Beatnik Supports New Audio Standard for Mobile DevicesXMF Standard for Wireless Tools, Services and Content September 6, 2001
Beatnik, Inc. today announced its support of eXtensible Music Format (XMF), the new worldwide audio standard for use in
the development of wireless applications, services and content. The XMF format, newly approved by the MIDI Manufacturer's
Association (MMA) and the Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) of Japan, offers many of the features and
benefits of Beatnik's own proprietary Rich Music Format (RMF).
XMF combines multiple music and sound formats, such as MIDI and Down-Loadable Samples (DLS), into a single file that can
be controlled interactively during playback. An XMF file can be up to 100 times smaller than the equivalent MP3 file, with
higher quality than most streaming audio formats. This makes XMF ideal for wireless applications including interactive music
remixers, mobile phone ring tones, audio content delivery and games.
"Downloadable ringing tones have exploded over the last couple of years, and Top 40 music on phones is next, " said founder
and Chief Beatnik, Thomas Dolby Robertson, Beatnik, Inc. "The timing is perfect for the music and mobile phone industries to
jointly define this global audio file format as it makes sense for handheld devices. As the leader in the field, Beatnik is
determined to be first to market with a practical XMF software solution."
Beatnik is committed to migrate its existing tools, audio engine and player to the newly ratified file format to drive demand for
the development of advanced audio enabled applications, services and content in the mobile wireless market. Beatnik expects to
roll out the first product to support XMF in Q1 2002.
As a member of the MMA, Beatnik helped lead the design of the XMF standard with other industry leaders including Alesis,
Cakewalk, E-mu Systems, IBM, Kurzweil, Line 6, LiveUpdate, Nokia, Steinberg, Sun Microsystems and Yamaha. For a
complete list of MMA members or more information on the MMA as well as the XMF format, please visit: www.midi.org. For more information, visit their web site at www.beatnik.com. |
