Audio on demand................
techweb.com
Handheld Broadcast Player Makes
Splash At CES
(01/09/99, 10:01 a.m. ET)
By Andy Patrizio, TechWeb
LAS VEGAS -- It's not easy to make a big splash at
the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), particularly
with all big name vendors making announcements. But
start-up communications firm Command Audio did just
that.
Command Audio's namesake service offers
audio-on-demand from any location using a handheld
device about the size of a television remote control. By
using satellites and building a nationwide network of
transmitters, subscribers can receive more than 100
programs, including radio, TV shows, and even print
magazines.
The range of programming is extensive: 100 shows with
more on the way, including radio shows like National
Public Radio, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and Art Bell, TV
shows like Nightline, and print magazines like Time
and People, which are read to the listener.
All can be listened to on demand, so if subscribers miss
a show during its regularly scheduled air time, they can
listen later, said Danny Miller, head of program
acquisition for Command Audio. Command Audio
includes the commercials that are part of the program,
but adds none of its own.
In addition to national shows, regional and local news
can be added as well, such as weather and traffic. With
the FM transmitter built into the handheld unit, a
customer can route the signal to their car, home, or
office radio, said Miller.
Denver and Phoenix will be the first two cities to go
online in the next few months, with eight more
undisclosed cities to be added by the end of 1999. By
the end of 2000, Command Audio hopes to achieve
national deployment.
The playback unit was designed and built by RCA, a
division of Thomson Consumer Electronics. It will be
sold and marketed by Thomson for $199. A monthly
subscription fee for the service is $15. |
