What are the URL's for streaming KUER's Listen Live?
     KUER's Listen Live feature's URL's can be found here:
Broadband Listen Live http://audio.kuer.org:8000/high.m3u
Dial-up Listen Live: http://audio.kuer.org:8000/low.m3u

Why does Windows Media Player buffer for a long time before playing?
     After upgrading IceCast to version 2.3.1, Windows Media Player no longer starts streaming right away. This may be a WMP or a Fierwall problem but we are working on fixing it. You can usually start the Listen Live stream by clicking on WMP's PLAY button.

Why did you choose mp3?
     There are two main reasons: mp3 is a pretty universal file format, especially post-Napster, and the technology needed at our end (just like the player at yours) is free, as part of the open-source movement. We use programs from Nullsoft, the makers of Winamp, called Icecast and Liveice. These were set up with the help of Pete Ashdown at Xmission and Bryan Peterson, the Unix System Administrator at the Utah Education Network, which supports our web server.

Why is the sound quality different than on my radio? Why does the signal sometimes skip or repeat?
      Audio that has been digitized is much more complex, (and therefore larger) than the text and pictures that are usually sent over the world wide web. If we sent the CD-quality audio we generated here in the studios, all but the fastest computers and/or connections would be swamped. So we compress the audio before it goes out, which can sometimes make it sound different. Sometimes, even this is too much for the computer, or the connection between your computer and our server slows down. That can cause gaps because the buffer of uninterrupted sound is "used up." The signal could stutter for similar reasons. If you have a lot of problems, try the lower-speed stream or e-mail

What does "buffer" mean?
      A buffer is similar to the "no-skip" function in a portable CD player. The computer inside the CD player reads ahead of where in the song you are listening so that if it loses its place as it's reading the disc, there is some sound (10 seconds, say) it can draw upon while it finds its place again. In the same way, the audio player will "listen" to our stream for a few seconds to build up that buffer before it starts playing KUER's stream for you. That way, if there is a connction or processing "skip," it has a few extra seconds to use to keep from interrupting your listening pleasure.

When I click, the player opens and buffers the signal as usual, but I still hear nothing.
     This probably indicates that there is something wrong with the physical connctions at our end. Please Chad Johnson or e-mail Lewis Downey right away. And thanks for the troubleshooting help.

What happened to the old way you did streaming?
     Streaming of our signal used to be part of our membership in Public Interactive, a for-profit web solutions company for public radio stations. But their system was based on Windows Media Player, which doesn't work well on most Macs. And, they started charging for the service. After exploring ways to do it for less, we discovered the system we're using now, which is much more cost-effective.
     The disadvantages are that our previous listeners will have to go through a little bit of set up again, and that we no longer offer the four streaming audio channels that came with Public Interactive's service. The advantages are that more people can listen to the stream, and that we don't use KUER's tight resources where we don't have to. We're happy to help, call 581-5662 during business hours or e-mail .

MORE RESOURCES
Try getting help from MP3.com.
If you're trying to use Windows Media Player and you have Windows 95 or NT, see Microsoft's explanation of why you can't use the latest version, which supports streaming mp3's.