Streamit launches internet radio with Store & Forward function

Eindhoven, June 25 2008

By adding Store & Forward functionality to its SIR-family internet radios Streamit B.V. from Eindhoven, The Netherlands, increases the applicability of streaming audio in a business environment. High capacity memory cards can be inserted into Streamit’s professional internet radios that can be loaded with new music tracks, commercials and play lists using a remote service.

The background music market faces some dramatic changes. Audio streaming via secured data networks or via the public internet will replace cumbersome CD distribution, inflexible satellite connections and expensive music computers. With the launch of the Store & Forward functionality for most of the Streamit professional internet radios the last excuse for not using streaming audio is being eliminated. Limited available bandwidth, unreliable network connections are no longer preventing perfect play out of mood music. The Streamit internet radios stream when they can but store music tracks locally if needed.

Streamit-director Johan van der Stoel explains: “It is normal practice for us to listen carefully to what is going on in the market for mood music. Reliability and cost reduction are the two most important criteria for selecting new solutions. As we now made it possible to store music and commercials locally on a memory card, limited and unreliable data networks no longer are barriers to switch to streaming audio. We expect that traditional devices will be replaced on a large scale. At the bottom line our devices show a clear advantage. It is our opinion that users will choose for better performance and more cost-effective solutions”

During the evening hours and during the night (closing time) the Streamit internet radio will automatically download new music tracks, commercials and play lists from a central distribution server. During the day the device will play autonomously the right music program. Due to the enormous storage capacity of the newest SDHC memory cards the Streamit internet radio can operate for a very long time (even months) without a working network connection.