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Music Media Hardware

RadioShark for Windows and Mac OS X 165

Posted by CmdrTaco from the i'm-coming-for-you-ira-glass dept.
Quantrell writes "Ars Technica has done a very thorough review of the AM/FM radio time-shifting device radioSHARK. I was surprised when I read it, because I thought it was Mac-only. Actually the device has good Windows support, and their review shows that some of the problems experienced by early adopters have been solved with recent updates to the product. That said, there are actually some considerable flaws with the product, so buyer beware." There's a lot more meat on this review than this story which was a lot more glowing of a review.
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RadioShark for Windows and Mac OS X More

RadioShark for Windows and Mac OS X

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  • Nice, but... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jdehnert ( 84375 ) *
    I got mine for Chistmas, and it's nice, however I get really bad reception in my house.

    They really NEED to get the capability to tune into internet radio as well, then all will be well.

  • I'm not sure I would need this (Score:5, Insightful)

    by snuf23 ( 182335 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:17PM (#11545359)
    Seeing as almost all of our local stations have been consumed by mega-corporations such as Clear Channel. We have nice exciting playlists that repeat about once a half hour.
    I guess for sports, national public radio and the like this might be a cool thing. Or for college radio shows that play at odd hours (it always seems that the only shows I like are on at 3 in the morning).
    • This would actually be great for the Howard Stern show, which has no recorded (or live) Internet feed. At least not an "official" one.
    • what we need is a radio time-shifting device to take us back in time to before Michael Powell and CLearChannel and others completely gutted the antitrust and media-aggregation laws.

      now that, i'd buy.
    • This is the reason why the iPod is so popular even though it lacks FM radio, a feature that even the cheapest flash players probably have by now.

      Try as you may, you will not find a radio station that does not play absolute crap these days, which is why we want to listen to our own music that we carry around in our pockets.

    • Too Late.. (Score:2, Interesting)

      by ackthpt ( 218170 ) *
      Seeing as almost all of our local stations have been consumed by mega-corporations such as Clear Channel. We have nice exciting playlists that repeat about once a half hour. I guess for sports, national public radio and the like this might be a cool thing. Or for college radio shows that play at odd hours (it always seems that the only shows I like are on at 3 in the morning)

      I feel it's almost a concept too late for the show. We're probably not that far from a generation which says, "AM? FM? What are thes

      • It could be that this thing is right on time. It's even possible that it's a little early.

        I think that the current state of radio cannot stand and remain profitable forever. It's crap from one end of the dial to the other and that seems to be the general consensus with everyone I speak to. People like the Clear Channel folks have pretty much destroyed everything that made radio stations worth listening to and turned them into boring generic copies of one another. This is in the process of leading to wha
      • Try listening to NPR, BBC Radio 4 or BBC World Service - they do really good news, factual programmes and some drama. You can get all of these over the Internet if you're not in the right place, and the BBC has its own 'we TiVo it for you' service called Listen Again, which lets you listen over the Internet for a week after broadcast.
  • I set mine to record Howard Stern at 5:30 am and stop at 10:30... then offset it to my ipod and then listen to the whole show at my leisure.

  • Lawsuit? (Score:5, Funny)

    by slapout ( 93640 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:19PM (#11545376)
    I'm surprised RadioShack isn't suing them over the name.

  • RIAA Attorneys: Swarm, swarm, swarm! (Score:4, Funny)

    by bigtallmofo ( 695287 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:19PM (#11545385)
    It shouldn't be long before the RIAA attorneys start swarming all over this product like angry yellow-jackets that are being squirt with a hose.
    • The RIAA can go to hell. Sony v. Universal clearly established the legality of timeshifting devices such as this.
    • So far, the recording industry has not taken too kindly to timeshifting radio. When an enterprising XM Radio subscriber wrote an application that allowed owners of the XM PCR to timeshift and record XM Radio programming, XM killed the PC version of their product. Could the radioSHARK draw that sort of attention? In the short term, it's not likely -- there's no program listing, and while recording music is easy, carving out and sharing individual tracks would be labor intensive. Those shortcomings will likel
    • Except in this case, the yellow jackets have the hose. If they weren't soaking us, we'd stop kicking their nest.

