Roku SoundBridge Radio

Roku today launched the conference, which takes place from September 19-21 in Huntington Beach, California.

SoundBridge Radio features a bright, vacuum-fluorescent display (VFD) that is double the resolution of the original SoundBridge. The remote control is also similar to that of the original SoundBridge, so consumers can browse and select digital music by artist, title, album, composer or genre from across the room. As consumers listen to music, the display shows the name of the song and artist playing. Ultra-accurate clock updates from the Internet eliminate worrying about setting the time. A built-in light sensor auto dims the display at night and the headphone jack lets users enjoy their music without disturbing others.

"There are 40 million regular listeners using PCs to access Internet radio in the US. SoundBridge Radio gives those users a way to comfortably bring Internet radio away from their PCs and into their bedrooms," said Anthony Wood, Roku founder and chief executive officer. "With the SoundBridge Radio, consumers get traditional radio, Internet radio and digital music combined in a simple, high-quality product that's easy to use."

SoundBridge Radio includes all of the traditional features of SoundBridge as it can access playlists from both Mac- and Windows-based computers, and support music streaming in MP3, WMA, AIFF, WAV and un-protected AAC formats.

iTunes, other online services supported

In addition to supporting all major digital music formats, SoundBridge Radio supports iTunes, allowing playback of un-protected AAC or MP3 files. SoundBridge Radio streams internet radio with one-press preset access to stations, even if the PC is off. The device has also earned Microsoft's PlaysForSure certification, allowing it to play music from services using Windows Media DRM 10 such as Napster, Walmart.com and Musicmatch. SoundBridge is also certified to work with Real Networks' Rhapsody music service.

SoundBridge Radio will be available for $400 beginning in early November. It is available for pre-order beginning today with a $50 discount offered through the end of October on all pre-orders.

by MacNN Staff