Zara Radio, Edcast, and Tags.

[CharmingNathan]

Hello everyone!

 

I am new here, so please be gentle with me!

 

I am also new to the world of Internet Radio and have a Server with Windows Server 2003 running an environment of Zarao Radio 1.4.4, Edcast, and streaming via Broadwave and Shoutcast. I should point out that everything is installed on the server, I use no third party provider, and use Broadwave and Shoutcast D.N.A.S. to stream directly.

 

It all seems to be working fine, except I cannot seem to get the artist and title of the song being played to any media player except an ancient Ubuntu player, and then its static, the song doesn't change.

 

I have enabled 'Tags' (which I've only just learned about) in Zara, and have directed Edcast to the 'CurrentSong.txt' File, which does put the artist and title up in Edcast, but that's it!

 

Having researched this online, I can find no answer to it, although there seem to be people implying that either Zara and or Edcast actually cannot do this?

 

How CAN I do it?

 

Can anyone help please?

 

Also, can anyone help with the coding required to put on a Website so it shows the current playing song, and last 10? Apart from basic H.T.M.L., I know NOTHING about coding, so please keep it simple!

 

Many thanks for any help you are able to offer.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Nathan.

[Brutish Sailor]

You need to talk to Jaramando. Hes the Edcast current developer. The big thing is Edcast isnt constantly "fetching" if I remember this right. The script its pointed to doesn't change dynamically. If Edcast was fetching it every X seconds, it would change.

[CharmingNathan]

You need to talk to Jaramando. Hes the Edcast current developer. The big thing is Edcast isnt constantly "fetching" if I remember this right. The script its pointed to doesn't change dynamically. If Edcast was fetching it every X seconds, it would change.

 

Thanks very much for your prompt reply, Brutish Sailor.

 

The only problem is that you have sort of carried on this paradoxical situation where it seems you are implying that neither Zara Radio nor Edcast are capable of streaming the 'current song playing' to media players?

 

This is a particularly important feature for me, as my station's aim is to focus on playing new, and up-and-coming artists so it is crucial when people hear a song they really like, they know who its by. Hence my request for a script for the Website too.

 

Perhaps I should be asking which software I should be using, although Zara suits my purposes very well, it has been suggested I try SAM - as I understand it, needed if you want this information to be streamed to Tune-In in particular - but after downloading the trial, it seems very complicated to use, although I didn't play around with it for too long.

 

I'd rather keep Zara and Edcast streaming via Shoutcast D.N.A.S., but if they don't do the job, what else would be recommended?

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

Nathan.

[Marvin]

Edcast has a setting telling it how often to fetch. I've tested it with Zara in the past and with RadioDJ. If you have Edcast pointed to the correct place then you have a settings problem either in Zara or Edcast or maybe both. It will work and once you get it set up, it works flawlessly.

 

Marvin

[CharmingNathan]

Edcast has a setting telling it how often to fetch. I've tested it with Zara in the past and with RadioDJ. If you have Edcast pointed to the correct place then you have a settings problem either in Zara or Edcast or maybe both. It will work and once you get it set up, it works flawlessly.

 

Marvin

 

Thanks for those words of encouragement Marvin!

 

Can I ask which versions of Zara and Edcast you are using?

 

I have tags enabled in Zara 1.4.4 and Edcast pointing to the "CurrentSong.txt" file within the Zara Radio directory.

 

Can you advise me of where the 'fetch' setting is in Edcast please? I am not on the Server as I post this.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Marvin]

Re. Edcast click on Edit just above the Metadata area. This opens the edit window you want. Make sure you have External File checked under the External Metadata heading and make sure the file address to which it is pointing is indeed the correct place where Zara has the file. Beneath that you will see interval. Put in the update interval you want measured in number of seconds.

 

I don't have Zara Radio installed anywhere right now, but if memory serves me you go into the setup area for the metadata and you must tick something there to make it update the file. May have to set up the way you want the metadata to come out. If you have it set up correctly you will see the metadata in your player displaying artist - title - album.