  • tvtuner (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sPaKr ( 116314 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:21PM (#11545399)
    Why not get a Happuaguge tv tuner card that comes with a FM reciever? The radio tuner alone would have to be several factors cheaper then the TV card to make this a good buy, and its not.

    • Re:tvtuner (Score:4, Informative)

      by Linker3000 ( 626634 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:30PM (#11545503) Journal
      ...but make sure you track down some third party software to work with it - Hauppauge may make some nifty tuners but in my experience (with several of their products) their software always sucks big time - I wish these guys would hire some decent user interface programmers/designers.
      • Hear hear. Their software is bad enough that I'm not sure I'd want to buy from them again, despite generally glowing reviews with their hardware under Linux.
      • Dude, no offence, but the RadioShark software is probably just as bad, if not worse. I've got one, and the software is absolutely atrocious. I enjoy it in spite of the software, not because of it.

        Fortunately, I didn't pay anything for it, because I'd be returning it if I had.

        p
      • I have the Leadtek Winfast TV Tuner with FM. While it may not have AM like the shark does, the UI is more than satisfactory for scheduling the recording of FM broadcasts. Can't say the same about Hauppage's product, as I've never tried it.
    • I don't think a radio-only tuner would ever be several factors cheaper. The parts count wouldn't go down a whole lot on a PCI card, the board wouldn't be a whole lot smaller, the parts won't be a whole lot cheaper, if at all. The difference here is that it is a USB device, a fair comparison would be vs. an external video capture device.

      But a PCI TV & FM tuner isn't that bad of an idea if you have a PCI slot. Laptops don't. This would be unweildy for a mobile, but plug it in at home and it's not a p

  • Nice review, but ... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by madro ( 221107 ) * on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:21PM (#11545400)
    I had a difficult time reconciling the fact that the following two statements are in the same review:

    Say you're listening to All Things Considered and Nina Totenberg is about to make an especially poignant point about the day's oral arguments at the Supreme Court ...

    If you're listening to your favorite top 40 radio station and the newest Ashlee Simpson tune comes on and you want to save it ...

    Yikes! Still, I think the pause feature may be a nice Tivo-ish thing, but the Season Pass concept will probably be better covered by podcasting [slashdot.org]. (Actually, there was a feature on podcasting on NPR's Day to Day: you can listen to it here [npr.org], but alas, not as a podcast.)
  • ...but that was because this is the first I ever heard of glowing meat.

    I mean sheesh...whatever will they think of next.

  • Maybe I don't remember the original review mentioning this, but neither PC nor Mac version records to MP3?

    You gotta be kidding, right? No, I don't want to bloody record to AIFF and then have to use applescript to feed it to iTunes etc etc...

    • RadioSHARK software records in both AAC and AIFF on Macs. Plus it imports directly into iTunes. So no panic or angst or work on your part is necessary. ;)
    • Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed in that as well. For now I wrote a batch file that converts WAV files to MP3 using a command line version of LAME. Its not pretty, but it gets the job done.

      I figure eventually I'll either finish up a short VBScript and execute it via a cron job, or I'll write a VB application. I don't know VB, but I don't want to turn this into a fullscale project. I just want my files in MP3 format :(

      JOhn
    • I'm not trying to be a smartass or a format evangelist here, but why are you insisting on MP3 format? AAC is just as good or better for most purposes, and as you mentioned, you can record uncompressed and convert it to any format you like.

      Now that I think about it more, I supposed you'd want MP3 if you use a portable player that only supports MP3 files, or if you use a Mac and your player needs WMA or MP3. Still, it's not a surprising decision on the part of the developers. Apple has been doing well with A

  • repeating playlists... (Score:3, Funny)

    by TheHawke ( 237817 ) <rchapin&stx,rr,com> on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:22PM (#11545408)
    You want to talk about repeats:

    http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/1 0/ 1338207&tid=176&tid=1
    http://apple.slashdot.org/a rticle.pl?sid=04/09/29/ 1521201&tid=141&tid=137&tid=3

    Make this one a threepeat!
    • Make this one a threepeat!

