10 Section 2
Codec configuration
Global Options
Confirm that the factory default is set for 8 encoder / decoder channels. (The
Codec and Channel Settings
Usually, the first step will be to click the Options button for the channel you are configur- ing to set the details of the codec and protocol parameters. Having done so, you will see this this page:
Encoder
Set the codec type, bitrate, and stereo/mono mode you want to use for this channel.
The Protocol type is either UDP or TCP. There are tradeoffs in this choice that are only fully understood if you have knowledge of this aspect of IP networks. Here is a simple overview: UDP is the usual choice because it offers lower delay than TCP and is not impaired by TCP’s flow/rate control. However, with UDP, there is no network recovery of lost packets as there is with TCP, so the codec’s concealment is used to reduce the audibility of these events.
With AAC, up to around 10% random packet loss can be effectively concealed. This is one of the strengths of AAC. The other codecs also have concealment, but it will not be as effective.
Network links with high and guaranteed Quality of Service will almost always let you use UDP without trouble.
The Enable SHOUTcast protocol option is used only for streaming with an external server, so is not checked.