say things like
'audio: 3.5" driver'. Refreshing it's all so old fashioned.
Best left to a computer I think.

Coach

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May 20, 2012, 3:55:23 AM5/20/12
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Look at the Kogan website. They have 3 different models. The top of
the range one is stereo with a massive sub woofer as well. It has
exceptional sound standing alone, but also has outputs to connect it
to a stereo if required. Far easier to use than a computer because of
the presets, alarm, auto on and off, sleep, and a screen that tells
you the details of the show and/song being played - as well as having
a built in DAB+ receiver as well as an FM radio receiver.

hislop

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May 20, 2012, 9:37:29 AM5/20/12
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You have to get the most expensive one to get stereo and it looks as if
it is meant to just sit there and not be moved.
And what are the specs on the audio.. 3.5 " driver or 3" speaker or 3
watts. It reminds me of cassette players in the 70s.
You can easily connect decent sound to any computer.

hislop

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May 20, 2012, 9:48:06 AM5/20/12
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On 20/05/2012 5:55 PM, Coach wrote:
Is it just me or are they trying to obfuscate the fact that internet
radio is most likely going to have ordinary sound quality along with
possible buffering.

Coach

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May 20, 2012, 11:53:06 PM5/20/12
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You just finished saying that you can get decent sound from your
computer, so why would an Internet radio be any different? Except of
course the Internet radio has a quali amp and speakers built into the
one unit. As to buffering, it buffers for 10 to 15 seconds when it
first connects, then that's it. Nobody would even know you were
listerning to an Internet radio - except of course for the superior
stereo sound.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 1:17:45 AM5/21/12
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A lot of internet radio stations are compressed like hell to save bandwidth and they sound like crap, or no better than an AM station. Only the much higher bitrate stations have good audio and they may need more buffering if anyone else in the house is sharing the internet at the same time.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 5:17:24 AM5/21/12
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From my experience with Internet radio, all the stations I listen to
have at least 3 different bit rate speeds to choose from when you
initially search for the station. As to anyone else being in my house,
he or she wouldn't be there to steal Internet bandwidth for long -
trust me. It'd be hard for ANY intruder to access my Internet with 8
broken fingers and both arms being shattered.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 6:59:02 AM5/21/12
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Well I have 4 internet radios and about a dozen other devices with embedded internet radios. It is only my computers that access the stations via a web interface that allow a choice of bandwidth.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 7:52:55 AM5/21/12
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On May 21, 8:59 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well I have 4 internet radios and about a dozen other devices with embedded internet radios. It is only my computers that access the stations via a web interface that allow a choice of bandwidth.

As I said in my original post to this thread, I bought the top of the
range Kogan model. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Maybe
there is a lesson in that for you the next time you buy your 5th
internet radio.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 8:12:37 AM5/21/12
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On May 21, 8:59 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well I have 4 internet radios and about a dozen other devices with embedded internet radios. It is only my computers that access the stations via a web interface that allow a choice of bandwidth.

I'll add one more thing Brad. I don't know how your Internet radio
works, but with mine, I have the option to search for stations via its
own built in search engine, or by logging on to the radio website and
searching and adding stations (with a choice of bitrate). Perhaps you
should check if your 4 Internet radios and dozens of other Internet
radio imbedded equipment can do the same. It seems you have spent many
thousands of dollars continuously buying the same inferior equipment
over and over again - somehow expecting a different outcome - the true
sign of insanity. My advise is to go to the Kogan website and download
the operators manual for their Internet radio and go to the website
that allows you to set the stations. Maybe you can do something
similar to your existing equipment. Hope that helps. I really do.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 8:22:36 AM5/21/12
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One of the radios is a Sagem. I've had it for 4 or 5 years. The brand is well known in the aerospace industry but like most things technology has moved on a long way since it was produced. More features, better software and interfaces. The others were just inexpensive radios that I bought for the kids to use as alarm clocks. You are right, you get what you pay for, and I accepted their limitations (small speaker, mono, 2 1/2"lcd) when I bought them 2 years ago since I figured they would probably be broken within a couple of years. Surprisingly they still work and one is now a permanent fixture on the back patio beside the bbq.

Kogan is not a brand known in the Sydney area so it would normally not be my first choice as a retailer.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 8:24:24 AM5/21/12
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Was " imbedded " the DM?

