Internet Radio Bandwidth Usage

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How much bandwidth does internet radio use?

Internet radio is a convenient way to listen to music and radio broadcasts via the Internet. Sometimes referred to as web radio, net radio, streaming radio and e-radio, this technology does not transmit through wireless means as a traditional radio, but rather uses streaming media to transmit programming.

Internet radio is similar to regular radio in that it presents a continuous stream of audio that listeners cannot pause or replay. Internet radio is also called webcasting, in contrast to traditional radio broadcasting or podcasting. Podcasting is different from internet radio because this technology involves downloading rather than streaming media. An internet radio station may be independent and internet-only or it can be associated with a corresponding regular radio station.

One significant advantage of internet radio services is that they are available all over the world. Many expatriates depend on internet radio to keep them up-to-speed on issues in their home country. Also, listeners with obscure or alternative music tastes may find that internet radio offers more options for them. In addition to music, internet radio offers talk, news, and sports.

Any function using the Internet involves bandwidth use. Bandwidth describes how much information is transmitted over a computer connection. Generally, bandwidth is expressed as bits per second (Kbps) or megabits (Mbps) per second. Bandwidth expresses the total amount of data transferred in a given time as a rate. This value does not express the quality of the transmission in any way.

Another common metaphor for bandwidth is to think of it as the size and speed of the pipe connecting a computer to the Internet. Data is transported between the computer and the Internet through this pipe. Bandwidth is gobbled up when users view web pages, upload (send out) or download (receive) data.

A concern for listeners of internet radio is how much bandwidth is used while listening, as this can impact other processes on their computers. There are a number of formulas for calculating bandwidth. A general idea of the amount of bandwidth listening to an internet radio takes is about 96-128 Kbps. Broadcasting yourself on internet radio takes about the same amount of bandwidth times the number of listeners. In general, the amount of bandwidth that is used depends on how fast the media streams. Media can stream at 32 Kbps, 64 Kbps, 128 Kbps or more, but most media streams are 128 Kbps.

For users who wish to have a more precise idea of how much bandwidth they are using when listening to internet radio, there are a number of internet-based calculators. For an accurate estimate, be sure to close all applications for about 5 minutes and only open the internet radio while using the calculator.

Zen Internet, located in the United Kingdom, bases their calculations on the following download rate for online radio listening: average stream at 128 Kbps (maximum 168 hours per week.)

Another calculator is located at Internet Radio, also located in the United Kingdom. For personal use, enter “1″ for the number of listeners. For checking bandwidth for broadcasting yourself, estimate and enter the number of listeners.

To do the calculations manually, divide the stream Kbps rate by 8, and the result is the kilobytes per second (KBps) it uses. Therefore: 32Kbps = 4KB/s = 12MB/hour; 64Kbps = 8KB/s = 23MB/hour; and, 128Kbps = 16KB/s = 57MB/hour.

Resource by B.Sobey

I am a recent masters graduate from FL. I enjoy the beach, traveling, and writing. I just moved to South Carolina in hopes to find a job as a journalist.

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