Audio-Streaming Tests
Test Your Audio Stream Using WTJU
Overview
To assist members of the University of Virginia community who wish to stream audio over the UVa network, ITS offers this site with tips, troubleshooting, and a known good source of audio, so that workstation issues can be addressed and any potential network issues identified.
The live WTJU broadcast signal is available on the UVa network and can function as a demonstration of audio-streaming capability. (View a further discussion of the WTJU audio streaming system.) The broadcast can be accessed using Windows Media Player. This player is available without cost for PCs running the Microsoft Windows operating system and for Apple Macintosh computers.
Requirements for an Audio-Stream Test
Your ability to listen to the WTJU audio signal (“the stream”) depends on several factors. Fortunately, most necessary settings are the default configuration, and most components are free. The necessary elements for an audio-streaming test are:
- Platform: This refers to the type of computer and its operating system. The platforms which have been tested and shown to be able to play the audio signal are the Windows PC and the Macintosh.
- Windows Media Player: The audio stream is supplied by software on a Microsoft Windows-based server, so the player (or client) must be able to use the proprietary format of the stream. This client is Windows Media Player (WMP), which is installed as part of the Microsoft Windows operating system. To locate the WMP on a Windows PC, click on the Start menu, then Accessories, then Entertainment. WMP is also available as a free download for Mac computers.
- Web browser: The Windows Media Player can be started from within a Web browser for convenience. This allows the webpage author to include a link to streamed material. Many different browsers can use that link. Actually embedding a Windows Media Player on a webpage used to require that the viewer use Internet Explorer on a Windows PC, but this is no longer true.
Audio-Streaming Tests
- On Grounds | Off Grounds
- Why this distinction matters: In order to better control the amount of network traffic moving in different parts of the UVa network, the stream provided by the on Grounds (i.e., local) server is consistent with CD quality, while the stream provided by the off Grounds (i.e., remote) server is not as great a bandwidth, though still acceptable. Access from outside the University network is not allowed to the local server. Anyone, including devices on Grounds, may access the remote server.)
- Multicast | Unicast
Page Updated: 2011-06-28
