Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4

While listening to KUSC at
<https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
the sources of this problem?

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Beyond Meat and other such vegetarian meat substitutes
represent the ultimate in ultra-processed foods. Real
meat is natural. Beyond Meat is definitely not.

On Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:09:33 -0800, David E. Ross wrote:
> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
> While listening to KUSC at
> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
> the sources of this problem?

You can use Nirsoft's CurrPorts or NetworkTrafficView to monitor the amount
of received data of a network connection which is used to receive the media
stream. If it flows constantly, then it's a break/pause generated from the
source. Otherwise, it's a network lag.

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_traffic_view.html

On 11/20/2022 12:09 AM, David E. Ross wrote:
> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
> While listening to KUSC at
> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
> the sources of this problem?
>

Is buffering an issue, or is the protocol unidirectional and the
source is estimating how full the buffer might be on your end ?

https://help.tunein.com/why-is-the-station-im-trying-to-listen-to-buffering-all-of-the-time-H1Omg9C5dwz

For example, a multicast protocol might save on networking cost
for the Internet Radio station. Would that work with TCP (three packet
reliable protocol) or with UDP (single packets, roll your own reliable transport) ?

https://tunein.com/artist/Multicast-m127709/

Stations that play Multicast
102.1 The Edge
Y108
Energy 95.3
CHUM 104.5
Indie 88

What I found weird, was there is at least one sound box (external EMU-0202 USB)
that has a "sample rate calibration" button, but it's a single point calibration,
and could drift with time (like any computer would drift while playing audio).
And at least one web site, seems to have found a way to GPS discipline
the sample rate clock on such a thing (an amateur radio person). Apparently
that was a Creative product (when it was still being made).

The station is the "source". Your computer is the "sink". A buffer forms
a first in first out queue, and the buffer fill is a function of
the difference between "source" and "sink". Perhaps the initial filling
of the buffer (3 seconds?) represents the half-full point on a 6 second deep buffer.

There is probably more than one way to make streaming "rate adaptive",
but then perhaps the protocol to do that, does not scale well to 25000
subscribers off one server.

And you might not even be able to test with two computers behind the
same WAN address. Bandwidth costs money, and usually there will be
some restrictions on how Internet Radio works. If you tested
with two computers, you could even try to trace the packets with
Wireshark, and compare how the two stream sessions worked. And
whether they are interrupted at exactly the same second or not.

Since the fiber box was installed on the corner here, my broadband
has developed a new characteristic. If I'm downloading, the download
works at the contract rate, then after three seconds, there is a
"glitch" in the transfer, where the rate seems to drop for a
fraction of a second. I have no idea what this is supposed to mean,
and doubt my computer has anything to do with this. Previously,
with a good Internet server, my transfer curve on downloads
was almost buttery smooth. It's almost like my ISP wants to ruin
the characteristic, to some end.

Paul

David E. Ross wrote:
> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
> While listening to KUSC at
> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
> the sources of this problem?

The AAC stream is spread over at least 10 urls. This type of spread is
often meant to curb recording.
Try this mp3 stream instead:
http://14933.live.streamtheworld.com/KUSCMP128.mp3
The mp3 works ok for me. I've been listening for at least 30 min
without any interruptions. I've added it to my collection. Thanks!

If that does not work then it could be that your your computer is not
fast enough or does not have sufficient buffering capability.

On 11/20/2022 3:59 PM, Paul in Houston TX wrote:
> David E. Ross wrote:
>> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>>
>> While listening to KUSC at
>> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
>> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
>> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
>> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
>> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
>> the sources of this problem?
>
> The AAC stream is spread over at least 10 urls. This type of spread is
> often meant to curb recording.
> Try this mp3 stream instead:
> http://14933.live.streamtheworld.com/KUSCMP128.mp3
> The mp3 works ok for me. I've been listening for at least 30 min
> without any interruptions. I've added it to my collection. Thanks!
>
> If that does not work then it could be that your your computer is not
> fast enough or does not have sufficient buffering capability.
>
Thanks.