      I believe on FARK, this would be refered to as a "tri-fecta".
      • No, it wouldn't - a trifecta is composed of three different stories containing a similar element - for example, if three noted musicians died, or if there were three stories about high-school boys having sex with their teachers. A /.-style threepeat (aka "tripe") is simply the same story posted three times.
  • Many radio stations have websites that you earn points on by answering questions about stuff they play/say at a specific time of day.

    Mine records all of the countdowns (that happen while I work)

    I redeam points, and earn lots of free tickets to concerts, that and it is usefull for recording select radio shows.

  • I don't get it... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anita Coney ( 648748 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:23PM (#11545418) Homepage
    Over at newegg you can buy a WinFast TV2000 XP PCI card for about $36 shipped. It has both a TV tuner and AM/FM radio. You can scedule records for both TV and radio broadcasts. Why would ANYONE spend $70 for the RadioShark? Does looking "cool" really sway people that much?

    • Re:I don't get it... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:25PM (#11545432) Homepage Journal

      Does looking "cool" really sway people that much?

      It works for Apple, car companies, clothing manufacturers, et al ad nauseum. So... yes :)

      • Women (Score:2)

        by ari_j ( 90255 )
        Does looking "cool" really sway people that much?
        It works for Apple, car companies, clothing manufacturers, et al ad nauseum. So... yes :)
        You forgot women.
    • The whole reason it costs more is because it needs a case and power supply the PCI card does not have.

      The reason why people would pay for this is because there are not that many people who want to install cards in the computer compared to the set of computer users as a whole.

      I personally would not buy a Radio Shark, but that's because radio has just about nothing I care to listen to.
      • Yeah, reading and using a screw driver are SO complicated!

        • However, according to reviews I've read, the documentation for the TV2000 XP blows. Furthermore, I did not get the impression that the TV2000 lets you record radio, just listen. The RadioShark lets you record (which is my main priority).

          As it is, the RadioShark looks like something to go on my "Buy One Of These Days" lists, as I often end up missing Dr. Demento, and "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me".

          However, my big question is with compression and editing. One of the radio shows I'd be recording would be a morn

          • However, according to reviews I've read, the documentation for the TV2000 XP blows. Furthermore, I did not get the impression that the TV2000 lets you record radio, just listen. The RadioShark lets you record (which is my main priority).

            I'm sure the original poster will happily note that any old PC user can simply ditch Windows, install Wine, and grab some obscure open source radio PVR that requires "only minor code changes to compile". Even his grandmother could do that before lunch!

            Yep, no reason to b
            • Why do you find such virtue in ignorance?! And do you actually consider your self imposed ignorance any reason to spend more money for less product? Very sad.

              You can choose ignorance if you'd like, most consumers do nowadays. You must feel really comfortable in the blissfully ignorant bandwagon.


              • Is that really the attitude you have? That people who don't want to spent a whole bunch of time getting something to work, when they can simply pay a few extra dollars to save some time?

                I hate to break it to you, but for some of us, our time is more valuable than money.

                • First of all, it takes about five minutes to install a PCI card. That is not a "whole bunch of time." Second, it does not save a "few" extra dollars, the RadioShark costs TWICE as much and lacks PVR features. You're paying twice as much for a lot less features.
              • Unlike you, I actually place value on my own time - time spent installing a stupid PCI card could be better spent talking to a friend or reading.

                Furthermore I am smarter than to expect every person on the planet to place value in being able to field-strip a PC in fourteen seconds. Just as everyone is not good at math, science, or writing, not everyone can be handy with PC's.

                I myself am quite handy, I'm sure far more capable than you at PC tinkering. But I gave that up long ago when I realize my time was
                • It takes FIVE mintues to install a PCI card! Five frigging minutes. With the Winfast you'd pay half as much AND get a PVR at the same time! Is that five minutes really worth that?

                  I'll ask it again, why is ignorance so important to you? You seem to have a low opinion of Cleetus, but at least he has the brains to fix something.
                  • Or the MB decides your IRQ's are not happy, or you find you actually don't have a spare slot, or you forget to ground and POOF goes the grpahics card.

