Streaming MP3 playback in Firefox/ Windows XP?

[illconditioned]

I'm using Windows XP for audio.

Does anyone know how to get MP3 files (and even FLAC) to stream?

This is for playback, eg., files on Archive.org and on my website.

Thanks,
  Richard

PS: I've got VUplayer and Foobar2000 on my system.  They work for playback, but Firefox insists on loading the whole file before starting to play.

[illconditioned]

bump.  anyone know how to do this

  Richard

[OFOTD]

Okay this is a six step process.  Here is what I did just now to verify:

- Find show you want to listen to on the LMA.  In my case I used http://www.archive.org/details/gd1978-07-08.mtx.tobin.91777.flac16
- On the left hand side just below the Stealie there is a link "VBR M3U (Hi-Fi)"
- Right click on the VBR M3U tag and click Copy Link Location
- Open foobar
- File > Add Location
- Paste the VBR M3U link you copied a voila!

[illconditioned]

Okay this is a six step process.  Here is what I did just now to verify:

- Find show you want to listen to on the LMA.  In my case I used http://www.archive.org/details/gd1978-07-08.mtx.tobin.91777.flac16
- On the left hand side just below the Stealie there is a link "VBR M3U (Hi-Fi)"
- Right click on the VBR M3U tag and click Copy Link Location
- Open foobar
- File > Add Location
- Paste the VBR M3U link you copied a voila!

OK, hadn't thought of that.  I would just like to click the link and have it open a player (and stream, don't wait for the whole file to download).  Clicking and dragging is OK for now I guess.  Better than waiting for a download.

  Richard

[Brian Skalinder]

In Firefox, try Tools | Options, then in the Application tab/window, find the file type(s) you want to stream and change the action / application associated with the file type.  For example:

• Find MP3 Format Sound in the Content Type column
  
• In the Action column, select Use Other...
  
• Select Foobar from the Select Helper Application window (or, if necessary, browse to find Foobar)
  
  

Theoretically, any time you click an MP3 Format Sound link, Firefox should pass the URL to Foobar, and Foobar should play it streaming (not requiring the complete download first).

Testing now...

Edit to add:  Rats!  Didn't work, just started to download the whole file instead of streaming.  I think this is doable, but requires more tweaking.  Hmmm...

[illconditioned]

In Firefox, try Tools | Options, then in the Application tab/window, find the file type(s) you want to stream and change the action / application associated with the file type.  For example:

• Find MP3 Format Sound in the Content Type column
  
• In the Action column, select Use Other...
  
• Select Foobar from the Select Helper Application window (or, if necessary, browse to find Foobar)
  
  

Theoretically, any time you click an MP3 Format Sound link, Firefox should pass the URL to Foobar, and Foobar should play it streaming (not requiring the complete download first).

Testing now...

Edit to add:  Rats!  Didn't work, just started to download the whole file instead of streaming.  I think this is doable, but requires more tweaking.  Hmmm...

FWIW I noticed that Quicktime will stream, but only in Mozilla, not in Firefox.  But I don't like Quicktime because it tries to take over every file type.

  Richard

[runonce]

I use foobar2000...all I do is click the VBR M3U link and it will load the playlist into foobar and start playing...

But -

The first time you do this it will ask you "What do you want Firefox to do with this file"

Checkbox "Open with" - and select Foobar from the drop down

Checkbox "do this automatically for files like this from now on"

Click OK -

all set!

[Brian Skalinder]

I use foobar2000...all I do is click the VBR M3U link and it will load the playlist into foobar and start playing...

Right, but you're using an M3U playlist.  There's nothing for Foobar to do with it but stream.  I think the OP would like to stream MP3 and/or FLAC files.  I haven't futzed with it more since yesterday, so at the moment Firefox downloads the whole file, then passes it to Foobar to play.  Yet if I pass the audio file URL manually to Foobar, it will stream.  There's got to be a way to do this easily enough, I just haven't had a chance to dig more deeply.  I found some info on Firefox, but it relates to older versions and it looks like they may have even removed some functionality recently.

[illconditioned]

I use foobar2000...all I do is click the VBR M3U link and it will load the playlist into foobar and start playing...

Right, but you're using an M3U playlist.  There's nothing for Foobar to do with it but stream.  I think the OP would like to stream MP3 and/or FLAC files.  I haven't futzed with it more since yesterday, so at the moment Firefox downloads the whole file, then passes it to Foobar to play.  Yet if I pass the audio file URL manually to Foobar, it will stream.  There's got to be a way to do this easily enough, I just haven't had a chance to dig more deeply.  I found some info on Firefox, but it relates to older versions and it looks like they may have even removed some functionality recently.

You would think this (streaming) would work...

Well, in the meantime, just drag a link (to a plain mp3 file) into foobar and that works fine.  I can live with this.

  Richard