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An Internet radio device, also called network music player is a hardware device that is capable of receiving and playing streamed media from either Internet radio stations or a home network.

Background[edit]

Streaming media became mainstream with the advent of portable music players / MP3 player and the convenience of converting and compressing CD music into music file by the computer or the acquisition of products in such formats using on-line music stores like Amazon, iTunes, and 7digital.

The network music player is connected to a home router. For convenience a wireless router is often used. The router is connected to the internet and thus enables access to Internet streaming resources. Alternatively, the home network can access the user's collection of music on a computer or on a network-attached storage (NAS) device dedicated to store a user's music files.

Audio streaming[edit]

Audio streaming is one way of transmitting audio files on a continuous feed to a network music player. A common way today is to stream the audio from the computer to a network music player over the more convenient wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi in a networked environment. The computer, which is typically used for storing the music file, acts as a music server by means of server software, often compliant to DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. And the network music player is a typical receiver which starts playing an audio file as soon as some of the data has been received so that one does not have to wait for the entire audio file to finish downloading.

The MP3 music file is streamed to the network music player in digital format, commonly in the original MP3 format. Therefore, the audio details of the MP3 music are sent wirelessly in the home to the network music player as it is stored on the computer and without loss.
The MP3 music files are then converted back into audio signal by the network music player and played. As the MP3 music files are organized by the music server on the computer, the information is also sent to the network music player where the user can see all of the music track information. Many companies working actively in bringing Internet radio into devices are organized in the Internet Media Device Alliance IMDA. In addition to the home networking standards of DLNA, IMDA compatibility standards dedicated to all aspects of Internet radio distribution.

Internet radio[edit]

Internet reaches many areas in the world, and thus does Internet radio. It has expanded enormously with an estimated 19,000 stations currently available, including many traditional FM /AM simulcasting their content over the Internet.

Online music services[edit]

Online music services usually offer millions of songs and thousands of artists for users to choose from. Network music players that support online music services let users access this vast selection of music tracks.

Station directory services keep a current list of active Internet radio stations, their URI and streaming formats and list them sorted by genre, location, language and other criteria. Many devices use either proprietary vendor-specific station list servers or dedicated directory services.

Categories[edit]

There are generally two types of network music players:

Those without speakers that need to be connected to an audio system in order to listen to the music. Examples of commercial devices are the Philips Streamium NP1100 and NP2500, the Logitech Squeezebox, the Roku SoundBridge (M500, M1000, M2000 and M1001), and the Grace Digital IRDT200.
Those with their own speakers. Examples of commercial devices are the Connected Flow range of devices from Pure Digital, TerraTec Noxon family, Philips Streamium NP2900 the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, the Roku SoundBridge Radio (R1000), and Grace Digital models IR1000-IR2500. Also many higher-end audio devices such as AVRs and systems from Denon, Pioneer and Onkyo include Internet radio capability.

Hardware[edit]

Network music players usually have:

Broadband connection: an Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi network interface, with TCP/IP support for access to the Internet
USB port, where the user can connect an external MP3 player like iPod or external harddrive for MP3 files
LCD, remote control
Built-in amplifier/speaker, or AUX-out port, that can be used to connect to a HiFi or similar audio device
Rechargeable batteries for mobility with internal charger integrated
Favorite streams & contents can be saved as presets
Clock with lighted display, some with alarm settings and auto-time-sync

Some devices also have:

Memory card reader: SD or even SDHC card
XLR connectors
(MP3) stream encryption

References[edit]

^ Linux Journal ezine coverage of the acquisition [1]

[1] Linux Journal ezine coverage of the acquisition [1]

