Radium (software)
Encyclopedia
Radium is a proprietary
Internet radio
player application, used for listening to internet radio streams. It emphasizes a minimalist
user interface
. The application does not have a main window, instead opting to provide the entire user interface through its main menu. Users can either listen to Radium's built-in selection of internet radio networks, or add their own networks provided that the their stream
URL's are known. The program has been praised for its unobtrusiveness, low system resource
usage, and intuitive user interface, but has also been criticized for its lack of recording functionality as of version 2.5.1.
Radium is available as a free 30-day trial for Mac OS X
, after which users are required to buy a license for $24.95 USD to continue using the program; updates are free for all users.
player, and quickly gained popularity among Mac XM Radio Online listeners, due to the platform's poor support for the Windows Media Audio
codec
, and the program's simple user interface in comparison with XM's web-based player (which requires Mac users to download a browser plugin before listening).
Starting with version 2.0, the developers added support for bookmarks, and expanded Radium's network coverage. Since version 2.4.1, Radium automatically downloads new radio network descriptions (whenever they become available) from the developer's server, thus making the network update process transparent to the user. The ability to import channels from media URLs
was added in version 2.5.
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
player application, used for listening to internet radio streams. It emphasizes a minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
. The application does not have a main window, instead opting to provide the entire user interface through its main menu. Users can either listen to Radium's built-in selection of internet radio networks, or add their own networks provided that the their stream
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
URL's are known. The program has been praised for its unobtrusiveness, low system resource
System resource
A system resource is any part of a computer system, such as disk drive space, memory capacity, or processor time that might be used by a computer program. This is allocated by operating system so that programs can run efficiently....
usage, and intuitive user interface, but has also been criticized for its lack of recording functionality as of version 2.5.1.
Radium is available as a free 30-day trial for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, after which users are required to buy a license for $24.95 USD to continue using the program; updates are free for all users.
Features
- Full text searchFull text searchIn text retrieval, full text search refers to techniques for searching a single computer-stored document or a collection in a full text database...
of all radio channel information, similar to Mac OS X's SpotlightSpotlight (software)Spotlight is a system-wide desktop search feature of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Spotlight is a selection-based search system, which creates a virtual index of all items and files on the system. It is designed to allow the user to quickly locate a wide variety of items on the computer,...
. - Bookmarks for favorite channels.
- AirPlayAirPlayAirPlay is a proprietary protocol stack/suite developed by Apple Inc. that allows wireless streaming of audio, video, and photos, together with related metadata between devices...
streaming (2.7+) - TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, Google BuzzGoogle BuzzGoogle Buzz is a social networking, microblogging and messaging tool from Google integrated into the company's web-based email program, Gmail. Users can share links, photos, videos, status messages and comments organized in "conversations" and visible in the user's inbox. On October 14, 2011,...
, and clipboard sharing (2.7+) - 10-band equalizerEqualizationEqualization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
(2.7+) - Listening history with iTunes StoreITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
integration (2.7+) - Configurable global keyboard shortcuts for controlling playback, etc.
- Desktop track change notifications via Growl.
- Scripting support via AppleScriptAppleScriptAppleScript is a scripting language created by Apple Inc. and built into Macintosh operating systems since System 7. The term "AppleScript" may refer to the scripting system itself, or to particular scripts that are written in the AppleScript language....
. - Automatic content updates, and application updates via SparkleSparkle (software)Sparkle is a free Mac OS X software framework designed to simplify updating software for the end user of a program. Sparkle supports checking for updates via appcasting.-Programs:It is used in over 100 programs, such as:* Adium* AppZapper* Bookends...
. - Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
Audioscrobbler support (as of version 2.6). - ShoutcastSHOUTcastSHOUTcast is cross-platform proprietary software for streaming media over the Internet. The software, developed by Nullsoft , allows digital audio content, primarily in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be broadcast to and from media player software, enabling the creation of Internet radio "stations"...
, MMS, OGGOggOgg is a free, open container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The creators of the Ogg format state that it is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia.The Ogg container format can multiplex...
, FLVFLVFlash Video is a container file format used to deliver video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player versions 6–11. Flash Video content may also be embedded within SWF files. There are two different video file formats known as Flash Video: FLV and F4V. The audio and video data within FLV files...
, RTMPReal Time Streaming ProtocolThe Real Time Streaming Protocol is a network control protocol designed for use in entertainment and communications systems to control streaming media servers. The protocol is used for establishing and controlling media sessions between end points...
, and proprietaryProprietary softwareProprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
streaming support.
History
Radium was initially released as an XM Radio OnlineXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
player, and quickly gained popularity among Mac XM Radio Online listeners, due to the platform's poor support for the Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
codec
Codec
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
, and the program's simple user interface in comparison with XM's web-based player (which requires Mac users to download a browser plugin before listening).
Starting with version 2.0, the developers added support for bookmarks, and expanded Radium's network coverage. Since version 2.4.1, Radium automatically downloads new radio network descriptions (whenever they become available) from the developer's server, thus making the network update process transparent to the user. The ability to import channels from media URLs
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
was added in version 2.5.