Can anyone recommend an Internet Radio?

[Araucaria]

Can anyone suggest from personal experience a good wifi internet radio?

A friend has the Orange version: it's designed to match the Livebox and it's called Liveradio. He finds that the volume just isn't enough: the speakers are pretty small, and although some stations give you an acceptable volume, others (including BBC World Service/Radio 4) just aren't loud enough.

I've had a Revo Blik for a couple of years, and although as far as volume is concerned it's OK, I find it's very fiddly to use. It also has other irritating habits that I could list if anyone was interested.

[ericd]

Have mine in the kitchen and it has been working extremely well for the past 18 months (I listen to Nostalgie)......Can't remember the name, will check it up tonight.

[ericd]

Mine is a Tangent Quattro.

[Gardengirl]

We tried a Pure internet radio at first, and found the touch pad controls too fiddly. We're using a Roberts Stream 83i now, and found it easy to set up and very simple to use. Programmes such as Radio 4 come through loud and strong, as well as French ones.

We were out all day on Sunday and loaned it to a neighbour so she could get a fix of the Archers; she was very surprised it worked so well. That's now on their shopping list as well as an internet system - we loaned him the computer for the day to do his emails, to save him going to the internet cafe! We use the radio mainly in the bedroom, with the wifi router in the kitchen; it also worked in their next door apartment with no problems, through concrete walls.

[NormanH]

I have simply external speakers for both my PC and little netbook, no special radio.

The sound on the latter is very good even on WiFi ( I listened to Radio 3 last week in a Hotel room with great pleasure)

[Araucaria]

Thanks for the helpful answers.

One of the advantages of the Orange Liveradio (to set against the disadvantage of small speaker/poor amplification) is that you can't turn it off, except by unplugging it and removing its batteries. All you can do is put it on standby. This means it stays permanently logged on to the network and only takes a second or two to tune in and broadcast the station you choose.

By contrast the Revo one can't be put on standby, and once turned off it takes a good 30 seconds, sometimes even a minute, to boot up, log on and buffer the station you want. How do the Roberts and the Pure radio compare with this?

Also the Revo one has no back-up battery, so even the very shortest powercut (and we have plenty) returns the clock function to 00.00. This is a nuisance.

[Gardengirl]

The Roberts model we have can take about 30 seconds to pick up the station, but that's fine, as I haven't got used to anything else. As regards power cuts, we had one this week, but didn't have to touch the radio, so it must have back-up power; I only had to reset the oven clock, as the radio and internet system were back as normal. Just as well, as I wouldn't have had a clue; oven clocks I can manage! [:)]

[Chancer]

Can anyone tell me how an internet radio works and if it might be the solution for me?

I listen to French radio while I am working but just get grumpy with the same few adverts repeated every few minutes, normally Leclerc, Orange, Intermarché etc, especially that bloody voice over woman with her whispering breathless voice of complicity or the one sounding all smug and self satisfied, I swear the next time a woman speaks like that to me during a romantic interlude I wont be responsible for my actions[:'(]

If I listen to the talk radio stations I get so wound up with the presenters who mimick les people and who punctuate their speech with gratuitous Euuhhh's , most of them cannot string together more than 3 words without one.

In the mornings I used to listen to the radio stations on my tele Freebox, I especially liked the "funky Manhattan show" it only had music (my taste) and the occasional jingle, no news, no adverts nothing else, I think this must have been an internet radio station, are there others ike this?

Do you have to have the computer on in the background or is the unit a WIFI jobby that will connect to my Freebox reseau?

Is there a list of radio stations available? I would prefer it to be a French one with news, I am more than happy with discussion programs etc just cant stand the constant Euuhh's and advertising

[ericd]

Hi Chancer, no snorkeling comments on this forum??? [;-)]

 

Internet radios are wi-fi units that connect to your router. Mine (and most likely all others) can listen to most radio stations worlwide......Interested in listening to radio Beijing...the set up allows you to chose country and goes through a list of radio stations available for that country. It works as an FM radio too.

The radio is instant but the internet side takes a few seconds to connect. If the unit is turned off, the radio keeps all its settings regardless.

[Araucaria]

Chancer

An internet radio might be just what you need. Mine uses the Reciva list of stations, and they have at present 573 French radio/internet stations, or so they say. You should be able to find something you like. Other radios use a different list, but I think they often have a method for adding new ones on demand.

I'm still looking for other peoples' recommendations though ....

[Chancer]

Thankyou Auraucacia.

I am at this moment listening to the Manhattan show from your Reciva link, I didnt know that I could listen to the radio on my computer or that it could be playing in the background (although my typing seems to be cutting it out!) how sad is that?

It has really lifted my spirit just to listen to music I like without voice over woman or affected speech just for the last 15 minutes, internet radio is for me!

So do I have to be carefull what radio I buy? do they display the stations available together with what type they are like the Reciva site or does one simply find what one wants on the net and tune into the frequency or whatever it is called?

[ericd]

Not sure about anyone type but mine can list radio stations as Classical, Rock, Funk etc...

[NormanH]

[quote user="Chancer"]

Thankyou Auraucacia.

I am at this moment listening to the Manhattan show from your Reciva link, I didnt know that I could listen to the radio on my computer or that it could be playing in the background (although my typing seems to be cutting it out!) how sad is that?

It has really lifted my spirit just to listen to music I like without voice over woman or affected speech just for the last 15 minutes, internet radio is for me!

So do I have to be carefull what radio I buy? do they display the stations available together with what type they are like the Reciva site or does one simply find what one wants on the net and tune into the frequency or whatever it is called?

[/quote]

I think you have Free, like me.

If you use adsltv to play the TV offer on your computer you will also find an enormous list of International radio stations.

[Chancer]

I might try that in the interim Norman although you will have to explain in simple terms how to, however I need the radio to play where I am working up in the 3rd floor, my computer and the freebox are in my flat which is a rear extension of the ground floor.

Hopefully if I have a choice of decent radio stations that I can enjoy without getting enraged I wont keep popping back so often to this computer and the forum [:)]

Its a shame because I really like the stations that I listen too on my FM radio, France Inter Picardie, Nostalgie, Galaxy, TSF Jazz and others whose names I cannot recall but they are all totally spoiled by the continous repetition of the adverts and the affected speech of the presenters, it has got so bad (for me) with the adverts that I have to switch the radio off every 10 minutes when they repeat.

I did play some internet radio yesterday on the computer for the first time and it was great but my computer is not really up to it and it slows it down even more than normal and there are many breaks in the sound track, PPP has kindly given me a better machine but I do not want to call in a favour from my computer friend to help me set it up as he has a lot of family stress at the moment with a terminal illness and a forced mutation to cope with.

Is there any knife and fork way that I can tell what the wi-fi signal strength is in my grenier before shelling out on an internet radio? I dont have a portable computer, the computer is too encombrant to move but I suppose I could move the Freebox HD, reboot it and watch the display, I thik it initially displays reseau, wifi, then rock n roll, would that tell me?