CBC Radio is Now on iTunes and iPhone
The CBC recently dropped the windows file format it was using for its live audio streams and switched to the mp3 file format, an iTunes and iPhone friendly format.
The switch means that tons of CBC Radio One and Radio 2 live feeds are now available on iTunes (under the Radio directory) and the iPhone app.
The switch was made over the last month. “The reason was simple,” Angela Misri, the manager of digital radio, said “we wanted to deliver a more robust, expandable, browser/OS agnostic listening experience.”
Misri added that this is the first step “in making it easier for everyone to listen,” and that they are still working on a few bugs but are happy with the switch so far.
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This change sounds like a very good thing – it will be great to have this content available as widely as possible.
Please, though, don’t go too far in the other direction (away from the Microsoft format and towards the Apple format). I have found it strange the degree to which the CBC seems to promote the iPhone and iPod. If the CBC is going to favour any company/product I guess it should be RIM/Blackberry, but really they should strive for neutrality.
Remember that buying an iPhone is a very expensive proposition if you consider all the costs. Please strive to make your content easily available to the other phones and players too.
why not keep both streams so that listeners would have an option?
I personally hate using iTunes for anything other than updating my iPod, so this doesn’t really sit well with me…
Credit is due to CBC. These streams are actually MP3 streams not Apple specific though the iTunes connection is played up while instructions for other software isn’t as obvious. I have all the streams that interest me bookmarked in foobar (Windows) and Audacious (Linux).
There are still a few programs on Windows media or Realaudio. I hope those are on a to do list.
I agree with the concerns about CBC supporting Apple so closely. Tax dollars should go to developing the iPhone apps while others are ignored. This bothers me whenever I hear about the apps after each newscast.
Now if IT will support a browser other than IE.
It’s only since the change I’ve been able to listen to steaming on my Linux machine. Thanks CBC. For once a thoughtful decision.
—err make that “streaming on my….”