| Browser Support Plugins and external players your browser needs to play audio files | |||||
| Item Name | Company | Description | Features | Platform(s) | Cost |
| AAC Plugin | Orban | Adds AAC/aacPlus stream capability to Windows Media Player | AAC family of formats is non-propietary format to provide efficient use of bandwidth with maximum quality | Windows | Free |
| Abacast Plugin | Abacast | Peer to Peer software that reduces cost to streamer by using listeners bandwidth to share stream | Free | ||
| Flash Player | Adobe | Adobe Shockwave/Flash player | Necessary to view "flash" animations - a few web sites use Flash for menu navigation and streaming players | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| Flip4Mac | Flip4Mac | Windows Media format plugin for Quicktime | If you need to be able to hear a Microsoft Windows Media file on your Macintosh, this Quicktime Plugin might work for you | Mac | $29.00 |
| JetCast | Jetcast | Another P2P streaming technology | Streams Video and Audio through network of dedicated servers and P2P sharing | Windows | Free |
| OGG Plugin | Vorbis | Plugin necessary to listen to OGG (open source) files | OGG is designed to be free of entanglements from technologies that require payment of patent royalties. To hear OGG streams, you need this plugin | Windows, Mac, Linux, OS/2, PocketPC | Free |
| OpenPlsInWMP | Jon Galloway | Windows Media Player cannot play Shoutcast playlists (.pls) | This utility enables WMP to open and play shoutcast/winamp playlists | Windows | Free |
| Quicktime Free | Apple | Apple's Quicktime player | Plays back Quicktime movies | Free | |
| UserAgent Switcher | Open Source contributor | Allows Firefox to pretend to be other browswers | If a web site has been coded to only support MSIE or has programming errors, it may not work with the Firefox browser. This Addon lets you pretend to be using another browser to get past those problems | Firefox | Free |
| VLC Media Player | VideoLAN | VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats | Open Source Cross Platform supports most streaming protocols | Windows, Mac, Linux, BeOS, WinCE, | Free |
| Winamp Player Basic | AOL/Nullsoft | Most popular MP3 player for Windows systems | iPod sync, Remote listening, AOL radio, Shoutcast integration | Free | |
| Windows Media Player | Microsoft | Microsoft's Windows Media Player (WMP) | Supports most media types but does not understand .pls playlists | Windows, Mac (no longer supported) | Free |
| WMP 9.0 for Mac | Microsoft | Final supported version of Windows Media Player for Mac | Mac | Free | |
| Hardware Devices for internet streaming, computer controlled tuning, wireless reception, etc... | |||||
| Item Name | Company | Description | Features | Platform(s) | Cost |
| AverTV | AverMedia | TV tuner for your computer | Tunes TV, PVR, and FM Radio... pricing is from $80-$180 depending on features | Windows XP Media Edition | $180.00 |
| BT Internet Radio | British Telecommunications | British Telecom's Wifi Radio | Targeted at UK customers - probably doesn't have 110v/50hz power option - price is in British Pounds | $99.00 | |
| C Crane | C Crane | C Crane offers a variety of WiFi and wired internet radios | Pricing varies for each model | Varies | |
| Grace Wireless Internet Radio | Grace Digital Audio | Desktop Wifi Radio | Uses Reciva database for stream directory, which is heavily skewed to British stations - supports WMA, MP3 and RealMedia formats | N/A | $200.00 |
| Quattro Internet Radio | Tangent | Table top Wifi Radio | Availabe in the US from C Crane | $350.00 | |
| Radio Shark 2 | Griffin Technology | USB AM/FM/Internet tuner | Grabs off the air signals (controlled by your computer) and feeds them through USB connection | $49.99 | |
| SqueezeBox | Slim Devices | Internet Streaming to your stereo | Integrates Radio Time directory, allows you to listen to streaming radio without a computer | $249.00 | |
| Stream Recording / Ripping Software to save recordings of internet streams for later playback, downloading to portable players, burning copies to CD/DVD for your personal use | |||||
| Item Name | Company | Description | Features | Platform(s) | Cost |
| iTunes | Apple | Podcast capture, iPod integration | Download streams using RSS podcasting or manually, play back later and/or download to your iPod | Mac, Windows | Free |
| Quicktime Pro | Apple | Create iPod movies, convert content to other formats | $29.95 | ||
| RedButton | RadioTime | Records streams based on the RadioTime database for later playback | According to the description, it is intended to behave like Tivo for your radio/internet audio streams,Records up to 8 shows at the same time, remote programming of schedule, iTunes interface, support for RadioShark, Windows Media Center and other tuners | Windows (MSIE or Firefox) | $29.00 |
| Replay A/V | Applian | Stream capture for audio and video | Captures video and audio streams for later playback | $49.95 | |
| Screamer Radio | David Zidar (Sweden) | Basic internet streaming with integrated station directory | supports shoutcast, OGG, WMA, ACC formats, save records | Free | |
| SnapTune | Snaptune, Inc | Music recorder | Time based recording of internet streams or external radio signals.. autmatically finds and identifies songs and organizes them for later playback or saving... integrated purchase of CDs | Free | |
| Winamp Player Pro | AOL/Nullsoft | Winamp + more | Winamp Basic plus ripping | $19.95 | |
| Streaming Services Companies that offer free or subscription based streaming services | |||||
| Item Name | Company | Description | Features | Platform(s) | Cost |
| AOL Radio | AOL | Ad supported and easy music purchase | Includes XM music channels | Windows Mac | Free |
| Launchcast | Yahoo | Yahoo's streaming service | Integrated into Yahoo Messenger | Free | |
| Launchcast Plus | Yahoo | Launchcast with more channels, unlimited skipping, no ads | Integrated into Yahoo Messenger (price is per month - annual is $35.88 prepaid) | $3.99 | |
| Radio365 VIP | Live365 | Live365 plus better quality sound and more stations | $5.95 | ||
| Rhapsody | Real Networks | Listen to Music online | DRMed music to go.... listen legally.. burning a song to storage requires payment of a license fee, music put in your portable MP3 player (not iPod!) must have its license periodically renewed - cancel your service, your existing music goes *poof* | Windows, Mac, Linux (music will not play on iPod) | $12.99 |
| XM Radio Online | XM Radio | Listen to XM's Satellite channels over the internet - 70+ commercial free channels, Opie & Anthony uncensored and more | Free if you are already an XM subscriber | Windows, Mac | $7.99 |
| Streaming Directories If you're looking for more than just US FCC Licensed radio stations, you'll need to look at other directories. Here are a few of them | |||||
| Item Name | Company | Description | Features | Platform(s) | Cost |
| Live 365 | Live365 | Offers Premium and free streams | Free | ||
| Radio Locator | Theodric Technologies | Over 2,500 streaming radio links around the world | Primarily US and Canadian Licensed radio stations | Free | |
| Radio Time | RadioTime | Global Radio station and schedule database | Free | ||
| Reciva | Parterning with Clear Channel per press release | Global streaming directory claiming in excess of 10,000 stations - the first 3 US stations I tried were "not avaibable" | Global directory, additional on demand streams | Free | |
| Shoutcast | Nullsoft / AOL | DIrectory integrated into WinAmp | Free | ||
| Web Radio | Directory of radio stations streaming on the web | Offers toolbar player | Free | ||