BBC Radio BBC Sounds and those of us who don't live in the UK
- Thread starter Trik-e
- Start date
Hopefully it shouldn’t as WiiM don’t use the BBC Sounds app. Instead I suspect they just use a list of URLs that won’t be impacted.
The actual format of the URLs at https://garfnet.org.uk/download/radio/bbc-radio.txt which you can use under Open Network Stream may change a little as noted in this post https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/bbc-radio-streams-gone.6283/post-134952
The actual format of the URLs at https://garfnet.org.uk/download/radio/bbc-radio.txt which you can use under Open Network Stream may change a little as noted in this post https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/bbc-radio-streams-gone.6283/post-134952
This post also suggests an optimistic outcome
Post in thread 'BBC Radio Streams gone?'
https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/bbc-radio-streams-gone.6283/post-135020
Post in thread 'BBC Radio Streams gone?'
https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/bbc-radio-streams-gone.6283/post-135020
Are those streams working now? They seem to be intermittently active. I was using them to listen on my phone with my XM5's. Always thought it was odd that in 2025 the BBC had such low quality streams. As long as I don't lose 6Music and Pete Tong / E-mixes, I'll be OK!
Just tested the 6music link and it’s fine running at 320kbps, but then again I’m in the UK.
I guess being publicly funded maybe the BBC can’t afford the infrastructure to broadcast higher than that locally never mind globally.
I guess being publicly funded maybe the BBC can’t afford the infrastructure to broadcast higher than that locally never mind globally.
Radio 3 streams in hi-res I believe. Unsure why only Radio 3 though.
I'm also a little confused as I'm reading that we can still access the live streams, just not the catch-up stuff?
Hoping that I don't miss out on my Essential Mixes etc. I love getting up on Sat morning and catching the end of Pete Tong's show and a randome e-mix. Great way to start Saturday off! (Fry up and coffee, obvs!).
I'm also a little confused as I'm reading that we can still access the live streams, just not the catch-up stuff?
Hoping that I don't miss out on my Essential Mixes etc. I love getting up on Sat morning and catching the end of Pete Tong's show and a randome e-mix. Great way to start Saturday off! (Fry up and coffee, obvs!).
slartibartfast
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They experimented with FLAC streams for Radio 3 back in 2017 but nothing since.
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slartibartfast
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Where did you see Radio 3 in hi-res?
I’d guess that just means 320kbps. It does ring a bell that there was talk of them doing that just for radio 3 but 48kbps for the others outside the UK.
Intruder
Member
Maybe try a free VPN?
Edit... Obviously (maybe not) you'd need to turn off preferred DNS in the Wiim settings to try it...
Edit 2 This would only have a chance of working is if you stream from a device that can install the client on.. I use a VPN (the one mentioned) 24/7 on selected devices, it's running on my router via wireguard (openvpn is sloppy code) have zero problems with BBC or Netflix America..
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Nope, I think they trap that and disallow it.
Edit:
“If you are using a VPN or proxy service and are in the UK, try disabling it to see if that helps. If we detect you might be using a VPN, you’ll be unable to play UK-restricted programmes. This is because we need to be confident you're in the UK, and if you're using a VPN or proxy, we can't detect reliably where you are. ”
Why do you think I'm outside the UK? | BBC Sounds
If you live in the UK and you aren't seeing links to BBC Sounds on our website, it might be because we think you're outside the UK. This would result in being directed to the bbc.com website, intended for international users, rather than bbc.co.uk, which serves our UK audience. In February...
Intruder
Member
Nah..... Windscribe as one example should work fine.
slartibartfast
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Isn't it 96kbps outside the UK? I guess all will become clear later this month.
Intruder
Member
Nope, I think they trap that and disallow it.
Edit:
“If you are using a VPN or proxy service and are in the UK, try disabling it to see if that helps. If we detect you might be using a VPN, you’ll be unable to play UK-restricted programmes. This is because we need to be confident you're in the UK, and if you're using a VPN or proxy, we can't detect reliably where you are. ”
Why do you think I'm outside the UK? | BBC Sounds
If you live in the UK and you aren't seeing links to BBC Sounds on our website, it might be because we think you're outside the UK. This would result in being directed to the bbc.com website, intended for international users, rather than bbc.co.uk, which serves our UK audience. In February...www.bbc.co.uk
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slartibartfast
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It isn't clear what you are showing here. What is the URL of the stream you are listening to? It is only 96kbps which is the non-UK bitrate.
Is Windscribe safe? on MacOS can only be side-loaded (not available on the App Store).
Intruder
Member
Yes been paying them for years.... Sign up for a free traiI, poke around on the account page and make sure streaming is on.. Let us know how you get on. I want to add I don't work for them or anything like, just sharing my experience with a decent VPN..
slartibartfast
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Does Windscribe act as a VPN for your whole network or just for the PC it is installed on?
Don’t they have a free plan with some high bandwidth limit?
Intruder
Member
Depends.... If you use the app it's per device, but I have created a config file via their website and uploaded that to my Asus router... That's network wide and it's a simple tick box to which devices use the VPN (see my picture above) or not..