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 5:21:00 PM5/21/12
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On May 21, 10:22 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> One of the radios is a Sagem. I've had it for 4 or 5 years. The brand is well known in the aerospace industry but like most things technology has moved on a long way since it was produced. More features, better software and interfaces. The others were just inexpensive radios that I bought for the kids to use as alarm clocks. You are right, you get what you pay for, and I accepted their limitations (small speaker, mono, 2 1/2"lcd) when I bought them 2 years ago since I figured they would probably be broken within a couple of years. Surprisingly they still work and one is now a permanent fixture on the back patio beside the bbq.
>
> Kogan is not a brand known in the Sydney area so it would normally not be my first choice as a retailer.

Let me get this right? You wanted to buy your kids an alarm clock, so
you purchased them an Internet radio? I suppose when you want a new
washing machine, you buy a lawn mower? As for Kogan Internet radios, I
have no idea who makes them and they don't have any retail outlets in
Sydney or anywhere else, but they do have an excellent refund and
return policy. Hope that helps.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 5:28:01 PM5/21/12
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On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 7:21:00 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> On May 21, 10:22 pm, Brad
I fail to see the problem. My bedside clock radio is an internet radio. It has two alarms. Alarm 1 is set for 5.55AM and plays ABC Illawarra on 97.3 FM for one hour, then Alarm 2 is set for 6.56AM and plays The Mountain from Denver CO for one hour.

The two internet radios I bought for the kids had the same functions and were only $80. In standby mode the LCD displays the time. I do not think a lawn mower has the necessary alarm functions and would ruin the shirts.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 5:36:08 PM5/21/12
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You spent $80 EACH for alarm clocks for your kids? Do you want to
adopt me?

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 5:54:09 PM5/21/12
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People spend a lot more on their kids. $80 for an alarm clock that played music, video and photos via USB or IPTV, Youtube and internet radio via wifi seemed like a pretty good deal. We have already adopted a Grandma. She's an absolute gem.

Listening to The Mountain now. I'll probably listen to Radio Margaritaville on the way to work and daydream of the Carribean.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 5:57:29 PM5/21/12
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On May 22, 7:54 am, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> People spend a lot more on their kids. $80 for an alarm clock that played music, video and photos via USB or IPTV, Youtube  and internet radio via wifi seemed like a pretty good deal. We have already adopted a Grandma. She's an absolute gem.
>
> Listening to The Mountain now. I'll probably listen to Radio Margaritaville on the way to work and daydream of the Carribean.

When you say, "on the way to work", you really mean "while walking to
the caravan in the backyard to play with my CB radio" right?

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 5:32:19 PM5/21/12
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On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 7:21:00 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> On May 21, 10:22 pm, Brad
http://www.productreview.com.au/im/otek-iptv510.html

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 7:28:27 PM5/21/12
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On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 7:57:29 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> On May 22, 7:54 am, Brad
You wish. You really have a fixation on that. I suppose that if I actually did do such a thing, you'd be on the other end of the radio. No surprises there.

No. I really mean listening to the internet station via my smartphone on 3G and using Bluetooth to play it through the car stereo.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 7:31:37 PM5/21/12
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On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 7:32:19 AM UTC+10, Brad wrote:
>snipped all that stuff.

If you want a CRT tv for free I suggest you hitch up a trailer and high-tail it over here. There would be 20 or 30 of them on the footpaths in my immediate neighbourhood. Some houses have discard 3. Even old big screen rear projection tv's and a couple of flat screens are out there. Analogue pulls the big switch in this region in a few weeks.

Coach

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May 21, 2012, 7:58:31 PM5/21/12
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If you go to this site
http://penbex.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/new-firmware-released-for-the-otek-iptv510-multimedia-internet-radio-and-tv-player/
you can update the software on that model of Internet radio. According
to the site, one of the upgrades is it allows to to access a new
station database. Perhaps that upgrade will solve your problem of not
being able to chose the bitrate for each station. Hope that helps.

Brad

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May 21, 2012, 10:14:13 PM5/21/12
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On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 9:58:31 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> On May 22, 7:32 am, Brad
It might. Thanks. I saw that bulletin for the first time this morning while searching for the other link. I bookmarked it and might try it over the weekend. Now if only Sagem would fix the bugs with the other radio I'd be very happy.

