[Evil English]

I used to be a treo user and could listen to any station in the country by going to a website (not sure if this is the exact address) the streamcenter.com/pda. are there any websites or applications that will allow blackberry users to listen to streaming radio?

Thanks!

[hsumra]

I am semi-new to the berry as i used to have one about 2 yrs ago and got a 8310 in october... would like to know if this is possible
Thanks
In
Advance

[kev8124]

look up orb.com. There are forums on it but i can't post links yet.

[juwaack68]

If you have the Sprint BIS plan, it comes with Sprint Radio....

Haven't tried it much, but it does work.

[kd4e]

Why can I view videos on YouTube and not GodTube?

This one I'd like to view is found on GodTube via a search for "freebird" and was uploaded for me by "dgerner".

I am new and cannot yet post a URL.

Thanks!

[kd4e]

Orb loads on your home PC, it functions as a streaming server which converts the streaming audio/video for your Blackberry Pearl 8130, then you log onto your pc and access the stream.

It requires a significantly modern PC with lots of RAM and that your home computer be powered up and connected to the Internet.

I'd still like to know what is the difference between YouTube (where I can view the videos directly from my Blackberry) and GodTube (where I cannot, at least not at the moment).

Thanks!

[w00tw00t]

Quoting myself from another thread:

...for streaming I am now using Dollars5's mediaPlayer. You must install via the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software as the OTA gives error, but it's worth it! I had tried RadioBee, MFRadio, mWebPlayer/WebPlayerMidlet and their all fail in comparison. The adjustable buffer of Dollars5's mediaPlayer is what makes it I think (FAR fewer hiccups than the incumbents). MFRadio was effectively simple, but without an adjustable buffer the lag was too much to bear. FWIW I am using T-Mobiles EDGE which really isn't cut out for streaming much of anything...

[kd4e]

Is this to what you refer?

dollars5.com
/plete/blackberry/mediaplayer-for-blackberry-pearl-8100/

Is $19.99 is forever or due every year or do they charge for updates?

Does this eliminate the orb requirement to use a home PC as an intermediary server?

Thanks!

[w00tw00t]

Yup, that's mediaPlayer alright Bein' a new to the boards I'm restricted from posting full URLs

From my understanding the cost is one-time and it includes the software in it's current and future forms (i.e. updates). This whole "orb" thing is new to me, but I'm going out on a limb and saying that "yes, it will eliminate the need for you to relay". What mediaPlayer does is takes the URL of an mp3 or aac stream and plays it. An example of such a URL would be http: //somewebsite.com:9000 or http: //123.456.78.901:7800. Just add the URL to mediaPlayer and select "play" and you're good to go

[kd4e]

Cool!

I am new as well but discovered that if you break up the URL you can post it.

I know that they are defending against spam but it is a real nuisance and encourages useless posts to get past the 6-post minimum to then be allowed to post URLs.

[kd4e]

Hmmmm. I wonder if that was my post 4 or five?

[kd4e]

Maybe this is my post 6? I will try to post a URL on the next on - that will tll me if I have passed the 6-post requirement.

[kd4e]

Ooops, it is 10 posts, not 6.

Sigh.

[kd4e]

I cannot see the Flash videos on the fred08.com site.

Will Dollar5's mediaplayer handle Flash?

[kd4e]

If I read this correctly - mediaPlayer does not support Flash or Shockwave. I wish Web sites would stop using either until they make drivers available for Linux - millions of users are unable to view sites that use them - not to mention those with slow connections and/or older PCs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mediaPlayer is a music player application for Blackberry� 8800, Blackberry� 8300 and Blackberry� Pearl™ 8100 smartphones. mediaPalyer can play video in full screen, manage multiple playlists, play from a selected playlist and play selected media from device memory or card memory. Now search for media too.

Now New! Improved! with Full screen Video playback on v4.2.1 OS, Radio, Setting Audio path (v4.2.1 OS only), Searching media, Trackball/Pearl dancing lights for your music (for Pearl only), playlist sorting and better user experience.

Also New! Experience the UNLIMITED Trial of mediaPlayer for 1 Week

The mediaPlayer provides functionalities to manage playlists, shuffle, repeat and full background playback.

Features
• Highly optimized Blackberry� 8800, Blackberry� 8300 and Blackberry� Pearl™ 8100 smartphones
• Plays a variety of video formats like AVI, 3GP, MP4 (requires v4.2.1 OS)
• Plays a variety of audio formats like AMR, Wave, MP3, MP4, AU, AAC
• Streaming media from internet and Internet Radio support
• Crossfade between songs (beta implementation)
• Multiple Playlist management
• New! Search for media files, with ability to use recent searches
• Sorting of Playlist by name
• ID3 tags
• Quick find for searching in the playlist
• Keyboard navigation in playlist by file name alphabets (8800 and 8300 only - requires QWERTY keyboard) press the starting letter and you will be focussed on the item with that alphabetAdvanced speaker modes (requires 4.2.1 OS) - stream audio to phone speaker, handsfree speaker, headset, both (headset and handsfree) and bluetooth headset (no A2DP supported at present)
• Trackball/Pearl dancing lights for music sound
• Full background playback with improved performance optimizations
• Auto pause of music while during phone calls
• Songs position seeking using the selectable player gauge
• Direct play by selecting a song from the now playlist
• Songs shuffle and repeat with a button click
• Volume control using keypad keys ‘Q’ and ‘P’; UI buttons
• File browser to list and select media files from device memory and card memory
• Quick launch to last visited folder while browsing for faster file selections
• Library creation of all music in device and sd card memory as a playlist
• Newly improved! User friendly interface for better user experience
• New! Search function to find media quickly and indication during search and now faster than before to find your files
• Customizable UI field colors
• More menu commands
• One-time payment – lifelong Free upgrades and bug fixes
• Premier customer support via e-mail and community forums

The mediaPlayer provides functionalities to manage playlists, shuffle, repeat and full background playback. The following screen illustrates the mediaPlayer user interface.

