I hate Internet Radio... so I made my own FTP Radio!
08-23-2007 | 03:04 PM
#1
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Calgary, AB
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I hate Internet Radio... so I made my own FTP Radio!
WARNING... THIS IS A LITTLE NERDISH, EVEN FOR ME.
I'm not a big fan of internet radio. Personally, I hate it. I can never find a station that I like (I've been listening to a lot of Danzig lately, good luck finding that on Live365), and when I do, the quality is usually some dismal 64-96kbps audio stream. Yecch.
For a while, I was bringing my iPod into work and playing it through iTunes, until I accidentally left it in Winnipeg. And even then, it was acting flakey, not turning off and killing the battery all the time. I can do the same thing using my Smartphone through Windows Mobile, but I don't like loading the MicroSD up with MP3s when I have actual work-related things I need to put on it.
So here it is... FTP Radio!
Prerequisites:
Broadband internet connection at home and at work
Windows XP or Vista (works on any flavour of and in any combination; this could work on a Mac in theory)
Windows Media Player 11 (haven't tested it with other versions or players, but again, should work in theory)
Step one: Get yourself an FTP server program. I use FTP Serv-U by RhinoSoft. (If you're not lucky enough to own a copy, I'm sure you can find it through other means.) It's easy as hell to set-up, with as many features as you'll probably need. Install it and set up a passworded user to access (and lock in) your My Music folder or where ever you store your music. If you know the IP you're going to be accessing it from, you can even restrict access by IP and password/username. Make sure you can log into the FTP from your ISP-assigned IP (not your internal 192.168....).
Step two: Open WMP on the computer running the FTP server, and add all your music to a playlist. I just opened in Album view and highlighted everything, then dragged it to a playlist I had made prior. Save the playlist as a .WPL to your desktop or where ever you'll be able to find it.
Step three: Open the .WPL in Notepad. It's laid out like an HTML file, really easy to read. Depending on how you've got your music collection sorted, and how you set-up the FTP server, you need to change the file paths. For example, my playlist originally said "..\Music\Metallica\Metallica - Fuel.mp3" for an entry. When I log into the FTP, the Music folder is the home folder, so I don't see it, I just see the Metallica folder. So I highlight "..\Music\" and copy it. Click "Edit > Replace..." and paste it into the "Find what" box. In the "Replace with" box, you're going to enter "ftp://Username:Password@123.123.123.123/", of course replacing what numbers and username/password you see with your own entries. Hit "Replace All". Now put a "\" (no quotes) into the "Find what" box, and a "/" into the "Replace with" box. Hit "Replace All" once more. Make sure the addresses look right (ie: like URLs and not like Windows Explorer paths), and save the file.
Step four: Find some way to get this file to yourself at the office. E-mail, flash drive... hell, a free-host should work even so long as you right click and "Save file as...".
Step five: At your office PC, open the playlist file you just sent yourself. It'll populate with all the songs you dragged into the playlist. Double-click a song and it should play! Instant internet radio, with your own music!
Pros:
- It's YOUR music!
- Whatever quality the MP3s you have on the machine are, that is the quality that you'll get; no downsampling, no static, no crap (unless you download **** like that).
Cons:
- Will not automatically update when you add new music at your home PC... you'll have to re-do the playlist creation steps and make sure the paths are adjusted. I tried adding the FTP as a Network Place, then having WMP access it as a folder, but WMP isn't a very good FTP client, and cannot traverse the folders itself, so it fails.
- I doubt this will work with DRM-protected files, you'll have to first remove the DRM by using FairUse4DRM/FairUse4WM. Maybe transferring the DRM certificate to your office PC would work too, I don't know. I don't do DRM. =)
- Not really a con, more of a caveat. Because nothing is downsampled, your file-sizes will be unchanged. WMP will buffer the files just fine, but if you're concerned about bandwidth usage at home or your workplace closely monitors monthly bandwidth, this will use up a good chunk of it, so use your own discretion. Even then, I've got maybe 10gb of music, and I know I don't listen to it all, so I wouldn't worry about it, but it's something you should be aware of.
Overall results: Very pleased, I can finally listen to a little Van Halen or whatever else I want when I'm at work.
Give it a shot, let me know what you guys think!
I'm not a big fan of internet radio. Personally, I hate it. I can never find a station that I like (I've been listening to a lot of Danzig lately, good luck finding that on Live365), and when I do, the quality is usually some dismal 64-96kbps audio stream. Yecch.
For a while, I was bringing my iPod into work and playing it through iTunes, until I accidentally left it in Winnipeg. And even then, it was acting flakey, not turning off and killing the battery all the time. I can do the same thing using my Smartphone through Windows Mobile, but I don't like loading the MicroSD up with MP3s when I have actual work-related things I need to put on it.
So here it is... FTP Radio!