                    I cannot count the number of times I have seen system failures after people installed cards. It might be five minutes, maybe if you didn't have to install any drivers and they worked just perfectly. But you know what? Welcome to Windows where all you are sure of is uncertanty!

                    Not to mention taht PCI card is now locked in your aging computer with no portab
          • First, I've never needed to look at the documentation, so I can't comment on it. But the fact that I didn't need it means the product is pretty easy to use.

            Regarding recording radio, I've never actually USED the feature, so I had to go over to my Windows box and check, but you can schedule records of radio in either MP3, wav, or WMA formats.

            If you recorded in wav format you could it edit using any sound software without losing any quality.

        • Reading and using a screwdriver are not hard.

          Figuring out how to open your case, figuring out you need to remove those metal slots from the back, figuring out which slot you can actually plug a card into. Those are things not everyone can do.

          I suppose your mother installs PCI cards for lunch. Mine however needed me to help install a new HD.

          Do you honestly think that even half of all PC users know, or would want to, open up a PC case? Get real. Why do you think those clowns at Best Buy repair centers
          • I'll say it again, if you can read the manual and use a screw driver, installing a PCI card is NOT difficult. If my 3 1/2 son can do it, without being able to read, I think ANY adult can do it.
            • Just because something is not physically hard, does not mean it's reasonable to expect everyone to do it.

              Changing oil is also easy but a lot of people do not do that, nor would you expect everyone to do it. In the same way you cannot expect everyone to be able or willing to install PCI cards.

              I noted you glossed over my point about what percentage of the PC population you really felt could handle a new card, or Best Buy service centers being full. What are they there for?
              • Paying someone to change your oil is different from the present cicumstance. The RadioShark costs twice as much and lacks PVR features. While quick oil-change places cost about as much as it would to do it yourself. They work entirely on volume.

                I didn't gloss over anything. I'll say it again, any adult who can read and use a screw driver COULD install a PCI card. It's just that they choose not to. They'd rather pay twice as much for less features.

                • Your other card costs half as much, takes more time to install, and lacks Radio PVR features - which are kind of the point of the Radio Shark. The thing is - who wants to record over the air TV on teh computer? That is not a PVR, sorry. For most people PVR means Cable.

                  I'd say if you set out to get a radio PVR and instead managed to get a harder to use crippled Video PVR, that you have an issue.

                  I'll say it again, you cannot expect even a majority of PC users to actually open a case where they could poss
                  • Sure, it takes more time to install. About five minutes more. How long does it take you to put in a PCI card?

                    And it does have radio "PVR" features. I have three of them. I know.

                    And who says the WinFast only records over the air? I records cable too? Where are you getting your wacky information?!

                    And I'll say it again until you refute it, if you're an adult, and if you can read, and of you can use a screw driver, you can install a PCI card. IT IS NOT HARD! It has nothing to do with my abilities, it
                    • Many, many people then would seem to be installing cards - but they are not. What are all those computers doing at Best Buy? You ignore the point that just because something is physically possible, does not mean people are CAPBLE of doing it. There is a mental component some people cannot get beyond.

                      If it's so easy, then why is it such a limited skill? Reality says you are missing something, only in your mind is it obviosuly as easy as you think.
                • Bu tthe rest still sands. You cannot realistically expect everyone to do everything manually.
          • I suppose your mother installs PCI cards for lunch.

            No, mine usually has a salad.

      • The main reason it costs more is quantity. We are talking probably a production run of 5000 units or less for this thing versus a few hundred thousand for a TV card. This constitutes a very substantial price difference as far as components go.
    • I use a laptop you insensitive clod!
    • why not just use mplayer/vsound + sched?
    • So Anita sez:

      "Over at newegg you can buy a WinFast TV2000 XP PCI card for about $36 shipped. It has both a TV tuner and AM/FM radio. You can scedule records for both TV and radio broadcasts. Why would ANYONE spend $70 for the RadioShark? Does looking "cool" really sway people that much?"

      Anita, where does one plug a PCI card into a PowerBook or a ThinkPad?