I chose
<https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>
because it was recommended by KUSC after I complained that they were not
providing identification of the music they were streaming. Previously,
that identification would appear in VLC's status and title bars.

However, your suggested
<http://14933.live.streamtheworld.com/KUSCMP128.mp3> also also shows the
stream's identification. Again, thank you.

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Beyond Meat and other such vegetarian meat substitutes
represent the ultimate in ultra-processed foods. Real
meat is natural. Beyond Meat is definitely not.

On 11/19/2022 9:09 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
> While listening to KUSC at
> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
> the sources of this problem?

This afternoon, I have been listening to KUSC via VLC, first with the
..m3u8 URI and then with Paul's suggested .mp3 URI. There have been NO
breaks with either URI. (Yesterday, I observed several per hour.)
Thus, I conclude that the problem was not in VLC or my PC. Instead, I
now think it was either Internet congestion or the fault of KUSC. If
the latter, KUSC fixed it.

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Beyond Meat and other such vegetarian meat substitutes
represent the ultimate in ultra-processed foods. Real
meat is natural. Beyond Meat is definitely not.

On Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:09:33 -0800, "David E. Ross"
<nobody@notme.invalid> wrote:

>Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
>While listening to KUSC at
><https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
>there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
>second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
>tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
>through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
>the sources of this problem?

I think your best option is to use substitution to troubleshoot the
issue. Configure your phone to play that stream and see how that goes.

You'll be using a different ISP and a different player on a different
device. If you see the same behavior, it's probably not your ISP, not
your player, and not your PC. If that's the case, it's probably the
source, or at least something beyond your control.

Chasing packets isn't going to be any fun at all, so I'd avoid that in
this case.

On 11/20/2022 7:53 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:09:33 -0800, "David E. Ross"
> <nobody@notme.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>>
>> While listening to KUSC at
>> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
>> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
>> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
>> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
>> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
>> the sources of this problem?
>
> I think your best option is to use substitution to troubleshoot the
> issue. Configure your phone to play that stream and see how that goes.
>
> You'll be using a different ISP and a different player on a different
> device. If you see the same behavior, it's probably not your ISP, not
> your player, and not your PC. If that's the case, it's probably the
> source, or at least something beyond your control.
>
> Chasing packets isn't going to be any fun at all, so I'd avoid that in
> this case.
>

That might work, except I do not have (nor do I want) a mobile phone.
When I leave the house, I want to leave the phone there.

Our only other computer is my wife's PC with Windows XP. Mine and hers
are in a LAN, both accessing the Internet through the same Spectrum
account. My wife's mobile phone is a "dumb phone", useful only for
phone calls and receiving text messages.

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Beyond Meat and other such vegetarian meat substitutes
represent the ultimate in ultra-processed foods. Real
meat is natural. Beyond Meat is definitely not.

On 11/19/2022 10:09 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
> Configuration: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64, VideoLAN (VLC) 3.0.17.4
>
> While listening to KUSC at
> <https://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/KUSCAAC96.m3u8>,
> there are occasional breaks in the stream. Usually they last only a
> second or less, but sometimes they are several seconds long. I cannot
> tell whether this is a problem with KUSC, VLC, my Internet connection
> through Spectrum, or my PC. Do you know of a way for me to determine
> the sources of this problem?
I have read the replies to your questions so I might be redundant.

I listen, primarily, to 3 radio stations using the free services of
tunein.com. Several weeks ago one of those stations quit working and
tunein put up a message saying that that station needed to update their
end for it to work again. They did, about a week ago or so, and now it's
back but has those occasional skips. I'm concluding (perhaps
incorrectly) from my experience that there has been a protocol change,
update, or enhancement for streaming services that many content
providers did not properly follow and that the distribution services
have glitches as a result. I don't think the problem is on the client
end (us) unless we are using non updated software - browser or stream
client - that is missing the new standard.
--
Jeff Barnett