Prerequisites:
Broadband internet connection at home and at work
Windows XP or Vista (works on any flavour of and in any combination; this could work on a Mac in theory)
Windows Media Player 11 (haven't tested it with other versions or players, but again, should work in theory)
Step one: Get yourself an FTP server program. I use FTP Serv-U by RhinoSoft. (If you're not lucky enough to own a copy, I'm sure you can find it through other means.) It's easy as hell to set-up, with as many features as you'll probably need. Install it and set up a passworded user to access (and lock in) your My Music folder or where ever you store your music. If you know the IP you're going to be accessing it from, you can even restrict access by IP and password/username. Make sure you can log into the FTP from your ISP-assigned IP (not your internal 192.168....).
Step two: Open WMP on the computer running the FTP server, and add all your music to a playlist. I just opened in Album view and highlighted everything, then dragged it to a playlist I had made prior. Save the playlist as a .WPL to your desktop or where ever you'll be able to find it.
Step three: Open the .WPL in Notepad. It's laid out like an HTML file, really easy to read. Depending on how you've got your music collection sorted, and how you set-up the FTP server, you need to change the file paths. For example, my playlist originally said "..\Music\Metallica\Metallica - Fuel.mp3" for an entry. When I log into the FTP, the Music folder is the home folder, so I don't see it, I just see the Metallica folder. So I highlight "..\Music\" and copy it. Click "Edit > Replace..." and paste it into the "Find what" box. In the "Replace with" box, you're going to enter "ftp://Username:Password@123.123.123.123/", of course replacing what numbers and username/password you see with your own entries. Hit "Replace All". Now put a "\" (no quotes) into the "Find what" box, and a "/" into the "Replace with" box. Hit "Replace All" once more. Make sure the addresses look right (ie: like URLs and not like Windows Explorer paths), and save the file.
Step four: Find some way to get this file to yourself at the office. E-mail, flash drive... hell, a free-host should work even so long as you right click and "Save file as...".
Step five: At your office PC, open the playlist file you just sent yourself. It'll populate with all the songs you dragged into the playlist. Double-click a song and it should play! Instant internet radio, with your own music!
Pros:
- It's YOUR music!
- Whatever quality the MP3s you have on the machine are, that is the quality that you'll get; no downsampling, no static, no crap (unless you download **** like that).
Cons:
- Will not automatically update when you add new music at your home PC... you'll have to re-do the playlist creation steps and make sure the paths are adjusted. I tried adding the FTP as a Network Place, then having WMP access it as a folder, but WMP isn't a very good FTP client, and cannot traverse the folders itself, so it fails.
- I doubt this will work with DRM-protected files, you'll have to first remove the DRM by using FairUse4DRM/FairUse4WM. Maybe transferring the DRM certificate to your office PC would work too, I don't know. I don't do DRM. =)
- Not really a con, more of a caveat. Because nothing is downsampled, your file-sizes will be unchanged. WMP will buffer the files just fine, but if you're concerned about bandwidth usage at home or your workplace closely monitors monthly bandwidth, this will use up a good chunk of it, so use your own discretion. Even then, I've got maybe 10gb of music, and I know I don't listen to it all, so I wouldn't worry about it, but it's something you should be aware of.
Overall results: Very pleased, I can finally listen to a little Van Halen or whatever else I want when I'm at work.
Give it a shot, let me know what you guys think!
08-24-2007 | 06:59 PM
#2
GTcars Regular
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,225
From: Andover, maine
Rep Power: 733
WOW, I'm Lost... I dont even know what FTP or any of that stuff means.. I know what TBI, TPI, EFI, ABS, AWD, STFU.. I know those.. but KBPS.. or whatever it is... I dont have a clue.. And I guess.. I dont need to know it.. if can get this far on the Computer..
Well, Hope it works out for ya.
Well, Hope it works out for ya.
08-24-2007 | 08:25 PM
#3
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Saraland AL
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the other issue is if you upload to a server that you can access remotely, eventually someone else can get in, and then the recording companies find out, and you have a napster type thing happening. I would suggest to somewhat protect yourself is name it something like private music, and password protect it, that way even if someone does get in your protected from lawsuits (I think)
08-24-2007 | 10:52 PM
#4
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 964
From: Greendale, WI
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yeah I use to have my own radio station back in the day and we linked it from our message board. Not too many people really listened because everyone wanted some other kind of music when i played it all.
08-25-2007 | 10:12 AM
#9
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Posts: 15,868
From: Saraland AL
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Originally Posted by 98CamaroZ28
slow forums today...this is why i have a Ipod and Itunes...
08-25-2007 | 03:47 PM
#10
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From: Calgary, AB
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Originally Posted by archemedes
the other issue is if you upload to a server that you can access remotely, eventually someone else can get in, and then the recording companies find out, and you have a napster type thing happening. I would suggest to somewhat protect yourself is name it something like private music, and password protect it, that way even if someone does get in your protected from lawsuits (I think)
08-26-2007 | 12:16 AM
#12
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Originally Posted by archemedes
but it's still online, the ftp is just how you upload (everything on my site is ftp)