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HOW TO SET UP AUTO-RECONNECT IN WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER OR VLC

We are using Windows Media Encoder and Player to simulcast two stations full time. Does anyone know how to configure Media Player or VLC to automatically reconnect when a lost stream is restored? Thanks for your help!
 
Yes, buy a couple of Barix boxes!

We started out doing exactly what you are, and after several failures (usually at night, wake up to silence) and seeing no way to auto reconnect, we put in two Barix links. Working flawlessly for relatively little money. Also added benefit of auto fallback to a flash drive plugged into the decoder with music that will start playing if the internet link does down.

If someone does have a solution for auto reconnect I would like to see it just to see what I missed.
 
AirLink uses the WMP engine and reconnects flawlessly with a mini-automation system built in that not only plays music files in the case of internet going down, but also plays your legal ID at the top of the hour and injects sweeps every XX of songs. http://raduga.net/airlink.htm $349 complete.
 
Dump WMEncoder/WMP and use Skype. It can be set up to auto answer on the receiving end.

If you insist on using WMEncoder/WMP then get a remote access app (e.g. GoToMyPC) so you can remote in and reconnect.

Of course the best solution is the Barix boxes but it sounds like you don't have money to spend on making sure your programming airs properly.
 
Mp3 isnt as good as wmp for the bitrate. The exstreamer is capable of wmp decoding so I'd defiantly go that way for the playback end. Price is right too :)
 
I don't know about WMP but for VLC, select tools and preferences. Change the mode from simple to all. on the left side click input/codecs to expand it then click access modules and HTTP(s) On the HTTP input screen there is a checkbox for auto reconnect. Winamp will auto reconnect also just clicking the repeat button on the main screen.
 
I have tried the HTTP auto-reconnect in VLC to no avail.

One of the posters accused me of being cheap, which is true and a trait I proudly share with Clark Howard :) But in our case, it is REALLY CONVIENIENT to have the received stream audio output on one of the multiple stereo outputs of our 1 - in, 4 - out audio card that has balanced audio. I'll betcha (Palin-ism) someone has successfully done exactly what I am looking for, so THANK YOU to everyone who is offering help!
 
Be aware that as of the last time I read the license agreement, the suggestion to use Skype in this manner is a violation of their terms of service unless you give them on-air credit every 15 minutes.

If the Barix Exstreamer will reconnect with a WME stream, that solutions seems like a no-brainer. The Exstreamer is inexpensive, particularly if you don't have to buy the Instreamer to go with it.

Partial thread hijack: Last weekend, I played around with streaming audio using Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder (FMLE), a free utility. I was able to create a high bitrate MP3 stream in stereo on Ustream that was excellent quality. The separation, even for MP3, was amazing. You can stream without FMLE, but the quality is higher with it.
 
While Skype is a great tool for doing a remote talkshow and such, we are simulcasting full time a music-driven format, so the 128K WME sounds great. So, no license issues.

Thanks again....
 
I tried Winamp, same result as VLC - if the internet connection is disconnected more than a couple of minutes, Winamp does not reconnect automatically even with the "repeat" button illuminated.

I realized I know someone who may have accomplished an automatic reconnect using one of the programs we have been discussing - I will report next week.

Thanks to everyone!
 
You can use VLC to reconnect if you PUSH to it using UDP or RTP. It will sit there passively looking for a stream-and when it sees it will begin playing it, so if the stream comes on and off it WILL reconnect. Of course, this requires a public static IP address at the receive end.

That said, a Barix Exstreamer lists for $195.00 and is ten times as reliable as a PC running Windows-and also takes one tenth the power. If 200 bucks is going to break your bank, turn the transmitter off and go home!
 
I use Zara Radio Automation on my talk station for a full time simulcast.
I have it set to connect automatically at the top of every hour. If the stream fails during the between time it falls back to the playlist (classic country in this case). with stream connect commands and ID's after each song.
This goes on until it can finally establish a connection.

So far it's never failed me.
Best of all, Zara is FREE and very much like Raduga.
its like this

ID
Song
ID
Stream Connect
ID
Song
ID

and so on.
 
Oh and speaking of VLC, has anyone tried using it to stream FLAC audio for a lossless STL? I assume you need VLC on the other end to play it.
 
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