Streaming web radio breaks up after a few seconds

Question

Hello,
I am trying to stream web radio on my ipod touch 1st generation but it does not work properly.
I tried many apps like calm radio or apps allowing to listen to web radio but the problem is the same. The music breaks up constantly as if the connexion was too slow.
I use my home wifi (8MB) and I tried many different apps and streaming quality (same result with 24kbps or 128). The wifi connexion is clear (I am standing next to the modem) and I reset/updated the ipod but did not have any better result.
Anyone as the same problem? Some leads on how to fix this?
Thank you.

Answer 1

When audio (music or speech) is being streamed to your iPod, the "file" (or each few minutes of audio) has to arrive at your iPod at least as fast as it's being played to you. If it does, then everything will sound okay and if it arrives faster than required, your iPod will buffer the sound in its memory. When that's full, it will tell the originating website to stop sending for a while. But if the "file" doesn't arrive fast enough, then you get breakup of the sound.
So even though your Wi-Fi connection may be good, the internet itself may be slowing down the feed of the stream and that could be down to any one (or more) of several things.
1. I assume your internet connection is broadband - that is the 8MB you referred to. Even so, it may be a slow connection, now or all the time. Have you done a speed test on your internet connection?
2. The website itself may be busy. Unlike broadcast radio, where it makes no difference how many extra peple listen, every extra listener on the internet needs extra resources on the interenet and on the website sending the sound.
3. Even if you have this problem with different radio services, it could be the App your using that's causing the problem.
4. The internet itself may be busy. It's like trying to make a call on your mobile phone (cellular) at midnight on New Year's Eve. Well, here in the UK, it was so busy, you couldn't do so.
One trick you could try; if the App you're using has a pause button, pause the audio for about thirty seconds and then re-start it. It may, possibly help, but don't put money on it.
In the future, this breaking up problem will go away, but the internet (and radio streaming) is still relatively new and that's why there's a problem. So new in fact, that no one has yet come up with a suitable name for "listening to a live audio feed over the internet, from an organisation that broadcasts over *radio waves* at the same time". Radio, you might say. Well no, radio is short for "broadcasting over the "airwaves" by usng radio-frequncy transmission.
I suppose "internet braodcasting" - but that's not very catchy, is it?
So yes, other peoiple wll also have the same problem as you, I do ocassionally. The only things you can try that may help are those I've suggested above - check the speed of your broadband and try the pause trick.
Good luck.
Phil