4 chapters across the catalog
Morning Greetings, Artistes, and Early Streaming History
Adam and John exchange formal "In the Morning" greetings and thank the "artistes" who create show artwork. Adam reminisces about his early experiments with streaming audio in the 1990s using a Sun Voyager luggable computer and a 96.6k modem, which he recognized then as the future of broadcasting.
The technical challenges of recording a podcast between the United Kingdom and the United States involve significant Skype latency, often resulting in 0.8-second delays and conversational overlaps. Plans are discussed to transition to a dedicated ISDN setup using AAC codecs to improve audio quality and reduce buffering issues. One host has already installed ISDN capabilities at a property in San Francisco to facilitate this change.
The benefits and drawbacks of installing an ISDN line for remote broadcasting are debated. While the technology allows for high-quality participation in radio shows from home, it is expensive and has led to an influx of automated telemarketing spam. One host reports that British Telecom (BT) seemingly shared his business number, leading to frequent "ISDN spam" calls.
Skype Latency and ISDN Connection Technical Comparison
The hosts compare the technical performance of Skype versus ISDN for remote broadcasting. Adam Curry notes that ISDN provides a 60-millisecond delay due to dedicated circuits, whereas Skype typically has a 600-millisecond latency. John C. Dvorak mentions his recent Comcast speed boost to 16 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up, though he notes performance drops when connecting to international servers in England.
