To listen to Internet radio you just need a moderately powerful computer with speakers and a fast Internet connection. It’s possible to listen to many online audio broadcasts with Internet connections under 128 kilibits per second – even as lows as 32kbps -- but to get CD quality sound, 128K or faster gets you in the ballgame.

You need an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Some Internet radio plays right through the browser -- but most stations will require you to get and install one of the common free software “players” (each station, when you browse to its Web page, will tell you what it needs).

Here are today's major Internet audio players:

Real Networks RealPlayer
Microsoft Windows Media Player
Apple Quicktime
Nullsoft Wimamp MP3 player

See also:

• How It Works