Instructions for setting up transcoding...





Instructions for Mac Users
Instructions for Windows Users
About Transcoding

Instructions for Mac Users



For VLC, simply download a recent version (Versions before 1.0.0 may not be compatible with ooTunes for video transcoding or advanced audio format support such as ogg or alac) of VLC for mac OS X (it's free) from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html and install it in your applications folder (ie, /Applications/VLC.app )

For MPlayer download the "MPlayer OS X 1.0rc2" from here: http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html and install MPlayer into your "/Applications/" directory
Those two should allow you to listen to almost any radio station (both real audio and windows media streams). For advanced transcoding: (on slower bandwidth connections) see below:
For the nongeeks... (still pretty geeky, but doesn't require installing anything else or a compiler).

Faad2 can be downloaded from:
http://www.rarewares.org/aac-decoders.php
Look for "FAAD 2 for MacOS X" in the AAC decoders.

Extract the archive, and there should be a file called "faad_OSX". You will need to make it executable by typing "chmod +x " into
Terminal.app (no quotes but notice the space after +x) and then dragging and dropping the faad_OSX file onto that Terminal window, and
press "return". You'll need to copy faad_OSX to /opt/local/bin/faad (notice the new name faad). If /opt/local/bin/ doesn't exist you
will need to create that directory, which will require Admin privileges. (note, this is NOT a universal app, which means it will run a
bit slower if you have an intel processor... but it should still work).

For lame:
Download "LAME 3.97 release for MacOS X" from http://www.rarewares.org/mp3-lame-bundle.php (MP3/Lame Bundles Page).

Open the disk image, and there should be a file called just "lame". You can simply drag that file to the /opt/local/bin/ directory. If
/opt/local/bin/ doesn't exist you will need to create that directory, which will require Admin privileges.

For FFmpeg on an intel mac, download a recent statically compiled version here: http://www.tkn.tu-berlin.de/research/evalvid/
Extract the downloaded archive and copy ffmpeg to your "transcoders" folder (on mac the default is /opt/local/bin/ but you can change that in the "Transcoding" settings of ooTunes.

Easiest way for the geeks:
use darwin ports:

sudo port install faad2
sudo port install lame

make sure they're installed in /opt/local/bin/


Instructions for Windows Users


For VLC, simply download a recent version (Versions before 1.0.0 may not be compatible with ooTunes for video transcoding or advanced audio format support such as ogg or alac) of VLC for windows (it's free) from http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html and install it in the default location (ie, C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe )

For MPlayer download the "MPlayer 1.0rc2 Windows" (NOT the GUI) from here: http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html and copy mplayer.exe into a folder named C:\ooTunes\ (you have to create this folder if you haven't already).
Those two should allow you to listen to almost any radio station (both real audio and windows media streams). For advanced transcoding: (on slower bandwidth connections) see below:
by default, faad and lame need to be installed in a folder called:

C:\ooTunes\

download faad.exe and lame.exe and put them in that folder (you may need to create it first)
faad.exe can be found here:
http://www.rarewares.org/aac-decoders.php
(choose faad2 for win32)


lame.exe can be found here:
http://www.rarewares.org/mp3-lame-bundle.php
(choose the latest lame release for windows)

simply extract them from the .zip file and copy lame.exe and/or faad.exe to the C:\ooTunes\
(create that directory if it doesn't yet exist)
Once installed, you need to turn on Transcoding in the preferences dialog from within ooTunes (you'll need to be logged into ooTunes
as an admin)

NOTE: Transcoding (making music more compressed for listening over slower connections i.e. the Edge network) can currently only be done
on Windows Media Streams, MP3 tracks, MP3 streams and unprotected M4A (aac) files (i.e. NOT purchased from iTunes with DRM).

About Transcoding



Windows media streams (streams often starting with mms://) are used for many streaming radio stations, but they are in a format that the iPhone can't play (wma or asf). In order to listen to them on your iPhone (or in ooTunes' flash web player) you MUST install VLC.
Adding stations can be done through ooTunes by searching for already working streams.

If you're stubborn or don't want your favorite stream in our db, you can add it manually as described below: If the stream begins with an mms:// prefix if it has one, or if it begins with http: instead, change it to ootunes: and add it to your iTunes library (Advanced->Open Audio Stream). ooTunes will then recognize these streams as windows media streams, and can convert them to a format that your iphone or flash can play.

Real Audio streams (starting with rtsp://) are used for some streaming stations (BBC, etc.) and require MPlayer to be installed in order for them to work on the iPhone.
These streams should be added to iTunes with the url beginning with rtsp:// in order to be played.
ooTunes can automatically detect the bandwidth of your connection based on the recent past, and if enabled, and set up correctly, you can
enjoy (almost) all your music, even on slower connections. Also, if more than one person is accessing music from your ooTunes server at
the same time, transcoding can allow a slower server connection to be shared among more users.

Once the above transcoders are installed, you need to turn on Transcoding in the preferences dialog from within ooTunes (you'll need to
be logged into ooTunes as an admin)

You may need a few different audio decoding/encoding programs (depending on how you use ooTunes and your media file types).
Lame, Faad, VLC, MPlayer (for mp3, m4a, windows media streams, and real audio streams respectively)
ooTunes Support