Testing will begin tonight for extended periods.
During testing periods, the normal programming will cease and existing streaming listeners will find their stream sessions interrupted. Users who reconnect during the test will hear the test programming. When the test broadcasts end, the stream will again drop, and users who reconnect will hear the normal programming service once again.
These tests are conducted for the following purposes:
1) To test different bitrates of programming streams that can be supported without stream interruptions. Programming on the current station is at 64kbps, which makes it suitable for all broadband connections, but dial-up listeners will not be able to maintain the stream.
The test streams will occur at different bitrates, from 8kbps up to 128kbps. We are using a series of relays to get the stream to the end listener as follows:
Stream originates from my system in Rochester, NY --> Stream relay station on BetterMost server in Dallas --> Stream reaches Live365 in California --> Stream is retransmitted to our listeners.
The program content will vary but may consist of any/all of the following:
a) A tuning/interval signal - a unique repeating short tune or musical piece designed to aid tuning and provide an identification of the signal heard without waiting for an ID, this signal can also be used to help tune a transmitter and run reception tests.
b) Musical programming - An assortment of musical pieces or musical programming primarily designed to test the quality and fidelity of the stream.
c) Talk programming - Random talk programming designed mostly to test the quality and fidelity of the stream as well as the stream's ability to stay online for extended periods. I will likely test with BBC programming and possibly some talk shows I have on hand.
d) Test tones, etc., - Done to test levels, frequency response, etc.
None of the test programming will likely relate to BetterMost or Brokeback Mountain, so don't be concerned if you start hearing a news program or something else. It's just for testing.
During testing, you may hear extended periods of silence, your stream may drop in between test segments, and volume levels may fluctuate. If you wish to reply with a reception report of how well the stream sounded in your area, feel free to do so, reporting your location, whether the stream stayed online and consistent (or if rebuffering occured or other audio dropouts happened), etc.
I will try and give advance warning here of test periods. This testing will allow BBM Radio to begin live and extended length recorded programming without commercial interruption.
