Is a plugin available for "Audacious" that will enable it to handle ASF, ASX streaming audio? The "Audacious" website seems to say "no", but Googling seems to say "maybe", as a non-free plugin. If a packaged plugin is available, where can I find it? I like using "Audacious" because it permits listening and saving OGG streams simultaneously, plus MP3 streams as well. I would like to do the same with ASF, ASX streams. MPlayer handles ASF, ASX streaming audio, but does not permit listening and saving (recording) simultaneously.

Using the following command-line in Konsole (as an example):

mplayer -cache 256 -dumpaudio -dumpfile stream.asf -msglevel all=-1 -nojoystick -nolirc mms://rx-wes-sea154.rbn.com/farm/pull/tx-rbn-sea003:1459/wmtencoder/wcpe/wcpeint/wmlive/wcpewin.asf

I can save (record) an ASF stream. Once I have done that, is there a way to convert the ASF file to WAV format, so that I can make an audio disc, or use other software to do further conversion?

I am using Mandriva 2007.0, kernel 2.6.17-5mdv.

I did a considerable amount of additional Googling and I discovered that I have all the necessary tools to convert recorded ASF streams to WAV or other formats, particularly after adding "mencoder" to my installed packages. Finding the appropriate stream to record was also a major factor contributing to success. All ASF streams do not seem to be created equal. As an example, use the following command-line in Konsole to capture the "SKY.fm - Mostly Classical" ASF audio stream:

mplayer -cache 128 -dumpstream -msglevel all=-1 -nojoystick -nolirc mms://wstream5d.di.fm/classical_low/

This is a 20 kbps (low-bit rate) stream that works fine with a dial-up modem. The stream will be saved with the filename "stream.dump". Use the "-dumpfile" option to save with the filename of your choice. See "man mplayer" for more details. Note that win32-codecs must be installed to handle ASF streams. Also note that audio will not be heard as it is recorded, so it is helpful to choose streams originating from sites that post playlists. On my system, running Mandriva 2007.0, pressing "q" does not stop "mplayer" recording; I must open another desktop, open "Process Table", and kill "mplayer". Pressing "q" does stop "mplayer" when listening only.

The following command-lines can then be used to convert the ASF audio file to WAV, then MP3 format (if "lame" is installed to handle MP3 conversion).

mplayer -msglevel all=-1 -nojoystick -nolirc input.asf -vc null -vo null -ao pcm:waveheader:file=output.wav

lame -h -m s input.wav output.mp3

The above procedure works fine for me, and it can be streamlined considerably by those who enjoy writing bash scripts. I do not do much stream recording, so I will leave the script writing to someone else.

The following ASF stream (32 kbps) can be captured, but I am unable to play the file, or convert it to another format.

mplayer -cache 128 -dumpstream -msglevel all=-1 -nojoystick -nolirc mms://rx-wes-sea154.rbn.com/farm/pull/tx-rbn-sea003:1459/wmtencoder/wcpe/wcpeint/wmlive/wcpewin.asf

"MPlayer" gives the error message "encrypted VOB file". So, do not be surprised if you find some cases such as this one. Remove the "-msglevel all=-1" option to see all warning and error messages.

I also want to mention that "vsound" can be used to listen and record RM audio streams simultaneously, while "Audacious" can be used similarly for OGG and MP3 audio streams. Be advised that I use the OSS audio driver (i810_audio) only. Your results might vary.