Knowledgebase

The automatic live/auto dj switching feature makes use of IceCast's "fallback mount" to allow your live djs to automatically "take over" the stream when they connect with their live source software. There is no need to stop the autodj -- The auto dj will continue playing in the background while the live broadcast is in progress. No one will hear the auto dj playing until the live source stops. Once the live source stops the auto dj will kick back in and that is what your listeners will hear.


One of the best features for IceCast broadcasters is the ability to switch from auto dj to live and live to auto dj with out the need of physically stopping the auto dj like you have to do with ShoutCast V1 servers. IceCast servers makes use of the "fallback mount" option to allow your live djs to automatically switch the stream to live when they connect in with their live source software.


How does this work?


Centova Cast creates three mount points on the server:
 /autodj -- This is where the auto dj connects
/live -- This is where your live source is supposed to connect
/stream -- This is configured to automatically duplicate /live if a live source is connected, and if not, it falls back to /autodj


When the server is started, the auto dj begins broadcasting to /autodj, so anyone who connects to /stream hears the auto dj.


When your live source connects to /live, the /stream mount point immediately "plugs in" to /live, so anyone who connects to /stream will hear the live broadcast.


When your live source disconnects from /live, the /stream mount point immediately falls back to /autodj (which has continued playing throughout your live broadcast even though nobody could hear it). This allows seamless transitioning between live broadcasts and the autodj, with absolutely no silence in between.


MP3 TO AAC+ NOTE: Some broadcasters have attempted to stream the auto dj via MP3 format and then try to go live with AAC+. Based on our tests this did not work on Centova Cast V2 running IceCast KH. You must use the same format and in this case that would be MP3. The auto dj runs with MP3 so your live feed needs to be MP3.