      A LOT of people have only a laptop/notebook as their only computer.

      And what of those folks who have an iMac? There are no PCI slots in ANY iMac.
  • I was surprised to read that no RDS (Radio Data System) is supported. RDS is used by every radio station in the UK and makes it a darned sight easier to tune in and know what station you're listening to, along with information about presenters / shows and so on.

    Do you not have RDS in America, or is it an oversight by the developers?
    • I'm pretty sure we're RDS-less.

    • Re:RDS support? (Score:4, Informative)

      by fireduck ( 197000 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:52PM (#11545701)
      RDS support in the US is spotty. My 99 Audi's factory stereo has it, and RDS signal broadcasting is mixed. Public radio tends to be very good about broadcasting it, while some stations broadcast it intermittently (maybe a particular dj, often it'll be several songs behind, sometime poor spelling), and still others never broadcast the signal.

      I was a little dissapointed when my wife bought the ipod radio broadcaster thingy (iWhatchamacallit?), and it didn't have an RDS signal broadcasting the mp3 tag info. Seems that would have been perfect feature to include.

    • Re:RDS support? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by kitzilla ( 266382 )
      RDS adoption is growing. it's certainly worth adding to Radio Shark.

      I agree this gizmo would be cooler if it recorded streams, too. Think I'll still buy one, if only to aircheck the other morning shows while we do ours.
    • There's a new technology some US stations are using called "HD Radio" (like HD TV I guess,) which supposedly broadcasts digital CD-quality sound along with the type of information you're talking about: song titles, albums, artists, name of the DJ, show name, etc.

      Problem is, a reciever for it costs $800. YIKES! I'll just buy an iPod and a FM transmitter for that price.
      • Yeah, we have that too. At the moment, reception is a bit patchy in some parts of the country, and unlike FM, if the signal is bad, you can't listen to it at all.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/dab

  • Linux support (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Eric Smith ( 4379 ) * on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:26PM (#11545448) Homepage Journal
    I've hacked a little bit on trying to get Linux support going. The RadioShark acts as an Audio-class device for the audio (logically enough), and a HID-class device for the tuning. I think I'm able to send tuning commands to it, but I can't confirm that as I haven't yet gotten ALSA configured correctly to deal with the audio.

    Is it just me, or is configuring ALSA a black art?

    • Re:Linux support (Score:4, Funny)

      by stephenisu ( 580105 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:54PM (#11545718)
      Is it just me, or is configuring ALSA a black art?

      Black art.. no

      It's more of a spiritual quest on the path to total enlightenment. Truly a study in the art of Zen.

      The trick is learning how to configure it for hardware that will not work with it. Think about it.
  • The only two things I listen to are NPR, which pretty much has everything online for you to listen to at your convenience, and a music station which repeats everything every hour anyway.

    They need one of these for online radio streams with a comprehensive catalog. The catalog alone would be a great help.

  • Why bother when there's StreamRipper? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by dudeman2 ( 88399 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:41PM (#11545592)

    Seems like the market for this is limited. StreamRipper [sourceforge.net] lets me download most radio stations' MP3 streaming audio. Mplayer [mplayerhq.hu] with some addons allows me to download RealAudio streams which can be converted to MP3. I've got this all automated via cron job to download NPR news, This American Life, plus foreign radio broadcasts for later playback. Plus I can download multiple streams simultaneously, and no worries about poor reception.

    • That works for those stations that have streams, and which have the bandwidth for their streams. I listen to a couple of stations that routinely get swamped (KLOS and KFI) during the popular shows, and being able to listen without that hassle would be great. And since I can't listen at work, it would be nice to be able to record the shows and catch them when I get home.

  • Griffin: nice hardware, lousy software (Score:4, Informative)

    by sjonke ( 457707 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:44PM (#11545622) Journal
    If it were me, I wouldn't buy it. Why? I have several Griffin products and the thing that is common between all of them is that the software sucks to start with and the software never really gets fixed. Case in point - I have a Griffin PowerMate USB rotary controller. To this day it does not work properly with multiple users in Mac OS X. By this I mean *both* there being more than one account on the system with each account logged in to at different times, as well as greater issues with having multiple accounts logged in at the same time (fast user switching.)

