FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
MP3 STREAMING TO ITUNES OR WINAMP PLAYER
Why do I have to use iTunes or WinAmp to play your MP3 streams?
WPR's MP3 streams are not 100% compatible with other common media players like RealPlayer or
Windows Media Player. WPR's MP3 streams use Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoding which cannot be
decoded by some media players, but works very well with both iTunes and the WinAmp player.
Where can I find the latest iTunes program? Do I need to own an iPod?
You can freely download and install iTunes even if you don't have an iPod or other Apple
product. iTunes contains a good media player that is compatible with WPR's MP3 streams. Once installed, it will
"associate" itself with the ".m3u" file extension used for live MP3 streaming. Clicking on one of our MP3 links should
automatically open iTunes and play the stream.
Download iTunes Here.
I had iTunes installed and then recently downloaded WinAmp. WinAmp works fine but now when I
click on a WPR MP3 stream, WinAmp plays. I'd rather use iTunes as my 'default" player. How can I fix this?
Installing WinAmp or other MP3 player compatible with the MP3 Stream's".m3u" extension will
often change the "file extension association" to the new player. You can force iTunes to play our MP3 streams in two ways:
- In the iTunes menu, select Advanced, then Open Stream. You can then enter (or paste) our stream address into the
URL field. Windows users can right-click on one of our MP3 stream links and select "Copy Shortcut", then paste that
into the URL field. This does not change your PC's file association, but it's handy if you want to try out the iTunes
player.
- To permanently make iTunes your default player: from the iTunes menu, select Edit, then
preferences. Select the Advanced tab at the top of the window and check the box "Use iTunes as the default player
for all audio files". Click OK. Now either delete WinAmp from your computer or open WinAmp, click Options,
Preferences, File Types and remove the highlight on the M3U type.
I was using iTunes (or WinAmp) to play WPR's MP3 streams, but then I downloaded the latest version
Windows Media Player. Now when I click on your MP3 streams, WMP gets launched but it can't play the streams. How can I fix this?
Installing another Media Player will often change a previous "file extension association". WMP assumes
it can play all versions of MP3, but it has problems with our ".M3U" type MP3 streams. Here's the easiest fix:
- From the Windows Media Player's menu, select Tools, Options, then select the File Types tab. Unselect MP3, then click OK.
The next time you click on one of our MP3 Stream Links, it will either ask you which player you want to use, or it will default to
your previous player.
Where can I find "Winamp"? Is there any advantage to WinAmp over iTunes?
If your PC is a Macintosh or you already use iTunes, then we suggest you use iTunes to listen to our
live MP3 streams. WinAmp works only with Windows computers.
WinAmp is a smaller, faster launching media player and is compatible with more file types than iTunes. You can also
specify exactly which files it will be associated with. It comes in both a
free and commercial version. The commercial version can rip & burn CD's and create MP3 files
while the free version cannot. Download WinAmp
Here.
I've got an "Internet Radio" that needs a direct address to your MP3 streaming server. What
address can I use?.
There have been several Internet Radios manufactured in the past few years. They use WiFi or a direct
ethernet cable connection to the internet and allow you to receive live streams from all over the world without a computer.
Here's the direct address to our MP3 server for our broadcast networks:
- Ideas Network (40kbps stream):
http://wpr-ice.streamguys.net/wpr-ideas-40.m3u
- Music Network: (40kbps stream):
http://wpr-ice.streamguys.net/wpr-music-40.m3u
- Music Network: (96kbps stream):
http://wpr-ice.streamguys.net/wpr-music-96.m3u
- HD2-Classical Service (96kbps stream):
http://wpr-ice.streamguys.net/wpr-music-hd2.m3u
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