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{unreferenced|date=February 2011}}
+{{refimprove|date=January 2017}}
-{{Advert|date=August 2010}}[[File:A Kerbango.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The '[[Kerbango]] Internet Radio' was the first stand-alone product that let users listen to Internet radio without a computer.]]
+[[File:A Kerbango.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The "[[Kerbango]] Internet Radio" was a product, never released, that would allow users to listen to Internet radio without a computer.<ref>[[Linux Journal]] ezine coverage of the acquisition [http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4190]</ref>]]
-An '''Internet radio device''', also commonly called '''network music player''' is a hardware device that autonomously receives and plays music from a computer, [[Internet radio]] stations or online music services via the [[home network]].
+An '''Internet radio device''', also called '''network music player''' is a hardware device that is capable of receiving and playing [[streaming media|streamed media]] from either [[Internet radio]] stations or a [[home network]].
 ==Background==
+Streaming media became mainstream with the advent of [[portable music player]]s / [[MP3 player]] and the convenience of converting and compressing CD music into music file by the computer or the acquisition of products in such formats using on-line music stores like [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[iTunes]], and [[7digital]].
+The network music player is connected to a home [[Router (computing)|router]]. For convenience a [[wireless router]] is often used. The router is connected to the [[internet]] and thus enables access to Internet streaming resources. Alternatively, the home network can access the user's collection of music on a computer or on a [[network-attached storage]] (NAS) device dedicated to store a user's music files.
-Before [[audio compression (data)]] technology (compression of audio data rather than analog [[audio level compression]]), most [[digital music]] was sold on [[CD]]s. CD audio is an uncompressed form of digital audio file. Because uncompressed music files are large, they are impractical to transmit across the Internet quickly or to carry around on a portable music player.
-With the advent of [[portable music player]]s / [[MP3 player]] and the convenience of converting and compressing CD music into music file by the computer, almost all music distributed today is in digital format and stored as audio files on computer. The most common formats are [[.MP3]], [[.wma]], [[RealAudio]] and [[.AAC]] format.   There are many other different ways to compress a music file. But the industry's generic term MP3 will be used hereafter to represent all digital compressed audio formats. Network distribution uses a variety of protocols, of which [[HTTP]], [[Shoutcast]], [[WMS]], [[RTSP]] are the most common.
-Compressed music has become the [[music format]] ''du jour'' and with good reasons:
-* It is easy to store and to carry around; you can store a large amount of music
-* The transfer online is very fast compared to uncompressed formats
-* Songs are tagged and easy to find
-* It is easy to share with friends.
-When MP3 music was just getting popular a decade ago, the only way to enjoy the music was through the MP3 player [[software]] on a computer. While the computer can help source and store music, it was never intended to provide the quality of a real hi-fi system.
-In a continuously growing, evolving and increasingly converging multimedia landscape, there are many more choices with the different digital audio MP3 players available in the market, and docking stations have been introduced to play back the music with a better sound quality.
-But unlike the computer which is usually the central storage of the MP3 music at home, the MP3 players have less storage to store the entire music collection. Hence the need for other solutions.
-One solution is the network music player.
-The network music player is connected to a home [[wireless]] [[Router (computing)|router]] (often Wi-fi B standard or Wi-fi G standard compatible). The router is also connected to the [[home network]] and the computer. Via this wireless connection, the network music player can access the user's collection of music on the computer or on a [[network-attached storage]] (NAS) device, or access [[Internet radio]] stations and online music services.
 ==Audio streaming==
 Audio streaming is one way of transmitting audio files on a continuous feed to a network music player. A common way today is to stream the audio from the computer to a network music player over the more convenient [[wireless]] technologies such as [[Wi-Fi]] in a networked environment.
-The computer, which is typically used for storing the music file, acts as a music [[server (computing)|server]] by means of server software, often compliant to [[DLNA]] (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. And the network music player is a typical receiver which starts playing an audio file as soon as some of the data has been received so that one doesn’t have to wait for the entire audio file to finish downloading.
+The computer, which is typically used for storing the music file, acts as a music [[server (computing)|server]] by means of server software, often compliant to [[DLNA]] (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. And the network music player is a typical receiver which starts playing an audio file as soon as some of the data has been received so that one does not have to wait for the entire audio file to finish downloading.
 The MP3 music file is streamed to the network music player in digital format, commonly in the original [[MP3]] format. Therefore, the audio details of the MP3 music are sent wirelessly in the home to the network music player as it is stored on the computer and without loss.<br />
-The MP3 music file are then converted back into audio signal by the network music player and played. As the MP3 music files are organized by the music server on the computer, the information is also sent to the network music player where user can see all the music track information.
+The MP3 music files are then converted back into audio signal by the network music player and played. As the MP3 music files are organized by the music server on the computer, the information is also sent to the network music player where the user can see all of the music track information.
-Many companies working active in bringing Internet radio into devices are organized in the Internet Media Device Alliance [http://www.imdalliance.org/ IMDA]. In addition to the home networking standards of [[DLNA]], [[IMDA]] compatibility standards dedicated to all aspects of Internet radio distribution.
