Proms 2017 in FLAC

[cmr_for3]

The Radio FLAC appears to be streaming at the moment and can be played using the VLC 3.0.0 nightly builds, using the same URL as before:

https://vs-dash-ww-rd-live.bbcfmt.hs.llnwd.net/al/lossless/client_manifest.mpd

(Curiously, VLC incorrectly gives the stream's bit per sample as 32.)

However, I can't see any links to the stream on the BBC website.

Thanks you for this, all set up for the first Proms that I shall be taking a serious interest in.

[johnb]

It does work if you click on the link to Concert Sound I gave earlier... http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/arti...proms-on-radio
but you do have to be running Firefox 51 (or later) to use it. Won't work in Safari.

Jayne, I might have misunderstood but I find that the link "::Listen to the Proms Live with Radio 3 Concert Sound::" on that webpage links to the old trial, not to the new Proms FLAC streams.

Old webpage URL:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/taster/projects/radio-3-concert-sound

New webpage URL for Proms:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/taster/projects/radio-3-concert-sound2

[jayne lee wilson]

Jayne, I might have misunderstood but I find that the link "::Listen to the Proms Live with Radio 3 Concert Sound::" on that webpage links to the old trial, not to the new Proms FLAC streams.

Old webpage URL:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/taster/projects/radio-3-concert-sound

New webpage URL for Proms:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/taster/projects/radio-3-concert-sound2

I click on "Listen live with our experiment - Radio 3 Concert Sound"..." 2nd picture down (conductor) at right of page; then in Taster, hit "try it"....

In Safari I get the "Not working..." note; in Firefox (54.0) I get the golden image of seagulls and the speaker icon - it plays immediately.

I just tried the other one in the second column that you quote above.... that doesn't work even in Firefox, you get the old trial page as you say.
A bit perverse, but now you know... stick to the pic!

[Beresford]

From Jim Lesurf (Linux forum):

"The plan is that *all* programmes on R3 during the Proms weeks will be flac
streamed. i.e. *not* only the actual Proms as I was previously told.

This makes sense as it saves having to turn things on and off and give
people time to start fetching, etc. It also makes me think the 'trial' was
judged a success. So it seems hopeful that flac will end up as a standard
stream at some later point."

(although Andrew M on Record Review says the concert sound will be only for the Prom concerts.
The "Try" webpage using Firefox seems to be working continuously).

Looks like you can listen as binaural (with headphones) - maybe this is just for the proms.

[Goon525]

I had a poor experience with the FLAC stream at the first night, gave up because I kept getting transmission breaks, and switched to my R3 HD feed, which is also internet based. Then I had no problems at all. I have 200 Mb/s broadband from Virgin which is usually rock solid. It seems to me that there was a problem with the FLAC stream - was anyone else using it?

[johnb]

I had a poor experience with the FLAC stream at the first night, gave up because I kept getting transmission breaks, and switched to my R3 HD feed, which is also internet based. Then I had no problems at all. I have 200 Mb/s broadband from Virgin which is usually rock solid. It seems to me that there was a problem with the FLAC stream - was anyone else using it?

I had one very short break during the Beethoven.

It *might* be worth seeing whether having Firefox running as the only programme running, with the FLAC streaming the only tab, improves things.

(Incidentally, my experience earlier in that year was that the stream recommences from the point at which it breaks off - without any data loss.)

[Goon525]

I had one very short break during the Beethoven.

It *might* be worth seeing whether having Firefox running as the only programme running, with the FLAC streaming the only tab, improves things.

(Incidentally, my experience earlier in that year was that the stream recommences from the point at which it breaks off - without any data loss.)

I did notice that the FLAC feed was running quite a few seconds behind R3.

