Latest News: Shout Stream Version 2.3 now supports WordPress 2.6 and also have LIVE update for your stream stats using AJAX! As that plugin is getting richer and new features are being added, i strongly advise you to read all the info in this page to configure it properly.

Shout Stream version 2.3
Updated @ 10/07/2008
Download Shout Stream
(from the Wordpress Repository)
do not use autoupdate, manual configuration is needed

  • Description

Shout Stream plugin is a widget that embeds a mini Player at your sidebar to connect to a stream (shoutcast is tested) along with LIVE stats. You can select Media player which is readable from all major browsers or Minicaster flash player. It has also a link for a popup window so your readers could surf at your blog without stopping hearing the stream.

  • Usage

After installed activate Shout Stream plugin and then configure the widget. It has already some default values to play and see how it looks like in your website but you must change them if you want your visitors to listen to your shoutcast stream. But first take a look at the following widget screenshot:

As you see you must SET the following values:

  • Num 1: A widget title (default is My Shoutcast)
  • Num 2 & 3: The IP address and the PORT of the stream (default is IP & PORT for Radio Casbah shoutcast stream)
  • Num 4 & 5: Width and Height of the sidebar mini Media Player (default values are 170 x 70 pixels)
  • Num 6: Set 0 or 1 to disable/enable Autostart for the sidebar player (default is 0)
  • Num 7: Set 0 to disable or 1 to enable stats with fsockopen or 2 with cURL (default is 1 but try 2 if you have problems with your host or 0 to disable stats)
  • Num 8: Set 0 to disable LIVE stats update (default option) or else set the seconds between each update. I have set mine at 20 OR 30 sec which is an acceptable update time. Shoutcast has a delay between 10-20 sec for someone who hears a stream and a song usually last about 3-6 minutes so setting something smaller than 10 sec is useless and it’ll make your blog trying to communicate all the time with the server stream.
  • Num 9: Set 0 or 1 to disable/enable Sidebar player (default is 1 but if you disable it, set something small as height so it won’t be left an empty space between popup link and the stats, something like height: 10 pixels will do the trick)
  • Num 10: Set 0 or 1 to disable/enable Minicaster flash player (default is 1 but if you choose to disable it and having Sidebar player enabled then all browsers will try to open the stream at Media player)

If you enable LIVE stats update you must also have to configure manual the file vars.txt which is in main plugins folder using a simple notepad. Take a look at the next image:

As you see it’s ONLY one line that needs to be edit. Just change the IP~PORT with your stream but keep tilde [ ~ ] between them EXACTLY as you see it, NO LINE BREAK and NO SPACES anywhere. This file also includes the messages shown. If you have changed them in the main plugin file do the same here but also keep the tilde between them.

That was the main configuration for the plugin but if you also enable the Minicaster you MUST manually edit it’s configuration file which is in the plugin’s folder. Just search for a file named minicaster.xml and edit it using a simple notepad. The next image will help you a lot:

As you see in the image there are three lines that NEEDS to be edited. Line 4 is the “mount point” and there you are gonna put your stream address. For a classic shoutcast stream put exactly the IP address and the PORT and LEAVE the last SEMICOLON right after the SLASH exactly AS YOU SEE IT. This is important for shoutcast streams but not needed for icecast. If your stream is other than shoutcast, please read the full Minicaster documentation which is included in the plugin or visit Minicaster’s official website. Line 5 is the link to your stream page or your blog, whatever. Line 6 is a title for the link. For other choices like reload and xfade please read Minicaster’s documentation (included in the plugin’s folder).

I have also taken some screenshots from popup players in different browsers and sidebar players in the default Kubrick theme of WordPress. Open the following links to see them:

MediaPlayer POPUP (MSIE)

Minicaster POPUP (FireFox)

Minicaster POPUP (Safari)

Minicaster POPUP (Opera)

Sidebar Media Player

Sidebar Minicaster

  • Important Notes

1. For the sidebar media player you have to pay attention to width and height to match your space and template. Default values (170X70) looks OK but a bit more wide would look even better. Minicaster has a standard width and height (180×70).

2. POPUP Player acts the same as sidebar player. If Minicaster is enabled then every browsers will see it EXCEPT MSIE. If Minicaster is disabled then every browser will try to get the stream through Media Player.

