Roku’s Wi-Fi Media Modules Allows OEMs to Quickly Add Streaming Music, Internet Radio, Photos, or Video to Products
COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2005, TAIWAN, June 1, 2005 — Roku and Tatung Co. today announced that Tatung is going to manufacture and sell Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules. Tatung is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of a vast array of digital consumer products. Based on Roku’s market proven SoundBridge and PhotoBridge technology, Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules allow the easy addition of powerful, networked digital media features including digital music streaming, Internet radio, photo viewing and video playback. The Roku Wi-Fi Media Module Evaluation Kit is now available. The Kit includes a Wi-Fi Media Module and an Evaluation Board which provide an example of how to integrate the modules into an existing product.
In a separate announcement issued today, Roku also announced a strategic business partnership with Tatung where the companies will work together to jointly develop an array of consumer products that leverage Roku’s software, user interface and service integration expertise with Tatung’s hardware design and manufacturing abilities. As part of the arrangement between the companies, Tatung has license rights to the SoundBridge product line and will distribute the network music players in Asia. Roku SoundBridge is the network music player that lets consumers listen to digital music and Internet radio anywhere in the house.
“We’ve enhanced the features of the Wi-Fi Media Modules since its introduction in January. The line now includes modules that focus on Internet radio and music streaming, as well as more advanced modules that add photos and video streaming.” said Roku Chief Executive Officer Anthony Wood. “From our previous work with the leading players in the digital music market, all Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules are PlaysForSure certified and compatible with major music formats and services.”
“The Roku Wi-Fi Media Module is a very elegant yet simple solution for OEMs who are looking to include or expand the digital media capabilities of their products,” said W.S. Lin, president of Tatung Co. “Roku has made a complete solution that allows the OEM to select which features are most important. We look forwarding to introducing the Roku Wi-Fi Media Module to many companies in Asia and overseas.”
Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules come in a variety of options so OEMs can select wired or wireless connectivity for their products. Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules integrate Wi-Fi and 10/100 Ethernet, security keys, and all needed software into one low-cost module.
By issuing commands to Roku’s Wi-Fi Media Modules over an internal serial bus, any consumer electronics product can play Internet radio or digital music over a home network. Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules handle the complicated work behind the scenes with its embedded and powerful network music processor. Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules distill complicated tasks such as Wi-Fi certification, Wi-Fi drivers, support for multiple server types, digital rights management, compatibility testing, and internet radio to a simple set of serial commands. The flexibility of this approach allows an OEM to create a fully custom user interface if they wish, or use the Roku Wi-Fi Media Modules built-in user interface primitives.
For more information visit www.rokulabs.com/oem or contact John Lin at Tatung through john.lin@tatung.com
About Tatung
Founded in 1918 & headquartered in Taiwan, Tatung Co. (www.tatung.com) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of a vast array of digital consumer products, including PCs, flat-panel TV’s, personal media players, set-top boxes, smart phones, digital video recorders, etc. For industrial products, Tatung has well-established power and energy businesses. With its overseas branches spreading across 12 countries, Tatung is in a solid position to deliver products more efficiently and fulfill customer services more effectively.
About Roku
Roku is a privately held digital media company located in Palo Alto, Calif., and founded by Anthony Wood, the inventor of the digital video recorder (DVR). Roku designs sleek digital media products that maximize the digital home entertainment experience. Roku’s award-winning products include Roku SoundBridge network music players and Roku PhotoBridge HD digital media players.
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