The VideoLAN Forums

OSX 10.10.5/VLC 3.0.18

Is there a SIMPLE way to use VLC to listen to music from a site thats not listed in Icecast? The instructions Ive seen seem written for techies.
Before Apple disabled most of iTunes, I simply copied a site's address, opened iTunes/Open Stream, pasted the address, clicked OK and heard music.
It was common sense, w/no technical knowledge.

As a test, I tried to use VLC to play an mkv and an m4v file, both vid, in my computer. Both started instantly. So why is an audio stream a problem?

What happens if you paste your URL in "Open Network..." in the File menu? It should do what you want it to do.

Using Network, one site, .html, returned Insecure Site/Accept Certificate Temporarily and Input Cant Be Opened and the other site returned Input Cant Be Opened. A third site, .php, returned Input Cant Be Opened. The Input window said "Check log for details" but I dont know where a log may be and, probably, how to understand it. How dangerous is Accept Certificate Temporarily? Trying VLC Update several times, I got Update Error. Try Again.

Accepting an invalid certificate temporarily is almost as bad as having no encryption at all. However, since you are listening to a radio stream, it is questionable why you want to have this content encrypted at all.

Note however, that any URLs ending .html or .php are clearly not valid audio streams supported by VLC or previously iTunes. Both applications cannot search the website for you to find the radio stream that you want to listen to. Typical URLs for audio streams end in .m3u, .mp3 or no extension at all and are often linked from the website of a radio show. A good source is also https://www.radio-browser.info if you are looking for a specific station.

>Accepting an invalid certificate temporarily is almost as bad as having no encryption at all. However, since you are listening to a radio stream
, it is questionable why you want to have this content encrypted at all.

Thanks, I wont accept. But why mention encryption? I didnt encrypt. Why would a music site encrypt?! They might use a paywall.

> .html or .php are clearly not valid audio streams supported by VLC

OK, my bad luck. But unclear to me. If noted in VLC doc, its very complex so I missed it.

> Typical URLs for audio streams end in .m3u, .mp3 or no extension.... https://www.radio-browser.info

OK. https://www.radio-browser.info displays a black screen

>VLC developer for appleOS since before you were born.

Since 1992 and an Apple 5i2K, floppies, and a dot-matrix printer, Ive been buying increasingly better Macs.

Is it possible to input sound from an audio system to an iMacs audio input port? A few experiments failed.
If so, what app could be used to hear it? I want to clean up a recorded lecture w/the VLC equalizer.

I don't think that we have this part of VLC documented in a good way. It seems we expect people to know that while in fact it is a common source of questions and reasons to contact us. We should do better.

Weird that the radio-browser website doesn't work for you. It seems quite reliable here.

For the audio input port, yes, sure, that's supported by VLC. See the "Open Capture Device" entry in the VLC menu. Enable audio and select your favorite input source. This will "play" that input source allowing application of any audio filters including the equalizer and with a bit of tweaking, also recording. However, note that the result of most audio filters such as the equalizer cannot be recorded.

> the result of most audio filters such as the equalizer cannot be recorded.

Odd. Can they be played in the computer? Do you mean recorded in the computer or sent back into and recorded in my audio system?
I want to send the recording back into my audio system for recording w/cassette player.
Ive often sent online streams into my audio system for very clear, loud recording into cassettes that I l play in my car.

Ill reply to the rest of your post later. Thanks for the information.

Sending back to some hardware that is essentially considered a speaker is absolutely no problem. Saving them to a file is what isn't supported.

> Sending back to some hardware that is essentially considered a speaker is absolutely no problem.

Thats a relief. After I finish some writing, Ill experiment.

> Weird that the radio-browser website doesn't work for you. It seems quite reliable here.

Ill try it on a library's Mac and PC.

> select your favorite input source.

? completely confused. From music site or from audio system?