3. The stats comes from shoutcast streams page. There are two options to choose when enabled, 1 (fsockopen) or 2 (cURL) depending on your host but if you experience problems disable them. If you wanna translate the messages they are all gathered in a section of shout-stream.php file. Now there’s a little trick that is important to know, if a Song is anything else than latin characters in it’s title, that characters won’t be displayed, they will be stripped. It is also important to have in mind that Shout Stream tries to communicate with the stream’s site and that means it can make your blog slower. If the stream is DOWN then a message will be displayed BUT if the stream doesn’t exist you ‘ll get an error message. I had to put a time in sec in which i thought that it won’t “hung” the blog so i set it to 5 sec.

4. The stats also supports LIVE update using AJAX but must be configured manually. Check above in configuration link. If you need further assistance configuring it make a comment or use my forums. If you cannot make it work disable LIVE update setting 0 as a value.

  • Changelog:
  1. version 2.3: Support LIVE stats using AJAX and WP2.6 compatibility.
  2. version 2.2: Support cURL for stat.
  3. version 2.1: Fixed POPUP dimensions & style.
  4. version 2.0: Minicaster flash player added end some JS errors fixed.
  5. version 1.5: Fixed an error for IE7 mplayer.
  6. version 1.4: Ready for WP2.5 and fixed width popup.
  7. version 1.3: Winamp link added and minor fixes.
  8. version 1.2: JS in HEAD so POPUP could be opened everywhere.
  9. version 1.1: Popup media player was added and changed stats.
  10. version 1.0: First release.
  • Credits

Thanx a lot to the guys at Draftlight Networks who let me pack Minicaster along with Shout Stream plugin for the Wordpress users!

AJAX live stats was made using a script i found in DYNAMIC DRIVE website. I used the code from Dynamic Ajax Content script which was altered to work with Shout Stream plugin. Thanx a lot to the guys that developed it!

Last Note: Shout Stream was tested only with shoutcast stream but it may work with other streams too (icecast). If you get a blank page after activation try disabling the stats. If you try this plugin please give me some feedback to improve it. And a favor to ask, if you use Shout Stream plugin with success just make a comment with your WordPress URL so i could make a list down here and check it.

Click below if you wanna see a random list of *SOME* Wordpress blogs that use Shout Stream plugin for their shoutcast streaming. Each one uses it with a different way.

Hey, where’s your stream?

So… Happy Streaming!

68 Comments

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  1.   Chris Merriman said:

    10-03-2008 @ 17:57

    [+]

    Thanks for your work - I'll be playing with this plugin on my test blog (just add a test. to beginning of the url above) a little later this week. If you don't mind me making a suggestion, adding ... ...

  2.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    10-03-2008 @ 21:09

    [-]

    Thanx Chris for trying the plugin. I really need the feedback. And a subscription to comments would be a nice idea.

  3.   Confused said:

    13-03-2008 @ 23:25

    [+]

    Umm... you say you tested it with all browsers and even took a screenshot, but it doesn't work when I browse your site here with my Opera. There is nothing but a blank with "plug-in content" where t... ...

  4.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    13-03-2008 @ 23:33

    [-]

    Which OS u got?
    As i say u *MUST* have WINXP SP2 or VISTA.

  5.   Confused said:

    14-03-2008 @ 11:51

    [+]

    Sorry, I forgot to mention it - I DO have XP SP2. And the latest Opera version (9.26). I also checked it with Safari (version 3.0.4) and have the same problem. Did you hard code the link to the Fi... ...

  6.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    14-03-2008 @ 11:54

    [-]

    Since you do have XP SP2 could you browse this page with IE6 or IE7 and please DO tell me what you see?

  7.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    14-03-2008 @ 12:46

    [+]

    I 'm not a browser expert but i will try to show you some things. As i said you must have XP SP2 and Win Media Player. Now I have installed firefox and this plugin works with FF. When i instal... ...

  8.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    15-03-2008 @ 12:54

    [+]

    There 's one more article about Opera and Windows Media Player here which says: A new installation of Opera will find and copy the Windows Media plug-ins from C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player ... ...

  9.   Confused said:

    09-04-2008 @ 18:37

    [+]

    Kalimera, First, let me apologize for the long delay in getting back to you. I appreciate all the testing you've done! About your last comment - I actually *have* all those files in my Opera plu... ...

