DAR.fm is a new startup that aims to become the DVR for radio. It works on the same basic principle, and DAR even stands for Digital Audio Recorder. DAR.fm has been created by Michael Robertson, previously the founder of MP3.com.
Just like DVR allows you to record your favorite television shows, DAR.fm lets you schedule recordings of your favorite radio shows. Only DAR.fm does all this in the cloud, without the need for a box anywhere near your radio equipment. DAR.fm browses radio stations that broadcast their content online and indexes it, letting you search by either station or show. Then you just select the shows you want to hear and hit the magic 'Record' button. DAR.fm will then record the shows you've selected when they air. After that, you can listen to the recordings whenever you want, and you can do so from your Web browser or from DAR.fm's mobile applications (currently available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Palm devices).
An interesting fact about DAR.fm is that it allows navigation between songs within an individual recording. So if you've recorded, say, a show that played 10 songs during a 30 minute period, you'd be able to skip directly to either of those tracks without having to listen to the whole recording. It's unclear how DAR.fm accomplishes this, but it is nevertheless quite exciting.
Asked about the legal implications of such a service, Michael Robertson said that there's some precedent in the cable industry, with such recordings being legal as long as the viewer (or, in this case, listener) presses the 'Record' button himself or herself -- apparently regardless of whether that button is a physical one or just a virtual, cloud-based affair. We'll see if the courts will decide to rule otherwise on radio content, but until then, enjoy DAR.fm -- it looks like a very neat idea. Be aware though that it's in alpha stage right now, so not everything may work exactly as intended.
DAR.fm is a cloud-based DVR for radio originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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