Radio PRO - MP3 and OGG-streaming solution

Does this work on WEBGL?
When the sale end

 

Currently not, but we're working on it and I think it will soon be ready.
One of the main problems is that many stations still use http instead of https...

So long,
Stefan

Edit:
The sale has ended

 

We've created a new promotion video:

Have a nice weekend!


Cheers
Stefan

 

Nice promo video, very professionally done.

 

Thank you very much!

 

We created a new tutorial video:

Cheers
Stefan

 

Hi Stefan,

1) I want to use a real radio game object that is placed in room environment, cinema, club, shop or anywhere.
Eg. The player should be set some radio stations simply.

But the problem in this case is the sound because it does not fit with the game environment.

I'd like the stream running through a unity audio object where I can set the frequency filter (low and high pass or parametric is required), pan, mono and volume until it's off. It's required to change the sound of the stream while the player move away, leave a room, drive by or any other situation.

In the most cases a low bitrate of 32Kb or 64kb in mono is fully enough in my case.
Would it be possible lower the incoming bitrate of a stream?

2) What happen in a build if the stream get's lost or I cut the online connection?
Does the player freeze? Is it save that any chunk of the stream does not loop for ever?

A good thing would be to buffer the stream for a second. On lost the stream it can be fade out.

Thank you!

 

Hi

I try to answer your questions:

1) Can be done with Radio, it's an AudioSource and can be configured with spatial blending for 3D and reverb filters.
The second part isn't possible. You have to use streams with the desired bitrate.

2) No, that would be very unprofessional... Radio stops the playback and notifies you via the "OnError"-callback.
We have a buffering system included, no worries

I hope this helps you further. If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to ask.


Cheers
Stefan

 

...

 

You removed the content of your post, but I still answer it

Most professional stations are using http://icecast.org/
That's also my recommendation.


Cheers
Stefan

 

Hi Stefan,

I post this question here (not email) because other users may find the information useful.

I am writing the scrolling credits text for my game, I realize I am not obliged to credit you, but would like to anyway, your product being so nice.

would a string like below be good for you?

Feel free to add any other info etc.

 

Thank you very much, this is awesome!
Please send me a link to your game.

Have a nice weekend!


So long,
Stefan

 

hi. I was wondering if there is a way on the android version to have the music keep playing even if you are not in the app. like maybe supporting background playing of the app?

Thanks
Shad

 

Hi Shad

Yes, we included a manual in the asset which explains the necessary steps for iOS and Android.


Cheers
Stefan

 

ok and it will keep the music playing when the app is closed correct?

 

As long as it's in the background - by closed I understand "terminated".
But be aware of the fact, that it won't replace a pure native solution, since Unity is still working in the background which leads to a higher power consumption...

 

if it plays in the background (when app is not opened. aka music plays while browsing other apps) then i will buy it tomorrow.

 

Yes, that will work.
But you have to start the app first before browsing other apps. And you have to be aware of the mobile limitations, like Android will kill the app if you run out of memory...
Also: we tested only Android 4, 5 and 6 - it's possible that newer versions won't work with the "trick" in the manual.

 

I would like to setup my own radio station using icecast to stream mp3 music into a mobile app. I would also like to save the streamed music into the app so that the user can play the music without having access to the internet.

Can you suggest how this can be done.

Cheers

 

Lets discuss this in private
Please send me an email.


So long,
Stefan

 

Works great in the editor. But on an Android Samsung S8, I get "Could not read url error".. via ADB in readStream. It just flickers and errors on the phone.

ADB points to "_errorMessage = _station.Name + System.Environment.NewLine + "Could not read url after " + Util.Helper.FormatSecondsToHourMinSec(PlayTime) + "!" + System.Environment.NewLine + ex;" in readStream(...).

Any advice on getting it working on Android? Am I missing a setting?

Using version of Radio Pro: 2.8.4.

Hope this helps and thanks for the advice!

 

Hi

"Radio" has two different MP3-decoders, one for Windows and one for "the rest". The second encoder doesn't work with all streams - this could cause the problem... Please send me the streaming URL via PM or email.

Furthermore, please test our demo on your device:
http://www.crosstales.com/media/radio/Radio.apk

Does it work?


So long,
Stefan

 

Do you support streaming of m3u that contain aac stream/s? We are looking for a solution to stream our own station to Android.

 

Hi

Thank you for your interest in Radio!

Unfortunately, Radio supports currently "only" MP3 and OGG. Support for Opus is in the pipeline, but AAC seems not so easy, since we didn't found an open-source encoder so far...
Is it possible to deliver your streams as MP3 or OGG?


So long,
Stefan

 

Hi Stefan,

I'm using Radio V2.85:

I noticed a lag in my game every few seconds and have found the cause to be GC with radio.

Unity build settings:

• Android/Mono
• Development Build
• Autoconnect Profiler

Running the game while the android phone is connected to my PC via USB:
The unity profiler is showing sawtooth function for "Total GC Allocated".
Garbage collection of 13.7Mb every 4.75s ~= 2.88 Mb/s

This is not script related GC, script GC line remains nearly flat, I presume it's the plugin.