+Many companies working actively in bringing Internet radio into devices are organized in the Internet Media Device Alliance [http://www.imdalliance.org/ IMDA]. In addition to the home networking standards of [[DLNA]], [[IMDA]] compatibility standards dedicated to all aspects of Internet radio distribution.
 ==Internet radio==
-Internet reaches many areas in the world, and thus does [[Internet radio]]. It has expanded enormously with an estimated 13,000 stations currently available, including many traditional FM /AM simulcasting their content over the Internet.
+Internet reaches many areas in the world, and thus does [[Internet radio]]. It has expanded enormously with an estimated 19,000 stations currently available, including many traditional FM /AM simulcasting their content over the Internet.
 ==Online music services==
+Online music services usually offer millions of songs and thousands of artists for users to choose from. Network music players that support online music services let users access this vast selection of music tracks.
+Station directory services keep a current list of active Internet radio stations, their [[URI]] and streaming formats and list them sorted by genre, location, language and other criteria. Many devices use either proprietary vendor-specific station list servers or dedicated directory services.
-Online music services usually offer millions of songs and thousands of artists for users to choose from.<br />
-Network music players that support online music services let users access this vast selection of music tracks.<br />
-Examples of online music services : [[Napster]], [[Rhapsody (online music service)|Rhapsody]], [[Last.fm]], [[Pandora (music service)|Pandora]], [[Live365]], [[Slacker (music service)|Slacker]], [[Sirius Satellite Radio]], Radio IO, [[SomaFM]], MP3tunes, [[Deezer]] ...
-Station directory services keep a current list of active Internet radio stations, their [[URI]] and streaming formats and list them sorted by genre, location, language and other criteria. Many devices use either proprietary vendor-specific station list servers or dedicated directory services from [http://new.thelounge.com/ The Lounge], [[TuneIn]], [http://www.vtuner.com/ vTuner], [http://www.streamfinder.com/ streamfinder], [http://www.pdatuner.com/ PDAtuner] and others.
 ==Categories==
 There are generally two types of network music players:
-* Those without speakers that need to be connected to an [[audio system]] in order to listen to the music
+* Those without speakers that need to be connected to an [[audio system]] in order to listen to the music. Examples of commercial devices are the [[Philips]] [[Streamium]] NP1100 and NP2500, the Logitech [[Squeezebox network music player|Squeezebox]], the Roku [[SoundBridge]] (M500, M1000, M2000 and M1001), and the [[Grace Digital]] IRDT200.
-Examples of commercial devices are the Philips [[Streamium]] NP1100 and NP2500, the Logitech [[Squeezebox network music player|Squeezebox]], the Roku [[SoundBridge]] (M500, M1000, M2000 and M1001), and the [[Grace Digital]] IRDT200.
+* Those with their own speakers. Examples of commercial devices are the Connected Flow range of devices from [[Pure Digital]], [[TerraTec]] Noxon family, [[Philips]] [[Streamium]] NP2900 the Logitech [[Squeezebox network music player|Squeezebox Boom]], the Roku SoundBridge Radio (R1000), and [[Grace Digital]] models IR1000-IR2500. Also many higher-end audio devices such as AVRs and systems from Denon, Pioneer and Onkyo include Internet radio capability.
-* Those with their own speakers
-Examples of commercial devices are the [http://www.pure.com/products/index.asp?Category=Connected Flow] range of devices from [[Pure Digital]], Terratec [http://www.noxonmedia.com/index.html Noxon] family, Scott Devices [http://www.audioscott.com Scott], Streamit [http://www.streamitusa.com Lukas], Philips [[Streamium]NP2900 the Logitech [[Squeezebox network music player|Squeezebox Boom]] the Roku SoundBridge Radio (R1000), and [[Grace Digital]] models IR1000-IR2500. Also many higher end audio devices such as AVRs and systems from Denon, Pioneer and Onkyo include Internet radio capability.
 ==Hardware==
 [[File:Sonos radio.jpg|thumb|A [[Sonos]] controller (bottom left) tuned to an Internet radio station]]
-Network music players usually have:<br />
+Network music players usually have:
 * Broadband connection: an [[Ethernet]] and/or [[Wi-Fi]] network interface, with [[TCP/IP]] support for access to the Internet
-* [[USB]]  port , where the user can connect an external [[MP3 player]] like iPod or external harddrive for MP3 files
+* [[USB]]  port, where the user can connect an external [[MP3 player]] like iPod or external harddrive for MP3 files
-* [[LCD display]], [[remote control]]
+* [[LCD]], [[remote control]]
 * Built-in amplifier/speaker, or AUX-out port, that can be used to connect to a [[HiFi]] or similar audio device
 * [[Rechargeable battery|Rechargeable batteries]] for mobility with internal [[Battery charger|charger]] integrated
-* Favorite streams & contents can be saved as [[preset]]s
+* Favorite streams & contents can be saved as [[wikt:preset|preset]]s
 * Clock with lighted display, some with alarm settings and auto-time-sync
@@ Line 67: / Line 47: @@
 * [[XLR connector]]s
 * (MP3) stream encryption
-==Alternative==
-A low-cost substitute for an Internet radio device can be set up, using nothing but a simple [[FM_transmitter_(personal_device)|FM radio transmitter]] and an FM radio receiver.  The FM transmitter is plugged into the computer's headphone jack, and set to an unused frequency.  Then, the FM radio receiver is set to the transmitter's frequency.  This arrangement can be used to listen to Internet radio, music downloads, podcasts, and Youtube videos, without the need for a wireless internet network.
-FM transmitters are widely available on the market today, and are often touted as a way for consumers to listen to their iPods through their car radios.  One of these devices could be found on the Internet for $50 or less, or could be easily constructed by an electronics or radio hobbyist.
-The [[FM transmitter (personal device)|legality]] of such devices varies from country to country.
 ==See also==
 {{Portal|Radio}}
 * [[FM radio]]
-* [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]]
+* [[Digital Audio Broadcasting]] (DAB)
 * [[Digital photo frame]]
+* [[Network Media Player]]
 * [[Radio receiver]]
+* [[Smart speaker]]
-* [http://selectstation.co.uk/ Internet Radio]
 ==References==
@@ Line 89: / Line 62: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Internet Radio Device}}
 [[Category:Internet audio players]]
-[[fr:poste de radio Internet]]
-[[pl:Radio internetowe (urządzenie)]]