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Online streaming

07 May 2013

Listening to music and your favourite radio station recently got a whole lot easier with online streaming.

There are plenty of online music libraries that allow you to listen to playlists without paying a cent. Generally though, if it’s free, you will have to listen to advertisements so that the site can make money. All you need is an internet connection.

Radio

Most radio stations will offer a ‘Listen Live’ or ‘Stream Now’ service on their website. This means you’re listening in real time, just not through your radio, but through your computer speakers.

All you have to do is visit your desired radio station’s website and find the ‘Listen Live’ or ‘Stream Now’ button. A pop-up may appear where the stream process happens and it may take a couple of minutes for the internet to catch on to the stream.

Music

Streaming music works much like a library. You need to subscribe to the service. This generally involves filling out your email address, possibly a username and choosing a password. You’ll then have access to thousands of songs online to listen to whenever you wish.

Some sites create a channel specifically for you depending on what artist or song you first input. Others allow you to create your own playlist by selecting different songs.

With most sites, you have the option to sign up for free with advertisements or sign up for a monthly fee without ads. Some will even have another option which allows you to listen to your playlists and stations anywhere including your desktop, laptop, smart phone and your tablet.

Two good sites for use in Australia include Pandora Radio and Spotify.

Television

Missed your favourite television show? Don’t worry about it. Free to air channels have a streaming option on their website. The only catch is, the episode does expire within a timeframe. For example, the Channel 7 website, which features shows on Seven, 7mate and other content partners, offers a catch-up service of between seven and 28 days. Some shows will be available for seven, some ten and others up to 28. 

For a free-to-air catch up service, just head to the relevant network’s website and you’ll have access to the television shows after they’ve been shown live on TV.

Foxtel does offer a catch up service however it’s a bit more technical than just heading to the website. Any shows you’d like to catch up on need to be ordered through the Foxtel box (as a computer) and then subsequently watched through your television. The catch up service is also only available to subscribers with Foxtel IQ or Foxtel IQHD boxes. All you have to do to access shows is head to the On Demand section and select the show you’d like to view. This is then downloaded onto your box and placed into the planner section. You’ll be able to watch this instantly. By pressing the information button (i), you’ll be able to see when the program will be automatically deleted.