When I stop the radio "Total GC Allocated" remains constant.
When I restart the radio GC starts up again.

I'm not sure if this is just something that happened after updating to V2.85, it's the first time I've noticed it though, so I presume it is.

NOTE: running radio in the unity editor (windows) does not cause this GC.

 

Hi

Radio shouldn't trigger the GC at all (or really seldom)... I'm also confused about the used memory amount - if it were a problem with Radio, I would expect it to be much lower (below 0.5Mb/s).

Can you please tell me more about your setup? Are you using any special asset components like the "Loudspeaker"?
Are you playing multiple stations at once?

I'm currently on holiday until the end of the week and I've got no Android phone with me, so I can't test it right now...

Meanwhile, it would be nice, if you could try those settings in the RadioPlayer-component:

1. Capture Data Stream must be disabled! Be aware that "Loudspeaker" and "StreamSaver" will re-enable it anyway... So don't use those components for your tests.
2. Increase and decrease the Cache Stream Size, e.g. 256 and 8192
3. Try Legacy Mode
4. Build for IL2CPP instead of Mono

Please let me know if you've got some news.
I will take a look at this as soon as I have access to an Android phone.


Cheers
Stefan

 

Hi,

I tried my android build with the settings above and IL2CPP build, I got the same result.

So I decided to try and isolate the issue and check if it wasn't something in my code that was somehow causing it.

I created a new empty unity project and imported the complete Radio V2.85 package.

I found the issue does also exist in "PC Mac & Linux standalone" mode when running in editor, it's just that desktop is powerful enough to handle the GC without noticeable stall.

I opened the radio demo scene "01-PlayStations", and ran it while observing the profiler.

Below we are looking at the third graph row "Memory", the red line "Total GC allocated"

Radio playing at pitch=1:

Spoiler: screenshot

Radio playing at pitch = 3:

Spoiler: screenshot

Radio not playing:

Spoiler: screenshot

As can be seen the GC is proportional to the radio streaming speed.

When I drag my mouse cursor over the "Total GC allocated" plot, unity shows me the values of the various memory stats in the info panel below: It is the "Used total: Mono" field that is changing with the "Total GC allocated" plot.

Taking a pen/paper/stopwatch I analysed the GC as follows:

Radio not playing (idle) = 0.24 Mb/s
Radio playing at pitch = 1: 0.86 Mb/s
Radio playing at pitch = 3: 2.06 Mb/s

Subtracting the idle GC (caused by higher level C# scripting for the demo and visible in the purple plot "GC allocated") we get:

Radio playing at pitch = 1: (0.86 - 0.24) = 0.62 Mb/s
Radio playing at pitch = 3: (2.06 - 0.24) = 1.82 Mb/s

Thus observing a GC increase almost exactly proportional to stream speed.

I assume this GC is happening within the compiled mono plugin, and this is why it is not visible on the purple "GC allocated" plot, we only see its effect on the "Total GC allocated" plot.

P.S.
Enjoy your holiday, you should probably look at this *after* your holiday.

 

I will take a look later on and try to find the source of this problem...
Please give me some time.


So long,
Stefan

 

So, I did some tests, but I could not find the problem so far.
On my side, the GC seems to work the same:

Empty scene, RadioPlayer disabled:



Empty scene, RadioPlayer enabled and playing:


I made a little test package with Unity 2017.2.
You can use this to verify it on your side.

Some questions:

1. Are you using the PRO or standard version?
2. Which Android device are you using?

It bothers me since many users are using this plugin on Android without any issue. Probably your game needs a lot of resources and combined with our plugin, it leads to the experience you've got...
Can you please build our demo scene "01" to for your device and tell me, if you "feel" any lags?

I will investigate this further after I'm back from my holiday.

 

Hi Stefan,

OK, I have good news for you: This issue only happens when I have radio playing and my houses wifi internet connection is poor (if i move to edge of coverage i can replicate issue), your buffering code is working so I don't hear any dropout, but some process (maybe even in a lower network scope) is causing my game to not quite make submit for one frame, every few seconds.

I was making an assumption about the periodic TotalGC cleanup being the cause of the perceived frame drop.

With a good internet connection I do not get this issue. The radio is fine.

Yes, my game is mobile VR, and I'm pushing the phone to its limits, in VR one frame skip can be perceived easily if you happen to be moving the camera in translation. This would not be noticed on a regular game.

I will upgrade my regular radio license to pro license, your attention to your products deserves it.

All the best, Fraser.

 

Hi Fraser

Just to clarify, it wasn't my intention to "force" you into buying the PRO version. I just wanted to know which version you're using to start further investigations...
However, l'm happy you seem to like the product and thank you for supporting us!

I will try to optimize some of the code after my return.


So long,
Stefan

 

I've got an other idea - probably you should try to tweak the chunk- and buffer size:


Chunk Size: 8 or 64
Buffer Size: 128 or 256


Cheers
Stefan

 

Is it possible to use this asset to stream from a private server or are we limited to public stations?

