Which is the best, ICEcast or SHOUcast?

Kennisbank

There are three main options for running a radio server with us and these are using an Icecast Server or a Shoutcast v1 / Shoutcast v2 server. This will explain the pro's and con's of each.

First, it's worth mentioning that all three server types are very similar in what they do, but there are some subtle differences that you might want to be aware of when choosing your server type.

Icecast Servers (Version 2+)

Pro's:

Icecast has mount points meaning that it can automatically transfers listeners from the AutoDJ to a Live stream and then back again without needing to manually turn anything on or off. So when you connect a live source, all of the listeners are transferred from the AutoDJ mountpoint (/autodj) to the live stream mountpoint (/live) and then back again to the AutoDJ mountpoint (/autodj) when you are finished.

It is 'Open Source' software.

Con's:

You are listed on the Icecast directory instead of shoutcast.com which gets fewer listeners tuning in than a Shoutcast server would.

Shoutcast Servers (Version 2)

Pro's:

Your station is listed on the SHOUTcast directory and syndicated out to many other radio directories. This gives you excellent exposure and will likely lead to getting more listeners than you would do on an Icecast server.

You can ban listeners by ip or subnet.

Shoutcast v2 provides automatic transitioning between the AutoDJ feature and live streams without needing to manually turn anything on or off like with Shoutcast v1. So when a live source is connected, the stream is seamlessly crossfaded automatically between the AutoDJ feature and the live source and also vice versa.

Con's:

Shoutcast v2 now requires you to create an 'Authorization Key' (Authhash) for your stream so that it can be registered for the SHOUTcast directory and as a 'Public' stream. But with this Shoutcast v2 now also forces stations to only set the one genre type (and a sub genre) for their station as they now want to normalise the genres and just limit everyone to one each. Only setting the one genre could be an issue if you play multiple different genres on your station.

Shoutcast Servers (Version 1)

Pro's:

Your station is listed on the SHOUTcast directory and syndicated out to many other radio directories. This gives you excellent exposure and will likely lead to getting more listeners than you would do on an Icecast server.

You can ban listeners by ip or subnet.

Con's:

If you plan on running an AutoDJ on your radio server, when you want to play live you will have to turn off the AutoDJ feature in the control panel manually yourself and then on again when you have finished.

Conclusion:

If you plan on running the AutoDJ feature and also doing live streams, then the ability to auto-transfer listeners with an Icecast server or a Shoutcast v2 server is very useful and worth considering. But if you plan on only live streaming with no AutoDJ, then it might be worth considering a Shoutcast v1 server as you will still gain the extra listeners from being listed in the shoutcast.com directories and you will also not be restricted to only being able to set the one genre for your station like with Shoutcast v2.

------------------------------------------

For great service and great prices, check out:

WHMSonic Plans Centova Plans

------------------------------------------