Internet Radio 101
Internet radios, such as the Reciva range, are essentially dedicated computers with specialised hardware and software which allows them to play streaming audio data from stations providers all around the world (such as the BBC and NPR, etc) without having to use a computer of your own. Other features, such as playing home media, accessing online storage, and third-party services (such as Pandora, etc.) are also available.
It is important to realise that internet radios are NOT like normal FM radios. They do not receive a wireless signal like your usual FM radio but receive the audio stream via the internet from the broadcaster's server computers. If you set presets on your radio, it is important to realise that these are static links. If the broadcaster changes the stream address then the preset will no longer work - you have to 'retune' the particular station and reassign the preset.
Most internet radios connect on startup to a dedicated website (portal) which contains a database of radio stations and their associated live audio stream addresses - this is usually searchable from the radio by country and genre. When you select a specific station from the database, the radio receives the specific stream url which allows it to connect directly to the radio station's streaming server. The data sent from the server is decoded by the radio and played.
If you wish to add a station to the database, then it is important that you DO NOT add the station's homepage address as the stream url - this will NOT work and can cause problems for database maintenance. Read the section on ![[WWW]](../Wiki_Settings/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
stream extraction BEFORE adding a new database entry.
Radio streaming servers use different formats to stream the audio data - for example, Windows WMA, Real Audio and MP3 - and different protocols to deliver it - for example HTTP, ICY and RTSP. Reciva radios can decode most of the popular formats and protocols.
A problem occurs when a radio station streams using the Adobe Flash format - these cannot be decoded directly by the radios and an alternative format needs to be provided so that the radios can connect. Some of the largest broadcasters and stream providers have arrangements with internet radio providers (such as Reciva) to make the audio data available despite an end-user only ever seeing a Flash player if they access the source via a web browser.
In addition, most internet radios have a facility to store favourite stations or to set presets. In Reciva, favourites are available in My Stuff - My Stations. If you discover a specific radio station streaming url then you can add it to My Streams (but - why not submit it to the Reciva service so that others can use it as well?).
Occasionally, users find that a radio station consistently fails to connect - often this is due to either the station switching to the Flash format, which the radios can't handle. If you have the station in My Stations, any changes should be automatically propagated via the Reciva database once the information is updated and the station should reconnect. If you have added a personal stream to My Streams, then you have to change or edit the stream information to reflect the new station url.
You can request that a particular station be added to the Reciva database via an online form on the Reciva webpages. Whilst 'on the fly searching' is now an automated part of the add station process, it is a good idea before you attempt to add a station, to search the database from the Reciva website to see whether the station already exists. Failure to do this results in wasted time and possible duplicates being added which makes it difficult for other users to find a particular station. Try searching very specifically and then increasingly less specifically as stations can sometimes exist under a variety of names, not all of them immediately obvious. In addition, when you submit a stream url for a station, it is important to submit a valid address - submissions which just reference the radio station's main page will not work. You need to discover the On Air, Live, Listen Now link.
Please be aware, like all computers, problems can occur in the radio's operation - you can use the other FAQ topics to track down problems you may encounter.
Happy internet radio listening!