  10.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    09-04-2008 @ 19:02

    [+]

    I been a bit busy these days trying to find a solution. Unfortunately Opera isn't well known to most people i know and i have no feedback but only from tests i run on my own. I also don't have a Ma... ...

  11.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    09-04-2008 @ 22:12

    [+]

    And some more info. You can see in my sidebar a flash player. It's the minicaster and i think that you could see it from all browsers in any OS as long as they have flash installed. It's free but not ... ...

  12.   Confused said:

    10-04-2008 @ 09:58

    [+]

    Thank you very much for your efforts! I can use the flash player in your sidebar in Opera - but the reason why I was so excited about the Shout Stream plugin was the option to have it pop-up! That was... ...

  13.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    10-04-2008 @ 10:50

    [+]

    Everything has its pros and cons. Flash players DO NOT work on IE7 (for a shoutcast stream) where a Media Player works. So i'm looking for couple of alternatives. I can check the users agent and decid... ...

  14.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    10-04-2008 @ 18:01

    [+]

    And please my friend Confused gimme feedback checking this page with lots of browsers. I have managed to make the popup and the sidebar player "smart", that means when they see MSIE media player appea... ...

  15.   turbotorben said:

    16-04-2008 @ 12:56

    [+]

    Hey .... nice plugin! It would be great if the users are able to switch the radio-stations or choose from a shoutcast list...dont know if this is doable but would be a very nice feature i think! ... ...

  16.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    16-04-2008 @ 13:01

    [-]

    Yeah, i think it could be done. I ‘ll try it for the next release ;) Thx

  17.   Freebies-Wordpress Addons-Shout Stream 1.5 | Hyper Tech Ninja: Freeware and Technology For All! said:

    02-05-2008 @ 23:01

    [-]

    [...] [Download] [Plugin Page] [...]

  18.   14Drink said:

    05-05-2008 @ 11:58

    [-]

    Hi got it loaded on our site! Just trying to work out how to load servers!!!

  19.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    05-05-2008 @ 12:03

    [-]

    Glad to hear it!
    If you find any difficulties setting it up, let me know and i’ll help!

  20.   14Drink said:

    05-05-2008 @ 12:43

    [+]

    DeUced! thanks for the great plugin, It works on our site, the only issue I assume is in the configuration. Currently I am using the defaults. It gives one error STREAM CONNECT FAILED erro... ...

  21.   capone said:

    05-05-2008 @ 14:18

    [+]

    The plugi is great, but im getting an error when trying to get the stats to work. however it can be my webpage host that not supporting som sort of communication, im not sure. Warning: fsockopen() ... ...

  22.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    05-05-2008 @ 15:00

    [+]

    Capone and 14Drink, if you can hear the stream but u get an error when trying to display the stats, that means that EITHER your host OR your stream's host do not allow PHP to read the shoutcast page a... ...

  23.   14Drink said:

    05-05-2008 @ 17:26

    [+]

    DeUCeD- Thanks for the update, Iam now on the same issue with Capone, fsockopen() ... and exposing the server route. I have temporarily now removed it and will try install later again when there i... ...

  24.   capone said:

    05-05-2008 @ 17:50

    [-]

    Yeah i think the same DeUCeD, well the plugin works fine i just only need to disable the stats feature, however it would be nice to have some stats. But again i think its my host fault…

  25.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    05-05-2008 @ 18:46

    [-]

    If you wanna if it’s your STREAM host, post here your shoutcast page (it’s where it displays stats) and i ll take a look at it.

  26.   John said:

    06-05-2008 @ 01:27

    [+]

    Hi, I am using your plugin on www.d4v.org with great success. I'd like to be able to put a second player widget right below the other one programmed to a different station but that may be asking f... ...

  27.   John said:

    06-05-2008 @ 01:44

    [-]

    Addendum to comment above:

    Or be able to switch stations as mentioned in an earlier comment.

  28.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    06-05-2008 @ 13:55

    [-]

    Hey John, i’m a bit busy these days with a new template but i promise i ll make a new release this month with an option to put more than one streams. Sorry that i cannot get it ready faster. ;)

  29.   neyz said:

    12-05-2008 @ 00:08

    [+]

    Heh !! First of all, thanks for your work ! I have tried to make the minicaster work on my blog (the media player part works well) problem is, it keeps on streaming the casbah radio even though ... ...

  30.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    12-05-2008 @ 07:52

    [+]

    Hey neyz, if Minicaster plays the RadioCasbah stream then you didn't set up correct its XML file. In minicaster.xml find the line which starts with <mount> and ends with </mount> and REPLA... ...

