New Gilat news story:
Monday July 16 06:52 PM EDT
Satellites Stream Custom Tunes to Mood-Conscious Businesses
By Jay Wrolstad, Wireless.NewsFactor.com
Move over, Muzak: Delivery of in-house tunes and background sounds by businesses trying to establish ambiance has entered the space age.
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Satellite technology company Spacenet and music provider PlayNetwork have partnered to bundle PlayNetwork's custom music programming with Spacenet's satellite-based networking services. The companies said they are targeting the combined wireless service toward Fortune 500 retail and restaurant businesses throughout North America.
Satellite System
Spacenet, the U.S. subsidiary of Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Nasdaq: GILTF - news), uses Gilat's VSAT (very small aperture terminal) communications technology and small fixed satellite antennas to link a central hub with up to thousands of geographically dispersed sites, speeding delivery of interactive data, voice and multimedia applications, the companies said.
The companies added that their combined multicasting technology offers an alternative to traditional "canned" music by allowing corporate headquarters to continuously update content, including music and ad messages, and to tailor programs by region or other demographic profile.
Marketing, Intranet Uses
Spacenet said it has signed up a U.S. fast-food restaurant company (which the company declined to name) that recently deployed Spacenet and PlayNetwork equipment across 670 outlets nationwide.
According to Spacenet, this restaurant chain has a two-way satellite network to support point-of-sale polling and high-speed intranet access, and each location uses a VSAT satellite system to receive, store and play IP (Internet Protocol)-based custom music programming.
Spacenet already has contracts with the 400-restaurant Bob Evans chain, the Friendly's restaurant chain and a group of 1,000 Goodyear tire outlets in North America to provide high-speed satellite communications networks and IP services.
Playback Options
To receive digital transmissions from satellite networks, PlayNetwork customers have two remote-location storage and playback options for use with broadband networks: the E-Player standalone hardware device, which connects to a network and stores more than 4,000 songs on its hard drive, or the PlayNetwork PC Player Plus software, which can be installed on a networked, in-store PC, turning the PC into a playback device.
"The key difference of this offering from that of our competitors is that PlayNetwork starts out with customization rather than including it as an afterthought," PlayNetwork president and chief executive Adam Brotman said. "That means every music program we craft is tailored to match the demographics and needs of our customers."
PlayNetwork's customers include Starbucks, Levi Strauss & Co., VoiceStream Wireless, Finish Line, Amtrak, Fossil and Restaurants Unlimited.
The company said it is licensed by all major record labels, publishers and performance rights organizations and has access to millions of original artist tunes that are mixed and delivered monthly. |
