Internet Radio 101

WinAmp 2.6 brings the world of Shoutcast radio to your PC.

Lenny Bailes

Nullsoft's WinAmp is the application of choice for people who collect and play MP3 music files on their PC. Version 2.6 includes a mini-Web browser, which you can use to locate and bookmark live audio broadcasts online.

To listen to streaming MP3 music on Shoutcast (Nullsoft's affiliated network of broadcast sites), first download and install the WinAmp client. When you run WinAmp, you'll see its minibrowser window. Click the Shoutcast link while logged on to the Internet, and a browser window with the ShoutCast "radio station" list opens. Simply click any of the Tune In buttons at the left of the list to start listening.

You should also take note of the following features on the Shoutcast Web site and in WinAmp if you plan to listen to Shoutcast broadcasts:

• If you use a standard modem to connect to the Internet, check the Bitrate column on the far right of the list before you tune in to a Shoutcast station. The smaller the Bitrate number, the more reliably you can connect to the Shoutcast station, but the worse the music sounds. A 56-kbps or slower modem connection might not let you connect to stations with a Bitrate higher than 56.
• To limit the listed Shoutcast stations to those with a given connection speed, make a selection in the Limit By Bandwidth dropdown list at the bottom of the browser window. After you do this, the word Bitrate at the top of the list becomes a link. You can now sort the listings by the Bitrate number by clicking the link.
• Next to the Limit By Bandwidth dropdown list you'll find the List By Genre dropdown list. Pick a musical genre that suits your tastes and Shoutcast will reorganize the station listing to display only the stations under the musical category that you pick.
• If you're enjoying a particular Shoutcast station, you can bookmark it in the WinAmp application and return to it later. While connected to the station, right-click on the station's name (it appears in green text just below the WinAmp Playlist title bar) and choose Bookmark Item(s) from the pop-up menu. To view your list of bookmarked sites, right-click the WinAmp Playlist title bar and point to Bookmarks.