Appendix C: Stream Frequencies
The following are the approximate frequencies that each type of playlist, protocol, container/codec, and error occurs in the RadioTime guide. These numbers were calculated on 9/8/2009 and are approximate, as internet radio is constantly varying.
Playlists
| Playlist | Typical Stream Formats | Prevalence |
| ASX | WMA | 45% |
| PLS | MP3, AAC | 25% |
| ASF | WMA | 24%** |
| M3U | MP3, AAC | 15% |
| No Playlist* | 15% |
* “No Playlist” means that the stream is linked to directly in the RadioTime guide.
** As ASF playlists are a special case (see Chapter 1), they are are also counted under the other formats; the total will add up to more than 100%.
Protocols
| Protocol | Typical Stream Formats | Prevalence |
| ICY | MP3, AAC | 43% |
| HTTP | MP3, AAC, WMA | 29% |
| RTSP | WMA | 21% |
| MMS | WMA | 7% |
Containers/Codecs
| Format | Description | RadioTime Type | Prevalence |
| WMA | Windows Media Audio | Windows | 50% |
| MP3 | MPEG Layer 3 | MP3 | 42% |
| AAC+ | Advanced Audio Codec Plus | AAC | 4% |
| Real | RealMedia | Real | 1% |
| OGG | Open Standard Format | - | < 1% |
| Other | 2% |
Errors
| Error | Prevalence |
| (no error) | 73% |
| Connection problems | 17% |
| Unable to download | 8% |
| Timeout | 2% |
| Invalid format | 1% |
| Other | <1% |
Note: Connection problems includes errors such as 404, 500, host not found, unable to connect on port, and invalid URL. Unable to download means that although we were able to connect to the given stream, we weren’t able to successfully grab any audio. Invalid format includes errors such as getting the wrong protocol in the response or getting something like an HTML page instead of a playlist or stream.
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