  31.   Ochulrak said:

    18-05-2008 @ 00:38

    [-]

    Thank you so much.
    It works!!!

  32.   woot said:

    23-05-2008 @ 18:10

    [-]

    hi there
    im a bit of a newbie here
    just wanted to ask how to know the IP and port of a shoutcast server?

  33.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    23-05-2008 @ 18:19

    [+]

    Well woot, if you do not know an IP:port of a shoutcast stream then... how do you listen to it? When you open i.e. WinAmp, you must put an IP:PORT to listen, usually something like http://87.117.1... ...

  34.   woot said:

    24-05-2008 @ 06:55

    [-]

    oh in my case the playlist is being downloaded ang played by real player, don’t have winamp yet i guess i’ll download winamp ang try it on

  35.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    24-05-2008 @ 19:49

    [+]

    Even in realplayer there is a "source" where it mounts and gets what's been played. If you wanna know it, right click on the page and view the source code. If you cant find it let me know the page and... ...

  36.   KC Cafe said:

    27-05-2008 @ 18:08

    [+]

    Great Plug in. My web host has a problem with fsockopen() too. I don't know how to change it to use Curl. Curl is supposed to be safer from hacking or so my web host says. We're streamin... ...

  37.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    27-05-2008 @ 18:14

    [-]

    I ‘ll try for a solution using Curl. Just need to find some spare time!
    I’m glad u use Shout Stream!

  38.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    28-05-2008 @ 15:56

    [-]

    V2.2 supports cURL for getting stats, feel free to try it…

  39.   KC Cafe said:

    29-05-2008 @ 21:42

    [-]

    Thank YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH ~!

    We’ve found there is a Port problem that we have to get tech support to work on.

    Thank you again for all your hard work and effort.

  40.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    29-05-2008 @ 23:32

    [-]

    I’m glad i helped!
    If u need further assistance let me know.

    Cheers!

  41.   KC Cafe said:

    30-05-2008 @ 18:33

    [+]

    ..::DeUCeD::.. Just for those who want to see the shout stream in action, I've put in on another site and its wonderful http://www.YourPowerVoice.com Thanks Ευχαριστίες Ma... ...

  42.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    30-05-2008 @ 18:50

    [-]

    I ll include it in a list i make of some websites that use shout stream.
    Well, i see that not only you set up shout stream but you are also learning Greek!
    ;)

  43.   eylultoprak said:

    01-06-2008 @ 16:52

    [-]

    Thank you veryy nice plugins =)

  44.   eylultoprak said:

    11-06-2008 @ 11:16

    [+]

    Dear Deuced, I have a problem and I will try to explain my problem as I can do.Also you can note the following error codes.I will be very glad if you attend and solve. I am waiting for your advice .T... ...

  45.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    11-06-2008 @ 13:59

    [+]

    My friend eyLuLltoprak, look what i did: I setup YOUR stream in my widget so now you could see your stats from your net radio in my SIDEBAR. I ll leave it for 24h to check it. For this i ve us... ...

  46.   eylultoprak said:

    12-06-2008 @ 12:54

    [+]

    hi, I contacted with the Hostgator and they added the port 8000 for output and also added curl access.For now,there is no problem.They said, if the problem would continue,they wanted me to contact ... ...

  47.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    12-06-2008 @ 13:18

    [+]

    If you mean UTF-8 characters in the song title then this is something that doesn't have to do with the plugin itself but with the default shoutcast page. So if you play a stream with a title other th... ...

  48.   eylultoprak said:

    12-06-2008 @ 19:09

    [+]

    I guessed that it is like that.I hope utf-8 support will come soon:) Also you said it tries until it finds the stream,so that means it will slowdown the server,isn't it?Is there a way to solve this?F... ...

  49.   ..::DeUCeD::.. said:

    12-06-2008 @ 21:45

    [+]

    Yeah, that will be a new feuture, an auto update of the STATS every X minutes. This and some new improvements (maybe a better flash player or multiple stations) will be available in the next release.... ...

  50.   eylultoprak said:

    16-06-2008 @ 10:51

    [+]

    I am sure that will be great with the new plugins.The flash player with the colours specialize will be very good(how much things I want : ) )..Also,the other plugins are really very good.Good job! ... ...