ClearOne IP Speaker - Manual

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StreamNet
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Connected IP Speakers W H I T E P A P E R
The Evolving Market:
The talk of AV & IT convergence has gone on for years now, mostly being pushed by
one side or the other, but for the first time ever the trend is now being pushed by the
needs of the market. Over the past five years, the distribution of music online has gone
from an interesting experiment to the fastest growing content distribution channel. The
transformation from the original analog recordings on vinyl, to the digital format on CD,
and now to the bits and bytes over a wire has taken many decades. Each step along the
way has been accompanied by the naysayer’s and skeptics, but for each step we’ve
won over all but the smallest fraction of hold outs. The reason of course is that each
transition opened up new opportunities for portability, quality, and ease of use.
However, until now, the custom audio distribution solutions within the premises have
been relatively unaffected, and while many of the requirements such a quality,
simplicity, and reliability continue on, new requirements have emerged that require
dealers and integrators to rethink the solutions they offer their customers. New
requirements for audio distribution systems are:
• Scale & Extensibility
• Environmental
Impact
• Internet
connectivity
• Processing intelligence for DRM and CODEC upgradeability
• Sound customization to the environment
Scale & Extensibility
Today’s buildings, whether they are homes or commercial properties, are getting bigger
and bigger. They are also demanding high quality audio throughout the premises. While
the 12 and 16 channel centralized audio distribution systems were an effective solution
in the past, the lack of scalability for the future raises concerns. Additionally, today’s
sources are no longer fixed – audio subscriptions come and go, iPods, PCs and other
Personal Media Players (PMP) move in and out of environments. The centralized view
of audio sources has exploded into a web of sources that are transient. Where to plug
each of these into? Where to configure them as they come and go? The predictable
12x12 matrix switch doesn’t have a clean answer to these demands.
Environmental Impact
There is a growing environmental awareness both within businesses and households.
New large scale investments are being evaluated for their environmental impact and
consumers want to know that their lifestyle choices are leaving the world a better place
for their children and grandchildren. Many manufacturers have rushed to stick a green
label on existing products without changing the product – this would seem at first glance
to be a good thing. However, ask yourself this question, “If all manufacturers say their
products are Green and our environment is suffering, how can the manufacturer’s
statements all be true?” The logical answer is they can’t. Consumers and business