2008 International CES
Reciva Ltd (Cambridge, UK) and Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. (Santa
Clara, CA) today announced their joint platform for Internet radio
receivers and networked devices. Combining Reciva´s expertise in
Internet radio software with Marvell´s market-leading silicon, this
solution integrates Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity, all popular audio
decoders, a comprehensive list of thousands of live radio broadcasts
and podcasts from across the world, and a wide range of value-added
and premium content, all in a single circuit board smaller than a
business card.
Compared to conventional radio transmissions, the main advantage
of Internet Radio is far greater choice. Almost 10,000 stations are
available, ranging from live salsa music from Rio de Janeiro, through
news bulletins from the other side of the world, to the college radio
station from student days. Such choice might sound intimidating, but
finding content is as easy as turning the dial on your old transistor
set. Except that now, turning the dial doesn´t mean tuning into
specific radio frequencies: instead, web addresses for specific online
radio stations are being accessed. However, to the user the difference
is invisible. The dial shows the radio call sign and name on a little
display just like on an AM/FM radio.
"Working with Marvell is exciting for us, and our customers," said
Andrew Rhomberg, director of business development and strategy at
Reciva. Explaining further, Rhomberg continued: "The cost savings from
this new platform will greatly reduce the price premium for an
Internet receiver compared to a legacy AM/FM set. In the global
marketplace, technologies with only regional acceptance, such as HD
and DAB, will become largely irrelevant."
Over 60 million Americans listen to Internet radio every week,
mostly on their office PC, screening out the distractions of cubicle
life. Internet radio devices make online radio accessible for users
who want to enjoy good music, listen to the news, or just relax in the
kitchen, bedroom or by the pool.
Commenting on the relationship, Neeraj Bhatia, product line
manager, Marvell´s Embedded and Emerging Business Unit noted,
"Streaming Internet radio over Wi-Fi is a compelling feature for the
digital home market. Working with Reciva enables us to offer a turnkey
solution with the best-in-class content to our customers."
The new radios also allow the user to play their own music from
any wirelessly connected device, as well as personalized content, like
fast growing radio service Pandora. In fact access to Pandora has been
built into the new platform and Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora
explains "Pandora has grown to more than 9.5 million listeners and we
think allowing users to access Pandora on any device will further
accelerate our growth. New Reciva users will be able to get Pandora
preinstalled and existing users will have the option to upgrade their
radios at the touch of a button."
About Reciva
Reciva is the global market leader in Internet radio technology.
Reciva´s Gatepass(TM) platform, which is at the heart of all
Reciva-enabled Internet radios, provides Internet radio services via
the Reciva Gateway. Reciva-enabled Internet radio devices can play
back online radio in almost every format including MP3, Microsoft(R)
Windows Media Player, RealAudio(R) Player, AAC (the format of iTunes),
Ogg Vorbis and many others. Reciva´s technology is available as a
software license or in the form of the "Barracuda", "Stingray" or
"Mako" hardware modules providing consumer electronics (CE) companies
and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a turnkey solution.
Reciva´s Gateway technology delivers regularly updated and
verified Internet radio station lists to its internet radio products,
allowing listeners to access to many thousands of online radio
broadcasts without the need for a PC.
The Reciva Radio Portal, www.reciva.com, enables listeners to
access the same stations via their PC. They can build customised
station lists and access subscription based music services to play via
their Reciva enabled radio.
Reciva is a privately held company based in Cambridge, UK.
http://www.reciva.com
About Marvell
Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) is the leader in storage, communications
and consumer silicon solutions. The Company´s diverse product
portfolio includes switching, transceiver, communications controller,
wireless, and storage solutions that power the entire communications
infrastructure, including enterprise, metro, home, and storage
networking. As used in this release, the term "Marvell" refer to
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. For more
information, visit http://www.marvell.com.
Marvell(R) is a registered trademark of Marvell or its affiliates.
Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of Marvell,
Marvell´s affiliates, or other parties.