 

Hi

You can play any MP3 or OGG stream from anywhere.
In our demo-app, you can test your own stream in the third scene:



Cheers
Stefan

 

Have you heard anything from customers or in general about the legality of selling a game in the United States that plays music from the radio? I looked at the links you provided and only one say's that if you pay them you can use their service everything else talks about starting your own station and because of this I'm unsure if this would be legal in the United States without proper licensing.

 

Lets put it that way: we have hundreds of happy customers and none of the have told us about any legal issues.
This doesn't mean, I'm sure about the legal status since I'm not a US citizen...

But if you look at it from a "common sense perspective", Radio is just like the old thing we had in our younger days It plays the sound from radio stations. All those stations have a public site and/or are available on https://www.radionomy.com, http://www.shoutcast.com etc.
This means in my understanding, they want to reach as many listeners as possible. They also have to pay for their broadcasting, so it should be covered.

However, it's a smart move to add at least their URL/logo in the game. And if you're still unsure, just ask the stations you're planning to include in your game.
It would also be nice, if you mention them (and us ) in the credits and spend some money to support them. E.g. http://somafm.com is from the US and is happy to get some money!

I hope this helps you a bit further.
Have a nice weekend!


Cheers
Stefan

 

As Stefan says:

It's my understanding that online radio broadcasters want as broad an audience as possible. They would prefer it if every game had a receiving client in it; if it did the online radio broadcasting industry would increase in total market capital.

I would recommend giving your users a large selection of stations to choose from (or perhaps have your game randomly select from a pool) sprinkle your users into the system rather than throw them all at one URL, this is the optimum way to help online radio broadcasters as a whole.

 

I understand that Radio must be a fantastic asset to play mp3 radio stream...but for now I simply need a MP3 player to overcome the unity-windows limitation to only play ogg format!
When I'll buy the asset, will I be able to simply play mp3 files from user local folder?
If yes, is this a good solution to 'simply' play mp3 or is it overkill!
Thanks

 

Hi

Thank you for your interest in Radio!

Yes, it can play local files, but it is intended for streams.

But we have a new, better fitting asset ready for release - it's called DJ:
https://forum.unity.com/threads/coming-soon-dj-play-your-music.502627/

If you like, you can have access to a beta version. We will start the beta-program later this week.


Cheers
Stefan

 

Thanks for the reply! Sorry, I guess I'm not phrasing the question right: I have to play local MP3 files NOW, but would like to be able to use streaming radio on next update! Will I do both with Radio and/or DJ?

 

Yes, you can play local files with Radio.
But there are no special file providers like in DJ, so you have to manage the files by yourself. Or you can mimic it with the existing radio station providers

 

Sorry to insist, but want it to be clear to me:
My application goes into the user music folder and play random tunes from his folder...simply!
1. Will Radio do it? Will DJ do it? (Where does reside the difference?)

Later on, an option to play tunes from streaming radio could be added.
2. Will Radio do it?...yes,ok Will DJ do it?

Thanks

 

What is your target build platform?

 

Windows! As written in my first message the goal here is to FIRST overcome the fact that Unity not allows to play MP3 files on Windows THEN benefit from radio streams!

 

Sorry, I have a lot of questions to answer

However, as I wrote, Radio will work and I'm happy to help you getting it up and running.
DJ will be even better suited for your case and you could replace Radio with DJ as soon as it's available.

I hope this clarifies the situation. You can always write me an email to discuss this further.


Edit:
DJ is finally released, for more please see:
https://forum.unity.com/threads/coming-soon-dj-play-your-music.502627/

 

Thanks for the reply! I've just bought the asset

 

Hi,

I want to ask about asset radio, how to catch error like below

Code (CSharp):

1. Could not read url after 0:14!

This happen when i streaming radio then the internet connection is disconnected / unstable connection.

Thanks.

 

Hi

You can listen to the callback "OnErrorInfo" to be informed when this happens.
If you have an unstable connection, improve the "Buffer Size" of the RadioPlayer, like:


An MP3 stream normally needs 16KB/s, so the default value of 64 is for 4 seconds.
With 128 it's therefor 8 seconds.

You can also play with the "Chunk Size" - a lower value (like 8) could help.
Try the best settings for your situation.

I hope this gets you further, please let me know.

 

Thanks, i'll try it.

 

Dear Stefan,

I am working together with @armenthiz Thanks for your prompt response.
We are developing an android application based on crosstales Radio Asset, streaming from airtime.pro server. It almost works perfectly well until We tested our application to run the radio streaming on the background (when our application screen out of focused position). We were simulating the wifi / mobile network get disconnected by turning off the wifi / mobile network, when we switched back to our application (focused), the application crashed. However when we let our application opened all the time (focused), we did not have this issue (disconnected and connected wifi/mobile network) and our application did not crash, meaning can go offline, buffering, online with no issue. Perhaps you can provide us some guidance ?

Thanks alot