How To Listen - Radio 3
- How can I listen to BBC Radio 3?
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Radio 3 is broadcast in the UK on 90 - 93FM, on Digital Radio and via digital TV. Radio 3 is also broadcast online both within the UK and internationally. It is possible to listen to the last 7 days of Radio 3 broadcasts in HD Sound via Radio 3 programme pages. An increasing number of programmes are permanently available - see Radio 3 Online Archives below.
How to get Radio 3 on your radio or TV
Please visit the BBC 's TV and Radio Reception web page.
How to listen online
Please visit the iPlayer Help Page or see HD Sound below.
How to listen on MP3 players
For general advice, see the BBC's Podcast Help page.
Which Radio 3 programmes can I download?
See the Radio 3 Downloads page.
HD Sound
Radio 3 is the first BBC radio station to offer 'HD' quality streams for both live and on demand listening.
What is HD Sound?
HD sound means High Definition sound.
Sound reaches our ears via analogue sound waves. However processing these sound waves electronically tends to distort their original shape. Modern digital processing is much less distorting. The conversion of an analogue signal to a digital signal is achieved by sampling the sound waves. We are now delivering the sampled 'HD' sound at a rate of 320 kb/s (AAC), which delivers more audio information and results in better sound, compared to the previous rate of 192 kb/s.
What is the best way of listening to Radio 3 HD?
If you listen on the small speakers built into a laptop you're unlikely to notice a big difference, but if your computer is connected to a good-quality sound system or high-quality headphones we think you'll appreciate the extra clarity and detail in the sound.
Can I hear 'Listen again' in HD too?
Yes, both live and on demand streams are now available in HD.
What do I do if it doesn't work?
If you have problems listening to the HD stream, you should try the 'Low Bandwith' setting on the iPlayer.
Why do I occasionally lose the stream?
This live stream requires more bandwidth than the original stream. If your bandwidth drops because someone else is using your internet connection, the stream may falter and start to buffer. Buffering is an automatic process when the computer stores extra data (filling the buffer) before playing the audio.
Having more audio data in the computer's memory than are actually needed at each precise moment compensates for momentary delays in transmission from the source. If the stream fails completely, either go to the 'Low Bandwidth' stream as above, or restart the player.
Radio 3 Online Archives
Where rights permit, some Radio 3 programmes are available as audio archives. They can be found via the 'Episodes' tab on the programme pages.
Archived programmes include selected editions of:
Composer of the Week (podcast version - see the Clips tab on the CotW programme pages)
Discovering Music (see Episodes and Clips)
