BBC High quality stream experiment

[dave2010]

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2010/09/bbc_proms_extra_high_quality_audio.html and http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/2010/09/listening-to-the-proms---the-i.shtml

The BBC is now broadcasting the remaining Proms from this year's season in higher quality audio - apparently 320 kbps AAC-LC. This is experimental, and not scheduled to last for much more than a week. Officially they're only doing the Proms, though rumours suggest that there may be other material this week.

Sorry if classical music isn't your thing, but some of the offerings may be impressive to others. The sound in the hall last week in Bruckner 9th was just staggering - I doubt that even the 320kbps stream would get close, nor indeed most supposedly lossless formats. Worth a try anyway.

The direct link to the audio is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/audioexperiment/

I must look out an optical connector to run a cable from my Mac to my DAC. Pity that the Macs don't have a simple TOSLINK connector - but heyho - can't have everything!

I suppose I could use my USB connection from my laptop, but that probably wouldn't be as good.

[dave2010]

Allegedly there are also fixes for some devices, such as Squeezeboxes - with new plugins. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio3/F7497566?thread=7737460&skip=0&show=20#p100395424

[Krisbee]

So, "The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival" gets a high quality audio internet stream for one whole week and the BBC make a song and dance about it as if it's some kind of technical miracle.

I suppose we have to be grateful for the small crumbs they throw at the license payer and of course 320kps sounds a lot better than the normal max of 192kps on Radio 3. And there's even a few things I want to listen to in this week's Proms. But once their "experiment" ends, it's just going to leave me dissatisfied with the normal fare.

[Labarum]

I have just opened the Squeezebox web interface and noticed an entry BBC R3 320K.

I thought it was limited to Proms broadcasts, but it's running now on the ordinary programme material.

Its running my Squeezebox Boom, so I cannot sensibly judge the quality, I would have to go to the llounge with its SB3 and Caiman.

But it does seem the 320K stream is on all the time.

Good news.

[DSJR]

192 is fine on master grade, not heavily compressed material. The real shortcomings arrive when a less than perfect source or recording is used and/or the presenter isn't being mic'd up properly. There just isn't a margin for error, the reason why the recording industry needs higher resolution in recording, so any manipulation of the sound can be done without touching or corrupting the 16/44.1 we hear on CD - or summat like that.

[Beechwoods]

I so hope that the BBC continue high quality broadcasts. It would be nice if they could do this for documentary / concert broadcasts on the other channels too. I'd listen to the evening broadcasts on Radio 2 and 6 if they broadcast them at decent bitrates.