[jayne lee wilson]

Very brief glitch during the interlude between the Coult and the Beethoven, otherwise fine (BT Infinity 2 75-80 mb)

Note copied from my Prom 1 Review:

The broadcast balance via Concert Sound was fine (piano perfectly positioned with the orchestra, chorus spaciously behind it, never overwhelming instrumental detail) maintaining those gains in - 3D space & depth, timbral depth and richness, natural dynamics, and above all that sense of sheer scale - that I’d noted during the trial in April. Low-level resolution in the very soft crescendoing transition to the Adams finale was excellent. The FLAC relays have a free-breathing, open, generous-spirited and relaxed quality which the 320 kbps AAC feed cannot match (that sounded good in itself though, later on when checking a few details).

[Goon525]

I've listened to Prom 2 with no interruptions at all. Apart from being an exceptional concert, it was the best sound I've ever heard from a Prom. I think Jayne has nailed it with her description above. It'd be hard to go back to a standard R3 feed after this.

[Stunsworth]

I've listened to Prom 2 with no interruptions at all. Apart from being an exceptional concert, it was the best sound I've ever heard from a Prom. I think Jayne has nailed it with her description above. It'd be hard to go back to a standard R3 feed after this.

I couldn't agree more. I just wished the BBC had 'dialled in' a little more hall ambience- though I know the Albert Hall isn't the best venue from a sonic point of view.

[Jasmine Bassett]

Isn't it wonderful that listeners can hear things so differently.

During the earlier trial I was impressed with the "concert sound" and was looking forward to a special Proms season but last night I was really disappointed by the balance. To my ears there was no sense of the hall (apart from audience noises) and no space or air around the performers unfortunately this does seem to be the way of modern recordings - hall, what hall?

Also I began to wonder if there was an orchestra there at all during parts of the violin concerto, the soloist was so "in your face" it was unpleasant.

It can be difficult separating the sound from the transmission mechanism but I do hope there are different sound engineers in charge later in the season with a different idea of an ideal balance.

[Goon525]

Isn't it wonderful that listeners can hear things so differently.

During the earlier trial I was impressed with the "concert sound" and was looking forward to a special Proms season but last night I was really disappointed by the balance. To my ears there was no sense of the hall (apart from audience noises) and no space or air around the performers unfortunately this does seem to be the way of modern recordings - hall, what hall?

Also I began to wonder if there was an orchestra there at all during parts of the violin concerto, the soloist was so "in your face" it was unpleasant.

It can be difficult separating the sound from the transmission mechanism but I do hope there are different sound engineers in charge later in the season with a different idea of an ideal balance.

Jasmine, I do agree that the violin was balanced too far forward. I was prepared to forgive that as LB's playing was so fine. The amount of hall sound to include is very much a matter of personal taste. I felt there was an awful lot of coughing in the first Prom (absurdly so for mid July) and was happier to hear less of the audience in the second. (Though one guy's coughing couldn't be ignored.) I can understand people preferring a more 'natural' balance, but I felt what I was hearing enabled me to concentrate on the music - which must be a good thing!

[jayne lee wilson]

Here, I felt Prom 2/Part 1 was pretty well-balanced. It just sounded as if the bigger fuller sound generated by the Staatskapelle filled the space rather more than the BBCSO had done (as I said on the Prom 2 thread, rather too filling for my Sibelian taste) and to some extent it was LB's extraordinarily powerful tone (from that big, dark, gutty Guarneri del Gesù) that made her sonic presence the more emphatic. The space and scale at the start of the concerto, as Batiashvili's solo truly soared, were as vivid as I could wish, then the orchestra bludgeoning in heftily....the proportions of band to soloist seemed OK to me..

Cross-checking on FM during the adagio though, even knowing what to expect, I was shocked at just how forward the dynamic compression made the violin sound, and the orchestra thus reduced.... thank god for lossless!
(And to be fair, its precedent, HDs - still sounding fine when I used iPlayer to check a few things the other night).

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yep agreed ....The really telling thing is the lack of compression . The opening of the Elgar tonight had that pumped quality familiar on FM. Switching to the stream what a lovely clean uncompressed sound. Might need a new set of speakers soon though ...

[Bryn]

It will have to be the afternoon repeats of the first three Proms for me to get to listen to the FLAC. Work has got in way of setting things up. I'm considering getting this to send the digital signal to my Alesis MasterLink ML-9600's s/pdif coax input.