CasterClub WebPlayer v3.0

Release: March 2026
URL: https://yp.casterclub.com/webplayer.php
Engine: Web Audio API · ICY/ICY2.2 · Ollama AI · HTML5

Overview

The CasterClub WebPlayer is a full Winamp-style popup player purpose-built for Icecast-based internet radio. It opens in a 980×720 popup window and provides a rich broadcast experience with real-time audio analysis, AI-powered artist intelligence, and complete metadata tracking.

Browser Compatibility

Layout

The player has a three-column layout inside the popup window:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Station Name  ·  Genre  ·  Bitrate  ·  Codec  [LED display]   │
├─────────────────┬───────────────────────┬───────────────────────┤
│  LEFT COLUMN    │   CENTER COLUMN       │   RIGHT COLUMN        │
│                 │                       │                       │
│  Transport      │  Waveform / Spectrum  │  AI Artist Intel      │
│  Play / Stop    │  Beat-reactive canvas │  (Ollama gemma2:2b)   │
│                 │                       │                       │
│  Stereo VU      │  Station Info         │  Song History (20)    │
│  L ████░░ -12dB │  Server · Codec       │  ▶ Song Title  00:00  │
│  R ██░░░░ -18dB │  Bitrate · Format     │  ▶ Previous Song      │
│                 │  ICY2.2 Extended Info │                       │
│  Peak hold      │  DJ / Show / Artwork  │                       │
└─────────────────┴───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘
│  Credits: CasterClub WebPlayer v3.0 · ICY/ICY2.2 · Web Audio   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Features

Audio Engine

• HTML5 <audio> element — plays all browser-supported codecs
• Codec auto-detection from HTTP Content-Type header:
  • audio/mpeg → MP3
  • audio/aac / audio/aacp → AAC+
  • audio/ogg → Ogg Vorbis
  • audio/opus → Opus
  • audio/flac → FLAC
  • application/x-mpegURL → HLS (opens video modal)
• HTTPS Proxy routing — HTTP streams routed through /proxy-stream.php to prevent browser mixed-content blocks on our HTTPS site

Stereo VU Meters

• Web Audio API ChannelSplitterNode → dual AnalyserNode (Left + Right channels)
• getFloatTimeDomainData() → RMS calculation → dBFS reading
• 60-segment canvas bars, 60fps via requestAnimationFrame
• Green → Amber → Red gradient (−40 dBFS to 0 dBFS)
• Peak-hold indicator with 2-second decay
• Clipping indicator at 0 dBFS

Beat-Reactive Spectrum Visualizer

• getByteFrequencyData() — 120 frequency bars
• Bass-bin beat detection — background pulse on kick/bass hits
• Smooth bar-height animation with decay
• Teal/cyan color palette matching CasterClub brand

ICY / ICY2.2 Metadata

Metadata polled every 5 seconds via /proxy-meta.php:

AI Artist Intelligence (Ollama)

• Powered by Ollama running locally — no external API calls
• Model: gemma2:2b (1.6 GB, Google — best quality/size ratio)
• Fallback chain: gemma2:2b → llama3.2:3b → phi3
• Triggered on song title change (not on timer)
• Returns 2–3 sentences about the artist/track — style, legacy, interesting fact
• Displayed in the right panel with model badge

Song History

• Tracks last 20 songs with timestamps
• Newest entry highlighted with fade-in animation
• Scrollable list with thin scrollbar styling
• Persists for the lifetime of the popup session

HTTP → HTTPS Proxy

All http:// stream URLs are automatically routed through our proxy to prevent browser mixed-content errors:

Browser → https://yp.casterclub.com:443/proxy-stream.php?id=N → http://station:port/stream

The proxy:

• Forwards ICY headers (icy-name, icy-genre, icy-metaint, etc.)
• Streams audio in real-time chunks using CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION
• Blocks private IP ranges (SSRF protection)
• Accepts ?id=<station_id> (DB lookup) or ?url=<encoded_url>

URL Parameters

Example:

https://yp.casterclub.com/webplayer.php?id=1732&name=DOBYTEK+DnB+radio

Metadata Proxy Endpoints

/proxy-meta.php?id=N

Fetches live metadata for a station — polls Icecast status-json.xsl and reads inline ICY metadata block. Returns JSON:

{
  "stream_title": "Artist - Song Title",
  "icy_name": "Station Name",
  "icy_genre": "Rock",
  "icy2_dj_handle": "DJ Name",
  "icy2_show_title": "Morning Show",
  "icy2_track_artwork": "https://..."
}

/proxy-ai.php (POST)

Generates artist intel via Ollama. Body:

{ "song": "Metallica - Enter Sandman", "station": "Rock FM", "genre": "Metal" }

Returns:

{ "response": "Metallica is an American heavy metal band...", "model": "gemma2:2b" }

Known Limitations

• AI response time: First request after server restart may take 10–30s while the model loads into memory
• Popup blocking: Some browsers block window.open() — the player falls back to opening in a new tab
• HTTPS-only streams with self-signed certs: Proxy accepts self-signed upstream certs (CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER=0)
• Video streams (application/x-mpegURL, video/*): Open in a <video> modal overlay instead of the audio engine

Version History

Credits

CasterClub WebPlayer v3.0
ICY/ICY2.2 Protocol · Web Audio API · Ollama AI (gemma2:2b) · HTML5
© 2026 CasterClub.com / MCaster1 LLC — All rights reserved