The US software company Beatnik has begun approaching mobile phone operators with a new music download system that they say can compress songs up to 10 times better than the MP3 format. The new software would allow for much faster downloads on lower-end phones, says the company.
Most music download services are only available to users with more expensive smartphones using 3G networks, which have significanty higher download speeds than GPRS, said Jeremy Copp, chief sales officer for Beatnik.
Copp added that the software compresses songs by "taking common elements or repeated sounds and only replicating them once in the compressed file." The music player on the phone would then be able to recreate the sounds in the right place during playback. The smaller file size would also for much quicker downloads over the same bandwith and could allow users to listen to the song even as the rest is downloading.
Beatnik hopes the new system will make music download services more appealing in developing and 3rd world nations, such as countries in South America and India and Pakistan where most users havent upgraded to 3G or can only afford cheaper phones.
Compared to the broadband service offered by 3G networks, "There's still a huge proportion of the market that doesn't have access to that kind of bandwidth," Copp noted.
For the whole system to function, operators must convert their existing songs to Mobile XMS, Beatnik's file format and users must get the Beatnik software player on their phones. Copp says he hopes to announce a partnership with an operator, manufacturer, and content provider by the end of the month.
Source:
Yahoo!
Copp added that the software compresses songs by "taking common elements or repeated sounds and only replicating them once in the compressed file." The music player on the phone would then be able to recreate the sounds in the right place during playback. The smaller file size would also for much quicker downloads over the same bandwith and could allow users to listen to the song even as the rest is downloading.
Beatnik hopes the new system will make music download services more appealing in developing and 3rd world nations, such as countries in South America and India and Pakistan where most users havent upgraded to 3G or can only afford cheaper phones.
Compared to the broadband service offered by 3G networks, "There's still a huge proportion of the market that doesn't have access to that kind of bandwidth," Copp noted.
For the whole system to function, operators must convert their existing songs to Mobile XMS, Beatnik's file format and users must get the Beatnik software player on their phones. Copp says he hopes to announce a partnership with an operator, manufacturer, and content provider by the end of the month.
Source:
Yahoo!