    In the former case the issue is relatively minor, but still annoying. In some accounts rotating the knob to adjust system volume does not provide visual or audible feedback. In other accounts it does. Relatively minor, but still very annoying.

    In the case of fast user switching it's a substantial problem. What happens is that the software continues to run even in the background accounts, the net result is that using the PowerMate produces unpredictable results. You can see the volume go up and then jump to some entirely different volume because it's adjust both in your account, and the one in background, fighting for control. Or you might be rotating to move "play head" in iMovie, but at the same time it changes system volume. Etc. Even more fun with 3 or more accounts logged in!

    It's not like Fast User Switching (introduced in 10.3) was just released. They should have had this fixed long ago, and the best I could get out of Griffin's difficult to contact tech support was that they were aware of the problem but couldn't say when (perhaps not even if) it will be resolved.

    Buyer beware of anything Griffin makes that involves software that they write. I know I won't be buying any more Griffin products no matter how cool they sound.
    • I have a RadioShark and it works well. However, I was disappointed when it arrived that I could never get their application to record audio. It somewhat worked on XP, but had stuttering problems. In order to record shows, I ended up getting Audio Hijack and used it to treat the RadioShark as an audio input device. However, once I upgraded from a G3 to a G4, the recording feature worked as advertised. I couldn't find any documentation mentioning this requirement either. I guess they figure anyone would

  • Reception is terrible (Score:3, Informative)

    by skarth ( 184192 ) on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:45PM (#11545632)
    I have a RadioShark, and the reception is very poor no matter where I place it (other radio receivers in the same area work fine). It is so bad that I haven't even tried the time shifting feature yet, since the sound that you end up getting is very painful to listen to anyway.

    They say that plugging in headphones to the RadioShark will improve reception, but it seems to have no effect at all.

    Is there some other kind of antenna that can be plugged into it to improve the reception?
    • For me, Radio Shack had the answer to my Radio Shark reception woes.

      Ask them for their 20' Stereo Headphone Extension Cord and plug it in, you don't need any actual headphones since it's just serving as an antenna. I haven't heard any static since.

  • RadioTime? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by tbisaacs ( 801027 ) <travis@nOspam.mylifeinpixels.com> on Tuesday February 01, 2005 @05:45PM (#11545633) Homepage
    I work for http://www.radiotime.com/ [radiotime.com], we are working hard to bring "TiVo for radio" to fruition. We're flying low under the radar as we develop the service, but expect to "launch" in march.

    The RadioShark is a great piece of hardware but fails in the biggest area that makes TiVo great-the guide. What good is recording radio if you don't know what is on and where it's coming from. The heart of our service is our guide, it covers am/fm, internet, and xm/sirius radio, and soon will have full rss/podcasting support. To quote our website, we have "35,000 stations in 140 countries. 100,000 sports games per year."

    We have both mac and pc clients, though the mac client is still very early in development. Recordings are made as simple mp3 files, and even get dumped into itunes. The mac client supports the RadioShark, the pc version will very soon.

    We're always looking for great feedback to help us improve the service. Sign up is free for unlimited listening.

    • I just had a look and downloaded the Mac client. Now, I'm probably very very stupid, but the service was as intuitive as a fish with a pig in its mouth.

      For goodness sake, get someone to rewrite the 'What is Radiotime' page to succintly and clearly explain what it is and how you use it.

      "Your workout...your commute...your talk...your radio.

      Declare yourself dial free. Free from predetermined programming times. Free from simply local choices. Now you can have radio when you want it, where you want it...with
    • No 107.7 The End in Seattle? The station that discovered Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Presidents of the United States of America? The station with the best DJs and least advertising on the west coast?

      But you have a million 107.8 stations in Europe... why would I want to record local shows on my favorite station when I could listen to 107.8 in Prague? (I hope the radio you sell has a LONG antenna...)
    • So what do they call astroturfing when you freely admit the company you work for?

      That said kudos for disclosing that you work for them.