The mediaPlayer support playing of the following audio formats:
Polyphonic MIDI (.mid, .midi, or .smf)
AMR-NB - 4.75 kbps, 5.15 kbps, 5.9 kbps, 6.7 kbps, 7.4 kbps, 7.95 kbps, 10.2 kbps, and 12.2 kbps (.amr)
Next AU (.au)
MP3 16 kHz, 22.050 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz (.mp3, .mpc)
AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ (.m4a)
WAV PCM/uLaw/aLaw /GSM 6.10 - 8 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz with 8- bit and 16-bit depths in mono or stereo (.wav)
The mediaPlayer support playing of the following video formats (video playback requires 4.2.1+ OS):
MPEG-4 Part 2 (Simple Profile) file formats - .avi, .3gp, .mp4, .mov
H.263 (Profile 0 & Profile 3) file formats - .avi, .3gp, .mp4, .mov
The full features and usage are documented in the user manual.

[w00tw00t]

No support for flash with any native or 3rd party BB app as of yet

[cre8tivspirit]

I installed mediaPlayer on my 8310 yesterday and it didn't work very well at all. There are two radio links that come with the install, NPR and a mediaPlayer streaming test. Neither would work. I would get a successful connection and then a few seconds later I would get a "connection closed" message. Not sure why. I've heard that AT&T's EDGE isn't great for streaming audio but who knows. I'm almost ready to pay the $8.95/month for the 25 XM Radio subscription but there aren't any talk radio shows listed with the 25 stations that you get. A lot of Urban and Hip Hop though. Unfortunately I've grown a little too old for that.

[w00tw00t]

I installed mediaPlayer on my 8310 yesterday and it didn't work very well at all. There are two radio links that come with the install, NPR and a mediaPlayer streaming test. Neither would work. I would get a successful connection and then a few seconds later I would get a "connection closed" message. Not sure why. I've heard that AT&T's EDGE isn't great for streaming audio but who knows. I'm almost ready to pay the $8.95/month for the 25 XM Radio subscription but there aren't any talk radio shows listed with the 25 stations that you get. A lot of Urban and Hip Hop though. Unfortunately I've grown a little too old for that.

"Connection Closed!" is 99.99998% of the time a result of your provider. I noticed after streaming for nearly an hour the other night that I was disconnected and could not reconnect until the next day. Most likely is some sort of bandwidth/port monitoring going on at the provider level. mediaPlayer works great

[cre8tivspirit]

I wonder if AT&T would own up to restricting my access to streaming radio. It might be interesting to ask. I'm paying for unlimited access and I would expect just that. Why would they allow me to subscribe to XM Radio and not block it?

[wpwoodjr#AC]

I had no success with mediaPlayer on my Pearl 8130 (Verizon) - it kept skipping or closing the connection. I have had some success with ORB but you must load the new Alltel .81 OS on your 8130, it does not work on the .60 release that ships with Verizon. Also, SomaFM: Commercial-Free, Independent Internet Radio has some streaming stations including Groove Salad which I love, just browse to that website with the BB browser.

[StayFly]

how do i play the radio?

[Beryl]

It works quite well on my device. A significant number of built-in radio stations are provided (source?) of many genres and I was able to add several stations of my own. Although, it does not allow me to just click on an online streaming link as I could with my Treo 700wx, I'm content.

These are things about which I'm not as happy but are not show-stoppers.

1. Although BT headsets are included as an output option in the software, they are not supported today. The developer claims to have this support in the next release. Perhaps more of us should request it.

2. Media files must be in a blackberry\music\berrytunes folder. I think media files should be readable from the same folder as the built-in player -- \blackberry\music. Fortunately, the built-in player can access music n the berrytunes folder.

3. NO user manual -- just a FAQ. If there was a manual, I'd know that BT headsets were not supported and about 30 minutes of my time trying to get it to work would not have been wasted.

Although I've registered this app, a comparison with other streaming radio 3rd party apps would be appreciated. I am particularly interested in a fully featured media player that will do everything the built-in player will do plus
1. radio streaming
2. video streaming
3. interface with XMOnline so that existing subscribers could access the service as they can on Windows handhelds (no additional fee)

[jidx]

What about sirius? Has anyone tried it?

[cjmjmm2006]

So I am assuming in reading this thread that there is no way to access radio on your BB free of charge. I would totally be happy with AM/FM from my local broadcasts. Checked the forums and didnt come up with anything. If anyone knows or has any info on that, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Beryl]

I downloaded Dollar 5 because I'd never tried it out.

Quick Comparison for radio streaming:

Dollar 5 mediaPlayer:
-- Only one pre-defined station is NPR
-- skipped/paused while buffering 3 times in one minute.
-- lastFM support (couldn't get it to work)
-- no selectable output options

ReadyTunes 2.2
-- scores of pre-defined stations
-- No skip after about 10 minutes of continuous listening of NPR
-- Multiple output options (speakerphone, phone handset, wired headset, & unsupported BT headset

I suspect that Dollar 5 is a better player (has access to all files on the card) but streaming radio is more reliable on ReadyTunes. I'm waiting for TCPMP to arrive on Blackberry devices so not planning to pursue Dollar 5's offering.