RCA Internet Radio Tunes Thousands Of Channels Through Internet Link To Wide World Of Audio Options

Tabletop Innovation Features Kerbango Tuning Service

29-Aug-00

Hearkening back to the first radio receivers ever produced for new technology enthusiasts, the new RCA Internet Radio will offer thousands of listening options for consumers with broadband Internet access. Available in October from THOMSON multimedia (NYSE: TMS) at a suggested retail price of $299, the tabletop RCA Internet Radio will tune to over-the-air AM (amplitude modulation) and FM (frequency modulation) stations as well as IM (Internet modulation) channels through connections to digital cable or DSL access lines by utilizing the revolutionary Kerbango Tuning Service to reach more than 4,000 different radio stations throughout the world.When radio first appeared in American homes in the early 1920s, hobbyists spent their time ""distance listening,"" attempting to pull in AM signals from distant locations. Now worldwide audio entertainment and information will be brought home through a high-speed Internet connection to the RCA Internet Radio. A future model will include a built-in modem for direct Internet access.""Eventually, everything comes from the Internet, and since many radio broadcasters around the world are already streaming their programs over the Internet, it makes sense that consumers should be able to enjoy these programs now, away from the computer. That's why Thomson will offer the tabletop RCA Internet Radio and will soon integrate this functionality into other products,"" said Mark Redmond, Vice President of Worldwide Audio for THOMSON multimedia. Use of Internet radio by computer users is growing. Last year, Arbitron reported that the number of people listening to Internet audio had doubled in 12 months. In 1999, about four million people were listening to Internet radio each week.""We're planning to offer Internet radio as a feature in both a future bookshelf audio system and in the new RCA Digital Media Manager that will allow consumers to manage their entire music collections with a device that includes a hard-disc drive,"" Redmond said.About THOMSON multimediaWith sales of 6.7 billion Euros (U.S. $6.5 billion) in 1999 and 55,000 employees in more than 30 countries, THOMSON multimedia is the worldís fourth largest producer of consumer electronics. The group has four principal activities: Displays and Components, Consumer Products, New Media Services, and Patents and Licensing. THOMSON multimedia engineers, manufactures, and markets display components and consumer products such as televisions, VCRs, audio systems, digital decoders, DVD-Video players and professional video equipment under the popular RCA and THOMSON brand names. THOMSON multimedia is listed in the Paris (Sicovam: 18453) and New York (NYSE: TMS) stock exchanges. THOMSON multimedia is the parent company of the U.S.-based Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.thomson-multimedia.com

Read More:
http://www.thomson-multimedia.com