    • We're flying low under the radar as we develop the service

      Not any more, you're not.

      Dave
    • How does this work with satellite radio?
      I dont see any of the Sirius channels, nor any way
      to tune and timeshift a Sirius show.
  • ...can it shift broadcasts from the future back to now? Or is it simply a recorder that can delay content?

    "time-shifting" has got to be the most inappropriate meme ever.

  • When I lived in the Bay Area, I listened to a LOT of radio stations. There were two full-power NPR stations alone, with very different formats.

    New York City and Pittsburgh had a pretty good variety of stations as well.

    Portland OR, where I now live, is probably better than a lot of places around the contry, but I really only listen to three or four stations, and only one has stuff I'd be interested in recording.

    So, I think I'll give this a pass.
  • Most people can get a radio, tune it, and connect it to the line-in (or microphone) port on their PC or Mac. Most people aren't using their line-in port. Given that, why not just let it run full time?

    Then, the only problem is needing software: software that can record from the line-in port at any time of day, encode it and dump it to a file. Or just play it through the speaker in real-time. It doesn't sound too hard, in fact, it sounds like only a few hundred lines of code, given the right libraries.

    So, I
    • (I realise that this is a really really really cheap solution and is a bog-standard MP3 player when you could be getting a radio equivalent of an iPod - that's the RadioShark. And you can only record one station. What other drawbacks?)
  • Who needs radio when you've got Podcasting [podcastx.com]?

    I produce my own podcast once a week (TinyPodcast [tinyscreenfuls.com]) on mobile technology and gadgets, and I subscribe to dozens of other podcasts. I get to listen to what I want, when I want, and it's almost invariably more interesting that what's on the radio. What's more, the only station I usually listen to anyway, NPR, is starting to podcast some of its shows, like On The Media and Tech Nation.

    I love picking up my iPod (or any other MP3 player) in the morning, and having fres
  • ...is a device that can allow me to listen to a Lakers game broadcast some 2-3 seconds late. I very much prefer the radio announcers to the TV people, even when the game is on local TV (and don't get me started when it's on ESPN or TNT). Problem is the TV broadcast is delayed a couple seconds, plus about 1 more if I'm running it through my Replay. I can hear the announcers telling me the shot is good before it has left the shooter's hands.

    Does anyone know of a device that can allow me to tune signal del
    • Uh, from reading the review, it sounds like the RadioShark would be able to do this. I don't know what level of precision the time shifting uses, but from the screenshots it looks like you can shift it only a few seconds back if you're careful with your mouse.

      Or you can hit pause, wait 3 seconds, then hit resume. That should do it, also.

  • Say you're listening to All Things Considered and Nina Totenberg is about to make an especially poignant point about the day's oral arguments at the Supreme Court, but nature is urgently calling. Click on the TS button, hit pause, and walk away. Nina is then cut off in midsentence. Once you take care of business, you can then return to your PC, hit play, and Nina takes up right where she left off.

    I often listen to NPR as well, not having a radio in my office I just listen to WBUR's real audio stream. Wi

    • The bad thing about RealPlayer is you can't take the content with you on an iPod (or, TTBOMK, any other portable player). Being able to take broadcasts with me on the iPod is a big part of why I like the RadioShark, in spite of its absolutely AWFUL software.

      p
  • Just picked one up at my apple store. It was "refreshed", which means that someone bought and returned it. I know why they did now.

    The reception is pretty crappy for me. I'm trying to tune a FM station that is broadcast locally from about 3 blocks away from my house and I mostly get static. I've got the Shark sitting in my upstairs window and am using a Sagean ANT-60, which is plugged into the mic port and unwound about 15 feet creating a "web" in the window (I've also tried various other positions and p
  • I got one for christmas - and love it. But it does have a few drawbacks:
    • Reception can be very poor unless you use the (included) USB extender, and I find, that for some reason, it gets best reception when the USB cable is hanging vertically. (attaching headphones to the socket seems to make little or no difference.)
    • No AppleScript support. I've had to hack up some nasty GUI scripts that require both the name and the frequency of the station hard-coded. (yuk)
    • No RDS (minor niggle)

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