Playing Ogg Files with Rhythmbox

Playing Ogg Files with Rhythmbox

Rhythmbox plays audio files and audio streams encoded with Ogg. Ogg-formatted audio files — use the suffix .ogg — are common in the Linux world because there are so many tools to record with (for instance, Audacity). Ogg-formatted audio streams are advertised as such on the provider's Web page. There are fewer Internet audio sources using Ogg versus MP3, but the list is growing.

Even though the Internet is dominated by MP3-encoded radio streams, Ogg is making progress and penetrating the market. As Linux proliferates the desktop, more listeners have access to applications compatible with the nonproprietary Ogg format. More potential listeners means more sources.

Virgin Radio is one popular Internet radio source that speaks Ogg.

Follow these steps to play Virgin Radio using Rhythmbox:

1. Open a Firefox window by clicking the GNOME Applications menu and choosing InternetFirefox Web Browser, and browse to your favorite Internet radio station.

   For example, I usually go to www.virginradio.co.uk.

2. Click the Listen Live Now button near the upper-right side of the browser window.

   The names and locations of the links vary by Web site, but they usually include the word listen, or something equally intuitive.

   Your browser opens a Web page, which might look something like the one in Figure 20-1 .

   
   Figure 20-1: Virgin Radio digs Ogg Vorbis.

   
   

   
   
   

3. Click the Listen Live Now button under the Virgin Radio on Ogg Vorbis heading.

   The Opening Live.pls dialog opens, showing the Open with radio button selected and the Rhythmbox Music Player (default) option also selected by default.

4. Click the OK button.

   The first time you start Rhythmbox, the Rhythmbox dialog opens and displays the Welcome to Rhythmbox heading.

5. Click the Forward button in the Welcome to Rhythmbox dialog.

   The Rhythmbox dialog shows the Music Library heading.

6. Click the Skip This Step radio button and click the Forward button.

   The Rhythmbox dialog shows the Finish heading.

7. Click the Apply button.

   The Rhythmbox dialog closes and the Music Player window, as shown in Figure 20-1 , opens.

   
   Figure 20-1: The Rhythmbox Music Player window.

   
   

   
   
   

The following instructions use the Rhythmbox application to listen to an Internet radio station:

1. Click the Radio option in the Source subwindow.

   The main window shows a list of Internet radio stations you can select.

2. Click to select any of the Internet radio stations displayed in the main window.

   For instance, select the Virgin Radio Classic Rock option.

3. Click the Play button on the Rhythmbox toolbar.

   Rhythmbox opens and plays the radio station.

You can play Ogg audio files with Rhythmbox, of course. Follow these steps:

1. From the GNOME menu bar, choose ApplicationsSound & Video Rhythmbox Music Player.

   The Rhythmbox Music Player window opens.

2. Choose MusicImport File from the main menu bar.

   The Import File into Library dialog opens.

3. Find and select the audio file you want to play by clicking the folder and file in the Import File into Library dialog.

   Figure 20-1 shows an example window.

   
   Figure 20-1: Selecting audio files to play from the Import File into Library dialog.

   
   

   
   
   

4. Click the Open button in the Import File into Library dialog.

5. Click the Play button.

You might be surprised that neither Ogg nor Vorbis is an acronym. The terms come from science fiction characters. For more information about Ogg Vorbis and similar open source multimedia systems, go to www.vorbis.com.