Changes to BBC Radio channels

[Chris Smith]

Just heard an announcement that BBC radio may not be broadcast from March 22nd and that I should contact my “radio supplier” for details of how to receive BBC channels from that date.  Any idea what that might mean and what should be done?  Thanks.

[Russell Heath]

I heard the same just before the 8am news while listening to Radio 3 this morning on my B2. 

More info (for Brennan!) here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/entries/481e7233-0aea-4b15-8ace-878ce549108c

Russell

[Chris Smith]

Hopefully it’ll get picked up and sorted via an update.

[Jimbo Smiles]

Thanks for the post - I just heard the message late today (Radio 4).

Thanks too for the link (which is from 11 weeks ago).

Hopefully we will get an update shortly from Brennan given there are only a few weeks to go before the service expires using the current method.

-JimS

On Thursday, 4 March 2021 at 09:07:17 UTC Chris Smith wrote:

[Mark Fishman]

Brennan uses two different aggregators for Internet Radio, at least on the B2: radiofeeds.co.uk, which you can search from the front panel using the remote, and vTuner.com, which you can search from the web UI. According to what they are showing on their web sites, radiofeeds is using the new URLs for BBC streams, and vTuner is still using the old ones.

You might consider using radiofeeds (only accessible from the front panel, NOT the web UI) for BBC presets until vTuner get their act together.

[rabscal...@rocketmail.com]

I heard this on the BB1 too. I don't think you can access anything but V Tuner on that. Hopefully Paul can advise in due course.

Rob

[Chris Smith]

Hopefully it’ll get sorted out quickly then.  I listen to a lot of BBC channels via internet so obviously it needs sorting out for the BB1. Brennan?

[PMB]

Hi All,

Thanks for the info which I have made Martin aware of.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[PMB]

Hi All,

This just in from Paul H via email -

I’ve just had a chat with the fine folk at the BBC and they have confirmed that they’ve been having a tidy up of various URL’s and some legacy ones are being discontinued. Vtuner will be updating the URL’s in their database to latest versions and then all will be fine again.

Best wishes

Steve Harris
Software Director
Naim Audio Ltd.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Mark Fishman]

For anyone who hasn't heard the announcement and wants to, I have attached a short (50 seconds) mp3 recorded off BBC Radio 3 at 1600 (GMT) today. The stream used to show up in VLC as "BBC Radio 3"; now it identifies itself as "BBC radio will stop working on this device soon".

I hope vTuner gets this sorted soon. -- m.

[Mark Fishman]

vTuner seem to have updated most* of the BBC stream URLs overnight (they were still the old ones when I checked yesterday, and are now the new ones). They're still using HTTP versions of the (new) streams, even though one of the reasons for the BBC's change was to enable the use of HTTPS, so Chrome browsers complain -- but at least with the new URLs when Chrome tries to connect over HTTPS anyway they actually work.

*most -- a couple of the "regional" BBC World Service variants are still using the older stream URLs; I hope they get around to updating those soon.

[Wilf Jones]

I'm still getting the message on my Baby Brennan whenever I'm on Five Live - as of 11/03/21. Hope the URL is updated before the 21st as this is my go-to station.

[Mark Fishman]

Are you using a stored preset to choose the station? I believe that Brennan devices store an actual URL in the presets, so you shouls search for the station AGAIN on vTuner and store it AGAIN to overwrite the old URL with the new one.

Then let us know if the message stops.

Cheers -- Mark F.

[PMB]

Hi Wilfred,

As Mark suggests, if Radio 5 Live stops playing go to the vTuner tab on the web UI >> search for BBC Radio Five Live >> click the play symbol (to the left of the search result) to check it plays OK >> click the three dots to the right of the Station name >> select the preset that already shows Radio Five Live to overwrite it.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[J Rathbone]

Hi

Cant get BBC Radio 3 HD on preset or web UI 

All other BBC radio presets work fine 

After pressing the web UI play button I get “Internet Radio waiting for data 0.0%” 

 

About a second later the web UI shows “Internet Radio Paused” and nothing else happens  - no Radio 3 HD, no sound, nothing

Pressing play again and the web UI cycles back etc (see pics attached)

Any ideas? Like I say all other BBC radio presets working fine - I didn’t even have to redo the presets!

Thanks

Jim

[Mark Fishman]

I haven't managed to get Radio 3 HD to play on my computer, either, since the switchover -- but Vinnie at radiofeeds says he can get it, albeit at a very low level. So (assuming that this is a B2 and you are in the UK) try tuning it in from the FRONT PANEL or using the remote -- the B2 has two separate radio providers, and the front panel/remote uses radiofeeds.co.uk.

Maybe you'll have better luck than I do.

[J Rathbone]

Apologies, Mark, I omitted to say it’s a BB1 and software update is 22 March

“Radio 3” is available and does work 

Can the BB1 display the bitrate in case this is naming error? (I believe Radio 3 HD is at 320kbps instead of 128kbps?)

Thanks

Jim

[Mark Fishman]

Radio 3 HD was at 320kbps AAC when I was last able to receive it, and supposedly it still is.

Plain old Radio 3 is almost certainly the 128kbps MP3 stream, although there are also supposed to be some HLS streams that use AAC or AAC+ encoding -- many (most?) radios can't use those, though. (They exist because HLS is supposed to be more bandwidth-efficient than a "normal" MP3 or AAC stream.)

[PMB]

Hi Jim,

It appears that BBC Radio 3 HD isn't currently available - maybe the BBC are working on it.

Normal Radio 3 is transmitted at 160-192k AAC (so I have read).

Paul

Brennan Support.