[Marvin]

Re. playing now code. Various ways exist. For those who affiliate with StreamLicensing for royalty payments we provide a HTML playing now code snippet.

[CharmingNathan]

Re. Edcast click on Edit just above the Metadata area. This opens the edit window you want. Make sure you have External File checked under the External Metadata heading and make sure the file address to which it is pointing is indeed the correct place where Zara has the file. Beneath that you will see interval. Put in the update interval you want measured in number of seconds.

 

I don't have Zara Radio installed anywhere right now, but if memory serves me you go into the setup area for the metadata and you must tick something there to make it update the file. May have to set up the way you want the metadata to come out. If you have it set up correctly you will see the metadata in your player displaying artist - title - album.

 

Dear Marvin,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I have attempted to do as you suggest, but I'm not convinced what I am doing is correct?

 

I have clicked on the edit button on Edcast, and see the edit window....for the External Metadata there are two choices: a File which is what I had selected and pointed to the "CurrentSong.txt" within Zara.

 

The External File doesn't quite exist in that way, it merely says External above it, with a entry box laballed "U.R.L.", I have tried putting the same path to Zara/CurrentSong.txt which made no difference, and also the full U.R.L. of my stream, i.e. www.mydomain.com:8002 which produces the result of "ICY 2000" for current song and thus the same output to the Media Players. I suppose I should be asking which File should Edcast be pointing to, if not "CurrentSong.txt"?

 

I should also point out that neither of the above options sends ANY data to X.P.'s Media Player, it just displays the name of the Internet station four times in different places on the interface; I have enabled tags within Zara.

 

What am I doing right/wrong?

 

Thanks again for your help.

[Marvin]

You can send me screen shots of your edcast metadata configuration tab and also your Zara now playing setup and maybe I can help. I can't really visualize what you are saying. However, for starters, open your currentsong.txt with notepad and see if it is updating with the current song. If it is, then your problem is in your settings with Edcast. marvin@streamlicensing.com

[CharmingNathan]

You can send me screen shots of your edcast metadata configuration tab and also your Zara now playing setup and maybe I can help. I can't really visualize what you are saying. However, for starters, open your currentsong.txt with notepad and see if it is updating with the current song. If it is, then your problem is in your settings with Edcast. marvin@streamlicensing.com

 

As far as I am aware, the CurrentSong.txt file is configured correctly, and certainly seems to be sending the right data to show up within Edcast as the songs do appear to change, but that information is not updated in the data sent to the Media Player, and doesn't show up at all within X.P.'s Media Player.

 

However, as you recommended, I have sent you via E-Mail, my Zara and Edcast configuration panels as well as the file that Shoutcast uses to control the stream.

 

I hope they are more helpful than the above descriptions!

[CharmingNathan]

As far as I am aware, the CurrentSong.txt file is configured correctly, and certainly seems to be sending the right data to show up within Edcast as the songs do appear to change, but that information is not updated in the data sent to the Media Player, and doesn't show up at all within X.P.'s Media Player.

 

However, as you recommended, I have sent you via E-Mail, my Zara and Edcast configuration panels as well as the file that Shoutcast uses to control the stream.

 

I hope they are more helpful than the above descriptions!

 

Just a quick note to say thank Marvin for his help - as it turned out my system was already streaming song data.

 

I haven't seen this written down anywhere else, so for other novices out there: I was correct in pointing Edcast to the directory where CurrentSong.txt was in Zara and this information was being sent out to Media Players, but I was using an old Ubunutu Media Player to test, which only showed the song it opened with, and X.P. Media Player, which apparently does not display the song data unless you stream with Widows Media, which is a bit of a no go! So now you know...and so do I!

 

Now, can anyone point me in the direction of a script which will display on my Website the current song playing, whether being played from a C.D. (i.e. by a presenter) or an .mp3 and the last 10 songs played too?

 

Many thanks.