SHOUTcast ripper FAQ
(mp3 and nsv stream recording help)
What are Shoutcast and Icecast
Shoutcast and Icecast use a modified form of http to deliver streaming media (initially MP3 audio only) in real-time over a network. This is a popular and inexpensive way to deliver media streams over the Internet. It is especially popular with small broadcasters, as it does not require the server to have a registered domain name, just an IP address. It can deliver a live stream or a playlist of recordings.
Nullsoft video (NSV) and Nullsoft audio (NSA) recording
.NSA and .NSV stream rippers can download NSV and NSA streams from HTTP:// and even UNSV:// URLs.
You may also use Multiformat Stream Recorders supporting SHOUTcast ripping to download Nullsoft video (NSV) streamed through the HTTP protocol.
And sometimes you may use the following trick to record .NSV file streamed through HTTP protocol with SHOUTcast ripper.
After downloading .mp3 file with SHOUTcast ripper rename its extension to .nsv. Note that this procedure is required for Nullsoft video only (you don't need to change extensions of true .mp3 files).
How to get the URL of Winamp TV (Nullsoft video NSV stream)
Play a TV channel in Winamp. Right click on the channel in the playlist and copy the link.
Paste this URL in the SHOUTcast ripper and record it.
Note that if you use the Winamp Plugin to rip SHOUTcast stream there is no need to copy-paste links.
You may also use URL Finder software like free Project URL Snooper to get stream URLs.
Song splitting problem
If song splitting is incorrect it may be caused by the algorithm of the stream ripper.
In such cases get another stream ripper with more advanced song splitting technology.
You may also experience such problems when the tracks were crossfaded or when for some reason the silence between the tracks just wasn't very clear. The latter problem hardly could be solved.
User agent problem
Multiformat stream recorders and stream rippers usually have user agents like HiDownload, StreamRipper/1.0 so while trying to record the stream you may receive errors of the following types:
- Access forbidden (http 403 error)
- The stream you're trying to record is not a SHOUTcast stream.
The majority of stream recorders / SHOUTcast rippers allow you to change the User agent in their settings. Use one of the following User-agents to record such streams:
- Winamp/2.x
- FreeAmp/2.x
- XMMS/1.x
If none of those work: right click on the stream Playlist entry in winamp and select 'File Info' and make sure it's a Shoutcast stream.
Meta-data problem
Meta-data means track data. The word meta is used because in the Shoutcast server HTTP response header it has something called "meta-int" (meaning meta interval) which is often how meta/track data is sent in the stream.
Some streams could not be ripped because they don't contain meta-data. Old versions of Icecast had very poor meta-data code so you may experience problems as well.
In such cases try to download latest version of the rippers. Also try several stream rippers.
Is it possible to download SHOUTcast stream faster than in real time?
SHOUTcast streams are live streams so they can't be recorded faster than in real time. But some SHOUTcast rippers can record several streams simultaneously so you can fully use your bandwidth :).
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