By
Paul
Philbeck
There is a lot of discussion and disagreement
among internet broadcaster about the best bitrate to use in order
to get the best music quality. This article will address this
topic and the other factors that affect sound quality.
Although it is widely believed that the higher
the stream bitrate the better the streaming quality there are
other factors involved. One important factor is the stream
encoder. There are many options depending on what software you are
using to encode your stream. For instance you could create a stream
that is 128kbs stereo which sends the stream at 44khz. This would
create a high quality broadband stream for your listeners. You can
create a similar stream at lower bitrates as well.
So why use any other setting? Because 128kbs
stereo doesn't necessarily give your listeners the best sound
experience. In my testing a lower bitrate like 64kbs encoded in
mono can produce as good or better sound quality than the 128kbs
stereo stream. Every computer doesn't play your stream the same.
On an average computer with two speakers quite often the mono
stream will be a better listening experience. I recently received
an email from a new internet broadcaster. He wanted to know why my
stream at 16kbs sounded better than his 64kbs stereo stream. My
16kbs stream is using mono at 16khz. It produces the best possible
16kbs listener experience in my opinion.
The bottom line is bigger isn't always better.
If you have a broadcast stream experiment with different bitrates
and encoders. Try mono and stereo. Listen to your stream on
different computers and speaker systems. Try to be the listener
and experience what they will hear. This is the best way to decide
on your bitrate and encoding.
I own and operate RadioNC Online an internet radio station
Located
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