Coach

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May 22, 2012, 2:08:49 AM5/22/12
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On May 22, 12:14 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 9:58:31 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> > On May 22, 7:32 am, Brad
> >  wrote:
> > > On Tuesday, May 22, 2012 7:21:00 AM UTC+10, Coach wrote:
> > > > On May 21, 10:22 pm, Brad
> > > >  wrote:
> > > > > One of the radios is a Sagem. I've had it for 4 or 5 years. The brand is well known in the aerospace industry but like most things technology has moved on a long way since it was produced. More features, better software and interfaces. The others were just inexpensive radios that I bought for the kids to use as alarm clocks. You are right, you get what you pay for, and I accepted their limitations (small speaker, mono, 2 1/2"lcd) when I bought them 2 years ago since I figured they would probably be broken within a couple of years. Surprisingly they still work and one is now a permanent fixture on the back patio beside the bbq.
>
> > > > > Kogan is not a brand known in the Sydney area so it would normally not be my first choice as a retailer.
>
> > > > Let me get this right? You wanted to buy your kids an alarm clock, so
> > > > you purchased them an Internet radio? I suppose when you want a new
> > > > washing machine, you buy a lawn mower? As for Kogan Internet radios, I
> > > > have no idea who makes them and they don't have any retail outlets in
> > > > Sydney or anywhere else, but they do have an excellent refund and
> > > > return policy. Hope that helps.
>
> > >http://www.productreview.com.au/im/otek-iptv510.html
>
> > If you go to this site
> >http://penbex.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/new-firmware-released-for-the-...
> > you can update the software on that model of Internet radio. According
> > to the site, one of the upgrades is it allows to to access a new
> > station database. Perhaps that upgrade will solve your problem of not
> > being able to chose the bitrate for each station. Hope that helps.
>
> It might. Thanks. I saw that bulletin for the first time this morning while searching for the other link. I bookmarked it and might try it over the weekend. Now if only Sagem would fix the bugs with the other radio I'd be very happy.

Are you using tunein app on your smartphone? Only some stations allow
you to select bitrate on that.

Brad

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May 22, 2012, 4:55:19 AM5/22/12
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No, I'm using the Nokia Internet Radio app from the Nokia Store. Now it does have selectable bandwidths, but what I have done is set it to the lowest bitrate on 3G and the highest bitrate available when connected via wifi.

Coach

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May 22, 2012, 7:32:28 AM5/22/12
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On May 22, 6:55 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> No, I'm using the Nokia Internet Radio app from the Nokia Store. Now it does have selectable bandwidths, but what I have done is set it to the lowest bitrate on 3G and the highest bitrate available when connected via wifi.

That's the way to go if you only have limited 3G data on your monthly
plan. I think the problem with your other Internet radio devices is
that the firmware is old and doesn't allow bitrate selection.
Sometimes it is better to pay a little more and not buy cheap outdated
Sagem brands just to save a few dollars. Instead, my advice is to buy
respectful top of the range brands like Kogan or any stuff from
quality electronics shops like Aldi etc. I hope that helps.

Brad

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May 22, 2012, 7:57:28 AM5/22/12
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:-P The Sagem is now a few years old and as usual the support appears to have stopped. I suppose the Kogan support can be expected to outlive it. As for the 3G bitrate - I found that the 3G bases really had difficulty maintaining a reliable datastream to a vehicle constantly changing cells. The busier the peak period the more buffering was required. The lower bitrates provided more consistant audio. Also, the higher bitrates appear to use a hell of a lot more battery power on the poor phone.

Coach

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May 22, 2012, 8:24:47 AM5/22/12
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On May 22, 9:57 pm, Brad <bradvk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> :-P  The Sagem is now a few years old and as usual the support appears to have stopped. I suppose the Kogan support can be expected to outlive it. As for the 3G bitrate - I found that the 3G bases really had difficulty maintaining a reliable datastream to a vehicle constantly changing cells. The busier the peak period the more buffering was required. The lower bitrates provided more consistant audio.  Also, the higher bitrates appear to use a hell of a lot more battery power on the poor phone.

I wouldn't have imagined that your 3G phone would swap transmission
towers too often when travelling from home to the backyard caravan
(aka work). Unless of course your CB Radios cause some sort of
interference? There seems to be many many variables in your
particular situation. Most people don't have these issues of course.

Brad

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May 22, 2012, 8:44:03 AM5/22/12
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Ahah. The trip to work is around 65km each way. Plenty of tower changes along the journey.
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