RioPort Inc. Friday released a beta version of its
next generation Audio Manager 3.0, which includes new audio and video
streaming capabilities, the ability to burn custom CDs for playback of music
on home and car stereos, and downloading of tracks in multiple formats to the
desktop or portable playback devices.
The beta version of Audio Manager 3.0 is available for free at the company’s Web site. The final software is expected to become available through RioPort’s network of distribution partners in the next several weeks.
Audio Manager 3.0 is MetaTrust Certified by InterTrust Technologies Corp.,
and also supports Microsoft9s Windows Media Format, addressing the desires of
major content owners by providing a solid, secure commerce infrastructure,
which will drive the delivery of popular digital music and spoken audio
content via the Internet. For RioPort’s platform partners and OEMs, benefits
include support for multiple file formats with built-in digital rights
management functionality and the ability to customize the application9s look
and features for their own audiences.
“RioPort9s new Audio Manager is a significant leap forward in helping to
drive mass market acceptance of digital audio,” said Todd Moore, director of
product management for platform systems at RioPort Inc.
“Audio Manager 3.0
provides all the features consumers want in an easy-to-use application, while
addressing the concerns of copyright holders who want assurance that their
content will be protected from piracy. By addressing these concerns through
our software, we are helping the industry come one step closer to making
digital audio a truly viable consumer market.”
With Audio Manager 3.0, users can:
- Play CD music in addition to downloaded digital audio or video files
- Encode music from their own CD collection to create a personal database of
MP3 or Windows Media Format audio files for playback on their PC or
compatible portable device - Download new music tracks from the Internet or use their existing database
of MP3 or WMA files, then make their own CD using a CD-R drive for playback
on their home/car stereo - Download tracks in MP3, WMA, formats for playback on the PC or compatible
portable player - Stream leading audio formats, such as MP3, WMA or G2, on their desktop for
listening to audio or viewing video files on the Web without storing files on
their hard drive - Or connect to portable devices using the industry standard Media Device
Manager (MDM) API from RioPort, which is interoperable with Microsoft’s
Windows Media Device Manager (WMDM), adopted by a growing number of portable
device manufacturers.
Other features include:
- Support for a variety of portable audio playback devices
- Categorization, searching, sorting and creation of playlists
- Built-in Web browser
- Higher fidelity encoding. Audio Manager 3.0 allows consumers to encode
tracks from their own CD collection into the MP3 or WMA formats at up to 256
Kbps. - Customizable interface and effects
Both the beta and final versions of the Audio Manager 3.0 software are
available for free. The free version includes an unlimited number of WMA
encodes and up to 50 MP3 encodes, as well as 25 CD burns. To enable
unlimited encoding and burning, consumers can unlock the software for $18.95
or $9.95 for each unlimited encoding or CD burning.
The Audio Manager will
respect all “no copy” flags that are associated with secure or SDMI-compliant
content, including content packaged in an InterTrust or Microsoft DRM
container. Audio Manager 3.0 will be available from the following RioPort
network sites: MTV.com, VH1.com, SonicNet, Ministry of Sound or RioPort.com. RioPort’s Audio Manager 3.0 is
compatible with Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.
