Evaluating Airtime
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Arnor KristjanssonArnor Kristjansson
    Posts: 1Member
    Hi,

    I'm new here so please be gentle if I'm posting this in the wrong area.

    I'm evaluating whether Airtime would be a good fit for a project I'm volunteering for. The project has a 'master' server with audio files and a playlist text file. The playback servers have a script that periodically 'phones home' over rsync and downloads the latest set of audio files, deleting files that are out of the loop, and the text file. The script then 'cooks' the text file into an m3u file and hands it to the playback engine, mpg321. mpg321 will play the playlist file, reloading it when the playlist is complete.

    All very simple but also very fragile.

    Now it has broken and instead of manually recreating the playlist file I would like to use something more robust. Due to networking restrictions (slow and unstable internet connection) I can't stream the audio to the playback server and I can't host Airtime's web frontend on the playback server. From what I've been able to glean from the documentation Airtime will stream from the master to the playback server but I'm hoping I am misunderstanding how the system works.

    In my dream scenario I would like to be able to:
    • Create a playlist centrally
    • Playback the playlist remotely (by the transmitter)
    • Be able to auto generate the playlist and be 'smart' about it; f.x. not play the same artist twice in a row, insert station IDs at given intervals (overdub once an hour or after tracks).
    • Have the ability to sync the playback servers so that they're within 10 seconds of each other in the playback
    • Schedule announcements (not advertising) between tracks (or every other track) between certain calendar dates
    Would Airtime be able to do some or all of this?
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  • Vote Up0Vote Down hoerichhoerich
    Posts: 627Member, Airtime Moderator

    Arnor Kristjansson said:


    In my dream scenario I would like to be able to:
    • Create a playlist centrally
    • Playback the playlist remotely (by the transmitter)
    • Be able to auto generate the playlist and be 'smart' about it; f.x. not play the same artist twice in a row, insert station IDs at given intervals (overdub once an hour or after tracks).
    • Have the ability to sync the playback servers so that they're within 10 seconds of each other in the playback
    • Schedule announcements (not advertising) between tracks (or every other track) between certain calendar dates
    Would Airtime be able to do some or all of this?


    Hi Arnor,

    sorry for the late answer. Hope it's not too late.

    from what I can say at first sight, Airtime can do all of your requirements.
    I'm not sure you understand Airtime's workflow regarding Server and Master...

    The Airtime-Server can be located at your local Studio or virtually hosted online.
    Master to Server means you can stream with any Icecast-Client (Butt, m3w, edcast, riocast) from any location to your Airtime-Server.
    This enables the possibility for Remote Live-Shows.
    You can also seperate the Broadcast-Streaming (Icecast-Server) to another Server if you like.

    don't mind to go in depth with your questions.
    cheers, hoerich

    Official Airtime Forum Manager
    --------------------------
    Most of the time an issue is located between keyboard and chair.
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