Change in request rules - 30 minutes between requests.

Post by **Subsonic Radio** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 12:39 pm

Oh wow! The queue is crazy long! We're trying to make it fair for everybody. So, we'll just be mean and restrict more.

Users are now only allowed to have 30 minutes of tracks in the queue at once.

Your first request can be longer than 30 minutes, but you won't be able to request after that.

Need more clarification? Let's say you request two 15 minute tracks. You have to wait until one 15 minute track is finished playing before you can request again. And when you request, you can only request up to 15 minutes. But, if you have nothing in the queue, you can request longer than a 30 minute track.

We have added this limitation before and can read though the comments there:
viewtopic.php?t=4157

Lumiere · Post by **Lumiere** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 5:21 pm

Good call, Sub!

IMFearless · Post by **IMFearless** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 5:30 pm

Eh.... That might work, but I have a slightly different suggestion.
You can't request songs within X tracks of each other.
I.E., you make a request, you wait until X other people make requests, then you can make another. Throws some variety into the stream. Then again, I suppose we wouldn't get more than 30min of whatever they feel like anyways, that could work.
I'm still amused how this is the first radio station I've ever seen that would have a special specification "what about tracks more than 30min long?"
And, if I can suggest another thing to add... include something when you make a request about when you want that to play. Say I want to request something for two days from now, but I know the stream will be booked completely by then. I say that I want it two days from now, start of track between 1 and 2 PM. Large time frame there, so the playlist books as normal, then the track is just added there when it comes. Limit this to one outstanding track per user at a time; when the track gets added to the playlist, enable the user to use it again. Ask me if you're interested but confused.

casrin · Post by **casrin** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 6:23 pm

I think this is just going to make it crazier long, but I guess we'll see...

disneylandmom · Post by **disneylandmom** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 6:31 pm

I'm just wondering if there will be a problem if say someone is sitting there late in the day when nobody is requesting and you have to wait to request but the random generated requests pop up. I wouldn't want to wait an hour for a random generated song to play when I'm the only one requesting.

That being said I wonder if you can limit the length of the randomly generated tracks?

Just a thought and a question not trying to stir up trouble or anything.

ambiguity123 · Post by **ambiguity123** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 7:07 pm

Good idea! I rarely request anymore as a result of the long queue.

Out of curiosity, has the idea been considered to start a second request station? Maybe you could cut the number of available streams in half so that your bandwidth would remain constant, I don't know. Just an idea that has probably been mentioned before.

Sleeping Beauty 5 · Post by **Sleeping Beauty 5** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 7:10 pm

Great idea, I hope it works! I find myself waking up, grabbing my computer and logging in to make requests at 9am so I can listen to them hopefully by 4pm.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 7:34 pm

casrin wrote:I think this is just going to make it crazier long, but I guess we'll see...

Yeah... it doesn't sound like it'll make the queue any shorter, just increase the number of people who can request. Which is the idea, I guess, though I think you'll still have to be quick to get a slot, since there are obviously a lot of people waiting around to request who can't. The price of popularity, I guess. I'm still glad I request at night...

FlyingMouse · Post by **FlyingMouse** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 8:05 pm

ambiguity123 wrote:Good idea! I rarely request anymore as a result of the long queue.

Out of curiosity, has the idea been considered to start a second request station? Maybe you could cut the number of available streams in half so that your bandwidth would remain constant, I don't know. Just an idea that has probably been mentioned before.

How about 3 request streams, and label them East Coast, West Coast, and Rest of Earth.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Jul Wed 09, 2008 9:02 pm

Can you go back to the old system during off peak hours and during the weekends. I request during the weekends and do yard work (I have speakers all over my yard). There are times when it the system is picking the tracks.
Also like I've suggested before, I feel longer regen times would also help more people get their request in.

Guy · Post by **Guy** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 2:02 am

Mmm some interesting ideas. I will be interested to see if this makes any difference. I'm afraid that I don't think it will and that the best idea are the suggested above about having multiple request channels. But it would be pointless to have one for East, one for West, and one rest of the world as unless you are going to stop East coasters using say the West channel by IP address people are just going to pick the shortest stream!

cccmouse · Post by **cccmouse** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 7:10 am

I'm OK with the new change. We all know that there are times during the 8-5 M-F period that the queue is 7-8 hours long. If you listen at work and don't get your request in by 8:30 or 9:00 you are out of luck. Thankfully most listeners have pretty good taste and I can enjoy their selections as much as my own.
Special thanks to AKLRULZ, GhostHost and Sag746 for good early AM selections.

luv2cthemouse · Post by **luv2cthemouse** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 8:54 am

I think this is a good change. Thanks!!

JWG · Post by **JWG** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 9:58 am

So it's not really 30 mintues between tracks, but 30 minutes of total queued requests (or a total of 30 minutes between requested tracks I guess).

Cool... I'm open for trying stuff.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Jul Thu 10, 2008 10:03 am

JWG wrote:So it's not really 30 mintues between tracks, but 30 minutes of total queued requests (or a total of 30 minutes between requested tracks I guess).

Cool... I'm open for trying stuff.

Correct!