Music for the millenium - MPEG-1 audio layer 3

Electronics Times, June 14, 1999

In addition to the IBM announcement, RealNetworks is promoting a digital music product that it claims optimises a PC for acquiring, playing and managing digital music.

RealNetworks' RealJukebox and RealSystem MP allow consumers to create digital music libraries from their personal CD collections. Users can record music CD files on to their PC's hard drive in MP3 and RealAudio G2 formats, play back the files and create a file management system for organising the tracks.

At about 1.7Mbyte, the Jukebox is smaller than RealNetworks' RealPlayer but it manages thousands of songs. It is compatible with MP3 players from Diamond Rio and Creative Nomad, and will support networking solutions for the streaming of music between PCs.

RealJukebox also enables seamless handheld device downloading as it supports a variety of solid-state memory used in portables, including flash.

Dan Auclair, senior vice-president of business development at flash card manufacturer SanDisk, sees his company as a likely winner whatever the final outcome: For us, this is a major opportunity. We're extremely motivated.

The company is promoting its CompactFlash and MultiMedia card technologies to the portable player market. Deals have so far been concluded with LG Electronics and Pontis for their MP3 players and with Casio for its MS Audio device.

While it seems certain that we will increasingly be going on-line to add to our music libraries, the exact form this will take seems far less clear. Whichever system wins out at the end of the day could consign a raft of competing technologies to home entertainment's curio corner along with the Betamax VCR and the eight-track cartridge player.

A sneak glimpse into music's crystal ball shows the major music providers adopting a secure system, with MP3 being supported by a raft of new independents. But prognostication never the most exact of sciences is doubly difficult through a digital fog.