Shoutcast

For the generic term for esports commentators, seeShoutcaster.

Shoutcast(formerlySHOUTcast) is a service forstreaming mediaover the internet tomedia players,using its owncross-platformproprietary software.It allowsdigital audiocontent, primarily inMP3orHigh-Efficiency Advanced Audio Codingformat. The most common use of Shoutcast is for creating or listening to Internet audio broadcasts; however, there are also video streams.The software is available to use for free or as a paidcloud servicewith additional professional features.

Shoutcast

Original author(s)	Nullsoft(Stephen 'Tag' Loomis, Tom Pepper and Justin Frankel)
Developer(s)	Radionomy
Stable release	2.6.1 (Build 777) / January 30, 2022(2022-01-30)
Type	Streaming media
License	Registerware
Website	shoutcast

In the early days ofesportsforvideo games,Shoutcast was used by some to stream play-by-play commentary, leading to the term "shoutcaster"as a name for esports commentators.

History

Created in 1998,Shoutcast's streaming protocol uses metadata tags and responses that all start with ICY, which stands for "I Can Yell." Nullsoft was purchased byAOLon June 1, 1999.

On January 14, 2014, AOL sold Nullsoft to Belgian online radio aggregatorRadionomy Group;no financial details were publicly announced.In 2018 the software was rebranded from its original name of SHOUTcast to Shoutcast. In 2020 Radionomy shut down its own streaming service and migrated to the Shoutcast platform.

Software

The Shoutcast software uses a client–server model, with each component communicating via a networkprotocolthat intermingles audio or video data withmetadatasuch as song titles and the station name. It usesHTTPas atransport protocol.

Shoutcastserversandclientsare available forFreeBSD,Linux,macOS,Microsoft Windows,andSolaris.There are client-only versions forAndroid,BlackBerry OS,iOS(iPad,iPhone),Palm OSandwebOS(Radio Hibiki),PlayStation Portable,Windows Mobile,SymbianS60andUIQ,Nintendo DS(DSOrganize), andWii.

The output format is supported by multiple clients, including Nullsoft's ownWinampas well asAmarok,Exaile,foobar2000,iTunes,Songbird,Totem,XMMS,andZinf.If the client does not support the Shoutcast protocol, then the Shoutcast server sends the stream without the metadata, allowing it to be heard and viewed in clients such as Windows Media Player. Shoutcast servers are usually linked to by means of playlist files, which are small text files (usually with extensions.pls or.m3u) that contain the URL of the Shoutcast server. When that URL is visited in a Web browser which identifies itself asMozilla-compatible (as most do), the server will return a generated Shoutcast server info/status page, rather than streaming audio.

In 2010VideoLANdropped support for Shoutcast fromVLC media playerat AOL's request, as Shoutcast's license forbade its integration into other software that containedfreeoropen-sourcecomponents, additionally specifying that it "forces us to integrate the spyware and adware based Shoutcast Radio Toolbar inside your browser".An alternative to Shoutcast isIcecast

Popularity

A feature of Shoutcast servers is the ability to optionally publish server information, including the current number of listeners, in a directory of stations that Shoutcast maintains on their website. Site visitors can pick a station to listen to and download a playlist file for use in their own Shoutcast-capable media player.

In 2011 up to 900,000 concurrent listeners could be seen on public Shoutcast streams during peak hours.The maximum and minimum number of listeners fluctuates widely during a day, with roughly three times as many listeners during peak hours as at low use times.

As of June 202285,317 stations were streaming using Shoutcast.

See also

• Icecast
• List of Internet radio stations
• List of streaming media systems
• Nullsoft Streaming Video
• Edcast

External links

• Official website
• Shoutcast Directoryof streaming stations